Songbird Read Free Page A

her counter, her mind racing, trying to remember what she’d said about Sparkle Light. Something about a no-return investment, the product losing its fizz. Had she sounded overly sarcastic? Defamatory? If only we had a seven-second delay system, she thought, so I could bleep out his comments if he starts to get nasty.
    “ The information you gave was essentially correct. Sparkle Light is going public. But the so-called expert analysis you read was completely off base. Since you popped up with your phone number so conveniently, I thought I’d call and set the record straight.”
    “ Thank you, Mr. Harrison,” she said, hoping her voice sounded as light and sparkling as his product. “We always welcome a little inside information from the business world.” Why did she suddenly feel as if she had to call him mister? From now on, she told herself, I’m going to start screening calls. To hell with spontaneity!
    “ We’re going public to raise capital for other investments. It’s that simple. The move is no reflection on the sales record of Sparkle Light. In fact, the product has far exceeded our sales projections, and—”
    “ That’s wonderful,” Desiree cut in quickly. “I apologize if I gave out any information that was incorrect or misleading. Our news comes straight from UPI in New York, and we can’t verify every—”
    “ Your commentary doesn’t come from New York.”
    Her stomach tightened into a knot. Sam would kill her for this. Absolutely kill her. “True. Thanks so much for calling to straighten that out.” She cued up the next song, struggling to keep her voice calm. “And now, we—”
    “ I’ll take that trivia question now.”
    “ What?”
    “ This is supposed to be a trivia contest, isn’t it? Something about a free dinner for two?”
    “ Oh. Yes...” Quickly, she reached for a small box with the words THE TRIVIA GAME emblazoned across the lid. He really got a kick out of putting her on the spot, didn’t he? Well, she’d give the jerk a hard one. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she pulled a bright green card from the game box. “Are you ready, Mr. Harrison?”
    “ Ready.”
    This’ll get him, she thought. “What was the name of the first successful helicopter, and in what year was it built?”
    Without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “The FW-61. Germany built it in 1936.”
    Desiree’s mouth dropped open. How did he know that? The damn obnoxious man had to be a trivia king on top of everything else. “That’s correct! You’re our winner for today.” Trying to sound enthusiastic, she added, “Congratulations. If you’ll stay on the line, I’ll have someone explain where you can pick up your prize.” She punched the hold button on the phone. Play the next song, she instructed herself, going through the motions mechanically. And for God’s sake, don’t try to say anything cute. “Okay, coming up, three great tunes in a row from KICK 102 FM, your mellow music station.”
    Blowing out a relieved breath, Desiree punched another phone line and called the receptionist in the front office. “Barbara? The contest winner’s on line one. Would you take care of him, please?” She hung up without waiting for a reply. The radio broadcast was piped throughout the building; she could count on Barbara to assess the situation.
    Just then the studio door burst open. It was Sam.
    “ Since when did you become a stockbroker?” he bellowed, eyes blazing in a tanned face surrounded by thinning, dark hair. “No one asked for your advice about Sparkle Light. We play music around here, not the stock market!”
    “ I know. I’m sorry. I just—”
    “ Stick to sports and the weather, and leave Wall Street to the experts. Got it?” The door slammed.
    Terrific, she thought.
    The door opened again. “And another thing!” Sam yelled. “Don’t chitchat with people on the air. We’re a music station. If you want to do talk radio, get a job at KTLK. ”
    She sighed deeply as