Take One

by Karen Kingsbury

  Andi, though … Bailey already knew her well enough to catch the sparkle in her eyes, the way she kept her attention on Cody a little longer than she needed to. “Cody was asking about Tim.” Andi turned to Bailey. “He’s coming next week, right?”

  “Yes. He should definitely make it.” Bailey looked at her roommate. Was she trying to remind Cody that Bailey had a boyfriend? So Cody would know where not to put his attention? Bailey willed herself to remember tonight’s message, to think the best of Andi. Besides, Andi didn’t have any idea about Bailey’s real feelings for Cody.

  “Bailey, wait! I didn’t tell you the news!” Andi took hold of her arm, her entire face lit up. “You and Tim and I … we all got callbacks for Scrooge! Monday after school! Isn’t that great?”

  “Really? That’s incredible!” Bailey wanted to be excited, but all she could think about was Cody, and how badly she wanted a few minutes alone with him so they could talk. “I hope we all get cast!”

  “We will, I can feel it.” Andi’s eyes lit up even more. “Oh, and tomorrow’s the filming! My dad said that the two of us might have a line or so. He was looking over the script, and the lead stops to talk to a couple girls. He thought we’d be great for that!”

  That last news really was amazing. “We could get into the Screen Actors Guild with those parts.”

  “I know. Imagine having our SAG cards already. We could get summer jobs acting in LA if we wanted to.”

  Cody was listening to the conversation, but every time Bailey looked at him, his eyes seemed to say the same thing. That he, too, wanted to get away somewhere so the two of them could catch up.

  “You’re coming to the shoot, right?” Andi took hold of Cody’s elbow and gave him an irresistibly adorable look. “You have to come. Maybe you’ll get discovered!”

  Cody gave a halfhearted laugh. “Hollywood’s not for me.” He let his eyes find Bailey’s again. “I might come by to watch. That’s about it.”

  “Okay. You’ll change your mind once you get on set. There’s something about the draw of the cameras. You’ll see.”

  “Maybe.” He looked at his watch, and as he did he shifted just enough that Andi released his elbow. He turned to Bailey. “Hey … what time’s your first class tomorrow?”

  “Eight.” She made a face. “Pretty early, you?”

  “Not till nine.” He slipped his hands in his jeans pocket. His expression said he was feeling awkward about what to say next.

  Before Bailey could rescue him and state something blunt, like that the two of them were going to go outside for a while so they could talk, the Cru leader, Daniel, walked up. “A lot of kids are talking about the movie shoot tomorrow.” He stood next to Andi, his attention fully on her. “Looks like your dad will have a good turnout.”

  “Great.” Andi smiled politely at Daniel. “Thanks for saying something.”

  Bailey silently thanked Daniel for his distraction. She briefly touched Andi’s shoulder. “Hey, Cody and I’ll be outside. We haven’t caught up since school started.”

  “Okay.” Andi sounded hesitant. “Wait for me to walk back?”

  “Which dorm are you in?” Daniel didn’t sound pushy, just willing to help.

  Andi told him, and he assured her he’d be happy to walk her back. “I have to go that way too.”

  “I’ll wait.” Bailey was quick with her offer. She didn’t want Andi feeling like she had to walk back with a guy she’d just met. “Seriously, Andi. We’ll be right outside.”

  “No.” Andi seemed to think the situation over. She looked from Bailey to Cody and back. She showed a flicker of what looked like hurt feelings, but then her smile took over. If she was upset, her tone didn’t give her away. “It’s okay.” She brushed off the idea. “You guys go. I’ll be all right with Daniel.” She turned her attention to him.

  Daniel looked more than happy to help. When Bailey was sure Andi was okay with the plan, she nodded at Cody and the two of them headed for the door. “Nice to meet you,” Cody told Andi as they left.

  “You too.” There was a coolness in Andi’s tone, but Cody didn’t seem to catch it.

  Outside, Cody drew a long breath and let it out slowly. “I thought we’d never get this chance.” The path outside the building was dark and crisscrossed with shadows, but there was enough light that Cody could make eye contact with her as they walked.

