On Location

by Sarah Echavarre Smith

  I know I’m overreacting, but I don’t care. This shoot is personal—it’s a tribute to my grandma for never being able to take that second vacation to Utah with her grandkids. Knowing that I won’t be able to film at her favorite part cuts me to the core.

  Just as my eyes start to water, I hop in the driver’s seat and slam the door. From the corner of my eye, I spot Haley in the passenger seat, eyeing me.

  “What happened?” she asks gently.

  I shake my head, start the car, and leave Drew standing in the dust that my tires kick up.

  I focus on navigating the unpaved pockmarked road that leads to the highway. “Just another change in the shooting schedule,” I say in a quiet, defeated tone. “It’s no big deal.”

  6

  I don’t care how many times you say otherwise.” Haley frowns at me from behind her coffee mug. “It is a big deal.”

  I open my mouth to refute her claim yet again, but instead of telling another lie, I sigh. I gaze around at the main street that runs through downtown Moab. This is the first day off for the crew since we started filming a week ago, and Haley convinced me to take a break from editing and reviewing footage to explore downtown with her.

  Sipping my drip coffee, I peer up from the outdoor patio where we’re seated. I glance at the restaurants, breweries, coffee shops, galleries, bookstores, and souvenir shops that dot this side of the street. Normally I’d be aww-ing at the quaintness of this tiny desert tourist town, but I don’t have it in me. Not when I’m still reeling from the disappointment of losing the Needles shoot.

  “Okay, you’re right,” I finally admit. The coffee shop employee stops by our corner table right next to the nearby alley and asks if we need anything. We politely decline.

  “It really, really sucks that the Needles episode isn’t happening. But what can I do?”

  I hate how dejected the tone of my voice sounds. But after seven days of long hours, limited sleep, and handling Blaine’s unpredictable antics, I’m exhausted. And the sting of losing the most sentimental part of this series is impossible to shake.

  Haley offers a sympathetic nod. “I can call up the ranger’s office and ask them to open it up even for just a few hours. Or maybe we can ask Brooke to help us think of something.”

  I shake my head. “This series is my one shot to show the network that I can put a show together, no matter the circumstances. I don’t want them thinking I have to call my mentor to hold my hand every time I run into a problem.”

  “Do you want me to talk to Drew and ask him to give it another go?”

  I scoff. “No way. He thinks it’s ridiculous that I’m so upset.”

  Haley stares back at me, her deep-brown eyes sincere. “Maybe if you told him how much it meant to you, he’d understand. And then he can approach the ranger’s office again. It’s his job to help secure the shooting locations, after all.”

  “He very clearly doesn’t appeal to sentiment,” I say, remembering the disinterested look on his face when I explained to him how upset I was at losing the Needles shoot. “Besides, according to Brooke, Drew’s the best of the best. If he couldn’t talk the park into letting us shoot there, no one will be able to.”

  “Alia,” Haley says softly, reaching to place her hand on my arm. “I know how special the Needles is to you. And honestly, I was so excited to see it. When you talk about visiting there with your grandma, it always makes me smile. Every time you reminisce about it, it’s like it just happened yesterday. That memory is vivid and so special to you. You can’t hide that.”

  I glance away, hoping I don’t tear up yet again at the thought of losing the opportunity to film an episode as a tribute to my grandma.

  My nose stings as I sniffle. “I was even going to put a credit at the end of the episode. ‘Dedicated to the memory of Lita Santos.’ It was going to be a surprise for my mom when she watched the series, seeing that tribute. I just feel like I let them down . . . even though my grandma’s not here anymore and my mom didn’t even know about the surprise.”

  I clear my throat to keep my voice from breaking.

  Just then Haley gives my arm a gentle squeeze. “Hey. Don’t you dare feel bad. You didn’t let anyone down. None of this is your fault. The fact that you even thought to do something so thoughtful in her memory is what counts. Your mom and your grandma would tell you that, I promise.”

  I take a breath, then blink away the burning tears in my eyes. I glance up at Haley. “Thanks for saying that.”

