“Miss Sophia,” I say, immediately interjecting. “I know you are curious, we all are.” I laugh, trying to make light of it. “But we can’t possibly ask Miles to reveal that kind of personal information if he’s not comfortable to do so…”“It’s alright, Esther,” Miles says calmly, his smile unwavering.
Rita even says, “You’ve got my vote, kid.”After Pastor Rockwell, the interview finally, blessedly, ends.“We thank you for your time tonight, Representative Hamilton,” I say.“Please, Esther. I insist you call me Miles.” He flashes that charming grin again and my heartrate kicks up, even if it’s al
Esther leads Miles to Lila’s office and then gestures for him to go inside. He saunters in like he owns the place, walking right up to the desk, before turning around and leaning on the edge.I step into the room behind him.“Close the door,” he says, so I do, pulling it shut behind me. Lifting his
“I knew you would do well, Esther,” Miles says. “This has nothing to do with that.”“Then what is the reason for this?”Miles’s brow pulls together slightly. “Do we need a reason?”After what he said today about another woman? “Yes.”Miles looks up, considering. “Alright.” His gaze snaps back to me
When Miles and I finally manage to pry ourselves away from each other – and after Miles takes another five minutes to list unsexy things like snowstorms and black ice – we open the door and step out from Lila’s office.Outside the office, Lila leans against the outside wall of the cubicle pit. As so
“Yes,” Hugo replies. “Lila will continue to be your manager. The assignments she gives you will be more difficult, however. You’ll have some opportunities to see your work on the channel, if things go right.”I’m not thrilled to continue to work with Lila, especially since I suspect she will persist
When I arrive at the location Lila gave me on the note, I find myself standing outside an abandoned building with the windows boarded up. Distantly, I hear the sound of sirens. This isn’t the best part of town, but I knew that before coming here.Yet, looking at the building and glancing all around,
“What the hell are you doing here, Esther?”The bartender looks between us, and then casually walks away. With his back to us, he watches the game on tv. He even turns the sound up.“I’m here on assignment,” I tell him.“What assignment?”In the face of his anger, I wish I had more to show for mysel