Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Nigel shoved his hands in his pockets and stared down at the magnificent skyline. He’d been a complete idiot to bring Roslyn up here earlier. He never fraternized with his staff.

But from the second she’d stepped foot in his office, she’d had a presence about her that had drawn him in. She’d been poised, confident, polished, sophisticated. She’d been witty and that smile had been like a heavy fist to his gut, knocking the air right out of him. She almost seemed too good to be true.

And she had been honest. Brutally so when she’d confronted him about the attraction between them.

Part of him was impressed that she’d been so bold, while the other part had secretly wished she would’ve acted on her baser impulses.

Bloody hell. What had gotten into him? He couldn’t act like this, not even in his thoughts. This company was his everything. He’d come to New York wanting to start his own legacy and he had done a damn good job of it. He couldn’t just throw that stellar reputation away because he had the equivalent of a teenage crush. He had to regain control of this situation because Roslyn had been here for one day and he was already second-guessing getting involved with an employee.

He had bigger issues to deal with—like the fact Secret Lives needed a major bump in the rankings.

The cell in his pocket vibrated. There was never downtime where he was concerned, not in his position overseeing the company and not when worki ng with several socialites.

He glanced to the screen and saw Seraphina’s name.

Seraphina Martinez, or Fee to close friends, was one of the ladies on Secret Lives. She had a big lavish lifestyle and a giving heart. There was nothing low-key about her and she was a fan favorite.

Especially after she came out with her bestselling cookbook, Not Your Mama’s Cookbook.

Nigel turned from the skyline view as he answered the call.

“Fee,” he greeted. “How are you?”

“I’m good, thank you. Listen, I just wanted you to know I’ve been thinking of your offer and I’m not sure I can accept.”

Not what he wanted to hear. Seraphina had fallen in love with real-life cowboy Clint Rockwell and they were planning their future together...in Texas. When she’s talked about leaving the show, Nigel had tried to entice her into staying in NYC by offering her an impressive package that came with marketing for her cookbook, more airtime and a nice sum of money.

“Now don’t turn me down yet, luv,” he told her. “We can make this work. I was hoping you’d consider a spin-off.”

“A spin-off?” she asked. “Nigel—”

“Just think about it,” he interrupted. “A Southern series showcasing you and Clint in this new chapter of your lives would be something the viewers would love.”

Not to mention maybe that would be the angle he needed to save his show.

Nigel rubbed his forehead and pulled in a deep breath. He hadn’t come this far in his career to allow setbacks to deter him. There was no room to be a failure or even to be mediocre. Staying in the middle of the road in prime-time television might as well be the kiss of death. Another show would come along and bump them right off.

Maybe exploring new territory was something they needed to try. The cast had gone to Texas to Miranda’s ranch for the Christmas episodes that had actually caused a slight uptick on the rating’s scale.

“Clint is everything to me,” Fee went on. “We’re a team now, but I’ll discuss this with him. I’m not sure he wants all the cameras following us around Texas.”

“Just talk to him,” Nigel repeated. “I bet an episode centered around your wedding would be a killer series opener.”

Silence greeted him on the other end and he knew Seraphina well enough to know she was considering this option. His mind rolled from one idea to the next. This could be the key to those ratings he desperately needed to boost.

“I’m just not sure,” she finally stated. “Clint and I really want out of the limelight. We want to start fresh.

Those fires that ripped through Royal really put things into perspective for me.”

The fires she referred to had ultimately brought her and Clint closer together, but only after putting them both in a lot of danger. The town really pulled through and continued to rebuild. They’d all been affected in one way or another.

“Think about it,” he told her. “Talk to Clint.”

“I will,” she replied. “I know I still have some time left on my contract—”

“We’ll deal with that later. See what Clint says first and get back to me. Let’s not borrow worries just yet.”

“Thanks, Nigel.”

He disconnected the call and blew out a sigh. His mind circled back to his new consultant and he wondered if she would be able to offer insight to a new project should Fee agree to it. He didn’t want to disclose this new information just yet...but he hoped he could talk Fee and Clint into a spin-off, that may be the answer to his problems.

Also, he wasn’t about to spout highly sensitive inside business secrets to a brand-new hire. He missed his assistant right now. Merryl always knew what to do or the right things to say, but she was out with her new baby.