  “I know.” Bailey hugged her bag to her chest. “Great meeting, though. I’m glad we went.”

  “Me too. I needed something like that.”

  Bailey wasn’t sure where to start. They had so much to catch up on, so much about the new school year that neither of them had talked about. Bailey opened her mouth to ask how things were working out with Cody’s roommates, but at the same time he asked if Bailey was liking rooming with Andi.

  They both laughed and Cody led her by her arm to an alcove just off the pathway. “C’mere.” He took her bag from her and set it down near their feet. Then he pulled her into a hug and held her for a long time. “Maybe we should start here.”

  Bailey hoped he couldn’t feel her heart pounding beneath her jacket, but if he could she wouldn’t have pulled away. She’d longed for a moment like this since the last time she and Cody were together back in July. Now, with a cool wind in the trees overhead and autumn leaves sifting down around them, Bailey wanted nothing but to stay that way, warm in his arms, the stars dancing above them.

  “There.” He eased back and searched her eyes. “I missed you, Bailey. You don’t know how much.”

  She wanted only to enjoy the moment, not analyze it. But the emotions in his eyes, his tone, seemed to go way beyond a desire for friendship. She swallowed, not sure what to say except the obvious. “I missed you too.”

  “The way things are,” he looked off to the side, as if he could see his frustrations hanging from the trees nearby, “this was never how I wanted it.” He ran his hand over the back of her head. “We pass each other and it’s like … I don’t know, it’s like we’re strangers.”

  Bailey thought about the nights she’d longed for Cody’s voice, his presence. All the months when he was in Iraq, and even after he came home. She would rely on his letters, believing that someday they’d find more than the friendship they’d started. “I guess,” she let herself get lost in his eyes, “I thought you were ending things that day, when you first got back in town. I figured you’d have to set the pace, and then … I never heard from you.”

  He looked like he wanted to kiss her, but then he drew back. His hands were still looped around her lower back, but there was more space between them now. “Remember,” he gave a subtle raise of one eyebrow, “you have a boyfriend. It’s a little awkward for me to call and ask you to lunch.”

  Bailey nodded. “I know.” She wanted to clear things up, that Tim might be her boyfriend, sort of. But that didn’t mean she was in love with him. “About Tim … he and I …”

  “It’s okay.” Cody released his hold on her. He put his finger to her lips and shook his head. “Don’t tell me. I don’t need the details.” His smile didn’t hide the sudden sadness in his eyes. “You’re happy, Bailey. That’s all that matters. It’s just … you and I shared something very special. If Tim’s okay with it … and if you’re okay, I want to stay in your life. See you more often.”

  Confusion clouded Bailey’s heart. She still wanted to tell him about Tim, but now to do so felt wrong, like a betrayal. And that wasn’t fair to anyone, least of all Tim. All she could do was take Cody’s words at face value. If she wanted to cut things off with Tim, that had to happen in a separate conversation—not here with Cody. She wanted to hug him again, but she folded her arms in front of herself instead. “Tim won’t have a problem with that. He knows we’re friends.”

  Cody’s eyes warmed. “Not lately.” His eyes sparkled as she walked close to him again. “But that’s going to change. I promise.”

  “Good.” She was tempted to ask what he thought about Andi, but she didn’t want
to encourage her own jealousy. Not when she’d worked so hard to get over her feelings of envy toward her roommate after the auditions. She picked up her bag and they started walking again, their pace easy, not too fast. “Tell me about your apartment. Are the guys working out?”

  “They’re great. Most of them.” He gave her a wry look. “I told Stan he needed to find another place. He keeps buying beer and having buddies over to drink on the weekend. No drinking at our place, that’s the rule.”

  Bailey looked into the shadows ahead and remembered seeing Cody passed out on the floor of their guestroom, nearly dead from the effects of alcohol poisoning. “You’ve come a long way.”

  “With God alone.” He narrowed his eyes and lifted them to the dark sky. “Every day I have to admit I’m powerless over alcohol. And every day Jesus gets me through on His strength. It’ll be that way the rest of my life.”

  They walked in quiet for a minute or so. “You ever tempted?”

  “Honestly? Not at all. I was pretty sick the last time I drank. I feel nauseous just thinking about alcohol.”

