Wanted: Wife by Gwen Jones Read Free Book Online

him?”
    He waved his hand dismissively. “He didn’t he tell you, did he? I sent the changes yesterday. Julie. Your spots have been cut.”
    My jaw dropped. “What?”
    “You’re fluff, what can I say? Nielson numbers don’t lie. Station’s in the toilet. Either we cut the chaff or we’ll lose the wheat.”
    I sprung from my chair, leaning over his desk. “Spare me the philosophical analogy, Gil, I make you money. How can you cut me? You must be joking!”
    “Hey hey hey—slow down sweetheart! Don’t kill the messenger! This comes from on high. Least you’re not being fired. We’re giving you weekend anchor at eleven.”
    “Weekend anchor!” It hit me like a blow to the chest. “I’m no talking head! I’m a reporter for Christ sake! You’re burying me!”
    His eyes turned steely. “Let’s hear a little thanks, Julie-girl. You could be one of the twelve people I’m showing the door to on Monday. At least you’ll still be drawing a paycheck. Unlike your compatriot, Mr. Denny.”
    I stared at him. “Denny . . .? No, you can’t.”
    “It’s done. Such are the times.” Then his face uncharacteristically softened. “Hey, you’re a smart girl. Maybe this’ll give you time to write a book or something. Isn’t that what all you guys do eventually? Now, other people? Well, they aren’t so lucky. Maybe you are.”
    He stood. “Look, I gotta go watch my son lose at soccer, so get those changes initialed by Monday, okay?” Then he left.
    I might as well have been hit by a bus. Could Richard have aimed any lower? My God, he couldn’t just break up with me; he had to go for complete annihilation. Then my phone dinged! —a text from Richard.
    He won’t say it, so I will. Leave us alone .
    Annika? In what alternate reality was I spinning? How did things get so bizarre so fast? I wanted to kill, maim, take them down hard, but how could I when that cowardly bastard wouldn’t even talk to me? Is this what futility felt like? I doubled over, hugging myself, when something slid from my shirt pocket to the floor. I looked down at the business card. Jinks’ Gas .
    Maybe this’ll give you time to write a book or something .
    Suddenly, everything became inordinately clear. I had one chip left to call in and, crazy or not, maybe there was a chance to get my own back.
    Oh, I was so taking that bastard down .

 
    Chapter Four
----
    Rules of Engagement
    “A LL RIGHT, I ’LL marry you.”
    Andy looked as incredulous hearing it as I felt saying it. “Are you sure?” he said.
    It was the first time I’d seen him look tentative. “Pretty sure, but don’t push it. You haven’t passed my tests yet, and let me assure you, they’re pretty rigorous.”
    He smiled. “Give me all you’ve got.”
    My God, I went all squishy in the stomach. A decidedly pleasant feeling, yet I couldn’t help burying my face in my menu. The man did things to me I’d never imagined.
    We met the next morning at the Sage Diner in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, a little bit more than halfway between our two milieus. I needed neutral ground in the worst way, absolutely demanded of me by my surly, ersatz big brother.
    “Yeah, but I never thought you’d actually do it,” Denny had said the night before.
    “That’s because you always underestimate me.” We had returned to his spare bedroom with all the two of us could carry, having successfully gotten into what was now Richard’s penthouse. The swiftness by which my former fiancé had effected my departure was both impressive and astoundingly insulting. In a single day, he had jilted me, packed up everything I owned, and tossed me out on the sidewalk. Then, just as quickly, I’d been replaced, Annika Eden’s photo as Violetta from La Traviata was prominently splashed atop his Facebook page.
    “She’s a cow,” Denny said, clicking off. “A heifer, a Holstein, a goddamn Guernsey. A freakin’ Texas Longhorn. Did you see those ears?”
    “Denny, your loyalty is touching,” I said,