Something to Talk About(17)

“The people who matter know I can,” Jo said. She hoped it was true.

Emma looked at her for a moment. “Right,” she said. Then: “I have work to do.”

She marched out of Jo’s office. Jo didn’t think anything of it. She wished she had. Could have saved herself some trouble.

Three days later, Chantal knocked on the doorjamb of Jo’s open office door after lunch.

“Come in,” Jo said, tossing her sandwich wrapper into the trash.

Chantal shut the door behind her. They didn’t have anything scheduled, which meant this must be bad news. Jo didn’t ask. She knew Chantal wouldn’t beat around the bush.

“There’s an article on Celeb Online,” Chantal said. “With quotes from your employees about how great you are.”

“I know.”

Amir had called Jo that morning, congratulating her on the relaxation of her no-comment policy. The article featured five current and two former employees, unnamed, all extolling Jo’s virtues. All certain she’d make an amazing Agent Silver movie. The smile in Amir’s voice had stayed even after she told him she had nothing to do with the article.

“Did you know there’s a follow-up?” Chantal asked.

Jo had been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“About how Emma was the one who arranged the first article,” Chantal continued. “Thought you might want a heads-up.”

Amir certainly wouldn’t think the article was a good idea now. Jo scrubbed a hand through her hair.

“What was she thinking?” She said it more to herself than to Chantal, but Chantal answered.

“When she asked me, I reminded her no one is supposed to talk to the media.”

Jo looked up at her. Chantal’s arms were crossed.

“She asked you?”

Chantal gave a nod.

“You could’ve told me then.”

“I thought I had talked her out of it,” she said. “And I’m not trying to be in your business. I only know about the second article because I overheard some PAs talking about it.”

Jo sighed. Emma meant well, organizing the article, but she really should have known better. They didn’t need to give the tabloids any ammunition. Emma couldn’t be talking to reporters about how great Jo was—even if that thought made Jo warm inside.

Chantal was still standing in front of Jo’s desk, arms crossed, scrutinizing her.

“Say what you want to say,” Jo said.

Chantal’s arms dropped to her sides. “When have I not said what I wanted to say to you?”

It was true. On Jo’s first show, Chantal had regularly contradicted Jo’s ideas. Most people thought they hated each other, but Jo cherished having another perspective, someone who wasn’t afraid to tell her when she was wrong. Now, more than a decade later, Innocents was the only program on network TV with two women of color at the helm. Jo and Chantal got to this point by not bullshitting each other.

Still, Jo pressed. “You have thoughts?”

Chantal shrugged one shoulder. “If I believed the shit they’re writing, maybe I’d have thoughts, but I know you better than that.”

Jo let out a relieved breath. At least she still had Chantal on her side.

“Send her in, will you?”

Chantal nodded and left, leaving the door open behind her so Jo could hear her tell Emma that Jo wanted to see her.

Emma hovered at the door like she didn’t want to come in.

“Chantal said you needed something?”

“Come in,” Jo said. “Door open.”

She didn’t need anyone thinking she and Emma were holed up in her office doing who knows what.

Emma stood with her hands twined in front of her, looking at the floor. She already knew what this was about, then.

“What were you thinking?” Jo had expected to be angry, but her voice was filled only with disappointment.

Emma sighed. “I thought—” she started. “They’re not even giving you a chance—just saying you’re not good enough, with nothing to back it up. It seemed so easy to debunk. I knew everyone who ever worked for you or with you or near you would know you could do this. Phil’s—you know Phil in props? His old roommate is a journalist. It seemed like a simple solution.”

“And how exactly did it get out that you organized it?”

“I don’t know!” There was the slightest whine in her voice. Jo tried not to find it endearing. “I was discreet! All I did was kick-start the process by asking some people if they’d be willing to do it. I’m not even one of the ones quoted in the article! I never spoke to the reporter directly. He shouldn’t have known I was the one to organize it.”

That made Jo pause.

If Emma hadn’t talked to the reporter herself, where did the second article come from?

Jo wanted to interrogate her, ask who all knew she was the one who arranged the article, but Emma looked like a dog with its tail between its legs.

“So you not only conspired with other employees behind my back to violate the no-media agreement, you knew your involvement was a bad idea.”

Emma’s head hung. “Chantal said it was a bad idea, too,” she said. “I’m sorry. I should’ve listened.”

This gave the press more to throw at Jo. Not only was she a “midlife crisis of a person in love with her assistant,” she couldn’t even fight her own battles. How was she ever supposed to run an Agent Silver movie if she couldn’t keep her employees from talking to reporters?