The Guilty - Jason Pinter [42]
it is a gift," Paulina said. "You know, it's a real shame that
Henry is too stubborn to see what he's lost."
Mya didn't know whether to smile or throw a cup of coffee
in Paulina's face.
"Please don't patronize me."
Paulina sat back, held up her hands. "I understand. But I
can't apologize for saying it. Listen," she said, leaning
forward again. "I'm embarrassed to say that we both know
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how stories in the news take on a life of their own. From what
I gather, the last year has been hard for you."
"What do you know about it?"
"Well, after you were involved in Henry's altercation, "
Paulina said, as though they'd been in a fender-bender, "your
career doesn't seem to have taken off the way you expected."
"What do you care about my career?"
"I shouldn't," Paulina said. "But the truth is we both know
how hard it is for strong women to make it in corporate America. Add to that the pressure of being a Loverne. Whether it's
law or journalism, it's still about who can claw the hardest
and deepest. Cornell, then law school at Columbia, you have
a pretty terrific pedigree. I imagine neither were easy to
achieve."
"Easy is what you make of it. Some kids can study eight
hours a night and still blow the bar. Some can soak it up
while spending three years sucking down beers five nights a
week."
"And which were you?" Paulina asked.
Mya shifted in her seat. "I don't really know. I think I used
to be the former. Now...I don't know."
"Mya," Paulina said, her voice growing soft. "You know
why I asked you here, right?"
"Not exactly," she said. "You said something about my
father. What does he have to do with anything?"
Paulina sighed. "I'm going to be straight with you. I'm
writing an article on your father's campaign. Well, more specifically...his life. I think you can get where I'm going with this."
"No. Enlighten me."
"You're not blind," Paulina said, "and clearly not stupid.You
must have heard the rumors. Or seen it with your own eyes."
"Seen what?" Mya said.
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"The other women."
Mya nearly choked.
"You're writing an article about my father seeing other
women? Are you fucking kidding me?"
Paulina offered her hands. "It's more than that," she said.
"Your father is an important man. Important people need to
gain the trust of their constituents. It's my job, it's what I'm
paid for, to make sure people know the full story."
"Jesus," Mya whispered.
"It's going to be in the newspapers," Paulina said. "I have
nothing against you or your father. I just want to know the
truth. It doesn't need to be painful. If you just tell me what
you know, the innuendos are kept out of it. The truth is all I
want."
"I can't believe he's so stupid," Mya said, feeling her
cheeks grow warm.
"Your father?" Mya nodded. "So you knew."
"Yes," Mya said, her voice barely a sound.
"Do you know who?" Mya shook her head. "Or how
many?" Again.
"I don't know anything else, please, just leave it alone."
"Mya," Paulina said, "I honestly can't imagine how hard
this is for you. Have you been able to talk to anyone else about
it?" Mya stared into her coffee. "What about Henry?"
Mya looked at her, stared into Paulina's eyes. Then
shook her head.
"We don't talk anymore. At least he doesn't talk to me." Mya
took a sip of her coffee, holding the mug in both hands. She let
the warmth travel down her hands. She put it down, added
some more sugar. "I'm not sure what else you want to know."
"Why doesn't Henry want to talk to you? Weren't you
two close?"
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"Were," Mya said.
"What happened?"
"It ended. Relationships do."
"You didn't want to stay friends?"
"I did," Mya said. Paulina leaned closer. Mya could smell
her perfume. It smelled good, not too strong.
"The truth is, Mya, Henry is in an incredibly important
position right now. I fear that the brain trust at the Gazette,
that would be Harvey Hillerman and Wallace Langston, have
placed too much pressure on Henry. Since the scandals last
year, there haven't been many young reporters given access