by Amy Patrick
Her timing couldn’t have been better, and for once, I was actually glad to see her. At least for a few seconds, until she opened her mouth again. “Well, there he is, Mr. Hardbody himself. How was the rest of your workout?” She approached us and stopped very close to Aric, aligning herself beside him, smiling up at him adoringly.
“It was good. Hi Colleen.” Aric looked down at her with a chuckle and warm recognition on his face.
“I see no introductions are necessary.” I glanced between the two of them, reading the easy familiarity that seemed to have developed out of nowhere.
“Oh no,” she cooed, wrapping a long-taloned hand around Aric’s bicep and pulling herself close to his side. “Aric and I are old friends, aren’t we? We met at the gym yesterday, and he helped me with my hamstring curl technique. You may put my trainer out of a job.” She rolled her eyes up at him in an ain’t-I-just-darling? baby-doll expression. He gave her a smile in return.
Everyone knew Colleen was training for the Miss Mississippi pageant—we’d all been treated to the details of her special diet, and she would announce it loudly whenever she’d had a particularly grueling workout. No doubt attaining such physical perfection was hard work, but when someone begs so loudly for your admiration, you feel downright stingy about giving it.
I’d always found Colleen sort of harmlessly annoying. But today, watching her fondle Aric caused a startling amount of toxic sludge to form in my veins. I should have been thrilled. Aric would no longer be asking for details on my college freshman flameout… or anything else about me. Still, seeing the two of them together, looking so couple-y… it bothered me.
Janet stepped out of her office. “Okay troops. It’s two-fifteen. Time for the two o’clock meeting.” She laughed at her own joke. The two o’clock meeting never started on time.
I darted a last glance at Aric and Colleen before walking into Janet’s office. She was still staking her claim in every possible non-verbal way, and he didn’t seem to mind a bit.
# # #
I was assigned the live shot that night—a huge tree had fallen into a house in Louisville, causing massive damage and providing spectacular video. The storm continued throughout the afternoon and evening and actually picked up in the last hour before the newscast. During my live shot, I felt like one of those poor souls you see on the network news reporting from the site of an approaching hurricane, slapped in the face by driving rain as they gravely warn everyone else to stay inside. Maybe it would be something I could use for the reel, if I didn’t look too much like a drowned rat.
“I tell you—it feels like we’re fixin’ to wash off the road any minute.” Tony’s knuckles gleamed white in the glow of the live truck’s dashboard lights as we drove back to the station afterward. He gripped the large steering wheel, leaning forward in his seat, straining to see through the water gushing over the windshield.
“Should we pull over?”
“Nah. We’ll be all right. I’ll just take it slow. My wife’s gonna kill me if I don’t get home right straight, though. She’s been with the baby all day, and that boy hasn’t figured out his days from his nights yet. I guarantee I’ll walk through the door and his eyes will be wide open, bugging out of his little head. She’s gonna stand up, hand him to me, and walk directly to the bed.”
I laughed, the image relieving some of my tension over the rain-slicked roads. “Poor Shanna.”
By the time we got back to the station, the building was nearly empty. Tony and I said goodnight as he hurriedly locked up the truck in the side lot.
“Good luck tonight.”
“With Shanna or the baby?” He laughed.
“Both.”
“See you tomorrow, Heidi. Drive careful.” With a wave, Tony headed around back toward the employee parking lot.
I went to the newsroom to gather my things and leave a note for the morning producer. It was quiet. Aric was gone. So was Colleen. Well, he’d finally found someone who’d say “yes” to an after-work drink with him. In fact, she’d probably asked him. The thought left a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I watched the playback of my live shot, in which I did, in fact, look like a drowned rat. Then I fished my keys out of my purse and walked to the back exit, wishing I’d thought to keep my long, station-logoed rain slicker with me instead of leaving it in the live truck. I was going to get soaked. I opened the door to the parking lot and was relieved at first to see the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Then I saw my car and groaned.