  “Always.”

  “Hey, you guys.”

  We twist around to see who’s speaking to us. I deflate immediately when I see it’s Drew standing a few feet outside the wrought iron fence that marks the outdoor seating area of the coffee shop. A concerned frown paints his face. I wonder what he’s so worried about.

  “Shopping on your day off?” Haley asks.

  Drew clears his throat and his expression eases. “Uh, yeah. Just exploring a bit.” He raises his arm and points to the trio of small shopping bags he’s holding in his left hand. “Souvenirs for the family.”

  Haley smiles, then makes a “gimme” gesture with her hands. I roll my eyes. Shopping fanatic Haley always wants to see people’s hauls.

  Drew’s face turns red, but he walks up to the waist-high fence and hands her his bags. She digs out a few mugs with various red-rock formations and the word “Moab” on them, some hand-painted pottery, key chains, a bunch of postcards, shot glasses, coasters, and a Christmas ornament that’s made of red stone, carved in the shape of a Santa.

  “Wow,” Haley says. “Impressive haul.”

  “I’ve got a lot of family to buy for.” Drew’s eyes dart to me; then he quickly looks away. “They sent me a list of stuff they wanted since they’ve never been here.”

  There’s a temporary break in my hostility toward him. It’s really sweet that he’s spending his one day off scouring the town for gifts.

  Just then Haley lets out a whistle as she pulls out a black velvet jewelry box. When she starts to open it without asking him, I scold her.

  She rolls her eyes, then looks at Drew. “May I pretty please open this?”

  A grin breaks free and he nods yes. My stomach drops. His flustered smiles are the most adorable I’ve ever seen.

  I turn my stare to the jewelry box to keep from gawking at him like a creep.

  “Oooh, pretty!” Haley says as she studies the teal droplet earrings in the box.

  “That’s a gift for my niece,” he says quietly. “She’s going to her first middle school dance in a couple of months. Turquoise is her favorite color, and I thought they would look nice with her dress.”

  Haley says, “Aww,” just as my heart swells. A tender expression takes over his face. It’s obvious he adores his niece, and damn if that’s not the sweetest thing I’ve heard in a while.

  “You want to join us?” Haley asks as she puts his items back.

  He opens his mouth to answer just as my phone rings. Wyatt’s calling me.

  “Hey, man,” I answer. “Couldn’t bear just one day away from us, could you?”

  “Hey,” Wyatt pants, then says nothing for a few seconds.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I need you to come to the McDonald’s in town. Now.”

  “What? Why?”

  He yells something unintelligible to someone in the distance. “I just—I can’t explain it, you need to get here. It’s an emergency.”

  He hangs up. I glance up and see Haley and Drew staring at me, confusion marring their faces.

  “Is something wrong with Wyatt?” Drew asks.

  “I have no idea.” I stand, coffee cup in hand. “But he said there’s an emergency at McDonald’s.”

  “Here. I’ll drive us,” Drew says and gestures to his truck, which is parked right in front of the coffee shop.

 
We make the drive, which is just a couple of minutes on the main street of town. When Drew pulls his car into the parking lot, all of our jaws drop.

  “Holy . . .”

  “Motherfucker.”

  “Shit.”

  We climb out of the car, our gazes glued to the roof of the McDonald’s building. Because on the roof stands a naked Blaine shouting while gesturing randomly.

  Wyatt waves to us, and we jog over to where he’s standing. Around us a small crowd has formed.

  “What the hell happened?” I ask Wyatt.

  He takes off his baseball cap and rubs his forehead with the heel of his hand. “I . . . have no idea. I was driving down the street looking for a place to grab some lunch. Then I saw some naked dude waving from the roof of McDonald’s. And then I realized it was Blaine.”

  Wyatt explains that he pulled over to try to coax Blaine down, but he wouldn’t listen.

  “I think he’s on something,” Wyatt mutters.

  “You think?” Haley stares wide-eyed at Blaine.

