Moonlight Over Seattle. Callie Endicott

might be some form of discrimination if we hadn’t given her a chance.”

      Nicole had wondered about that as well. It didn’t seem likely, but there were a number of laws regarding employers and she was still learning.

      “I don’t think she’ll operate like a spy,” Adam continued, “though Masters may think we have ulterior motives for employing his sister.”

      Nicole made a face. “I already know he has questions about us giving her a job, but I doubt he trusts me regardless, so it probably doesn’t make a difference.”

      “How about doing our own article?” Adam suggested.

      She blinked. “Excuse me?”

      “We’re launching our Beneath the Surface blog before long. Why don’t you write about Jordan and the process of being interviewed? You’ve always had good suggestions for fixing advertising material, so I’m sure you could do it.”

      Nicole frowned thoughtfully. Kevin McClaskey had published a quarterly trade newsletter and it had a respectable mailing list. They hoped to turn it into a magazine for the general public, but were still exploring the risks and possibilities. In the meantime, a blog seemed like a cost-effective way to gain an audience and it was something the others could work on, whether or not they were in Seattle.

      It would be interesting to put the shoe on the other foot, so to speak, and turn the spotlight on a reporter. Jordan wouldn’t have to be referenced by name, though it might be pointless not to do so. Once the PostModern articles began appearing, everyone would know he was the one who’d been interviewing her.

      “I’ll consider it,” she said.

      * * *

      AT 6:30 A.M. the next day, Nicole started for the park and found Jordan at the head of the fitness trail where they’d agreed to meet. He wore running shorts and a T-shirt that showed off his physique. Plainly he’d done more than swing in a hammock and sip piña coladas while in Fiji.

      “Good morning,” she greeted him.

      “Hi. As I said last night, I want to talk to you about Chelsea.”

      “Is there a problem?” She began a series of stretching exercises in an attempt to appear relaxed and casual.

      “It seems unusual to offer a job to someone you know nothing about.”

      “Are you suggesting we’ll regret hiring her?” Nicole looked up, keeping her expression innocent.

      “Not in the least. Chelsea was excellent at her last job and only left because someone she, er, needed to avoid was employed there, too.”

      It fit what Nicole had suspected, that something particularly intense was going on in her new office manager’s life. Jordan obviously didn’t want to elaborate.

      She nodded briskly. “Chelsea heard we needed someone and asked if she could apply. One of my partners is in town, so he interviewed her, then phoned for a reference and got a positive report. He was quite happy about hiring Chelsea, and we urgently need someone.”

      Nicole didn’t think it was appropriate to offer more since Chelsea was now an employee of the agency. Adam’s only concern had been that Chelsea was overqualified and might not stay long for that reason. On the positive side, she might advance into being an agent for Moonlight Ventures; with her experience in human resources, she likely had the necessary skills. Adam had wondered if she would be able to deal with pushy or manipulative clients, but had still felt she should be given a chance.

      Jordan didn’t answer immediately; he seemed to be formulating his answer. “This is an unusual situation. I’m doing a series of magazine articles about you and the agency. Those articles will give Moonlight Ventures a lot of publicity, and now my sister is working there.”

      “Are you worried about your objectivity, or whether I’m trying to influence what you write?”

      “Maybe both.”

      “We already know you aren’t objective, so that’s your concern. And since I don’t think you trust me in any case, anything I say or do won’t make a difference.”

      Surprise flashed through his eyes. “You don’t seem offended by that.”

      “Why should I be? It’s far from the worst thing a reporter has suggested. Besides, as kids you always made it clear you disliked me, so you’re probably starting the interviews with a bad opinion of me, regardless.”

      Now Jordan seemed completely nonplussed and she wondered if he was going to deny it. “You don’t believe I could have decided I was wrong about you?” he asked instead.

      Nicole made a noncommittal gesture. “I haven’t seen any evidence to think so. You didn’t really know me when we were kids, but still disliked me. And from what I’ve picked up from my folks, our mothers still don’t get along. I never knew what happened that broke up their friendship, but it must have been bad. I doubt your mother has ever said anything positive about me or my family since then. Years ago she even conducted a brief, but vicious, social media campaign against us.”

      Jordan looked appalled. “Mom?”

      “Oh, yes. Apparently a few of her comments were rather libelous. She deleted everything after my dad’s lawyer mentioned a lawsuit might be in the offing.”

      “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

      Nicole smiled wryly. “I was frantically busy with my college classes and work, so I mostly heard about it secondhand. It helped that social media was pretty new then. That aside, I don’t expect everyone to think I’m perfect, especially since I’m not. Everyone has different tastes, and personalities sometimes clash. That’s life. So, do you genuinely think I’m trying to manipulate you by giving Chelsea a job?”

      “I’m still not clear about why you hired her.”

      “One of my colleagues made the hiring decision. All I did was give Chelsea the application and take her back to his office. What was I supposed to do, tell her she couldn’t apply because she was your sister? That wouldn’t be fair.”

      “Agreed, but you also offered the use of your guesthouse.”

      “True, and I’d let her stay for free, but she insists on paying rent. I did it because we knew each other as kids and...” Nicole stopped. Perhaps she shouldn’t offer an opinion about Chelsea as an unhappy kid and the impression that she could use some support now.

      “And?”

      “It doesn’t matter.”

      “Maybe it does.”

      “Let’s just say it looks as if she’s had a rough time lately and I wanted to help out. But remember that I’m not obligated to tell you everything I think, even during the interviews for PostModern.”

      “I don’t expect you to. By the way, can we start them today, instead of waiting until Monday?”

      Nicole’s nerves instinctively tightened. Since the interviews hadn’t “officially” begun, anything she’d said to date should be off the record. But that was a technicality. He might not respect boundaries, so she may as well agree. And the sooner the interviews were over, the better.

      She really would have to think about writing something for the blog the agency was starting. Jordan probably wouldn’t like it, but since he thought it was hypocritical for her to want privacy, she could argue the same about him. After all, he was a prominent newspaper columnist, making his living on being in the public eye.

      Except...what she wrote shouldn’t be about turning the tables on Jordan. She’d have to think it over.

      “How about it?” he prompted.

      “Okay, we can begin the process right away, but at the moment I’m going to start my run.”

      He fell in at her side as she set off down the trail. Though she would have preferred