by I Beacham
He really did make her feel better. No one could be depressed when Brian was in the room, especially if you were the focus of his attention.
“Let’s talk contracts. We have you here until Christmas. I’d like to suggest something you can think about. I’m keen to hang on to you and either extend your time here, or turn the contract into something more permanent.”
“What about visas, work permits?”
“Hey! You’re working for the British Broadcasting Service. They’re second only to the Mafia.”
“Hang on a minute. Why does Darth Vader want to see me?”
“Two reasons. I think he really wants to meet you. You have an incredible reputation, deservedly so, and which shone out of your project like a beacon. The second reason is, I think, he wants you back in front of the camera again.”
“I can’t do that.” Joey’s heart pounded.
Brian put a hand on her arm. “I know, Joey. I told him. He’s not going to force anything, but I guess he feels his awe and presence might make you keel over and bend his way if he asks you personally. It’s the power of the dark side and all that.”
Joey shook her head. It was like all her nightmares entering the room.
Brian saw. “Okay. Leave it with me. I’ll sort it.”
“Please, Brian. I’m not ready…I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.”
“Wonderful American.” He clicked his fingers. “The problem is gone.” He stood and pointed a finger at her. “Give the contract some thought. No rush. Let me know when you’re ready.”
He moved swiftly to the door but paused for a second before leaving. “Have a great day.”
He was gone.
Joey leaned back into her chair and sipped her coffee which was going cold.
Much was floating in her head of late.
Joey thought of Sam. They were growing closer and she was starting to wonder if Sam was the woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Assuming Sam felt the same way, there would be hurdles. Which side of the Atlantic would they live? Sam was a vicar whose role in life was firmly over here. There was the question of her being a vicar. How difficult was that going to be? Could a vicar be out and proud? Joey could only imagine the press back home when they got news of this. Sam was a private woman who would hate the media interest. Of course, Sam might not want any of this anyway. She might not see settling down as an option. She had walked away from love once before in favor of the church.
But Brian’s offer of an extended contract, with the added carrot of permanent employment, removed the pressure. It would give them time to see what they wanted. Joey also liked the idea of staying with Stallion Productions. It was a young business with fresh ideas, and a man driving it with the energy of a hurricane. She didn’t feel as if she was being carried. She had felt that back home. She’d heard the whispers behind her back, that she was washed up…her career over. The media had been bolder, putting it in black and white.
But Brian’s news lifted her. It meant she didn’t have to go home in the New Year.
Her first instinct was to tell Sam, but then she decided not to. Not yet. She wanted to think everything through first. Maybe she also needed to talk to Brandon Finch. He might have objections. In truth, she suspected he’d be relieved.
Her day improved and became even better an hour before she left.
Brian popped his head around the door.
“I’ve spoken with the controller. He’s dropped the topic of putting you in front of the camera. Good guy. But he still wants to see you. His secretary will call you later in the week. Okay?”
“Thank you, Brian.” Joey was relieved. Even though he’d promised to sort this issue, she’d had her doubts.
“No problemo. This is what we call excellent Anglo-American diplomacy.”
He grinned and disappeared.
Joey left the office feeling a damn sight better than when she’d arrived.
She headed into the municipal parking lot. Parking space was limited at work and was first come, first park. She’d lost out this morning.
As she arrived at the car, she heard someone call out her name. It was Carrie.
“Hey, fancy seeing you here,” she said as she sauntered over to Joey.
“I’m just leaving work.” Joey eyed Carrie. She was smartly dressed. She was also sexy, and she knew it.
Joey was reminded, and not for the first time, that her old self wouldn’t have wasted any time getting to know her better…much better. But she had different values now. Carrie on the other hand didn’t and seemed eager to impress. She pouted her lips before smiling.
“Want to go for a drink? There are some great pubs around here.”
“I’m sorry, Carrie, but I’m busy this evening.” Joey thought of Sam. Her heart lifted.
Carrie looked crestfallen. “You keep turning me down. I’m going to get a complex.”
Joey laughed. Carrie’s expression was alluring. She let her down gently.
“You just catch me at all the wrong times.”
“You do realize that all work, no play, makes Joey a dull girl. And I do know how to play. But okay,” Carrie said. “I’ll just have to keep trying. I might get lucky.” Her green eyes twinkled with naughtiness.
Joey got into her car and watched Carrie in the rearview mirror as she walked away. She had a feeling Carrie knew she was watching. The woman swayed her hips a fraction too much, as if advertising her wares. Joey smiled. Carrie was wasting her time.
She waited and saw her get into her car and leave.
Joey glanced at her watch. She was going to get caught in rush hour traffic. It would turn a one-hour drive into two. As she exited out onto the busy road, she longed for a helicopter where she could rise above the congestion. It would get her to Sam quicker. Suddenly, the distance between them was vast, and she desperately needed to be with her. She made a calculated decision to go to the church instead of the vicarage. Sam led evening worship on Mondays, and by the time Joey got back, that’s where she’d be.
