Elliot took in the sight before him; of Joshua lying on the ground, clutching his leg, screaming in pain; of Keira standing helplessly over him; of the crowd of writers standing at their desks with horrified expressions on their faces.

But Elliot’s expression didn’t change at all. “Has someone called an ambulance for Joshua?” was all he said.

There was a sudden flurry of movement.

“I’ll do it!” everyone began saying over the top of one another as they clambered for their desk phones, desperate to be seen as the savior in front of Elliot.

A sheen of cold sweat glistened on Joshua’s forehead. He looked up at Elliot.

“I’ll be fine,” he said through his clenched teeth, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably. “It’s just a broken bone. Good thing it’s my leg and not my arm. I don’t need my leg to write the Ireland piece.” He sounded somewhat delirious.

“But you do need it to get on a plane and trek around the hillsides,” Elliot said calmly.

“Crutches,” Joshua said, grimacing. “Wheelchair. We’ll just need to adapt a bit.”

“Joshua,” Elliot replied, sternly, “the only place I’m sending you is the hospital.”

“No!” Joshua cried, trying to sit up. “I can do the assignment! I just need a cast and then I’ll be good as new!”

With no emotion at all, Elliot ignored Joshua’s pleas and glanced at his watch. “I’m beginning the meeting at eleven sharp,” he announced to the writing staff. Then he waltzed off to the conference room without so much as looking back.

Everyone stood there, silent, shocked, unsure what to do. Then Joshua’s screaming snapped them back to attention.

“Let me get you some water,” Lisa said.

“I don’t want frickin’ water!” Joshua yelled.

“Here,” Duncan said, rushing forward. “You need to elevate the wound.”

He reached for Joshua’s damaged leg but Joshua smacked his arms away. “Don’t touch me! I swear to God if you touch me I will fire you!”

Duncan drew back, hands in truce position.

“The ambulance is here,” Nina called from the window, blue lights flashing from the other side.

Thank God, Keira thought. She’d had about as much of Joshua as she could stand for one day. For a lifetime, if she was being honest with herself.

Just then, she looked up and realized Elliot was standing in the doorway of the conference room, watching them all bustle around Joshua, acting like headless chickens. He looked less than impressed. Keira noticed the clock. The meeting was starting in less than one minute.

Keira realized there was an opportunity here. There was no way Joshua would be completing the Ireland assignment, Elliot had made that quite clear. Which meant everyone else would fight for it in order to get noticed. It wasn’t the most glamorous of jobs but it was more than Keira had ever had. She needed to prove herself to Elliot. She needed that assignment.

Leaving her colleagues behind her, Keira strode toward the conference room. She passed Elliot in the doorway and took a seat next to the one she knew Elliot would soon be occupying.

Duncan noticed her first. Seeing her sitting in the empty conference room seemed to make it dawn on him suddenly what Keira herself had realized, that the Ireland assignment was vacant and one of them was needed to fill it. He rushed (while trying to hide the fact he was rushing) to be the next one inside. The others noticed, and there was a sudden scramble for the conference room, each colleague politely apologizing for “accidentally” shoving into the other in their haste to get inside, to impress Elliot, and to win the coveted assignment.

Which left Joshua completely alone in the middle of the open-plan office, paramedics hoisting him onto a gurney and stretchering him away, while a conference room full of his staff prepared themselves to battle it out for his assignment.

*

“I’m sure you’ve noticed by now,” Elliot said, “that Joshua’s unfortunate accident has left me in a bit of a predicament.”

He folded his large hands on top of the conference table and glanced at all of the writers sitting in front of him.

Keira stayed quiet, biding her time. She had a strategy: let the others wear themselves out asking to be given the assignment and then swoop in at the last minute.

“The Ireland piece,” Elliot continued, “was going to be our cover story. Viatorum is going in a new direction. Personal pieces, first-person accounts. The writer drives the narrative, creates a story, in which the location is a key character. I’d briefed Joshua on this. I don’t know if any of you guys have the talent to do this, to understand my vision.” He looked down at the tabletop, frowning so hard a vein bulged in his forehead. “The plane leaves tomorrow,” he lamented, as though he didn’t have an audience.

“If I may,” Lisa said. “My Florida piece is almost done. I can finish it up on the plane.”

“Absolutely not,” Elliot replied. “No one can be on two assignments at once. Who’s free?”

There was a collective deflating as several of the writers around the table realized that they were already out of the running.

“I’m free,” Duncan said. “I was supposed to be flying to Madrid today but work comes first. Stacy won’t mind if I defer the holiday.”

