by Hoff, Stacy
Colin felt his face go hot. Not the outcome he was looking for. But at least he had the perfect cure for his foot-in-mouth disease. Shutting up the entire rest of the ride. No, wait! Devon was still looking at him, waiting for a response. “Uh, thank you?”
No luck. Devon wasn’t going away.
Colin cleared his throat. “I’m not gay,” he clarified, letting out a tight cough. “I’m okay with you being gay. And, uh, gay people. You know. In general. It’s just that I’m not gay. Myself, I mean.” Colin shut up. This was getting worse by the second. If this plane went down, he still couldn’t crash and burn quicker.
Devon smiled. “It’s all right. I thought I’d throw it out there. In case you were. You never know,” he said. “Too bad, though. I could do with a real cowboy.”
Farmer, Colin silently corrected. Well, at least he’d managed to end the topic of whether he had a girlfriend. Not the way he was planning . . .
Colin watched Devon calmly walk down the narrow aisle, wishing he could borrow the cavalier attitude. Instead, his insides were churned up. Not just from the conversation either. Leaving Steph behind was harder than he could have guessed. Hard on him, sure. But knowing all her insecurities, harder on her. No messages. Nothing to reinforce for her that he wasn’t going away. Well, he was, but that was not what he meant. He hoped she could hang on. Then again, he had exactly the same hope for himself. Giving his iPhone one last glance, he shoved it away in his pocket.
It was amazing, really. No matter what he had been doing, or where he’d been stationed, time had always moved fast enough for him. Even when a mission lasted for months. Countless weeks strung together until they became a single block of time. All of that he handled easily. Yet these twelve days (more if they sequestered him) would certainly prove to be the slowest. Time would crawl along, inching its way forward. Until he could come back to her.
He fished the iPhone out of his back pocket, and for the hundredth time, checked for messages. As if in the last thirty seconds she’d managed to get a message through. Airplane reception sucked.
“Excuse me, sir, but all your electronic devices have to remain off until we land,” a flight attendant ordered, albeit politely.
Colin sighed. He doubted whether Stephanie had gotten any of the texts or e-mails he’d recently sent. Probably not. Another few hours with no communication. Soon to turn into days. Then weeks.
It had been two days since Colin left, and her father had slept almost the entire time. Thin shoulders had peeked through his hospital-issued, too-large bedclothes. The skin around his neck hung loose and rubbery, as if a deflated balloon. At this point, her mother also looked thin and worn out from worry. Stephanie put her arm around her mother and they headed for the hospital lounge.
The upside of having quit her job. She had plenty of time to support her mother. Going to the hospital. Checking in with the doctors. Or just sharing a cup of coffee with her, like now. The lounge, lacking both sterile walls and groaning patients, was a little more cheery than her father’s room. It had been unsettling. Depressing, even. At least the lounge area had music. A few faded pictures on the walls. Not much aesthetically, but way better than staring at an intravenous drip. Even better, the lounge had a coffee machine. It dispensed the most bitter coffee she’d ever tasted but was thankfully hot.
“Distract me, honey,” her mother said, taking a sip.
“You distract me,” Stephanie joked.
“I know it’s not easy for you, either,” her mother acknowledged. “Did Colin manage to get in touch with you before he left?”
“A little, yes, but not much. He didn’t want to get caught talking to me, so he sent some texts.” She paused and gave a weak smile. “They were very sweet.”
“I’m glad. So what happens now that he’s gone?”
“Now we wait. A real long time. First, they have to get all the cameras in place. Then he has to go through his twelve-day odyssey. Then they’re probably going to take him away to some undisclosed location where there will be no communication. At all.”
“You think they’re going to do that?”
“His contract gave Teleworld that option. Unless the ratings tank right from the start, I’m sure they’ll go through with it.”
“But why?”
“Because if the show’s a hit, and Colin blabs whether he’s won before the final episode airs, the news might leak. Then the ratings could plummet. There’s no way Teleworld is going to dump all that money into the show and not protect their ratings.”
“But surely he’ll be able to contact you.”
Stephanie shook her head. “He’ll want to try, I know. But they’ll block outside communication as if their lives depend on it.”
“He was Special Ops. Maybe he can figure something out.”
“Like what? Sending out a carrier pigeon? You’re right, they probably won’t bother frisking birds for confidential communiqués.” Laughing, she leaned over and gave her mother a kiss. “At least I haven’t been sequestered somewhere by Teleworld. I’m glad I get to be here for you and dad.”
Stephanie arrived back at her apartment building, relieved to be home. Her bones ached, all the way from her teeth to her toes. Walking to the train station, down a billion stairs, strap-hanging all the way into Brooklyn because every single stupid seat was taken, and then repeating the whole process (including standing) all the way back was too much.
The mental exhaustion was worse, though. Dealing with her father’s condition made everything that much harder. All she wanted to do was get inside and flop down on her Ethan Allen couch. Enjoy every last minute of her furniture before it was sold. The thought of it made her temples throb. She rubbed her head with her fingers.
“Evenin’, Ms. Stephanie,” her doorman greeted her. “You got an envelope waiting for you.”
