by Syndi Powell
“I could never stop that.”
“You only call me when you need something. Not to say hi or to find out how I’m doing.” She stood. “You call me when your new man dumps you and you have to move out again. You ask me for money when he steals all of yours. You want to move in with me when you have nowhere else to go.” The tiny beeps of the machines filled the air between them. Elizabeth shook her head. “That’s not love, either, Mom.”
“Neither is your job.”
“My job makes sure I have somewhere to live. And food in my belly. Which is more than you did.” She hiked her purse higher on her shoulder. “I’m sorry that he did this to you. And I’ll pay for your hospital bills. But I can’t let you go home with me right now.”
Elizabeth’s cell phone chirped, but she ignored it. “I can help you find somewhere to go.”
Her mom turned away. “Just go answer your phone.”
She walked out of the hospital room, shut the door and dialed Troy’s number. “What now?”
“You need to come back.”
As if she didn’t want to. She needed this job even more now. The proof of that was lying in a hospital bed. “I’m dealing with some personal things. What is it?”
“Your boyfriend just changed our entire schedule.”
Elizabeth shut her eyes and tapped the cell phone on her forehead. She replaced it to her ear. “Is Rick there?”
A few seconds later, a warm voice came on the other end. “Lizzie.”
“Don’t ‘Lizzie’ me. What did you do?”
There was a pause, then a long sigh. “Tonight was the elimination.”
No kidding. She may not be on set, but she was still very aware of what was happening on her show. “Yes...”
“And I sent Vanessa home.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. I had a feeling she wouldn’t last.”
“And Jenny. And Leslie.”
He’d just removed two weeks from their schedule. “Then you ask two of them to come back.”
“I’m not doing that.”
“We have schedules for a reason, Rick. We have to fill so many weeks with episodes, and when you change it up, we lose whole weeks of programming.” She rested her head against the wall. “We’re locked into an agreement with the network about how many we’ll deliver.” She fought to keep her voice calm. “And you just screwed that up.”
“You might see it like that.”
Might? He had no idea what he’d done. “Because that’s how it is.”
“Or you could see that I want more time with the finalists. Give me a chance to really know them.” He paused. “How can you expect me to know who I want to spend the rest of my life with when I barely know her? I need more time.”
“Well, you just got it. Put Troy back on the line.” There was an exchange on the other side, and Troy came back on. She started marking things off with her fingers. “Do you have your clipboard? Good. Move the family dinner to this weekend and eliminate the bingo night. It was a logistics nightmare anyway. And I’ll figure out the rest. Have you got that?”
“When are you coming back?”
Elizabeth pulled her planner out of her purse and consulted her calendar. “I’ll be there by Friday night. Make sure you have a car to pick me up. And, Troy? No more surprises.”
She snapped her phone shut and tossed it into her purse. No more surprises at all.
* * *
RICK DELIVERED a veggie stir-fry to Troy’s table, then took a seat across from him. “Can we talk?”
Troy looked up from his cell phone and frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“You tell me. Lizzie’s been gone for days, and I need her.” He lounged back in the booth. He’d missed her these past few days. He’d been busy with the show, planning for the family dinner this weekend, but his thoughts drifted to her often. He missed her laugh, her smile, her presence. He rubbed his face. “Why isn’t she back yet?”
His producer placed his cell phone on the table and unrolled the napkin surrounding his silverware. Adjusted his water glass. Fiddled with his fork. Stalling.
Rick sighed. “Why did she leave?”
“She’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. Then you can make her life miserable instead of mine.”
Rick rose to his feet. “Enjoy your dinner.”
He left Troy and saw Charlie sitting at the counter. Rick took the seat next to the cameraman. “Did you need anything else?”
Charlie looked down at his empty plate and shook his head. “I think I’ve gained ten pounds eating here every day.”
Rick nodded and grinned. “Appreciate the business, man.”
“Pretty easy to do when you’re one of the only restaurants in town.” Charlie picked up his coffee cup and took a long swallow.
Rick rose to his feet and retrieved the coffee carafe, topped off Charlie’s cup and poured one for himself. Sure, it was late, but he hadn’t slept much the past few nights anyway. He returned to his stool and doctored his coffee with cream and sugar. “Who’s going to pick Lizzie up from the airport tomorrow?”
Charlie shrugged. “Probably Troy. They have some things to go over, and you know how E hates to waste time.”
Rick chuckled at that. Very true. “Think I could hitch along on that ride? I have some things of my own to discuss with her.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Rick turned and looked over the cameraman. “And why is that?”
“Listen, I’m not supposed to know this, but she’s feeling fragile right now.” Charlie paused, as if to let the words sink in, then shook his head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. Never mind.”
“You can’t start talking and then just stop like that.” Rick leaned in. “I consider her my friend, too, and I’m worried about her. What happened?”
