Unravel Me by Lynn Montagano

to—”
    “I can ruin her reputation in a heartbeat. Nobody respects or trusts a so-called journalist who takes money under the table to print gossip. She’s looking for the big score to get a flashy by-line. You don’t have any dirty little secrets. I’m pretty sure she’s figured that out by now.”
    “Are you positive the money is coming from his uncle?” My voice shook.
    Nathan almost looked sympathetic. “It’s coming from a trust account that he deposits money into every month.”
    “How did you find out about this?”
    “That’s not important.”
    I clenched my jaw. What a dumb question. This guy was a master at stalking. Although, and my God how I hated to admit it, his skills would be beneficial in getting to the bottom of why Alastair’s family wanted to dig up information on me.
    “Okay,” I said quietly.
    “Okay what?”
    Every piece of my soul fought against what I was about to say. Nathan gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. I hope I’m doing the right thing.
    “Do what you have to do,” I nearly choked on the words. “But promise me you’ll stay away from Alastair and you won’t confront him.”
    He scowled. “If I find out something that—”
    “Nathan. Promise me or I walk away forever.”
    “Fine,” he relented, looking at me softly. “Thank you for trusting me.”
    “Don’t make me regret this.” I snapped my hand away.
    “Get the hell away from her.”
    Stephanie’s outburst caused several people to turn in our direction.
    “Thanks for the talk, Sparkle,” he said, standing up. Fixing a cold stare on Stephanie, he smirked. “Nice to see you, Steph.”
    She flipped him off as he walked to the exit. “What an asshole. Why did you let him sit down?”
    “I didn’t let him do anything. He just sat.” I rubbed my temples, wishing I had stayed in Glasgow.
    * * *
    Torn Between a Senator’s Son and a Billionaire Media Mogul
    By: Rachel Jameson
    Do we smell reconciliation? WMZB’s Lia Meyers has been spotted out on the town not once, but twice with former flame Nathan Greyson. The attractive pair dined together last week at a cozy table for two in one of Orlando’s hottest restaurants. Last night, they were canoodling downtown in a more casual setting. And yes, she is sporting an expensive ring close to that finger. The news producer has turned heads recently with her highly publicized relationship with British media mogul Alastair Holden. The sexy English redhead spent two weeks in the city wooing his American lady, alongside working as CEO at Holden World Media, but has since returned to the United Kingdom. Were his efforts enough to keep her from rekindling a romance with Orlando’s most eligible bachelor? The senator’s son has been nursing a broken heart since his ladylove broke things off earlier this year. Only time will tell. Stay tuned.
    The accompanying photos weren’t much better. One picture showed Alastair and I walking hand in hand through Cranes Roost Park. The others made me physically ill. A seemingly intimate moment between Nathan and me from last night showed our hands clasped together as we stared at one another. A similar one from last week’s dinner turned my stomach. At first blush, it looked like a tender moment. What the average gossip-loving person didn’t know wasn’t important. Pictures spoke a thousand words and that one proclaimed reconciliation .
    Glaring at Rachel Jameson’s name in the byline, I resisted the urge to call her. The whole article made it sound like I was playing both guys, as if I couldn’t decide who I wanted more. It was laughable but again, the average person who lived for gossip didn’t care about the validity.
    “Another appearance in the gossip column? You’re becoming notorious.”
    I shot Tyler Garrett a nasty look. The assignment editor perched himself on the edge of my desk, grinning with glee.
    “How have you managed to hold back on the comments for so long?”
    “C’mon, Lia. Lighten up. I’m only