My Mini was sitting in a huge puddle that had definitely not been there when I’d arrived for work today. I would have to wade through it to get in. At least I was still wearing my rain boots. I crunched across the gravel lot, sinking into the ground with each soggy step.
When I reached my car, the full scope of my dilemma became clear. The newly-formed lake surrounding it was so deep, if I opened the driver’s side door, the water was going to flood inside. I walked around to the passenger side to see if perhaps the level was lower there. Nope. Even worse.
What was I going to do? Daddy could’ve easily towed my car out with his pickup truck, but he’d been asleep for a couple hours by now. “Well, shoot,” I muttered.
“Language, language, please.”
The teasing voice behind me drew shivers from my rain-damp skin. I turned to see Aric’s large form approaching, framed by the security light behind him. Was the warmth suffusing my body relief, or something else? I swiveled my head to scan the parking lot. His Tahoe was there. I’d been so focused on the sight of my poor drowning car I hadn’t noticed his still parked across the lot.
When he reached me, he pulled off his rain jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders, drawing the hood up over my hair. It was so warm. The scent I’d noticed the first night we met surrounded me, threatening to make me light-headed.
“Thanks,” I breathed, looking up into his face. His cheeks were becoming coated in a light mist. My fingers, warm inside his jacket, twitched with the urge to reach up and brush the moisture away from his smooth skin. “I didn’t know you were still here.”
Aric pulled the sides of the jacket closed around me. “I waited for you. I wanted to make sure you got back okay.” His smile set my insides to a low simmer. “So, it looks like what we have here,” he said, “is the little engine that couldn’t.”
I glanced over at my water-logged car. “Poor Minnie Mae. Do you think the water’s getting inside?”
“Minnie Mae? You gave your car a grandma name.” He chuckled. “I think as long as the doors stay closed, the seal will keep it out of there. But—you won’t be taking… uh… Minnie Mae home tonight.”
Standing with his hands on his hips, Aric surveyed the situation, then glanced back at my face. Raindrops decorated the crown of his head, illuminated with the reflected shine of the building’s exterior lights. His eyes narrowed, and his lips twisted in a calculating expression.
“You know, I’d like to offer you a ride, but I did promise not to extend any more unwanted invitations.” His voice trailed off in a questioning note as he studied my face.
I gave him a rueful grin, putting on an overly-polite voice. “Would you mind giving me a ride home? I would really appreciate it.”
He furrowed his brow, shaking his head dubiously. “Well… if you’re sure you want it, and it’s entirely your idea… I’d hate to pressure you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Aric… will you, pretty please with Cool Whip and rainbow sprinkles on top, give me a ride home? You will have my undying gratitude.”
Aric put a hand to his chin, as if he was giving the matter deep consideration. “I like Cool Whip.” He grinned at me. “And undying gratitude. Let’s go.”
He opened the door for me, and I climbed into the front seat of his SUV, looking around, inhaling the leathery, citrusy guy-smell it held.
When he slid in behind the wheel, he filled up more of the space than I would have thought possible. “So, where to, my lady?”
I
gave him the directions, and we cruised through town together, passing the darkened storefronts on Main Street, driving through circles of dim illumination cast by the streetlamps. The rain was still falling, though it was only a light drizzle now. It was so quiet, so intimate, in the warm, enclosed space of his truck. We were a lone bubble of life in the sleepy town.
I broke the silence. “So… it looks like you found a new friend.”
Aric glanced over at me. “What do you mean?”
“Colleen. You’re workout buddies now?”
“Oh yeah—that girl’s a trip. She is serious about her fitness.”
“You must be, too. You’ve already found the gym.” And look like a cover model for Men’s Health.
“Well, I didn’t have that much to do, and I don’t know anybody, so I thought I’d go work out, kill some time on my days off. You know how it is when you move to a new town.”
“Yeah.” I knew how it was. But instead of finding a fitness center when I’d moved to Providence, I’d found Josh. Which, of course, was not Aric’s fault.