  “You’re beautiful!” Blaine hollers, eyes closed and arms motioning like he’s conducting an invisible symphony. “You’re so, so, so, so beautiful! Every single one of you!” Then he opens his eyes and zeroes in on someone in the crowd. “Especially you, my man. Look at those calves! Woo!”

  Blaine starts singing some song I don’t recognize. My head spins trying to figure out what to do.

  “I was going to call the police, but . . .” Wyatt turns his stare at me. “I figured he’d get arrested and we need him for tomorrow’s shoot. I didn’t want to screw up the schedule. I’m sorry, Alia.”

  Bailing out Blaine and dealing with a court appearance would most definitely ruin the rest of the shoot. But the fact that Wyatt refused to do the right thing—the legal thing—for my sake sends a wave of guilt through me. He shouldn’t have to wrestle with doing the right thing on my account.

  I pat his shoulder. “I appreciate that, Wyatt. I really do. I’m sorry you were in this position to begin with.”

  Just then an employee walks out of the store and glares up at the roof. Then she glances at the crowd, which is now fifty-some people deep. Every single one of them has their phone out recording the spectacle.

  “Of course they would film the prick and not call the police,” she mumbles.

  When she pulls her phone out of her apron pocket, I rush over to her. “Hey! Please don’t call the police. This guy . . . is our friend.”

  I gesture to Wyatt, Drew, and Haley, who are standing a few feet away, bewildered looks on their faces. Drew forces an awkward smile, then waves. I look at the name tag on her uniform.

  “Amber.” My voice is pleading as she turns back to look at me. “I know what he’s doing is disrupting your business, but can you please just let us handle it? We’ll get him down soon, I promise. Please?”

  Amber’s frown eases back a tad. “Fine. But if he’s not down in five minutes, I’m calling.”

  I nod once, thank her, then rush back over to Drew, Wyatt, and Haley.

  “We need to get him off of the roof in the next five minutes or they’re going to call the police, he’ll get arrested, and the shoot will be screwed.”

  They all nod in silent agreement.

  “How did he even get up there in the first place?” Haley asks.

  Drew points to a roofing van that’s parked nearby. A ladder is propped up on top of the car, and it’s angled to the roof of the building.

  I rush over to the van, climb on top of it, then scale the ladder to the roof. Haley calls my name, but I ignore her.

  I walk over to Blaine, who’s now humming with his eyes closed, swaying to whatever tune is playing in his head.

  Someone taps my shoulder and I jump, then spin around. Drew’s startled face greets me.

  “What the hell are you doing up here?”

  Drew aims a pointed, indignant stare at me. “If you think I was going to let you come up here alone, you’re nuts.”

  My chest heaves slightly as I rein in my breath. How patronizing, thinking I can’t handle this on my own. I spin around to face Blaine, ignoring Drew.

  “Blaine,” I say firmly.

  When he doesn’t answer, I practically scream his name.

  His eyes fly open. “Yo! It’s you, Little Miss Showrunner or Producer or whatever you are!”

  I grit my teeth at the obnoxious nickname. “You need to get off the roof. Now.”

  “What? Why?” It’s like he’s a toddler who’s been told he needs to stop playing and go take a nap.

  “Because if you don’t, the police are going to come and arrest you.” I take a step toward him. “You don’t want to spend the night in jail, do you? You don’t want to lose your job, do you?”

  He scrunches his face. “No way.”

  “Okay. Then climb back down the ladder with me. We’ll pretend this never happened.”

  When he starts nodding, I’m hopeful. But then he crosses his arms and frowns. “I don’t wanna.”

  “Excuse me?”

  He tilts his head up, indignant. “I don’t wanna. And you can’t make me.”

  Whatever drugs he’s on must give him out-of-control mood swings . . . or this could just be more of his shitty natural personality shining through.

  “Blaine. If you don’t come down with me right now, you’re going to get arrested. You’ll have to post bail and go to court. We’ll all lose our jobs because of you.”

  He tosses his head back. “I don’t care.” And then he turns his glassy stare back at me and takes a step toward me. We’re just a foot apart now.

