A Ilha do Amor Teaser

After dinner and some very decadent desserts, all of the editors walked to the front of the room, just before the small dance floor. The previous editor-in-chief, an older gentleman named Walter, was up there as well. He looked sheepish. “Well folks, I hope you enjoyed your meals. I know that I ate more than I probably should have and my belt is a little tight. Anyhow, first off, some business needs to be discussed. When I retired, the paper brought in, who we thought would be a new editor who could take our paper to the next level. Instead, he was a monster who nearly ruined our good name. It makes me feel badly that I retired early.”

“It’s okay, Wally!” barked one of the news writers.

“Thankfully, Alec or Joseph or whatever the hell his name was is gone and in jail. If it weren’t for the investigative reporting of Marcus Volt and Isabella Swan, you’d still have that jackass as your editor-in-chief. Let’s raise our glasses to Marcus and Isabella.”

Marcus sidled up to Walter. “It wasn’t just us. It was a team effort. In addition to Bella and me, Paul Newson and Bella’s boyfriend, Edward Cullen, were instrumental in finding out information about our former boss. Additionally, Detective Charles Swan was the guy who put him behind bars. Let’s toast everyone who helped put that asshole away for a long, long time.”

Both Edward and I blushed while Paul stood up, bowing deeply and sending kisses to our coworkers. With another sweeping bow, Paul plopped down and downed the rest of his drink.

“Now, with that out of the way, on to some good news. With the ousting of Alec Wright, the paper has been working without an editor-in-chief for the past couple of weeks. I’ve stepped in, coming out of retirement, much to the chagrin of my wife until we could choose a suitable replacement. After much debate and perusing the slew of resumes that were sent in from within in the paper and from outside sources, we’ve made our decision. The new editor-in-chief is none other than…Marcus Volt!”

“What?” Marcus squeaked, completely flummoxed.

Walter walked over to Marcus, pulling him into a very awkward man hug while we all applauded. Walter whispered in Marcus’ ear and my friend and editor was blushing, but smiling widely. A few of my fellow news writers bellowed ‘speech’ and Marcus was forced onto the dance floor to say a few words. “Yeah, I didn’t expect this. I put in my resume, not even thinking that I was in the running. My wife told me to throw my hat into the ring and I’m glad I did now. Anyhow, I don’t know what to say, but I do know a few things…number one, if you were put on ‘probation’ by the asshat, you’re not on probation any more; number two, I will not micromanage you. You are all college educated people and you all know how to do your jobs. Finally, number three, let’s make this paper what it used to be, and even improve on it!”

“Here, here!” Paul yelled, throwing his fist in the air.

“I’ll have some more plans for what I want to do with the paper after the first of the year. I’m looking forward to working with all of you and striving to make the Seattle Times an amazing publication,” Marcus said, raising his wine glass. “And I’m done.”

“As a result of Marcus’ promotion, that leaves the news division without an editor. Until Marcus has an opportunity to fill the position, the acting editor will be Henry Bechard,” Walter announced.

“Why not Bella?” Paul hissed, looking at me in shock. Edward threaded his fingers with mine. Rob just chuckled at Paul’s petulant tone.

“I don’t want it, Paul,” I said, rubbing his hand. Little did he know that I was looking at other means of making money. The drama of Alec Wright had really left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The idea of moving to the island seemed much more appealing. Writing a travel blog, rekindling my love of cooking, writing a novel? The options were limitless. Paul pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.