Irresistibly Yours (Oxford #1)(20)

Cole glanced at Lincoln and Jake, making a joking finger-slash-across-the-throat gesture. Neither of his friends said anything as he left Jake’s office, but it made him feel slightly better that they looked almost as disappointed by Cassidy’s dire tone as Cole felt.

Cassidy was already heading down the hall to his office, so Cole followed after him, feeling a good deal less jubilant than he usually did in the Oxford offices.

Abruptly he realized that it could be the last time he strolled these hallways.

Of course, there was always the chance that he could continue his current status as contractor, except…

That would be up to Penelope now, wouldn’t it?

Cassidy was already sitting when Cole entered the office, careful to keep his disappointment off his face. Careful not to show how much he cared.

He wasn’t sure why it was so important to uphold his happy-go-lucky reputation, only that the thought of anyone feeling sorry for him grated on his nerves.

“How’s it going?” Cassidy asked, once Cole had settled into the chair across from him.

Cole resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “It’s fine, Cassidy. Can we just rip the Band-Aid off?”

Cassidy’s brows lifted. “What is it you think I’m about to say?”

Cole reached forward and snatched a pen off the desk, just so he had something to do with his hands, then put it back just as quickly.

“You’re giving the job to Penelope Pope.”

Cassidy’s chair spun slightly, his eyes never leaving Cole’s. “She’s damn good. You saw that.”

“Yeah,” Cole said, slowly exhaling a long, tired breath. “She is.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Cassidy said.

“Why, so that I’ll be less bitter about it at dinner parties?” Cole asked, trying to keep the snide out of his tone, and failing.

“I don’t give a damn whether you have PMS at our dinner parties,” Cassidy said. “I’m glad you like—or at least respect—Penelope, because the two of you are going to be spending an awful lot of time together.”

“Dude, it’s just one dinner,” Cole muttered. “How long are you thinking it’s going to last?”

Cassidy leaned forward, both arms braced on the desk. “Okay, let’s cut the bullshit. I’m offering you the job, Sharpe.”

It took several seconds for that to register. And then…

“What the hell, Cassidy. Why’d you just make me listen to how f*cking great Penelope was if I got the job?”

Cassidy didn’t even flinch at Cole’s outburst. “Penelope’s being perfect for this job doesn’t make you any less perfect. You belong in this role, Cole. You know you do.”

Cole swallowed, uncomfortable by the unusual praise. He knew that Cassidy liked his work. His contract wouldn’t get renewed every year if he didn’t. But it was nice to hear it, all the same.

Still, Cole sensed he was missing something….

“I’ve been working with corporate all week to get approval for a second head count,” Cassidy said quietly.

Several moments of silence followed as the editor in chief waited for Cole to put the pieces together.

And then it clicked.

“You’re hiring both of us,” Cole said, annoyed that he hadn’t figured it out before now. “That’s why you’ve been up at corporate every day this week. That’s why you haven’t given either one of us an answer.”

“Yes,” Cassidy said. “I’ve decided to split the position. Two sports editors instead of one, and before you jump down my throat, this isn’t about me being indecisive.”

Cole nearly smiled at that. “Trust me. That wasn’t what I was thinking.”

Alex Cassidy was nothing if not decisive. Ruthless when he needed to be.

“You’ll be equals,” Cassidy explained. “Same titles, same authority. There’s more than enough work for both of you. You know what I want to do with this new sports section. It’s huge. We’re talking nearly a fifth of the magazine devoted to sports.”

Cole sat back in his chair, considering. “What happens when we don’t see eye to eye? If one of us doesn’t have final say—”

Cassidy smiled grimly at that. “Then you’ll have to learn how to work it out. Worst case, you bring it to me. I make the call.”

“That sounds terrible,” Cole muttered.

“It’s the offer that’s on the table,” Cassidy said in his usual no-BS voice. “You can take it or leave it.”

Cole blew out a breath. It wasn’t what he’d envisioned. He’d pictured running the show, hiring a team the way he wanted to, designing the pages the way they were in his head…

The thought of having a partner…chafed.

Then his thoughts shifted to Penelope Pope, about the ridiculous amount of sports knowledge practically bursting out of her brain, about the way she radiated true passion for her career.

Then he thought about the jackass from Chicago—the one who’d stolen a job right out from under her nose just because she was a ridiculously good person and hadn’t seen it coming.

“Okay,” Cole said simply. “I’m in.”

Cassidy breathed out in relief. “Somehow I was expecting it to be a bit harder than that to convince you.”