Guilt washed over me, leaving me more chilled than the rain had. I’d been so stand-offish toward Aric. I remembered that lonely feeling, the hope that someone would be friendly and step in to fill the vacuum created by leaving my family and friends behind in my hometown. He was probably feeling exactly like I had when I’d arrived on the Brown campus all those years ago. Alone in every sense of the word.
“So… I’ve been thinking,” I said. “If you’re still interested, I’d like it if we could work together—like you suggested—on our reels. I could shoot stand-ups and interviews for you. You could shoot them for me. If you still want to.”
My favorite sunny smile appeared.
“And I’d like to learn those vocal exercises, too,” I continued.
He glanced over at me, still smiling. “And the meditation techniques?”
“Have you been keeping a running tab of everything I’ve said ‘no’ to?”
“As a matter of fact, I have.”
“Well, as a matter of fact, I would like to learn those, too. Maybe I could finally stop losing my lunch before every live shot and newscast.”
He gave a short, sharp laugh. “Seriously? Every time?”
“Don’t laugh. It’s horrible. I once threw up in front of the governor.”
“Oh no. When?”
“You’re still laughing.”
“Sorry.”
“At the Neshoba County Fair—you haven’t experienced that yet. It’s this big weeklong event in the summer. Horse racing, rides, concerts. And all the politicians running for office show up to give speeches and meet the people. The governor was up for re-election last year, and I was there doing a noon live shot. He agreed to come on for an interview with me. So—we’re in our places, standing there together. I feel fine, I’m thinking I’m going to make it, and then I hear the director in my IFB, and she says, ‘one minute.’ I had to turn to the governor, say ‘excuse me’ and run for this big trash barrel nearby and throw up—right there in broad daylight in front of the leader of our state government—by this time I’ve got like thirty seconds to air.”
“You’re right. That is bad. Did you make it?”
“I did. I got back into place and did the interview. But the governor had this weird look on his face the whole time. Oh man—it was not good. I cringe whenever I look at the playback.”
“Poor you. I want to see that interview, by the way.” Aric pulled the SUV over and stopped outside my apartment building.
“Not a chance. So—you think this meditation thing will really help me?”
“I do.” He turned in his seat to face me more fully, staring at me as if trying to decipher a particularly difficult Sudoku. “So… what changed?”
“What? Oh. I just… decided to start saying ‘yes.’”
“To what?”
I shrugged. “Everything.”
A wide grin spread across his face, and his eyes widened. “Excellent. Can I come inside?”
All my breath seemed to leave my body at once. “Right now?” I wheezed.
“Sure. I’ll teach you a couple of relaxation techniques. Right before bed is a great time to practice them.” He gave me a sexy smile, which combined with the word “bed” still hanging in the air, suddenly made common sense seem like an option.
Bionic pheromones, Heidi. “Um… you know, when I said everything, I didn’t mean everything,” I backpedaled.
He laughed softly. “Relax. I’m not planning to put any moves on you. You’ve already told me you have a boyfriend. We’re friends now, right?” His smile seemed to gleam in the dark.
“Right.” I thought for a minute. If Aric was anything like Hale, we could be friends. I could invite him up, let him in. We could go to each other’s apartments without any threat of something happening. But where Hale’s nearness was pleasant and comforting, being close to Aric was anything but comfortable. Every nerve in my body was disrupted and alive.
“Aric… thank you for the ride. But I forgot to mention my ‘saying yes’ policy doesn’t take effect until tomorrow. ”
He exhaled loudly, pretending exaggerated disappointment. “All right then. Do you need a ride to work tomorrow?”
I opened the door of his truck. “No—that’s okay. My dad and brothers can help me get my car unstuck. I’ll get a ride with one of them. Thanks, though. Sleep well.”
“Oh, I will. I’ll be completely relaxed.” He gave me a you’re-missing-out-on-something grin. “Good night, Heidi.”
I wished him a good night and walked up the sidewalk, unable to stop myself from imagining all the ways Aric Serrano might get relaxed before sleeping.
