Free Negotiating Point by Adrienne Giordano

there?”
    “Yeah,” Joe said. “Where are we on Mr. Spelling’s release?”
    “We’re working on that. The Banner has confirmed they received your article. They’re looking at it.”
    Not a total lie on his part.
    “By the way, Joe, is there anyone you need me to call? Anywhere you should be? Family maybe?”
    Maybe she shouldn’t be feeling smug, but Gavin was so playing this guy. Going down, sucker.
    “Uh, no. I’m good.”
    “No family?”
    “I…uh…have a son. He’s with my mother now.”
    Going. Down. Sucker.
    “A son. That’s awesome. I don’t have any kids. Always wanted them, but haven’t found the right girl yet.”
    I could be that girl. But she didn’t dare look at him. No siree. She would keep focused on her notes. If she looked at him now, she’d not only be the smart girl turned stupid, she’d be nominated for president of the nonprofit organization Stupid Girls Unite.
    “My son is nine,” Joe said. “Plays Little League baseball. Kid loves baseball.”
    From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Gavin, kicked back in his chair, arms folded across his chest like this was just a casual chat. And yet, hadn’t they just talked about him playing catch with his dad? The man’s ability to compartmentalize ranked right up there with Michael’s.
    “Oh, hey,” Gavin said. “I can relate. When I was a kid all I ever wanted was to throw a ball with my dad. Maybe shag some flies. Nothing better than that.”
    I could love him. She shook off that potentially life-bombing thought because really, she shouldn’t be sitting here imagining him playing catch with their children. And who said they were having more than one?
    Pay attention! She smacked herself—hard—on the head and Gavin looked over, his face twisted.
    Sorry, she mouthed and he nodded.
    I accept the presidency. Thank you.
    “You know what though, Joe?”
    “What?”
    Gavin slowly leaned forward, a panther bearing down on his prey. “What do you think your son would want you to do now?”
    “Huh?”
    “I think he would want you to walk out of that house, right? My dad was gone by my fourteenth birthday and you know what? I never got over that. Do your son a favor and come out of there before someone gets hurt. No one is hurt. What you’ve done isn’t all that bad. We can minimize this and your son will have his father.”
    And, God, Janet was dying inside, her heart aching for Gavin as a little boy craving his father and somehow, when she looked at grown-up Gavin, he seemed relaxed, kicked back, just shooting the bull with a buddy.
    Then he turned to her, literally shifting his body in his chair to settle that dark gaze on her and she yearned to curl into him. To soothe the suffering little boy who’d lost his father.
    He pushed the mute button on the phone. “Can you find me the son?”
    Varying thoughts slammed inside her head. Snap out of it. What was she doing? This was the game he played. His job. He probably wasn’t even thinking about his own father and she was what? Thinking they’d have some huge epiphany that she’d be the one to round out his lonely life?
    Please.
    She spun to her laptop. “Of course. I’ll track down Joe’s ex.”
    “You don’t know anything about my son,” Joe said.
    No, but he will in about three minutes.
    Gavin pushed the button on the phone again. “You’re right. But I was nine once, and I had a father I loved very much. I missed a lifetime of memories with my dad. Do you want that for your son?”
    “No, but this is important what I’m doing. Jackson Spelling doesn’t deserve to be in jail.”
    “Joe, let’s concentrate on you, and what we can do to get you out of this mess. Get you home to that little boy of yours. Can we do that?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Janet kept at the code to crack into Joe’s ex-girlfriend’s Facebook page. So close. So darned close. “Almost there,” she whispered. “Come to Mama.”
    “And how about your mom?” Gavin said to Joe. “Are