by Liz Isaacson
The following morning, he parked behind the city buildings, in a parking lot with a security guard. When he got out of his car, he was twenty minutes early for the agreed-upon time he and Becca would meet. Yet she clicked toward him in a navy blue dress with wide, sweeping white flowers on it. Her heels were practical and business-like. Her makeup professional. Her hair actually not quite as haphazard as he’d seen it previously.
She was stunning and spectacular though the sun hadn’t even come up yet. “Good morning,” she said, handing him a to-go cup of coffee from The Jumping Bean. She didn’t look like their little spat yesterday had caused her an ounce of trouble, and for the first time in his life, Andrew wished he could wear makeup to hide the exhaustion on his face.
“Morning.” He sipped the coffee and found it exactly as he liked—cream and sugar and caramel. “Are we ready for today?”
She met his eye, something sparking in her gaze. “I am, Mister Whittaker. Did you get the last-minute changes to your speech I sent over?”
At midnight, and yes, he’d still been awake. “Yes, thank you,” he said formally. He wanted to take her hand in his and dart down the alley between the two buildings. Kiss her until all the tension bled from his shoulders and the words of his speech aligned.
Later, he told himself. They had this meeting this morning, and one scheduled in Jackson Hole for that afternoon. They’d spend the night there before heading to their next destination, and while they’d have a lot of support here due to every employee at Springside being in the crowd, the other cities and towns would contain less fanfare.
“Nervous?” she asked.
“Yes,” he admitted. “You?”
She nodded, her throat working as she swallowed. “I really think you should speak first.”
“We’ve been over it, Becca.” He didn’t mean to sound tired or short with her, but he was afraid he’d been both.
“Yes, sir.” She turned away from him, so perfectly poised and professionally put together that his heart squeezed. She’d changed so much from the jean-clad, tree-hugger T-shirted woman he’d been smitten with the moment he’d bled because of her.
She had such a strong spirit, and Andrew really admired that. He caught up to her and touched her forearm. “Becca?”
“Yes?” She paused and looked at him. Even with her heels, he still stood a few inches taller than her.
“Would you mind if we had a quick prayer together before we go in?” His stomach felt like he’d tied it in knots and then eaten a meal the size of Thanksgiving. He’d never seen Becca at church, and they hadn’t spoken about religion in their relationship yet. But he always prayed before a big speaking event, and he wanted her to know it.
“Of course.” She glanced around. “Right here? Or do you want to go back to the car? Find a room just inside?”
He looked around too, and another car entered the manned parking lot. “Maybe your car,” he said. They went back to it, and she started it, sat in the driver’s seat, and waited for him.
“Okay,” he said, suddenly so much more nervous about this than the speech. “Lord, we’re grateful that we could be here on this fine October day. Please bless each of us that we’ll speak clearly, that the crowds will be kind, and that we can get along.” Where the last words had come from, Andrew wasn’t sure. Maybe straight from his heart.
“Amen,” he said quickly, before more of what he felt in his heart could be voiced. He reached over and gripped Becca’s hand. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I made some assumptions about you I shouldn’t have.” Last night, and long before he’d officially met her.
She looked at him, and his heart pounded in his chest and up into his mouth. Would she not forgive him?
“I suppose we all make erroneous assumptions sometimes.” She swallowed, leaned forward just enough to let him know she wanted him to kiss her, and waited.
Andrew kissed her quickly, glad that she’d given him another chance so easily. “I’m trying to see things from all sides,” he said. “It’s really hard sometimes.”
“Yeah.” She gazed out the windshield. “Especially if you don’t even know how many sides there are.” Something hid beneath her words, but Andrew wasn’t sure what it was. His watch beeped, a calendar reminder that he should be at City Hall right now.
He took a deep breath. “Show time.”
Fourteen
Watching Andrew in action was a glorious thing. He knew everyone, and they all knew him. He was polished and perfect, his notes for his speech tucked under one arm. Becca marveled that a month ago, she’d have been in the crowd here, disgusted at how easily he smiled and shook hands with the mayor.
Frustrated that he and his company seemed to get everything they wanted. Annoyed that the media and photographers flocked around him like he was the President of the United States when he was really a nobody from an energy company no one had ever heard of. In a state most people didn’t know existed.
But she didn’t feel any of those things today. She wore a completely different ensemble than she would’ve otherwise, and she shook hands with the same people he did, accepting his introductions as the new press secretary.
She’d spoken with many of the people who greeted her, and she stepped over to the microphone with a man named Terry, who’d said he’d show her how to raise and lower it before the event started.
Her speech was memorized, and she set her folder on the podium. Their travel itinerary was inside too, and she knew that after the press conference and official unveiling of SonarBot this morning, they’d have lunch with the Whittaker family and the entire mayor’s office before getting in a car bound for Jackson Hole.
Another appointment for a press conference waited there just before the evening news would hit televisions, all according to Andrew’s plans.
Just get through the next hour, she told herself, changing her internal pep talk into a prayer. Help me get through the next hour. And then the next.