Chapter Eight
Snake Bites and Beards
When I arrived for work Saturday, Aric’s Tahoe was already in the lot. Colleen’s desk in the newsroom was empty, so I assumed she was out on a story. Her shift started early in the morning, whereas Aric and I came in in the afternoon because we were anchoring the late news.
I put my things under my desk and looked over the assignments file for the day. Colleen had left a note about a man who’d survived a massive snake bite while turkey hunting this morning. He was at the Baptist Memorial Hospital. She’d scribbled a room number next to the hospital’s phone number.
According to the schedule, she was covering an awareness walk right now then heading to a hot air balloon festival from there. The Mississippi State football game was at one o’clock. If Aric and I went together, we could swing by the hospital and talk to the snake bite victim and shoot some video and my stand-up before going to the game to get highlights and interviews for his sportscast.
I went to the sports office to coordinate schedules with him but stopped short because he was on the phone. He sat with his back to me, wearing shorts and a polo, his long tan legs stretched out in front of him with his feet on the desk. He was leaning back in his chair, massaging his own neck with one large hand while holding the phone to his ear with the other.
The sound of his voice, low and affectionate, kept me standing there when I should’ve left immediately to give him privacy.
“ …I miss you too… well, November’s not too far away.”
I couldn’t hear every word, but the ones I did pick up set an unexpected burn smoldering in my gut. It was clear from his tone he cared for the person on the other end of that call. It struck me that I’d been unbelievably presumptuous with all my defensive claims of “I have a boyfriend.” For all I knew, he’d left a girlfriend behind in Minnesota or California and was pining away for her every day.
“Love you, too, älskar dig. Adjö, Lillemor.” Mr. Accent-free had just morphed into a full-blown Swede for a minute. And told someone named Lillemor he loved her. The burn traveled up to my face. What an idiot I was. Aric must have thought I was so conceited for suggesting, repeatedly, that his kind offers of help meant something more. I turned to sneak away before he could see me eavesdropping.
&nbs
p; “Heidi.” The friendly greeting met my back. Emphasis on friend.
Fastening a smile on my face, I pushed down my humiliation and turned around. “Hi. I didn’t mean to disturb your call.”
He stood and slid the phone into his pocket. “No, not at all. Ready to get to work, partner?”
“Absolutely.” I worked to recover my composure, determined to be as pleasant and businesslike as he was. “Are you ready to learn everything you ever wanted to know about snake bites?”
“Uh… I guess I am. Let me get all my gear together, and we can head out. So you’re good to go for the game today at one?”
“Yes.”
“Great. Because I think you’re gonna love it.” He gave me his sunshine smile, forcing me to battle an eruption of physical responses that were inappropriate for so many reasons.
“Oh, I’ve been to lots of State games,” I said.
“None like this one.” At my confused expression he said, “You’ll see what I mean. And don’t worry. I’m bringing everything we’ll need.”
Aric refused to explain further, so I dropped it and we set out for the hospital. The administrator on duty gave us permission to film there as long as the patient agreed and we didn’t show any other patients on camera.
Colleen’s note indicated the snake bite victim, Buddy Harris, was willing to do the interview, so we went to his room on the third floor. The door was cracked open, the lights on inside. I knocked and called out, “Mr. Harris? It’s Heidi Haynes from WPLM News.”
“Yeah, come on in,” a heavily-accented gruff voice responded.
Aric pushed open the heavy door. The room was small and bright and filled with the sounds of a college football pregame show playing on the wall-mounted television. Buddy Harris reclined in the bed with one meaty pale leg propped up and a meal tray in front of him. He gave the wheeled bedside table a push, rolling aside his unfinished lunch.
“Well, you’re as purty as you are on the tee-vee.” Buddy offered me a wide smile and extended a hand in welcome. He looked to be in his early fifties, with a few days’ growth of salt and pepper beard and thinning gray hair on top. His light blue hospital johnny was short-sleeved, revealing thick, tanned arms. The leathery skin of his face spoke of decades spent in the outdoors, and I had no trouble believing this was the experienced hunter I’d been told about.