She made the right choice. The traffic was worse than usual because some idiot had the audacity to run into the rear of another vehicle at a big intersection and block it. By the time she arrived at the church, Sam was already conducting the service, so Joey sat in a pew at the back and waited. She didn’t miss the several times that Sam glanced over to her as she read prayers. She’d spotted Joey’s arrival within seconds as if she possessed some internal sensor.
When the service was over and the last member of the congregation had left, Joey walked down the aisle toward Sam. Sam was waiting, her features impassive, her manner reserved. Without speaking, Sam pointed toward the vestry.
Once they were inside, Sam smiled, but Joey thought she looked nervous. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Sam who melted into them. Joey felt her warmth.
“I’ve wanted to do this all day,” Joey whispered into Sam’s neck. She knew Sam still felt bad for not being able to get time off. “I come into your life and give you nothing but problems,” she joked.
Sam kissed her. It was long and passionate.
Joey’s state of anxiety lessened.
“I love you being in my life, and I love the problems you present me with.” Sam’s husky voice was a whisper. “I’m just trying to work out how I can solve them.”
Though her last words were sprinkled with humor, Joey heard the vulnerability in them. She took Sam’s face in her hands and kissed her again. When she withdrew she saw such love looking back at her.
“Is kissing appropriate in the house of God?” Joey asked.
Sam put a finger to an ear. “I don’t hear any complaints. I guess he’s okay with the odd show of affection.”
Joey tingled when Sam ran a finger down the side of her face and said, “I’m going to find more time to be with you.”
Joey smiled. “You may need one of those miracles you’re always talking about.”
“I know.” Sam exhaled loudly. “How about we go out f
or dinner on Wednesday evening? And a week on Saturday, very early, we bike up to Ludlow and do the castle. We can get there before the multitude do and be first in the queue.”
Sam was trying, and Joey loved her for it. It didn’t hinder things when Sam pulled her close and hugged her tight again.
“Do you want to come back to my place? Spend the night?” Joey asked.
“Yes.”
*
Sam stayed the night.
They joked and laughed and made love. The tension that seemed to accompany Joey all the time now almost disappeared. When she was with Sam, nothing worried her. Sam cocooned her from everything. Even her nightmares lessened when she slept in her arms.
Wednesday evening came, and they went out to dinner. Nothing interrupted. No one called. No parishioner approached the table delighted to see Sam. It was Joey and Sam’s night together. It was a wonderful dinner.
Everything was going fine. But then Saturday came, the day of their expected bike ride to Ludlow. It was the day Joey learned that Sam’s promises could not be kept and that church business had a way of constantly ruining their plans. Sam was already thirty minutes late as Joey waited inside her apartment. The phone rang.
“I’m sorry, Joey.”
Joey knew what was coming. Sam’s voice concealed nothing.
“John Alistair, the vicar of St. Barnabas is ill, and he can’t do a wedding ceremony today. I have to cover.”
“Why you?” Joey couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“Everyone else is committed. I can hardly let the couple down. It’s their big day.”
“Sam, you have other commitments, too.”
She heard Sam pause, but she didn’t answer directly. “Do you want to come along?”
“No, Sam, I don’t.”
“You’re angry,” Sam said.
“No, I’m not.”
“You sound it.”
“I’m just disappointed, Sam.”
“I can’t help this.”
The fact that Joey knew Sam couldn’t didn’t make her feel any better. “God damn it, Sam, Neil had better hurry and find you some more staff. You can’t keep filling in the gaps. It’s gonna kill you.” And me.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll ring you later,” Sam said.
When the call ended, Joey refused to wallow in self-pity. It wasn’t her style and she wasn’t going to start now. Sam was caught between a nail and a hammer head. Things would improve once Neil worked his magic and sorted out staffing issues. Until then, she and Sam would simply have to cope.
Joey turned her energy into halfheartedly cleaning her apartment and repositioning furniture. By mid afternoon she was done. She’d just made her mind up that a walk was a good idea when the landline rang.
She half expected it to be Sam, but it was Carrie.
“Hey, recluse. Why are you in on a Saturday?”
Joey closed her eyes. She was disappointed it wasn’t Sam, and Carrie’s question was bad timing.
“Last-minute changes to plans,” Joey responded dryly.
“At a loose end?”
Joey hesitated for too long.
“Maybe I can offer you an alternative to that, and I can promise you it’s way more exciting,” Carrie said.
Joey winced. She didn’t doubt Carrie was making a move on her. It was the last thing she wanted.
“I know this great gay club in Birmingham,” Carrie said. “It’s private membership only, so selective. It caters to the boys and girls, and it’s the place to be for lively, wired people on a Saturday night. You can let your hair down and not worry about being seen. It’s rated one of the best clubs in the country…great music to dance to, and a place to forget all your troubles.”
“Who says I have troubles?”
“Not me. If you don’t have any then you’ll get into the mood faster. I’m a member, and I’m planning on going tonight so the question is, do you want to sit home alone on a Saturday evening, or do you want to party and have some fun?”
“Carrie, thanks for the offer, but I’m not looking for anyone…I’m taken.”