Praying with Andrew had been thrilling in a spiritual kind of way that Becca had never experienced before. None of her previous relationships had ever gotten that intimate before they were over, and she imagined herself sitting next to him at church, where the whole town could see.
Of course, that couldn’t happen for a while, as they needed to keep their hand-holding and kissing in secret for a while longer.
She sidled over to Andrew, who was speaking to a councilman and his wife.
“It’s time,” she said quietly, and Andrew wrapped up the conversation. They moved over to their seats, which would be moved to make way for the screen that was hidden behind the chairs for now. It had been mounted to the concrete last night, and Graham himself would pull it up to show the video of the SonarBot she’d seen in the lab at Springside Energy.
“Where’s Graham?” Andrew muttered, scanning the people on the steps and those still taking their places. “Have you seen him?” He kept his smile in place, but Becca could feel the tension radiating from him.
“He’s right there.” She pointed to the oldest Whittaker brother as Graham stepped past a security guard and into the space reserved for those who needed to be in front of the cameras and crowd.
Andrew stood and shook his brother’s hand. “Cutting it close, aren’t we?”
“Ronnie had a tough night.” Graham didn’t look like anything in his life was tough, but now that Becca had more knowledge of him and his life, she knew that wasn’t true.
“You’re up, Becca,” Andrew said as he retook his seat. “We start and end on time.”
He’d said that so many times, Becca fell asleep with those words running in her mind. Okay, maybe not all the time, as he usually kissed her so completely before he stumbled out into the dark that she laid awake thinking about that before falling asleep.
“I have forty-two seconds,” she muttered back to him, which caused him to chuckle. At least maybe then he’d relax.
Becca felt like an army of fire ants had decided her stomach and digesti
ve track would be a good place to take up residence. Her guts burned and writhed at the same time, and when her timer ticked to zero, she stood and approached the podium.
Her smile felt real as she beamed out at the crowd. She saw a lot of familiar faces, having lived in Coral Canyon for a while now. It helped that the entire staff of Springside Energy sat in the first few rows, and Carla’s face was a particularly bright spot.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Rebecca Collings, and I get the great pleasure of welcoming you to a special presentation by Springside Energy here at City Hall today.”
She paused, took a breath, and told herself to speak slower. “Some of you might be a little surprised to see me on this side of the podium, when I’m usually out there.” She nodded toward the back of the crowd. “And usually with a protest sign.”
The audience twittered, a few laughs and chuckles, along with Becca. “I think it’s quite miraculous what you’re about to see, and I think it will change the way mining here in my beloved state of Wyoming is done. See, I was born and raised in Crystal Lake. I went to college in Cheyenne and earned degrees in environmental studies and public policy. I love this state, and the entire United States. I want a safe, clean way to get energy. I’ve consulted and worked with multiple state departments, and I’ve never seen anything like what you’re about to see.”
She could taste the anticipation in the air, and she needed to get to it. So she decided to skip the last few paragraphs of her speech. “So, without further adieu, let me introduce you to the Whittaker brothers, one of which is the brains and drive behind this project, and the other is the one who ensures that everyone will know about it. First, Andrew Whittaker, the public relations director at Springside Energy.”
She stepped to the side and clapped, relieved she’d spoken the last word she needed to and that everyone in front of her started applauding too.
Andrew stepped to her side, full of energy and excitement, perfect for this crowd. “Thank you, Becca. Isn’t she great?” He beamed at her, and she thought she saw an edge of adoration in his gaze before she stepped past him and took her seat next to Graham.
She noticed how tightly he had his arms clenched across his chest. Heard the click click click of cameras. She leaned over and said, “It’s going to be great. You should relax.”
He tipped his chin toward her, barely looking at her. But he dropped his hands to his lap and his shoulders released their tension.
“You don’t even have to speak,” she whispered. “That was terrifying.”
“You did great,” he whispered, and Becca focused on Andrew at the podium. His speech included a brief history of the company, as well as their current method of mining. They’d pared it down as much as possible, as most people didn’t need all the specifics.
During their rehearsals, his speech had been six minutes long. It passed quickly, and Graham stood to lift the screen while she and Andrew and a few others moved their chairs to the side.
The podium got dragged to the side, and Andrew stepped over to the projector he’d set up himself.
The video started, and the crowd hushed. When it was over, Andrew lifted the mic to his mouth. “And that’s the SonarBot. We’ll take a few questions.”
Becca moved to stand beside Andrew, and Graham took his spot on the other side. A beat of silence entered her ears, and then the shouts started.
By the time she made it to the silence and safety of her car, Becca never wanted to have another press conference again. She sighed and leaned her head against the rest behind her. The questions hadn’t been bad. No one had any reason to protest. There was simply clamoring for more information on the SonarBot, which Andrew and Graham had promised to send to everyone before lunch so they could make their publication deadlines.
Her passenger door opened, and she startled, a yelp squeaking out of her mouth.
