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Chapter 1

DAY ONE ON THE JOB

Liz Dougherty could barely hear herself think over the deafening buzz in the conference roo on Reporters froh conference center waiting to hear State Senator Maxwell deliver a speech Caraphy equipment lined the room, and voice recorders were poised and ready to capture every word the Senator uttered Reporterstheir crews for the optile Liz hadn’t expected her first press conference to be quite this…loud

Hayden Lane stood completely calm and collected next to her She knew he had quite a bit of experience with press conferences, and was grateful he had included her, but da How could he be so co next to the editor-in-chief of her college newspaper, but she felt like the tiniest ends in journaliso, and had put in her time, but she had alanted to be a reporter She had pushed and fought for it She had watched for two years as other reporters took the prie of finally working her coveted position

She had interned at home for newspapers and had taken more journalism classes than she could count, so she knew she was prepared She had done her homework, but it didn’t make her first real political press conference any less terrifying

"You ready with the recorder?" Hayden asked, digging into his ital ca co them had, but it would do the job

"Yeah, I think I’ on her bottom lip as she adjusted her navy blazer and teetered in her nude high heels

"I ere closer I’d love to get a question in" He peered around a caet a better look at the empty platform

"Do you think we’ll get a chance?" Liz asked, wide-eyed In case she was given the opportunity to ask anything of the sitting Senator, she had prepared questions, but she didn’t think it was a real possibility Hayden would probably laugh at her if he kne much extra work she had put into the questions But it was her job and she couldn’t help it She had been so anxious last night anticipating the event, and it tended to make her meticulous She hadn’t even been able to sleep

"Nah, probably not If this guy is anything like his father, he’ll et out of there Easier to keep winning if you don’t say too eous face, and the full force of his charulped and turned back to the podiuet one question in, though I’d love to peg him down about education policy," he said

Liz nodded After researching Senator Maxwell’s policy platfor her questions to the ten on education policy she had listed in her purse He was a hard-core budget guy, just like his father, as a sitting United States Senator State Senator Maxwell had won his last two elections based on his broad, sweeping plan to balance the budget, and then he had done it For the first time in twenty-five years, North Carolina’s fiscal books were in order

Not that she disagreed with the end result, but she wasn’t sure howanything and everything that ht be deemed superfluous--and one of those items happened to be education Her father was a professor at the University of South Florida in Taine what it would be like to see all of his hard work slashed by a politician just out to line his pockets Maxwell put business first and everything else after: Encourage s class, but Liz didn’t understand how he expected to help the working class when they couldn’t even get an education

"Lane! Lane?" a perky redhead called She pushed past another reporter and all but attacked Hayden

"Calleigh," Hayden ood to see you How’s Charlotte treating you?"

"Aet you an interview," she said She swished her red hair across one shoulder and sht take you up on that when I graduate," he said "Have you h see next to Hayden "Oh, hi," she said "Are you taking over Camille’s old job?"

"Uh…yeah I’ve been h Hollingsworth was a legend at the university newspaper She single-handedly put the paper on thethe President of the United States and busting up a sex scandal in the higher tiers of the school ade of the university paper daily, and everyone at school knew her name She had been offered a job at a New York newspaper, but had turned it down for Charlotte No one knehy, but she was either crazy or a genius Liz had only seen her in passing, and she estruck to be standing in the presence of someone with such fame

"Well, I hope you do her some justice I know Lane wouldn’t choose so back to Hayden "Lane, drinks before you leave, doll This is not a request"

And with that she traipsed across the room Male eyes from all around followed her as she whisked past thesworth," Liz said plainly

"Yeah," he gruled "Do you not like her?"