Keira only just managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes on hearing Duncan’s rehearsed line. She wondered how chill Stacy really was about her holiday being cancelled.

Elliot scrutinized Duncan across the table. “You’re that Buxton guy, aren’t you? The one who wrote the Frankfurt piece?”

“Yes,” Duncan replied, grinning proudly.

“I hated that piece,” Elliot said.

Keira could feel it bubbling up in her, the excitement. This was her moment. Her time to shine.

Ignoring the nerves she felt, she raised her hand with forced confidence. “I’m available for the piece.”

Everyone’s heads turned to look at her. She fought the urge to hunker down in her seat.

“Who are you?” Elliot asked.

Keira gulped. “Keira Swanson. I’m Joshua’s junior writer. He tasked me to do some preliminary research for this piece.”

“He did, did he?” Elliot asked, sounding unimpressed to learn that Joshua was dishing his duties out to his junior staff. He stroked his chin in contemplation. “You’ve not been abroad on an assignment before?”

Keira shook her head. “Not yet,” she replied. “But I’m excited to.” She hoped the warble in her voice couldn’t be heard.

She could feel her colleagues around her bristling with irritation. They probably thought this was all very unfair, that Keira didn’t deserve this assignment. They were probably kicking themselves for volunteering for less glamorous pieces in the weeks prior because now they were stuck with them. The only person showing any hint of support was Nina, who smiled in her knowing way. Internally, Keira felt herself smile as well. This was her moment. She’d been biding her time at Viatorum, mopping up after Joshua, rewriting his pieces on his behalf, working all hours with little reward. Now it was her turn in the spotlight.

Elliot drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “I’m not sure,” he said. “You haven’t proven yourself yet. And this is a big task.”

Nina boldly piped up from the other end of the room. She’d done her time, earned trust and respect. Years of editing at high-end magazines had hardened her. “I don’t think you have any other options.”

Elliot paused as though letting the words sink in. Then his frown began to relax and with a reluctant sort of acceptance he said, “Fine. Swanson, you have the piece. But only because we’re desperate.”

It wasn’t the best way in the world to receive such good news, but Keira didn’t care. She’d gotten the piece. That was all that mattered. She had to fight the urge to punch the air.

“It’s a four-week trip,” Elliot explained. “To the Lisdoonvarna Festival, in Ireland.”

Keira nodded; she already knew all of this. “The Festival of Love,” she said wryly.

Elliot smirked. “So you’re a cynic?”

Suddenly nervous, Keira worried whether she’d said the wrong thing, had let her disdain slip out by accident. But then she noticed Elliot’s expression was actually one of approval.

“That’s exactly the sort of angle I’m looking for,” he said.

Everyone around the table looked like they’d sucked lemons. Lisa outright glared her jealousy at Keira.

“The truth,” Elliot added, his eyes sparkling with sudden excitement. “I want you to debunk the silliness of the romance of Ireland. Debunk the myth that one can be matched with their life partner just through some sentimental festival. I need you to be brave and show how it’s all nonsense, how love doesn’t work like that in the real world. I want it warts and all.”

Keira nodded. She was a cynical New Yorker, and the angle of the assignment sat very well with her. She couldn’t help but feel like the perfect opportunity had landed in her lap at the perfect time. This was her chance to shine, to show off her voice and talent, to prove she deserved her place at Viatorum.

“Meeting dismissed,” Elliot said. As Keira stood, he added, “Not you, Miss Swanson. We need to go through the finer details with my assistant. Please, let’s head to my office.”

As the others filed out of the conference room, Nina caught Keira’s eye and flashed her a thumbs-up. Then Keira walked across the length of the office, side by side with Elliot, her heels clacking and drawing jealous stares from everyone around her.

*

The second the door shut to Elliot’s office, Keira knew the real work was about to begin. Elliot’s assistant, Heather, was already seated. She frowned with confusion when she realized Keira had been picked for the assignment, but she didn’t say anything.

You’re just another person to prove wrong, Keira thought.

She took her seat and so did Elliot. Heather handed a binder to her.

“Your plane tickets,” she explained. “And details of your accommodations.”

“I hope you’re an early riser because you’ll be leaving first thing in the morning,” Elliot added.

Keira smiled, though her mind reeled through all of the planned events she had in her calendar, all the things she would have to cancel and miss out on. A cold sweat descended over her as she realized that she’d be missing Zachary’s sister Ruth’s wedding, which was the very next day. He was going to be so pissed!

“That’s no problem,” she said, looking