“Really?” Stephanie’s pulse quickened in eager anticipation, her aches and troubles temporally forgotten.
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, walking to a counter top and retrieving the thin package for her.
“Thanks, Carl. You’re the best,” she said, practically bolting toward the elevator. She pushed the “up” button six times.
“Doing that won’t make it come any faster, you know,” Carl joked.
“I know, but I’m hoping. Oh, here it is! See you, Carl,” she said and bounded into the mirrored elevator car. It seemed to take a hundred years for the door to close all the way and the elevator to lift. A thousand more years to travel to the ninth floor. Ten million years until she keyed into Apartment C. And then, after infinity, she dumped her purse on the floor with a thud so she could rip the envelope open.
Excitement morphed into confusion when she saw the sealed letter inside. The letter wasn’t from Colin. It was from The Global Vision Network. Huh? Why would Teleworld’s biggest competitor be contacting her? Ripping open the letter made the answer clear enough. Apparently, news did travel fast.
Dear Ms. Lang,
We have recently learned of your departure from Teleworld. We are aware of the quality work you performed there and are impressed. We would like to interview you for an executive position we are creating. The position will head up all romance-related programming. The projected salary is a half million dollars annually, plus full benefits, including medical, dental, and 401K with a six- percent match.
If you are interested in speaking with us about this position, please contact our H.R. Director, Mary Findley, to schedule. We truly look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Jason Hobarth
President and C.E.O.
Global Vision Network
Stephanie put down the letter, and then put her butt in a chair. This offer was too good to be true. More job responsibility. A whole lot more money, too. And they wanted her. It was just the kind of
ego-boost she needed.
Saved. Her career. Her apartment. Her couch. His farm, even if Colin didn’t win.
She glanced up at her hallway mirror and noticed that the familiar “V” between her eyebrows had, inexplicably, taken up residence. A nagging doubt rose. Could Colin really be happy in New York when his whole adult life had been focused on going home? She hoped he could be. And he’d be relieved to know she’d be back in a financial position to help him out. Right?
Colin got to the hotel. It’d be his last night to live like a normal person for a while. Soft bed. Hard toilet. Four walls. Everything a man could want. Except a woman. He picked up his iPhone and called Stephanie. “Babe! I finally got you. I’ve tried you a million times.”
“Colin! I can’t believe I’m finally talking to you.”
“It’s not for lack of trying. Where’ve you been, babe?”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’m at the hospital. There’s been such poor reception here, and I rarely leave . . . Can you hang on a minute?”
Before he could answer, he heard her mother call her name. Then Stephanie came back on the line. “I can’t believe this timing, but I’ve got to go. Dad’s getting worse and we finally got a doctor to come look at him. If I don’t get the chance to talk to you before you set off, promise me you’ll take care of yourself. If anything happened to you, I . . . I . . . I don’t know how I could bear it.”
“Steph, calm down. I’ll be fine. You’re just upset because your dad is sick. Tell me quickly what’s going on with him.”
“His condition has been dicey since the stroke. But I’m scared for you, too. I can’t take losing people I love.”
“Then I promise I’ll come back to you.” He paused to hear her crying. “Steph, you’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine. After the stupid sequester thing I’m coming right back to New York to take care of you. We’re going to finally be together. In the meantime, please know you’re strong.”
“Stephanie!” he heard her mother call in the background.
“I’ve got to go,” she said, her voice cracking. “Despite how much I want to cling to you now, I’m letting you do this dumb show. Because that’s what you want. Because I have faith you’ll come back to me.”
“I’m coming back, don’t worry. You take care of your family. I’ll take care of me. I’ll see you before you know it. Oh, one more thing. Stephanie?”
“Yes?”
“The day I get to hold you again will be the best day of my life.”
Chapter 26
Colin watched the helicopter shrink to the size of an insect as it flew back to civilization. Leaving him here. Alone. “Here” was the first site Stephanie and the crew had explored, the cedar forest. It would be a bittersweet location for the next twelve days. He missed her already. The pit in his stomach enhanced by staying where they’d first made love. Of all the places for them to pick, he said to himself, rolling his eyes. The location made sense, though. What better place to hide caged animals ready to attack than in the area with the densest foliage?
The sun was already well over the meridian. Late afternoon, for sure. Not that much time to get a lot done before darkness descended. The last of the light streamed through the overhead branches, making crisscrossed slash patterns on the forest floor. The place teamed with unseen life. Buzzing insects. Trilling birds. And yet there was a quiet tone to the place that could not be denied.
The quietness of the forest would help. He could hear if a predator approached. Handy, because if he relied on simply spotting them, he wouldn’t make it out alive. The density of the branches at ground level were knitted together enough to form a solid hedge. Definitely not ideal. But he’d manage. After all, what choice was there? Failure was not an option.
