complications and coffees
1076 Words
DeMarco smirked. “Make it shine, Lisa. Radiant’s counting on you.
As DeMarco strode back into his office, barking orders into his headset, Lisa stood frozen in place, the newspaper still trembling slightly in her hands.
Nolan Grant.
The name echoed in her mind like a ghost dragging chains.
She’d heard it before—long before the headlines and the scandal. A memory stirred in the corners of her mind, vague and half-buried, like something she’d once tried hard to forget.
Her fingers tightened around the paper. For a second, the newsroom faded. The buzz of voices, the clatter of keys, the hum of printers—it all melted into silence. In its place came the memory of a dim hallway. A whispered conversation. Her mother’s hushed voice on the phone. And that name.
Nolan Grant.
But what connection?
“Lisa?” a voice called, snapping her back to reality.
It was Josh, her fellow reporter and work best friend, balancing a coffee in one hand and a camera bag in the other. “You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.”
She forced a smile, folding the paper and tucking it under her arm. “Yeah. Just… startled. Big story. Lot to take in.”
Josh narrowed his eyes. “You sure? You went kind of pale.”
“I’m fine,” she said quickly, brushing past him toward her desk. “Just haven’t had breakfast.”
He raised a brow but didn’t push.
Lisa sat down, heart still thumping a strange rhythm in her chest. She opened her laptop, pulling up everything she could find on Nolan Grant: tech magnate, founder of GrantTech Industries, multimillionaire, and now, newly widowed.But even as she read, her thoughts kept drifting.Lisa was halfway through her second article draft when a shadow fell over her desk. She didn’t need to look up—she already knew.
Josh.
He dropped into the chair across from her with that infuriating grin he always wore when he knew he was about to annoy her.
“Guess who just got assigned to co-cover the Grant story with you?” he said, sipping from his oversized coffee cup like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Lisa looked up, unamused. “No. Nope. Absolutely not.”
Josh laughed. “DeMarco’s orders. You get the paper trail and source interviews. I handle scene photos and media leads. Dream team.”
“I work better alone.”
“You scream at your printer when it jams and talk to your stapler like it’s your therapist.”
She glared at him. “I do not scream at my printer.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Last week. Loudly. I have witnesses.”
Lisa groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Josh, I mean it. This one... this story—I just need space on it, okay?”
He leaned forward, voice gentler. “You okay? You’re acting... off.”
“I’m fine,” she snapped, then added quickly, “Sorry. I just—fine. Whatever. But stay out of my notes.”
Josh leaned back, satisfied. “Knew you'd come around.”
Before Lisa could respond, a new voice joined the scene—bright, amused, and just loud enough for the whole row to hear.
“Lisa and Josh, sitting in a story—K-I-S-S—”
“Maya!” Lisa spun in her chair to see her colleague leaning against the filing cabinet, grinning like she was watching a rom-com unfold in real time.
“What?” Maya said, smirking. “You should be thrilled. Word is, Josh is next in line for DeMarco’s chair. The future CEO of Radiant Communications, right there at your side—and he’s not hard to look at, either.”
Josh gave a mock bow. “Your flattery is noted, Maya.”
Lisa groaned. “Can someone please throw her into the supply closet?”
Maya winked. “Just saying—journalistic power couple? Iconic.”
Lisa rolled her eyes and turned back to her screen, determined to focus. But her hands hesitated over the keyboard.
By midafternoon, the sun hung high over the hazy L.A. skyline, beating down on the tinted roof of the sleek black Audi parked outside the Radiant Communications building. Lisa slid into the back seat with a sigh, her notepad in hand and her thoughts spiraling with questions she wasn’t ready to answer.
Josh climbed in a few minutes later, holding two iced coffees in one hand and a brown bag in the other. The driver, a broad-shouldered man named Edgar, gave them a polite nod and pulled the car into traffic.
Lisa raised an eyebrow, eyeing the drinks. “We were supposed to leave twenty minutes ago.”
Josh grinned and handed her a coffee. “You’re welcome.”
“That wasn’t a thank-you.”
“My dad insisted,” he said, popping a straw into his own cup. “Said I needed to ‘learn balance.’ Which apparently means caffeine and pastries.”
Lisa gave him a pointed look. “So, while I was prepping questions and pulling case files, you were picking out scones?”
“Almond croissants, thank you very much. Want one?”
She shot him a flat look.
He leaned back in his seat, sipping casually. “Relax. We’re still ahead of schedule. And I had to wait in line behind a woman who ordered an oat milk, half-decaf, sugar-free—”
She cut him off. “You wasted time twice.”
Josh chuckled, watching her with a kind of quiet amusement.
After a few silent minutes, Lisa noticed the stare. She looked up, caught him mid-glance, and frowned. “Okay. What?”
“What?” he repeated, still half-smiling.
“You’re staring.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. And now you're smiling weirdly.”
He laughed, tipping his head slightly. “I was just trying to count how many piercings you have. You’ve got more rings than a jewelry store stock photo.”
Lisa blinked, genuinely surprised. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. One... two... three on your left ear. A nose ring. And I’m willing to bet there's one hidden behind your hair on the right.”
Lisa flushed slightly, brushing a curl behind her ear. “You done?”
“Not really. I admire the commitment. I mean, I can’t even keep track of my keys.”
- Writer