A moment’s hesitation, and Carrie bounced back. “Well, I can’t say I’m not disappointed but I understand. But hey, you can still have a night out with a friend, can’t you?” Her voice turned sincere, more genuine. “Seriously, Joey, just come along. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to stay. It’s just an opportunity to get out and meet new people. I could do with the company too. I’ve had a dreadful week at work. How about I pick you up at seven tonight? We can go eat and then hit the club.”
Something about Carrie’s change of approach—less the vamp, more the human being looking for escape—altered Joey’s mind. She didn’t want to stay in tonight. She envisioned the usual sleepless night interspersed with the usual nightmares. A change of surroundings and a chance to let off some steam might do her good.
“Okay, you win,” Joey said.
“Good decision, girl. We’re going to have fun, fun, fun. Wear dancing shoes.”
*
Joey awoke to the sound of her doorbell.
Her eyes focused on the bottle of pills sitting on the bedside table, and she vaguely remembered taking them when she’d come home. It was probably why her head felt fuzzy and heavy. She hated taking the medication because of this. It stripped her of mental sharpness and made her every thought sluggish and slow.
The doorbell rang again.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it.”
It was Carrie’s voice.
Joey turned to see her semi-naked, searching the room for her clothing. Unsuccessful, Carrie grabbed a cover off the bed, wrapped it around herself, and left the room.
What the hell is she doing in my bed?
The answer didn’t come, only a surge of ice-cold panic before she recalled that nothing had happened between them. She dimly remembered Carrie bringing her home last night from the club. She hadn’t been well.
Joey struggled to get up. As she did, the room spun, and she felt nauseous. She looked around the room for her clothing, but it wasn’t there. Where was it? She had so many questions and precious few answers. Was this all a bizarre dream?
Joey heard voices in the distance, but she didn’t hear the words. She wobbled into the sitting room.
“I’m sorry I’ve disturbed you both.”
The caller’s voice sounded familiar, but too soon, Carrie was closing the door, and whoever had been the other side was gone.
Carrie was scrutinizing her, a look of concern on her face.
“Hey, you. How are you feeling?”
Joey had to think. It didn’t take her long to realize she felt like shit. The memories of last night started to seep back. They weren’t good. She remembered the noise of the night club, the flashing strobe lighting, and the unbearable heat. She blinked hard.
“What happened?” she asked.
“We were at the club, and you had some sort of hallucination. You kept going on about finding the road home and asking why you couldn’t remember the route back. You were really sick. I had to bring you home. Don’t you remember?”
When Joey didn’t answer, Carrie said, “I couldn’t leave you, Joey. You kept throwing up. I put you to bed, but I stayed in case you were sick in your sleep. I didn’t want you to choke.”
Joey looked around her. Her clothing was scattered all over the floor in the sitting room. It smelled. It was the smell of vomit. It wasn’t a pretty sight. And Carrie had brought her home and stayed.
“Thanks.” Joey couldn’t think what else to say. She was embarrassed. She’d lost control again, and in public, like she’d done back home in the States. “I’m sorry, Carrie. I guess this hasn’t been your idea of a good night out.”
Carrie showed only concern. “Sod that,” she said. “I’m only glad you seem better now…but I think you ought to see someone, Joey. You scared me. You were talking gibberish and…”
Joey saw the same look in Carrie’s eyes that she’d seen on all the othe
rs. It was the look that showed how uncomfortable people had become being around her. It was the look that silently said they thought she was mad. Normally they ran. Carrie hadn’t, and that surprised her. Joey knew her type. Carrie was an amorous vixen who lusted after women. She was one-night fodder that required no love, no commitment, and no promises. She hankered only for sex. Joey had been like that once. It shocked her that Carrie was showing redeeming virtues.
“Who was at the door?” Joey asked.
Carrie shrugged. “Reverend Savage. It shocked me at first. I thought why would a vicar turn up here unless it was bad news. I half expected her to say someone had died. But she said it was just a passing call and nothing important.”
I’m sorry I’ve disturbed you both.
Those were the words Joey had heard…Sam’s.
Joey went cold. She looked at Carrie who had answered the door wearing nothing but a blanket and showing way too much flesh. From the door, Sam would see Joey’s clothing, stripped off quickly last night, scattered all over. Joey’s heart was beating fast. Sam would be making assumptions…horribly wrong ones.
“I told her you were still asleep,” Carrie said.
Joey winced.
Carrie didn’t see for she was already heading back to the bedroom. When she reemerged, she was dressed. Joey couldn’t help thinking she was the fastest dresser she’d come across.
“Hey look, girl. I’m going to dash. It’s past noon, and I’ve got some work to do for tomorrow. Are you going to be okay?”
Joey guessed Carrie would be praying she would. It was clear she wanted to leave. She couldn’t imagine Carrie doing any work on a Sunday.
In truth, it was a hidden blessing for Joey. She wanted her gone too. Joey needed to go find Sam. She could only imagine what was going through her head and how she was feeling.
As soon as Carrie had gone, Joey gathered up the stinking clothing and threw them into the wash. She tried calling Sam’s cell, but it kept going to voice mail.
Joey showered, dressed, and went to find her.
She tried the church first because it was closest. Sam wasn’t there, only one of her worker bees.
