Love Locks. Cory Martin

able to afford a staff and offices in a prime high-rise.

      Yes, their readership was still too low, but she had plans to grow it. She didn’t want to sell the magazine now.

      “We’re doing fine with the readers we have,” Lindsey said.

      “True. But you could be doing better. I can help you take POV to the next level.”

      Lindsey had been in business long enough to know that when someone wanted to help you take things to the next level, it almost always meant something else. He wasn’t there to give her guidance and help.

      “You want to buy me out?”

      “You’ll stay on to consult,” Trent said with a smile, as if he’d just offered her the keys to the kingdom.

      “So I’d be working for you then.”

      “No, you’d be working with me.” Trent moved a little closer. “That wouldn’t be so bad, would it?”

      “The thing is, I’m pretty used to being my own boss,” Lindsey said. This was true. She hadn’t worked for anyone else in over ten years. The thought of working under someone, even if he was one of the hottest guys in publishing, sounded like instant death to her. She’d already given up once on her dreams. She wasn’t about to give this up, too.

      “Believe me, I get that. When I opened my first publishing house, the last thing on my mind was selling it. But I did. And I ended up building a bigger one,” Trent said.

      He had a point. But still, she wasn’t ready to let go so quickly.

      “Just think about it while you’re away,” he said. “And the other ‘it,’ too. I really would like to take you out.”

      “I will. And I will,” Lindsey replied, more confused than ever.

      Trent’s phone rang. He hit ignore then turned to her. “Almost forgot, I’m in London next week. It’s a short flight to Paris. I could show you our offices there.”

      “You must really want this magazine.”

      “That, too,” he replied as he picked up his phone and dialed the last caller. “See you soon,” he said as he left her office.

      Lindsey stood in silence and watched as Trent disappeared around the corner. What had just happened?

      “Tell me he’s not the best-looking guy you’ve ever seen,” Maggie said as she walked into the doorway and caught the tail end of Trent leaving.

      “I wish I could,” Lindsey said, deadpan.

      Maggie turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

      “He wants to buy the magazine.” Saying those words out loud suddenly made the whole exchange seem hyper-real.

      “Seriously?” Maggie asked. Lindsey nodded. “What did you say?”

      “I wanted to say ‘no,’ but somehow, I didn’t. I’m not even sure what I said.”

      “I’m pretty sure he has that effect on everyone,” Maggie said. They both smiled because it was true. For a moment, they were silent, and then Maggie asked, “Would it be so bad to sell? I’m leaving in a few months anyway.” She’d gotten an offer to be an editor at a magazine based in Los Angeles, and Lindsey had understood why she couldn’t refuse. While Maggie loved New York, she also loved the water and the lack of seasons on the West Coast.

      “That’s exactly why I can’t sell. You’re leaving. My daughter’s leaving. I’m not giving up my business, too.” The reality of the situation hit Lindsey hard. What would she do without POV? She’d have nothing.

      “Are you sure you don’t want to sell? He is soooo good-looking. Getting to stare at him every day might be worth it.”

      Lindsey laughed at Maggie’s comment.

      “I thought that might get you,” Maggie said.

      Lindsey smiled, then realized she didn’t have to figure everything out in that moment. “C’mon, let’s finish the layout. We have to get the February issue out today.” Together, Lindsey and Maggie walked over to one of the designer’s desks. The interior design of one of the pages was pulled up on the screen.

      A painting with white titles over it was on the left side of the page. “Increase the opacity so we can see the titles better, move the Gaucher to center, and make it five by seven so it almost touches the borders,” Lindsey said. The graphic artist made the changes with a few clicks on her keyboard. “Perfect,” Lindsey said. “Send the final files in. We’re ready to print.”

      Maggie and Lindsey walked away and headed back toward Lindsey’s office. “You packed yet?” Maggie asked.

      “I’m packing tonight.” Lindsey had been putting it off. She still couldn’t believe her daughter was moving so far away or that she was going back to Paris after all these years. She hadn’t returned since she’d studied abroad. Valentine’s Day that year had come and gone, and Jack never arrived. The phone calls and letters slowed to a halt, and honestly, she’d all but forgotten about him—until her daughter had decided to spend the next semester following in her footsteps.

      “Throw in something sexy,” Maggie said with a smile.

      “Why?” Lindsey was going to be spending every day and night with her daughter before she moved into her dorm.

      “You’re going to Paris, girl. Not New Jersey.”

      Maggie did have a point, but Lindsey didn’t want to think about it. The last time she fell in love in Paris, she’d ended up heartbroken.

      She had no plans to repeat her past. This trip to France would be all about Alexa. Speaking of, she still had a lot to do before she left, and her daughter would be home soon. She smiled and finished the last of her coffee. “You know what? I’m going to take the rest of the day off. Can you handle everything? The next issue’s ready for print, and I do need to pack.”

      “Of course,” Maggie said.

      “I’ll be on my cell if you need me,” Lindsey said, then left the office.

      Back home in Brooklyn, Lindsey finished putting the last of her clothes into her suitcase. She crammed four days’ worth of sightseeing outfits, including shoes, into one small suitcase. Just before she zipped up the bag, she paused and thought about what Maggie had said. Throw in something sexy.

      She went back into her closet and pulled out a little black dress that she’d last worn to the POV launch party years ago. She’d purchased the classic designer dress with the first order of the magazine. She’d been wary about spending that much money before the magazine had launched, but now she half-believed that the dress had brought her luck. She could at least take along a little luck. She’d need it to get through saying goodbye to Alexa for so long without a bunch of tears. As she folded up the dress, something in the back of her closet caught her eye.

      She reached inside and pulled out a painting of a beautiful Paris scene. It was the last full painting she’d done when she was abroad. It had always hung in her apartment, but when she’d moved to her loft in Brooklyn three years ago, she’d placed it in the back of the closet. She’d held on to the painting as a reminder that there was a time and a place when life was simple and full of love. Now that she was approaching forty, and the magazine had grown, and she’d been able to purchase her own home, she felt like life was good. She didn’t need a reminder of her younger years anymore. But holding that painting in her hands brought back a flood of memories.

      What had happened to Jack? She’d never bothered to ask her mentor, Hugo, because he would’ve tracked Jack down and demanded answers. Even if Jack had a good explanation, the answers wouldn’t have changed a thing. The fact was, Jack never showed up. He’d made his choice clear. He didn’t want to spend his life with her.