He hoped, anyway. Now that he knew what Teleworld planned, he had initially planned to use his own trick. One where he planted extra weapons at the location site, hiding them among the foliage. What he couldn’t figure out was how to actually use the weapons without having the evidence caught on camera. Anybody would be able to see, for example, that a gun, or a machete, was not the six-inch knife he was allowed. Of course he could always hide a knife identical to the one he was allowed. Only problem was if he screwed up by bringing one of them to camp while the other was still there, the gig would be up immediately. Being disqualified for cheating would not make him a winner. More importantly, it wouldn’t make him a millionaire. So what was the point in bringing anything not Teleworld approved?
Exactly.
At least when he handled terrorists, surprise attacks were a good thing. And people on the same team didn’t plan on attacking each other. Regardless of he and Teleworld being contractually bound to each other, they were definitely not on the same team. Where did that leave him? Right back to where he was before Stephanie disclosed Teleworld’s dirty secret. With nothing but his skills, strength, and wit to survive.
Gazing up at the sky, he tried again to gage the time. Then turned to Camera One and let out a shit-eating grin. He might as well have fun with this. Or die trying. Literally. “Showtime!” he called out, voice loud and strong. “The first thing one does out here, boys and girls,” he continued dryly, “is to arm yourself against things that go bump in the night. You might have heard the show only provides me with one small knife and the clothes on my back. But there are no rules against constructing what I need. No Caterpillar equipment out here, though. Just regular old caterpillars. Which are not particularly helpful. Or tasty.”
To emphasize, he picked one up with a stick. The elongated bug was big, black, and furry. Oddly, it had a Persian rug design down the middle of its narrow back. He held it up to the cameras. “Of course, I could call this one dinner anyway. Depends on whether I have the time to go fishing tonight. Bugs don’t make the best meal, but ninety-nine percent of them are safe to eat when thoroughly cooked. Careful not to char them, though, or you’ll be eating a tiny charcoal briquette with an oozing, slimy center. Oh well, you know what people always say, ‘tastes like chicken.’ But first things first. Before worrying about the kitchen, I’ve got to build my house. I’ll be back to show y’all how it’s done.”
He must be stressed, he mused, because his Southern accent was coming out. Well, good for him. If the Teleworld Corporation didn’t like it, they should have cast a Northerner instead. With this ongoing pep talk, Colin set off to gather branches for his new residence.
A few yards away he felt his Teva sandals sticking to the mud. It must have rained recently. Just his rotten luck. Worst. Dry. Season. Ever. He changed his course, batting away a huge hanging spider web as he went. Only after his hand snagged the sticky gossamer did he see the web’s two-inch, brown, nondescript maker. “As long as it isn’t a female recluse spider,” he told himself, wincing, “I’ll be okay.” If not, he wouldn’t need to worry too long about the show. No more than three days, tops. In fact, he wouldn’t need to worry about anything, ever again. Female recluses made water moccasins look like a kindergarten class pet. “V” is for “venom,” kids.
Half-expecting a feeling of numbness to wash over him, he sighed with relief when he failed to see any fang marks. He walked a few more feet into the forest and some animal promptly threw some kind of nut at him. “Ouch,” he yelled up at the tree, rubbing the back of his head. “Why you little . . .” Fortunately, sense got a hold of him. He sighed. Yelling at animals you can’t see, and that don’t understand. Good, Colin. The prize money will be enough to pay off the farm and psychotherapy.
He obviously hadn’t been bitten, though the day was young. As of now, he still had all his faculties. All five senses in working order. The smell of peat moss filled his nose.
He breathed deeply to calm down. The ground was rich, earthy, and smelled every bit of it. A whiff of chlorophyll joined the olfactory overload, but this one was a pleasing sent, as if someone’s lawn had been rec
ently mowed. He listened to the sound of water rushing through a nearby creek. So many different elements to marvel at. Or shrink from. Upper West Side this was not. With luck, he could make his “house” somewhat homey. He’d have to, because for the next twelve days, this was home.
“Popcorn?” Ana asked, weeks after Colin had left for Florida. She passed the bucket over to Stephanie without waiting for an answer, their eyes glued to the television screen. “Only five more minutes until the premier of our favorite show, The Evergladiator.” Ana practically giggled in excitement.
“No, thanks,” Stephanie answered absently, pushing the bucket away.
“Something besides the show is on your mind. Spill.”
“Yeah, there is. I’ve been meaning to tell you about it. I had an interview with Global Vision Network yesterday.” She paused. “It was my third meeting with them, actually.”
“That’s wonderful,” Ana exclaimed. “You should have told me sooner.”
“I wasn’t sure until yesterday the job was going to work out.”
“But you’re always so positive things will work out great.” Ana paused a beat for dramatic effect. “Not.”
Stephanie shot her a look, and then frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Ana squinted at her suspiciously. “I know you’re bulletproof to my sarcasm, so it can’t be that. Why are you not elated? What are you not telling me? You don’t like the job description?”
“No, the job is fabulous. I’d be heading up their new romance division. Make all the decisions on what shows will air. Have the romance producers, crew, admin staff report to me. That’d be about twenty people. The pay is off-the-charts, too. I only wish I’d been able to make that kind of money at Teleworld.” Stephanie sighed. “Really, the offer is fantastic, and they basically said the job is mine. I just need to meet the board of directors next week.”
