Ace
The morning of his interview, Ace took the train from New Haven to New York City. Even though his interview wasn’t until two-thirty, he wanted to make sure he got there in plenty of time. It was a bit strange, not going to Phoenix’s house, but his interview was complete. He had more than enough material to write his article. Sitting in while Phoenix was working would only be a distraction.
He still wanted to see Phoenix, though. He’d started to put together an idea for a second date—one that wouldn’t involve going anywhere other than Ace’s house. Guilt niggled in his stomach, but he ignored it. Nothing was official. They’d been on one date and gotten each other off. He’d done more with guys he’d never been official with.
The only problem was, Ace was starting to want to be. He still couldn’t completely see himself staying in Wilmingson for the long run, but the thought of being with Phoenix made him at least consider it. He had a house. Had a steady job. Had everything he needed, really. But the job at the New York Chronicle was a good job, and he could always find a place to stay up here.
By the time he arrived at the office, his thoughts were scattered, and he hadn’t gotten any closer to deciding where he wanted to be. He straightened his tie and smoothed down his jacket before entering the building and walking over to the reception desk. A chipper-looking receptionist greeted him.
“Hi, can I help you?” she asked.
“I’m here to see Catherine Post for the associate section editor interview.”
She nodded and bent her head down, tapping the keys on her phone.
“Hi, Cate, your two-thirty is here. Okay, thanks.” Pressing another button, she looked up at him once more. “She’s going to come down to meet you, if you’d like to take a seat.”
The receptionist indicated to a small group of chairs, where a few others were waiting. Hopefully not for the assistant editorial position. Ace took a seat and pulled out his phone. Surprisingly, there was a message from Bud, telling him that he wanted to see him as soon as Ace was able. Ace shot back a reply
Ace: Out of town. How about some time this week?
Bud: That works.
Ace frowned. Had he not been progressing quickly enough on the Phoenix story? He’d typed up a rough draft that he was going to edit further before sending it in. There was still a week left until his deadline. And the harvest festival wasn’t until Friday.
No, it couldn’t be his productivity. There had to be something else.
He slid his phone back into his pocket as a woman approached the chairs. She looked to be in her sixties, with a short, grey bob and a brown pantsuit.
“Arin Sherridan?”
Ace stood and turned to face her. “Yes, that’s me.” He held out his hand and she shook it firmly. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure’s mine. Come this way and we’ll head up to the office.”
She led him past the reception desk, to the elevators, and moments later, they emerged on the seventeenth floor. The majority of the newsroom was taken up by rows of cubicles, all walled off from one another. Offices lined the room, like glass pods. Catherine walked over to one and opened the door. There was already someone inside—another man, who looked a few years younger than Catherine.
“Arin, this is Nicholas Groves. Nicholas is the Community section editor. Nick, Arin is one of the candidates for the associate section editor position.”
So this was who Ace would be working with. He looked much more the part than Makenna did. They shook hands, and Ace took his seat across from Catherine and Nicholas.
“Pleased to meet you, Arin,” Nicholas said. “Your resume and cover letter were impressive. An internship with the National Geographic?’
Ace nodded. “While I was doing my masters at the American University, I had the opportunity to work with them for six months. It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had.”
“Did you work with Andy Bower while you were there?”
“Yes, sir, he sat at the desk opposite mine.”
Nick grinned. “Quite a character, isn’t he? He’s one of my closest friends.”
“He always had the best stories.”
“Embellished, for sure. A damn fine reporter, though.”
Slowly, Ace felt himself relax against the chair. It had been so long since he could talk to someone as an actual colleague. All those weeks of eating nothing but buttered toast and ramen seemed worth it now.
Catherine had been watching the entire exchange, something like amusement in her eyes. She sat forward and uncapped her pen.
“So Arin. What did you think of yesterday’s community section?”
Ace had had the foresight to grab a copy of the Chronicle the day before, and had studied the layout and the content.
“I thought the article on nightlife in the area was well-written, but I feel like the details were vague. The feature on the Morris family was nice. Overall, the layout was clean and I counted three typos in the section.”
A moment passed as Caroline scribbled a few notes on her pad. When she looked up, she had a slight smile on her face. “Someone came prepared.”
“I might not have been a Boy Scout, but I like to be prepared for any situation, ma’am.”
Her smile widened, though she tried to keep it in check. Ace got the impression that she was a woman who loved to laugh, even if she didn’t let herself often.
“Why did you want to work for the Chronicle? With your resume and experience, I would imagine you could have your pick of publications. Why not go for Huffington Post or USA Today?”
Ace pressed his lips together. It made sense that she would think that way. Most people did. But things weren’t the way they used to be. Just because he had his masters and had interned at a well-known publication didn’t mean he was any more special than the hundreds of other candidates just like him. When it came to it, the reasoning was simple: The New York Chronicle was lesser known than the other papers, even if it was a quality publication. He couldn’t very well say that, though.
“One of the things I’ve always been passionate about is telling gripping stories about real people and real issues, instead of sensationalizing. Everyone always has an angle in their writing. But I like angles that focus on the truth of the situation,” he explained. “The Chronicle, from all the issues I’ve read, seems to take that approach, even down to their community section. It’s the kind of place I could see myself working for a very long time.”
It was true, too. Sure, he had been forced to look at smaller papers, but that didn’t mean he thought less of the Chronicle just because they were a mid-size paper instead of one of the top publications in the country. Their readership was broad, and it didn’t look like he would be in any risk of losing his job any time soon if he got the position.
The interview continued well into the next hour, and by the time it wrapped up, Ace was fairly sure that he would accept any job offer they gave him. He and Nicholas got along well—much better than he and Makenna did. Besides that, Ace felt like he could take Nicholas seriously. The man had all the makings of a mentor, and Ace was eager to learn from him.
Only one thing stood in his way: Phoenix. Just the thought of telling Phoenix he was leaving brought a lump to his throat. Phoenix wouldn’t understand. He hated cities. The crowds, the smells, the stimulation. He would never bring himself to move up to New York, and if Ace got the job, he couldn’t exactly work from Connecticut.
This was ridiculous. They had gone on one date. It wasn’t as though they were anything serious, no matter what his heart or cock tried to tell him.
“Arin?”
Ace blinked, realizing Nicholas had said something. He smiled. “Sorry. I had a bit of an early morning.”
“That’s okay. I was just saying we’ll let you know within two weeks if you should come back for a second interview.”
“Thank you. I’ll look forward to it.”
He stood and shook their hands again, and then Catherine led him back to the elevators. When they opened, he stepped on.
“Have a good afternoon, Arin,” she called.
That was one thing he would have to put a stop to, if he got the job. He was Ace. Always had been, and always would be. And now, he had a lot of thinking to do.