  He points at me. “I’m done listening to you, you bossy little bitch.”

  I clench my jaw, balling my fists at my sides. All I see is red.

  There’s a flash at the corner of my eye. Drew appears at Blaine’s side. His eyes are wild with an intense fury, his face and neck are flushed, and his chest heaves as he takes a rough breath. Then he claps a hand on Blaine’s shoulder and backs him up to stand behind a tall, pillar-like section of the roof, near the edge. Blaine’s eyes glaze over and he smirks at Drew. Then Drew wraps one arm around Blaine, grabs Blaine’s arm, and twists it behind his back.

  My eyes go wide. Blaine winces through gritted teeth. Drew leans his face closer to Blaine’s.

  “Don’t ever call her that again,” he growls. “Got it?”

  Blaine nods.

  “Alia is in charge and you will listen to whatever the hell she says from now on.” Drew practically spits out the words in a snarl, like an attack dog ready to go for the throat. “Do you understand?”

  Blaine groans but then nods.

  Drew releases Blaine’s arm, grabs him by the shoulders, and walks him toward me. Drew’s eyes cut back to me. “Is there anything you’d like to add?”

  My heart hammering in my chest, I turn to Blaine. “Climb down that ladder. Now.”

  Blaine rasps a barely audible “okay” before hobbling to the ladder while wringing out the arm that Drew grabbed. Drew and I stand next to each other and watch him make his way down. Even though we’re not touching, I can feel the heat from Drew’s body skim across my skin. I swallow, still thrown by what I saw . . . but also flattered. I can’t help the satisfaction that surged through me when Drew came to my defense without hesitation.

  What in the world should I say to him? Slowly, I turn to face him. But before I can utter a word, Drew walks over to climb down the ladder. Clamping my mouth shut, I follow him. Applause breaks out below me. When my feet are back on the ground, I hear the sound of tires screeching. I look up and see a black Audi pull into the parking lot. A redheaded guy who’s Drew’s height but skinnier and looks barely old enough to drink hops out of the driver’s seat. Haley waves him down, jogs up to him, and says something I can’t hear. The kid frowns, then rushes over to Blaine, who�
��s wringing out his arm while walking.

  The young redheaded guy holds a towel in his hand and drapes it over Blaine’s lower half, then ushers him into the back seat of the Audi. When he shuts the door, he looks up, then pivots his stare back and forth across the crowd, a panicked look on his face.

  I walk over to him. “Hey. Are you okay?” I ask, my heart finally slowing from its frenzied beat.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m Colton.” He smooths his hand over the front of his striped dress shirt. “I’m Mr. Stephens’s personal assistant.”

  I let out a breath. Then I stick out my hand for him to shake. “I’m Alia Dunn, the one in charge of the show he’s hosting.”

  Recognition flashes through his blue eyes and he runs a hand over his face. “Look, I’m sorry for how . . . difficult he’s been. His agent, his manager—we’re all trying to get him under control.”

  As annoyed and angry as I am, Blaine’s actions are not the fault of his personal assistant. Judging by the fatigue in Colton’s eyes, he’s exhausted. I can’t imagine what it must be like handling Blaine twenty-four seven. All the money in the world wouldn’t be enough for me to do that job.

  “Thanks for getting him down,” Colton says.

  I glance over at Drew, who’s standing just a few feet away talking to Wyatt. There’s still a tad bit of strain in his expression.

  “It was mostly my colleague’s doing.” I nod in Drew’s direction. “He’s pretty convincing.” I clear my throat. “I’m sorry you have to put up with Blaine.”

  Colton shrugs and smiles weakly. “We all pay our dues, right?”

  He promises that Blaine will be rested and ready to go for tomorrow’s scheduled shoot. Even though I have zero faith in his promise, I thank him anyway. He rounds the car and jumps back in the driver’s seat, then speeds away.

  Haley, Drew, and Wyatt walk over to me.

  “Damn,” Wyatt says to Drew. “Whatever you two did up there to get him down, nicely done.”