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returned to its normal
orbit. She liked order. She liked lists. She liked knowing she had her
world under control. And she wasn't about to throw all that away for a
few minutes of fleeting sexual satisfaction with a man who had rugged
good looks and strong hands that had drifted over her skin as if he had
touched her many times before.

A shimmer of longing ran through her at the memory. Maybe if she saw
him just one more time . . . Absolutely not.

She nodded firmly, making her feel in more control already.

It was always that way when she was with the girls. It had been Kate
and Julia who had taken her under their wings after her mother died.
The state had sent her to live with her grandmother, a wonderful but
exacting woman who had loved her with a rigid discipline. After Regina
Sinclair died, she had left Chloe her house, a sense of self-worth, and
a strict code of ethics.

That was a year ago, her vivacious grandmother's sudden death leaving
her saddened and surprised to
be without her. But Chloe hadn't been alone for long when the father
she had never really known had
had a heart attack. The hospital had called her at her father's
request, and as soon as he was discharged, he had moved in with her.

As he had recovered his health during the past six months, they had
lurched along, trying to find
common ground. He was a charming man, wonderful and happy. But she
didn't know how to bridge
the polite distance that stood between them. She worried about him, and
while she didn't know him that well, she felt a deep yearning to have
him in her life.

"Well," Julia said, breaking the silence. "Chloe has confessed her
delicious sins, we have cheered her on, but now we have no choice but
to get to the office. Trey Tanner should be there anytime now."

They paid the bill, then hurried across the street to the low brick
building that housed KTEX TV. Oversized satellite dishes that had yet
to be replaced by smaller, newer ones beckoned in the parking lot like
concave moons. A billboard with Kate's likeness ran along the side of
the building. Getting Real
with Kate had become a success. Ratings had been good. They were
on their way back to regaining
their standing. Or so Chloe had thought. She wondered if there was
something Julia wasn't telling her.

"Julia, you didn't answer my e-mail regarding this Trey Tanner," Chloe
said. "He's only here to analyze the station, right? He's not like
someone from that horrible Prescott Media who takes obscene pleasure
in gobbling up stations that have hit rough spots?"

Security buzzed them into the building. Because the station was small,
they had to enter directly into the ware-houselike space that housed
the main set. Julia pressed her finger to her lips unnecessarily. Which
made Chloe's heart step up its beat.

What was going on?

By the time they had made it through another doorway and they could
talk again, Chloe felt a low bead
of panic start to build.

Julia turned to Chloe and Kate, her expression professional and
businesslike. "I need this to go well."

The seriousness of her tone instantly got their attention.

"Is something wrong, Jules?" Kate asked. "Is the station okay?"

Julia scoffed, but the lightness was forced. Chloe's panic grew.

"Of course everything is okay," Julia added with a strained smile. "I
just felt it necessary to bring in an outside opinion. And I've heard
great things about Trey Tanner."

"I've never heard of him," Kate said.

"Well"—Julia shifted her weight—"not many people have. But he comes
highly recommended. I would appreciate it if both of you would sit in
on the meeting. With my father gone, you're the only two people
I trust. I'll meet you in the conference room."

Abruptly Julia turned and headed toward her office, her stiletto heels
clicking against the tile.

Kate and Chloe exchanged a glance.

"I thought things around here were getting better," Kate said.

"They are." Or were they? The Boudreaux family let her run the station,
but they had