2. Gavin
Gavin
Mr. White slips into the newsroom to introduce me to the team I’ll be leading for the foreseeable future, leaving me alone in the hallway just outside the door.
I pace the small space, killing time, trying to burn off the restless energy taking over. First-day nerves creep in anyway, no matter how much I try to shake them off. In a few minutes, I’ll walk through that door as the new boss, and the thought sits heavier than I expected.
Moving from New York City to San Diego for this news director position was a huge gamble. I left one of the largest and most competitive media markets in the world, where I was producing the most-watched morning show in the region.
Professionally, I was at the top of my game.
Leading strong teams, making editorial directions, and earning industry awards that reflected both ratings success and journalistic integrity.
Choosing to leave that level of stability and recognition wasn’t easy, but it showed my willingness to take calculated risks in pursuit of growth and leadership.
I believe the combination of my successes and the courage to step into new challenges is what initially led Mr. White to reach out to me about this job.
When the station flew me out for the final round of interviews, I learned it was down to me and one other candidate.
What I didn’t know until after I accepted the position was that the other finalist is the current executive producer of the afternoon shows.
I never met her during my visit. She was supposedly on vacation at the time.
In hindsight, that absence feels less coincidental than I originally thought.
Now, I’m left to navigate the reality that we’ll be working together.
Whether she’s disappointed or not isn’t something I can control, but I’m aware of how being passed over for an external hire can land.
Still, gamble or not, I know I’m the right person for this job. I didn’t arrive here by chance.
I’ve spent the last eight years earning this role.
After graduating with my degree, I started as an intern at my former station in New York.
Living in one of the most expensive cities in the country without a paycheck was brutal, but I made it work by taking on side repair jobs just to stay afloat.
What made the difference was having a mentor who believed in me.
He taught me everything no textbook ever could, trusted me with real responsibility, and pushed me to lead.
Within a few years, I was running the morning show.
He retired a few years ago, and when I landed this job, he was the first person I called.
I straighten the lapel of my suit jacket and adjust the buttons of my vest. I’m probably overdressed, but a three-piece suit has always been my armor. Confidence comes easier when I look the part, and a well-dressed boss commands authority before saying a word.
Applause spills in from the other room, and I realize that’s my cue. For a moment, my hand lingers on the door handle as I steady myself, drawing in a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
Then I turn the handle and step through, crossing the threshold into the massive open space.
Long desks stretch from wall to wall, every surface crowded with computers, cables, and half-finished notes.
Dozens of televisions line the walls, each one silently broadcasting live newscasts from around the world.
A constant reminder of the pace, pressure, and responsibility of this place.
Nearly thirty people stand at their desks, all facing the doorway I’ve just entered.
Mr. White lingers off to the side, giving me the floor.
The applause swells, and I scan the room, meeting faces that will soon look to me for direction.
I smile, nodding in acknowledgment, offering a quiet thanks through eye contact and small gestures.
Beneath the professional composure, there’s a surge of nerves and pride.
This is the room I crossed the country for. This is where I’m meant to lead.
Then, my heart stops. There is no way with all the news stations in the country, she’s here. My eyes must be playing tricks on me.
Dani. My Dani.
I need to remember to breathe. I bite the inside of my cheek to see if I’m really awake. The small twinge of pain and the taste of copper from the blood confirms this isn’t a dream.
She’s actually here. I offer her a smile.
She’s staring at me as if she’s seen a ghost.
“What the fuck?!” Dani yells.
It takes everything in me not to laugh. This is going to go well.
“Sorry. Slammed my finger in the drawer,” she says more calmly this time. “Carry on.”
I need to get to her. Talk to her. How’s it possible she’s here? That we’re here together?
She’s still as beautiful as I remember. Her green eyes could make any man stop in their tracks, and I’m glad to see she still has the same relaxed style that first drew me to her. Her brown hair is pulled up, and the jeans she’s wearing hug her hips in a way that’s getting my dick very excited.
I can’t take my eyes off her, but I can tell she’s avoiding my gaze. I know Mr. White’s still talking, but it goes in one ear and out the other.
When I realize he’s telling everyone to get back to work, I know this is my chance to make my way to Dani.
I start to move, but an arm wraps around my shoulder, and Mr. White guides me in the opposite direction.
Shit.
I try to keep my gaze on Dani for as long as possible, but she grabs someone and takes them down a different hallway.
Mr. White and I make our way towards my new office, which happens to be one of the only private offices in the newsroom.