Charlie glanced around, then dropped his voice to a whisper. “I’m only telling you because she’s going to need a friend when she gets back. And you’re the best one she has right now.”
That meant a lot, especially coming from him. Rick held up two fingers. “I won’t share what you tell me. Scout’s honor.”
The cameraman looked him over, then sighed. “Her mom got hurt pretty bad, and E flew out to check on her, to take care of things.”
Rick sat back and absorbed the information. “She doesn’t talk about her mom.”
“She’s got reason not to.” He picked up his cup and took a swallow. “And that’s all I’m saying.”
Rick nodded and toyed with his coffee cup. His heart ached for her. He remembered watching his father in the hospital. Praying that he’d recover, accepting the inevitable when the doctors gave them no hope.
He stood and clapped Charlie on the shoulder. “Thanks for being honest with me, man. Lizzie means a lot to me.”
And in that moment, he realized how much. And he needed to find a way to be the one to pick her up from the airport. Because there were some things that needed to be said between them before it was too late.
* * *
ELIZABETH SCANNED the luggage-retrieval area for her ride. Lou, Troy, whoever. It didn’t matter. She’d told Troy no more surprises, and she’d meant it. And being stood up at the airport didn’t work for her.
“Lizzie, over here.”
She turned and saw Rick waving. But then maybe surprises were a good thing.
She grabbed the handle of her rolling suitcase and headed in his direction. Once she was a few feet from him, he jogged up and took the handle from her. “Here. Let me.”
Always a gentleman.
She handed him the suitcase, and he led her out to the sidewalk, where Lou waited with one of the SUVs. Rick opened the door and helped her inside, then ran to the back and loaded her suitcase. He was being so solicitou
s. She wondered if he was buttering her up to get something. Probably something she wasn’t willing to give.
He opened the door and slid in next to her. Leaned over and gave the driver the signal to leave. Then settled back and fastened his seat belt.
He looked tired, she thought. Puffy eyes. Tension lines in his forehead. Jaw clenched. She reached out and touched his hand. “What’s going on?”
He shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you here instead of Troy?”
He opened his mouth, then shook his head. “I bribed Troy into letting me be the one to pick you up. That’s all.”
That’s all? There was more to it, she was sure of it. “Okay, then.” He’d tell her when he was ready. She settled into the seat and turned on her cell phone. Scrolled through her email. Checked her phone log.
Rick sighed. “I know about your mom.”
Her eyes snapped up to meet his. She scowled, hating the pity she saw there. “How did you...?”
“Charlie let it slip,” he said. “But you should have been the one to tell me.”
“It’s none of your business.” And it wasn’t. Never would be. Why did he have to be so comforting, so welcoming? Why couldn’t he let her keep her personal problems to herself and not bring them out for everyone to see?
“It is when it takes you away from my show.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “Your show? Interesting.”
“You know what I mean.” He reached out and took her hand. “I thought we were friends. I thought we could tell each other anything. And then you leave town...”
“I had to leave town.” She removed her hand from his grip. “Things were getting too...” Her voice trailed off, and she stared out the window at the passing highway. “We needed to put some space between us.”
“I don’t want space. I want...”
Elizabeth turned to look at him. Saw the different emotions playing in his eyes. She felt a pull toward him. The need to reach out and smooth the hair by his forehead that was sticking up at an odd angle. Instead, she clenched her fists. “You want to find your wife. And I’m here to help you do that.”
He swallowed and searched her eyes. “What if my wife isn’t one of them? What if she’s someone else entirely?”
The air in the truck warmed as they gazed at each other. Finally, she shook her head. “Rick...” Her voice broke, so she cleared her throat. “It’s cold feet. I’ve seen it every season. It gets down to the last three contestants, and the bachelor starts to get nervous. That’s all this is. Nerves.”
“We both know it’s more than that.” He leaned forward and touched her cheek.
Her eyes drifted closed, and her breath caught as Rick pressed his lips against hers, so softly she thought she thought she must be imagining it. But the pressure on her lips stayed until she turned away.
“Don’t.” She rubbed her lips with the back of her hand, trying to stop the tingling sensation his kiss had ignited.
Rick’s brow furrowed with hurt. And to build up the wall between them, she gave a bitter chuckle. “My bachelors usually try that about now, too.”
She watched him pull away from her. She wanted to call him back, to wrap her arms around him and taste his lips again. She realized now that it was what she had wanted all along. But she knew this was for the best. It was better for him and for the show if she kept her feelings to herself.
She turned and gazed out the window again. Reminded herself that it didn’t matter what she wanted. Or felt.
The show had to go on.
* * *
RICK STARED OUT the window of the SUV and watched as cars passed them on the highway back to Lake Mildred.
He shouldn’t have come. Shouldn’t have expected that Lizzie would return his feelings. Because at the moment, all he felt was embarrassment. Well, that and a little confusion.
Okay, a lot of confusion.
