Rumor Has It (Limelight) (37 page)
Read Rumor Has It (Limelight) Online
Authors: Elisabeth Grace
“I appreciate the offer but I can’t work for you. I want to make my own way in the world, Mason. It’s important to me. I grew up watching my mom rely on men for everything and I don’t want that to be me.”
“This would be a legitimate job. You’d get to use your skill set. Answer me this: If it was anyone else offering you this job would you consider it?”
I thought about that for moment and tried to think past my knee-jerk reaction. Grudgingly I said, “Yes.”
“Then why is it so bad that I’m offering you the job? Think about it…you already know that I loved all the stuff you did for me before. So you know I like your work. I’d rather have you working for me than against me if you’re working somewhere else. You’d get to travel with me so we wouldn’t have to be apart for long stretches of time when I’m touring.”
I felt myself caving. Truth was, it was a great opportunity and if it
was
anyone else I’d jump all over it. Beyond any hope I’d gotten my second chance with Mason. I was the one standing in my own way. Maybe there was a way to maintain my independence and work for him.
“If I take this job I’d only be trying it temporarily to see if it’s working for both of us,” I said.
“That’s fair.”
“And you’d only pay me the going rate—no more.”
“I can live with that.”
“And we agree that we keep business separate from personal. If we have a disagreement on a work level I don’t want it seeping into our relationship.”
“Deal.” He knew he had me. A slow grin spread across his face putting his adorable dimple on display.
“And you’re going to have to let me pay for things once in a while. You can’t always be footing the bill for everything.”
“Fine,” he said between his teeth. He didn’t like that concession.
“I’ll do it then.”
He brought me into a tight hug. “You’re not going to regret it. I promise.”
“I wouldn’t regret any time I spend with you.” He kissed my forehead and just like before—goner.
Mason’s face grew serious. “What are we going to do about Mac? How do you want to handle it? I’ll be damned if he gets away with it.”
“I’m not sure what we can do. So much time has passed there’s no way to prove it. Besides, I don’t want this situation playing out in front of the media. What do you think?” This was the one dark cloud hanging over top of our reunion.
“If you trust me to handle it I have a few ideas of my own. I’ll deal with it. I don’t want you involved and I don’t want you thinking about it every day.”
His plan sounded ominous but I trusted him. For the first time I wholeheartedly, completely and without question trusted someone. “Do what you need to do. I trust you.”
“The greatest gift you could ever give me is your trust.”
I leaned in to kiss him but pulled away at the last second. “Oh! I almost forgot. You won tonight. You’re a winner!”
“I’m a winner, Ellie, but it has nothing to do with my music and everything to do with you.”
As we melted into each other the message I’d delivered in my YouTube video came to mind. There really was always hope. I’d woken up that morning a broken woman and when the sun rose tomorrow I’d have the job I always wanted and the man my heart couldn’t live without by my side.
Life was a wonderful, tumultuous, exhilarating journey and I couldn’t wait to see what it had in store for us.
– THE END –
You’ll see more of Mason and Ellie in future Limelight books. Coming spring 2014, get a glimpse into the life of Ellie’s best friend Skye…
PICTURE PERFECT
Limelight #2
Being the daughter of a big-city mayor, twenty-one year old Skye Summers has giant shoes to fill in her first real job out of college. With the public spotlight on her family, and her dad’s expectations running high, she jumps at the chance to work side-by-side on an important project with her sexy new boss.
Playboy entrepreneur Landon Steele has built a successful entertainment PR firm and broken more than a few hearts along the way. He’s counting on his enthusiastic new assistant to help him expand his business into LA… until he discovers she’s a pampered rich girl who’s in the public spotlight as much as his famous clients. Still, he agrees to give her a chance, and soon the two are heating up the bedroom as well as the boardroom.
But when Skye’s ex-boyfriend threatens to reveal a dangerous secret from her past, her job, relationship with Landon, and her father’s career are suddenly all on the line. Will she be forced to leave Landon? Or will she pursue her heart, regardless of the cost?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
One of the best ways to support an author is by leaving a review! If you enjoyed Mason and Ellie’s story I’d appreciate it if you’d consider leaving a review, whether short or long, on the retailer you purchased the book from. Alternatively if you prefer to leave your reviews on Goodreads you can click here:
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Elisabeth has a soft spot for happily ever afters and a hot spot for alpha males. If she’s not curled up somewhere with a romance novel in one hand and chocolate in the other you can probably find her typing madly on her keyboard creating her next story. She currently lives outside Toronto, Canada with her husband, two small children, and killer cat.
Questions? Comments?
I love to hear from readers! Feel free to connect with me via e-mail at [email protected] or via anyone of these social media platforms. I love talking books—even if they aren’t my own!
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There’s so many people to thank, but the first person I would like to thank is you. You the reader. You chose to spend a few dollars of your hard earned money, and more importantly, invested precious time out of your busy life to read something I created. For that I am not only humbled, but extremely grateful. I hope the story lived up to your expectations and provided you with some level of enjoyment.
I’d like to thank my crit partners in ‘The Clubhouse’. Lisa & Mary—I’ve learned so much from you and truly consider you lifelong friends.
To my ladies in the ‘Indie Chicks Rock’ group…to the grave. Enough said. It’s wonderful to be a part of such a positive and supportive environment!
My betas…Shawna, Kat and Faith. Your messages along the way about how much you were enjoying the book meant so much! It’s so nerve-wracking as throwing your work to the wolves for the first time. LOL Shawna—so glad to have you as a fellow ‘book geek’. Thanks for putting up with my never ending phone calls asking for your opinion on one thing or another.
To the fabulous and wonderfully talented Rachel Van Dyken…your willingness to help out a newbie author and take time out of you busy life had me gob smacked and speaks to the giving and generous person you are. I truly can’t say enough about what a thoughtful and wonderful woman I think you are!
A big thanks to Monica Murphy for reading my story, e-mailing me to let me know how much she enjoyed it, and giving me a blurb for the cover. She was nothing but encouraging and supportive!
To my editor, Laura Shin…you’re input was invaluable in strengthening my manuscript. Thanks for ridding me of all my excessive words! I look forward to working on many more projects together.
To author Misty Evans…thanks for helping me with the back cover blurb. A marketing copywriter I am not, but you certainly could be!
To the bloggers that love reading and support the indie community…I hold a special place in my heart to all of you. You work tirelessly to expose big and small authors alike. I’ve followed book blogs for years and would never have discovered some of my own favorites if it weren’t for you guys! A special thanks goes to all the bloggers who agreed to take a chance and read ‘Rumor Has It’. I know how many requests you get, so you have my deepest appreciation. Even the bloggers too busy and declined, thank-you for doing it in such an encouraging way and with such class. You ladies all rock!!
To my family and friends…all the support, encouragement, and inquiries as to where I was in the process of writing the book were appreciated. Believe me when I say it never went unnoticed! If I was tightlipped it’s only because I didn’t want to bore you to tears…I could drone on about writing for hours!
Lastly, to my hubby who spent many a night alone on the couch because I was too busy typing on the computer…I hope I’ve made you proud of the end result and that you think it was worth the sacrifice.
One last thing…
When you turn the page you may be given the opportunity to rate the book and tell your friends about it on Facebook and Twitter. How cool is that? Let your friends know what you’re reading and what you thought of it. I, for one, would be forever grateful to you.
Best,
El
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