A large desk sits in the center, with a leather chair on one side, and two chairs for guests on the other.
Other than a computer on top of the desk, and a floor lamp in the corner, the space is bare with its windowless beige walls.
Mr. White sits in one of the guest chairs, gesturing for me to sit across from him.
“So, what do you think?” He crosses his arms.
“It’s great. I’ve never had my own office before.”
“Feel free to decorate it as you see fit. The budget is in your email, and you can expense it to your company card. We’re very excited to have you here, Gavin. I think you’re just what we need to turn our station around.”
“Thank you, sir. That means a lot,” I say with a soft smile.
I take a moment, letting it all sink in. The space, the reality of where I am now. Alone with my boss, with no audience left to impress, the weight of the moment finally lands.
“If you don’t mind me asking…” I pause, really worried about his answer. “Was the executive producer I beat out for this position in the newsroom this morning?”
“She was. Dani Russell. The one who had that little outburst.”
Well, shit.
I keep my face composed, which is impressive considering it feels like my heart is about to burst out of my chest. My first day is not the time to let Mr. White know about my history with Dani. If ever.
“You mentioned during my interview that she’s been here for a while. Is there a reason you didn’t hire in house for this position?”
“Already quitting on me, Baker?”
I chuckle. “Not at all. But if I am going to be working with her, I would like to know everything, and clearly there was a reason you didn’t promote her.”
Mr. White clears his throat. “Dani’s been with us for ten years.
Hired her right out of college as a writer.
She worked her way up to producer very quickly and then became our afternoon executive producer five years ago.
She’s great at what she does, but we need someone who is authoritative in this role. That’s just not her.”
“I’ve heard about Dani. From her reputation, she is the definition of a leader.”
Fine, I’m lying through my teeth. I haven’t heard anything about Dani in a decade. But unless the tough-as-nails woman I knew all those years ago suddenly disappeared, Mr. White is completely off on this one.
He waves his hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. We have you.”
“And I’m grateful to be here.” I stand. “If you don’t mind, sir, I’m going to go walk around and meet some more of the team before the story meeting.”
“Good man. I’ll talk to you later.” Mr. White stands and walks out the door.
Instead of following him, I sink back into my chair, the air suddenly feeling heavier. What kind of sick, twisted joke is the universe playing? Dani and I haven’t seen each other in ten years, and now we’re in the same building. Worse, we’re working together. Even worse than that, I’m her boss.
The last time she saw me, I was running my repair business, dirt under my nails, and plans that felt solid.
She was full of momentum, heading off to Sacramento for her first real job, convinced the world was finally opening up.
That was supposed to be the beginning of everything.
So how did she end up here? Mr. White said they hired her right out of school, which means she built a life I know nothing about, one that somehow circled back to me.
Questions pile up faster than I can process. I have a thousand for her. She probably has even more for me. Questions I don’t want to answer. Questions that all lead back to the same moment, when I promised I’d meet her in California after packing up our apartment in Pittsburgh, and then never did.
I force the memory down, jaw tightening as I shake it from my mind. Some things are buried for a reason. And whatever happens next, she can never know what really happened.
I stand and step back into the belly of the newsroom.
The moment I cross the threshold, the noise hits me.
Dozens of keyboards clacking in overlapping rhythms, people murmuring into phones, the low, constant hiss of police scanners bleeding in from somewhere nearby.
It’s chaotic and alive, and it settles something in my chest. The sound has always felt like home.
I move through the room slowly, stopping at each desk to introduce myself, offering a handshake or a nod, making sure faces turn into names.
I want them to know I’m present, that I won’t be the kind of boss who barricades himself behind an office door.
If I expect people to trust me, they need to feel like they can talk to me, really talk to me.
That doesn’t mean I’m soft. I know the reputation I carry.
When deadlines close in and the pressure spikes, I’m relentless.
I don’t hesitate. I push, challenge, and if necessary, I go head-to-head with anyone standing between the show and excellence.
That edge has built my career, but it’s not all of who I am.
I hope this team learns that before they only see me at my most demanding.
By the time I’ve made my way around the room, one absence is impossible to ignore. Dani still hasn’t returned from wherever she disappeared to after the announcement. The unease I’ve been keeping at bay tightens again.
I glance down the hallway I saw her take and start moving toward it, my resolve hardening with every step. The longer this waits, the worse it will get. Whatever this conversation is going to be, I want it over with, before the past has any more time to catch up to us.