“It’s just me.” Andrew folded himself into the car and closed the door. “Holy cow.” He sighed just the way she had and added, “It’s hot in here. Are we going to lunch?”
“I just needed a minute.” She twisted the key in the ignition and got the air conditioner running. “That was intense.”
“And that was our friendliest audience.” Andrew rubbed his forehead as if he had an unseen ache there.
“Other crowds will be receptive too,” she said. After all, she’d done the metrics on the places they were going. Ran polls to find out about how people felt about fracking and energy companies, noise levels and outsiders coming to their towns. She’d assigned each meeting and tour stop a reception rating, and they weren’t all bad.
“You were great,” he said. “Threw me for a bit of a loop when you skipped a bunch of stuff, but great.” He took her hand in his, and she looked at him.
“Thanks,” she said. “You’re the true master in front of a crowd.”
He shook his head, such a different man than who’d been on the front steps earlier. And a wildly different one than that cowboy riding his beloved horse. In that moment, Becca decided she liked the cowboy best, because Andrew seemed to be his true self while atop Wolfgang, nothing manufactured between them.
“We’ll be late for lunch,” he murmured. But he didn’t look away from her. “And there are people watching.”
Becca nodded like they were having a real conversation about really important things. “Are you going to leave your car here?”
“You can bring me back after lunch,” he said. “And then we’ll proceed as planned.”
Yes, they had a plan for everything, and Becca nodded again. “Lunch it is, then.”
She released his hand and put the car in gear, ready to keep pretending she and Andrew were just co-workers for a few more hours. But tonight, after they checked into their rooms, she wanted to curl into his side and listen to him compliment her performance again.
They were two of the last people to arrive in the private room at the steakhouse, and Andrew introduced her to Laney, Bailey, Ronnie, and his mother, as they were the rest of his family she hadn’t met.
She shook their hands and giggled at baby Ronnie’s flushed face. “He’s teething,” Laney said, bouncing the drooling baby on her hip. “It’s kind of a nightmare.” But she smiled in a real way and strapped him in a high chair.
“Oh, you’re Andrew’s Becca.” His mother hugged Becca while she tried to figure out how to respond.
“Mother,” Andrew said in a low voice. “She’s the press secretary.”
Becca caught the growl in his voice though it probably wasn’t obvious to anyone else. Well, his mother got it too, because she fell back, her face one of horror. She smoothed it over faster than Andrew could have, and Becca suddenly knew where he’d gotten his skills.
“You both did great this morning,” she said. “That’s all I meant. It’s clear you work well together.”
Becca smiled and said, “Nice to meet you,” before stepping away and taking her assigned seat at the table. She was positioned right beside the mayor’s wife, and she engaged Loretta in a conversation about the upcoming Halloween festival.
She managed to make it through lunch with all her professionalism still in place. But wow, it was exhausting. She needed a respite, a place of refuge, and the one person she’d been using for that these past few weeks was off-limits.
So she rode in the backseat of the car with her legs crossed and a half-dozen folders between her and Andrew. They debriefed that morning’s speeches and events, and prepared for the next press conference. And while she was with her boyfriend, she certainly didn’t feel like it.
How’s it going? Raven’s text came at just the right time, because Becca felt like she was going to snap.
What did you think of this morning? she asked.
I meant with you and Andrew.
She cut him a glance out of the corner of her eye, but he was absorbed in a report, probably something he’d read two dozen times.
I don’t know if I can do this for three weeks
. Becca looked at the typed words, torn between sending them or erasing them and simply saying Great!
The job won’t always be like this, she told herself. But it did concern her with how easily Andrew slipped from one role to another, and she wondered if he’d been pretending with her at all.
Why else would he still be with you?
The thought sounded in her head in a male voice—Jarom’s voice—but that didn’t make it any less valid. After all, she’d taken the job at Springside to influence change from the inside. Maybe he had an ulterior motive for hiring her.
She pressed SEND on her text just as her phone buzzed again.
A text from Andrew: Can’t wait to kiss you later.
She glanced at him, surprised and utterly confused. He chuckled and shoved his phone in the pocket of the seat in front of him.
Becca didn’t know what to say back, so she didn’t respond. She silenced her phone all the way so she wouldn’t even know when it buzzed, dropped it in the pocket on her side of the car, and tried to figure out why she had such self-loathing and how to get over it before she lost a man who seemed genuinely interested in her.
Fifteen
Andrew knocked on Becca’s door, a bag of food in his hand. The motions felt so familiar, as did her smile when she opened the door wearing a pair of yoga pants and one of her T-shirts he’d come to love.
“There are a lot of French fries in here.” He lifted the bag, and she took it.
“I love you,” she said, and he stumbled over the threshold of her room.
“I’m sorry. What?”
“Oh, that was the wrong thing to say?” She exhaled heavily. “I can’t talk without a written speech.” She gave him a flirty smile. “I meant thank you for the French fries.”
He relaxed, because of course she wasn’t going to profess her love for him after only three and a half weeks of dating. “We made it through the first day.” He let the door close behind him, and then he engaged the deadbolt.
