Read Online Tigerland by Sean Kennedy - Free Book Online

press conference later in the afternoon.
    As soon as I stepped out of the lift onto the third floor that housed our production offices, I could tell there was something in the air. In fact, it seemed to be buzzing. The research assistants had already drawn up on the large whiteboard their most likely suspects for outing. Most were plausible—some were just wishful thinking, like the popular pinup boy of the moment, Trent Mars. Someone had even written Dec’s name down for a laugh, with a question mark beside it. When I walked in, one of the younger assistants who was actually on prac from RMIT jumped up and rubbed it out hurriedly, blushing the whole time. I gave a small smile so I wouldn’t be thought of as the big bad boss. Even after almost two years working here, I still tried to be the boss that was a friend, often with disastrous results when I had to be the boss that chucks a shit because work needs to be done. I knew a boss could never really be a friend, but I kept thinking I could be the one to break that rule and actually succeed at it.
    So I fled to the safety of my office.
    It didn’t take long for me to be found. Coby threw open the door, bearing coffee.
    “Good,” I said. “Give it.”
    “Hello to you too, sir,” he replied.
    I grunted as I took my first sip. Coby did make good coffee. It was one of the first things that made me start warming to him, in the early days when I held a grudge against everybody for not being Nyssa. “They all look busy out there.”
    Coby stared out into the room beyond my glass wall. “You know what they’re like. This is gossip just as much as it is news.”
    I grunted again, more unhappily. “Not for some of us. I wish it was just gossip I could lap up without it being so close to home.”
    “How’s Declan?” Coby asked.
    I glared at him over the rim of my mug. “Are you looking for a quote, or asking as a friend?”
    “Jesus, Simon! How can you ask that?”
    I unsuccessfully tried to raise an eyebrow. The gist of what I meant wasn’t lost on him. I guess it was my turn to start throwing around accusations without any basis in fact.
    “As a friend!”
    Poor Coby. I always seemed to make his life more difficult. As Nyssa’s replacement, he had spent a long time living under her shadow. He had been painfully aware at the time that, to me, he was a poor man’s replacement of my friend.
    Coby knew that Nyssa’s absence in my life was still a sore spot, no matter how much time had passed—I missed her as a friend and a workmate. He had pretty big feet, but he would forever be trying to cram them into Nyssa’s shoes.
    “No comment,” I said, just to harass him.
    “You can be such an arsehole.”
    “Can be?”
    “Fine, always. And believe me, it doesn’t surprise me.” Nyssa had made sure to fill him in on all my quirks, but sometimes I could still go too far. Like now.
    “Dec’s just waiting to find out who it is,” I said. “Confirmation. Then he can worry.”
    “Does he have something to worry about?”
    “Would you want an ex of yours to start spilling details about your relationship to the press?”
    Coby actually shuddered.
    “There you go.”
    “Point taken. So, will you be nicer to me if I get you a pineapple donut to go with your coffee?”
    “My temperament may improve.” As he left, I yelled after him, “Slightly!”
    Pulling out my mobile as I unpacked my bag I noticed Dec had called, but I wouldn’t have heard it over the car stereo. I did like keeping the volume at maximum to cover my atrocious singing voice.
    He picked up almost immediately when I rang him. “Hey.”
    “Hey yourself. What’s up?”
    “I know I should have told you this before you left the house, face to face.”
    Ugh, this didn’t sound good. “Uh, sure, continue.”
    Yes, I sounded strangely formal. Could you blame me?
    “I’m really nervous. I guess more anxious than anything. You know, if it is him.”
    I sat down heavily in my chair. To tell you the