  “Good. I’m glad for you.” She kicked lightly at a pile of yellow and red leaves. They were halfway to her dorm already. She sort of expected they’d see Andi walking home. But then a number of paths led to the dorms. She and Daniel could’ve taken any of them. Another question burned in Bailey’s heart, one she wasn’t sure she wanted an answer to. “You seeing anyone?”

  Cody hesitated, and for a few seconds he only stared at her, as if there were things he wanted to say that he simply couldn’t voice. Not now. Finally he shrugged one shoulder and looked ahead. “No one.”

  Bailey laughed. “I remember when there was a different girl every week. Back when you played ball for my dad.”

  “I was such a jerk.” He shook his head. “I guess I had my fix of easy girls, easy dates. Now I’d rather get home and hit the books.” A grin lifted the corners of his lips and his eyes sparkled. “Did I tell you my plan?”

  “What?” Her stomach did somersaults under his gaze, and she had to remind herself to breathe.

  “I want to be a doctor. I’m thinking of doing my internship in the mission field somewhere. The Philippines, maybe, or India. Something like that.”

  “Really?” Bailey was amazed. “I thought you wanted to coach.”

  “I do. My own kids someday. By then I’ll have my own practice and I can set my hours around their activities.”

  Admiration coursed through her. She slowed her pace, stretching out their time together as long as she could. “What brought all this on?”

  His answer took awhile. “War, I guess.” The look in his eyes was haunting, unforgettable. “I lost my leg, but I gained a lot while I was there. More wisdom and direction than I would’ve if I’d stayed here.”

  She realized that she hadn’t thought about his leg the whole time they’d been together. His prosthesis was completely hidden with his tennis shoe and jeans, and he walked without a trace of a limp. She allowed her shoulder to stay close to his as they walked, closer than before. “In what way?”

  “I like helping people, for one thing. Helping them keep their freedom or get well again, either way it feels right. Like that’s what God created me to do.”

  “Which means you have a lot of school ahead of you.”

  “Exactly.” His quiet laugh filled her senses. “I guess that answers the question about girls. I want to get through school as fast as possible. Doesn’t leave a lot of time.” He nudged her with his elbow. “Except for the people I really care about.” His grin grew more shy than before. “You know?”

  Bailey loved this, the way they’d fallen back into the camaraderie they’d shared before Cody went to war. There were times after he came back when she didn’t think they’d ever find this again, especially after feeling like he’d purposefully ignored her these last two weeks. But now … now her heart was alive with the familiar ways Cody made her feel.

  They talked about her auditions, and when Andi came up, Bailey was quick to say she was wonderful. “I’m still getting to know her, but we’re already close, like the two of us could be best friends.”

  He gave a single shake of his head. “She’s got a ton of charisma, that’s for sure.”

  “She does.” Bailey didn’t want to ask him what he meant. She didn’t want to hear Cody say he was attracted to her, or find out that he had even a little interest in her. For now it was enough that they had this time together, without anything dimming the bright light in her soul.

  Too soon they were back at her dorm, and once more Cody easily took her in his arms. “I pray for you every day, Bailey. That God will keep you close to Him, and that you’ll grow in all the right ways while you’re here.” He no longer looked like he might kiss her, but only glad that the two of them had found each other again. “This night … I needed it.”

  “Me too. I’m sorry we let so much time pass.” She grinned and angled her face. “It won’t happen again.”

  “I’ll call you or text you. Maybe we can have coffee together once in a while. And you’ll tell me if Tim gets upset.” His look grew more serious. “Whatever happens, I don’t want to come between the two of you.”

  Bailey felt her heart sink fast. She wouldn’t let his comment ruin the moment, but there was no denying the effect it had on her mood. They said goodnight and promised to talk soon, but once she was back in her dorm, she wanted to open the window and yell back at him. Why didn’t he want to come between the two of them? If he had feelings for her the way she had feelings for him, then shouldn’t he want to come between them?

