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coffee,” Liz said.
    Tack smiled as she walked away. “She’s great, isn’t she?”
    “Yeah, she’s a real character. And so are you, from what I hear.”
    That took him by surprise. “Oh? What have you been hearing about me?”
    “You’ve got quite the reputation as a smooth-talking ladies’ man.”
    “I’ve worked pretty damn hard to earn that reputation, I’ll have you know,” he said, watching as a little smirk snuck up on the corner of her mouth. “What?”
    She shrugged. “Remember, I’ve worked around guys like you a long time so I’ve already seen what’s behind the curtain,” she said. “This is showbiz. Who Tack Collins is on the air is very likely not the same guy sitting here with me right now.”
    “I can assure you, there’s only one Tack Collins.”
    “Oh yeah? I’ve already been here several minutes and you haven’t come on to me once yet.”
    “Maybe that’s because I’m still working up to it.”
    “Maybe you are,” she said. “But I’ve been around enough radio guys to know where the seams are separating the person from the persona. You like people believing you’re a big player but in reality, you probably lead a very normal, quiet existence.”
    He gulped down his coffee. “Any other insights you care to share about my life?”
    “Only that you’re itching to get out of Columbus. Apparently, this is the last stop before you get called up to a major market station.”
    “Who are you, Encyclopedia Brown?”
    “I heard you’ve sent your tape to every top-thirty station out there. Is that true?”
    “There might be a few floating around,” he said unapologetically. “Look, I know I’ve got an expiration date so I’ve got to take another shot at the big leagues while my batting average is still decent. The last thing I want is to stay in one place for too long and end up playing church lady music on Sunday mornings.”
    “So, if you’ve already got one foot out the door, there’s really no point in us even planning next week’s shows.”
    “I never said I didn’t care about doing a good job. Besides, a high profile show will only boost my personal stock,” he said. “I made a commitment to Bonnie and I intend to stand by it until she gets the ratings she wants. I just hope that happens before I’m needed elsewhere.”
    “And I just hope it’s nice and cozy down here at the bottom of your priority list.” She rolled her eyes. “I love the way you radio guys are only in it for yourselves. You’re nothing but modern-day gypsies.”
    He chuckled at the irony. “Seems to me that you’re the one still unpacking suitcases from your last radio gig.”
    “My circumstances are totally different. I thought I was moving here for love.”
    An unfamiliar surge of jealousy made a knot in his stomach. “Love?”
    “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
    “Sure, I do. For all intents and purposes, we’re partners for the foreseeable future so I need to know as much about you as possible.”
    She tapped a fingernail against her mug. “Back in Buffalo, I dated a guy I worked with who got a job out here last fall. Maybe you know him, CJ Maroni? He does the drive home at Mix Ninety-six.”
    “Yeah, I think I’ve heard of him.”
    “After CJ got settled, the plan was that I’d find a job and move to Columbus too. Problem is, I stuck to the plan and CJ…not so much,” she said, taking a sip. “Last week, I showed up with my life in tow and he informed me that we’d already broken up, only he hadn’t gotten around to telling me yet.”
    “Oh, man, that sucks.”
    “Just wait, it gets even more pathetic.” She laughed to herself. “I drained my bank account to buy a car so I could move here, so now I’m flat broke. I can’t afford to live anywhere else but with CJ for the time being.”
    “You live with your ex?”
    “Sounds like paradise, huh? Fortunately, by being part of the morning show, it cuts down on the waking hours I actually have to see his