He had three women waiting at home for him, each of them beautiful and smart and loving. Yet he was hung up on the woman sitting next to him.
When had it changed? They’d been friends, confidants. He could tell her anything and found himself saving up tidbits to tell her the next time they saw each other. He looked forward to their morning meetings going over the schedule so he could watch the hair fall over her shoulder as she focused on her clipboard. He enjoyed the way her green eyes lit up with excitement during brainstorming sessions. He loved the way she laughed, throwing her head back and giving her entire body over to the joy.
He snuck a glance over his shoulder and found that she stared out the opposite window. She couldn’t even look at him after he kissed her.
He had to fix this. The thought of not having her in his life at all left an empty ache in the middle of his chest. But how?
He cleared his throat and reached across the seat to touch her hand. It startled Lizzie, and she withdrew her hand. He looked down. “Sorry, Lizzie. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
Her words were clipped. Short. Her tone icy.
“Maybe you’re right. This is cold feet.” He searched her eyes to gauge her reaction, but they were wary, guarded. “So help me figure this out. You’re really good at that.” He took a deep breath. “What do you tell your other bachelors?”
She stared at him for a moment, then seemed to snap out of it. “Why don’t we go over what you like about each woman? You must be attracted to them, or you would have sent them home long ago.” She flexed her fingers as if trying to reach for her clipboard. “First, Melissa.”
“Ah, Melissa.” Rick closed her eyes and imagined her. “She’s one of those rare women who is gorgeous and genuinely kind. As my wife, she’d be an asset, watching over me and making sure I take care of myself.” He could see how wonderful she was, but he wished they had more sparks, more chemistry together.
“And Becky?”
The picture in his mind changed to the brunette with an infectious laugh. “She’s funny and makes me laugh.” He opened his eyes and glanced at Lizzie. “But are laughs enough to make a marriage?”
Lizzie swallowed and looked away. “I don’t know. I’m not exactly an expert on marriage.”
“But you are on engagements. What does a couple need to last?”
“You’re asking the wrong person.”
Rick shook his head. “You’re wrong. You’ve seen enough people getting together to get a sense of who will make it.”
“Well, my instincts must be off, because none of the couples I got together have lasted.” She sighed. “I must be the world’s worst matchmaker.”
“It’s not like you can control the contestants’ hearts or ensure success for the rest of their lives.” He shrugged and tried to make light of it. “They make their own choices, and you’re not responsible for those.”
“Still...”
They stayed silent for a moment. Finally, Lizzie asked, “And what about Brandy?”
Rick’s eyes drifted closed and he saw her in his mind. But the feelings from five years ago had changed. “I don’t know about her.” He opened his eyes and gazed at Lizzie. “I feel as if she’s holding herself back somehow. Like she’s got a secret that she’s afraid to share with me.”
She glanced down at her hands. “Rick, I should tell you...”
“She’s secretly married to someone else? I knew it.”
He shot her a grin, but she didn’t return it. Instead, her expression seemed to turn sad. “I knew five years ago that she was going to choose Wade, and I didn’t tell you. I couldn’t because of my job. But I wanted to.” She reached out and touched his shoulder. He warmed at her touch and longed for her to keep it there, but she dropped her hand. “Be cautious with her this time. She’s hurt you once, and I’d hate to see her do it again.”
> He frowned at her words. “Is there something you know and aren’t telling me?”
“I don’t know anything, but I have this...feeling.” She shrugged and laughed it off. “Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe I’m wrong.”
“You’re never wrong.”
“Thanks, but we both know that’s not true.”
They fell silent once more until Rick chuckled. “I like this much better. I’ve never been able to talk about things with someone like I can with you. It was true before, but it’s even more so now.”
She returned his smile. “I’ll always be your friend. No matter what.”
And maybe that was what he needed to hang on to.
He nodded and returned to looking out the window. He’d go back to Lake Mildred and make the best of this situation. Put aside his feelings for Lizzie and try to figure out how he felt for the last three contestants. The finale loomed, and he needed to know who would make the best partner in his life.
* * *
RICK WASHED ANOTHER dish and handed it to his mom, who dried it. He glanced out at the dining room, where the three remaining contestants sat talking to Dan. “So what do you think?”
Mom put the dish up in the cupboard, then reached for the next plate he handed her. “I like them.”
He turned off the faucet. “But?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. What counts is how you feel.”
How he felt. Right.
He returned his hands to the soapy water and wiped the remains of their dinner from a bowl. “How did you know that you wanted to marry Dad and not Mr. Henderson?”
She chuckled softly. “Did your father tell you about that?” She took a glass from the counter and dried it. “Your dad was the only one who got my pulse humming. That made me feel alive. Loved. Wanted.” She stood on tiptoe and put the glass in the cupboard, then turned to him. “That’s what I want for you boys. A wife who makes your life more than you imagined.”