  There was only one reason he’d end the night with a comment like that. Because when he looked down the pathway of life, when he saw himself finishing years of school and becoming a doctor and doing an internship on a mission field, he must not have seen her by his side. That’s where Tim was different. Even though he didn’t make her heart take flight the way Cody did, he was kind and steady and a wonderful guy in every possible way. More than that, he’d told her the one thing Cody never had.

  That he was in love with her.

  Eleven

  THE SOUND WAS LIKE AN ALARM, screaming at him, pushing him from the deepest sleep. It took what felt like five minutes before Chase sat up in bed and looked around, not sure where he was or why he was in a strange room with bells going off. Then, gradually, it all came back to him. He was in a hotel room in Bloomington, Indiana, and he’d been asleep, and the screaming sound was only his iPhone. He looked at the red glowing numbers on the small alarm clock by his bed. Four fifty in the morning. No wonder he was asleep.

  He picked up his phone, but the caller ID showed a blocked number. He slid the unlock bar across the phone and forced himself to be clearheaded. “Hello? Chase Ryan, here.”

  “Sorry to wake you, Chase. You won’t believe this.” The voice was only vaguely familiar.

  Chase rubbed his eyes. It was Friday, day five on the filming, and even after the progress they’d made Tuesday, they’d since fallen further behind. If they didn’t fall behind another hour, they’d still have to add at least two days to the schedule. The last thing he needed was more bad news. He squinted toward the window of the dark hotel room. “Who is this?”

  “Gary. From catering.”

  Chase made the connection. Gary was the guy intercepting Rita’s salmon every morning, the one in charge of getting meals to the cast. “Okay, Gary, what’s up?”

  “Like I said, you won’t believe it.” He sounded shaken. “I was coming back from headquarters this morning, driving in from Indianapolis like I do every day, and suddenly people are flashing their brights and honking at me. That’s when I saw the smoke.”

  “Smoke?” Chase’s heart kicked into a higher gear.

  “Pouring out from my kitchen trailer. I pulled over, but by the time I climbed out of the cab, the whole thing was in flames. I mean, completely engulfed.”

  “Your food truck?” Chase had to be dreaming. He wanted to c
lose his eyes and find his way out of this nightmare and back to sleep.

  “It’s gone, Chase. Now don’t worry, I mean, not too much, anyway. The truck’s insured, and I called headquarters. They can have another one ready by this afternoon. You might need to sign some papers, but I think you can count on me for dinner. It’s just … I’m not sure what to do about breakfast and lunch.”

  Chase swung his legs over the edge of the bed. It wasn’t a nightmare. Not this or the salmon or the dog bite. Just part of making a movie. He groaned. “You’re serious, your food truck burned up?”

  “To the ground. Nothing but a small pile of debris.” He uttered a nervous laugh. “Firemen said I was lucky to get out alive. A few more miles and the thing could’ve blown up with me in it.”

  Words escaped him. Chase stood and paced to the window. He was bare-chested with just his pajama bottoms, and now that he was out of bed, he shivered a little from the chill in the air. “What you’re saying is, I need to come up with a breakfast plan.”

  “And lunch. I’m sorry, Chase. Really. Things like this don’t happen.”

  Chase wanted to tell him that actually they do happen—to Keith and him, at least. “Okay, Gary. Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure something out.” He grabbed a T-shirt from the top dresser drawer and slipped it over his head. It wasn’t even six. Way too early to call around for a breakfast plan. But then he remembered JR at the Lobster house. Keith had given him the guy’s card, and he easily found it in his bag. Maybe together they could think of something that would work.

  He got up and showered, and for a minute or so, he considered passing on his Bible study. The matter at hand was far more pressing. But then he remembered something Kelly had told him last night. She said in her Bible time she’d come to the conclusion once more that even on the most busy days there wasn’t time not to read the Bible, not to study God’s Word. “The busy days are when I need Him most,” she’d said.

  Chase easily agreed, and now here he was with the chance to put the theory to work. He knew right where he wanted to read—the section of Scripture Keith had talked about the other day. James, chapter 1. He’d read it over enough times, he practically knew it by heart, but this time he wanted to find something else, something deeper that would help him handle yet another crisis on the set. He started at the beginning and worked his way past the part about considering it pure joy whenever he faced trials of many kinds.