I shrug, and she steps back. “Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t put my body through it, but sometimes I wish I had that nine-to-five.”
“What does Roxy think about her dad?”
“Roxy goes to the games for the hotdogs and cotton candy. My son, Reggie, he plays as well, but he’s just in Pee Wee.”
“You have a son?”
I nod and close my eyes again while her brush moves gently over my skin. When the sensation stops, I open them and find Autumn staring at me. “He’s eight,” I tell her. “Is that a problem?”
“Why would it be a problem?”
“Dunno, didn’t know how you felt about going on a date with a single dad?”
Autumn chuckles and returns to her counter. “I don’t date men who tend to hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.”
She scoffs. “You’ve treated me poorly since the day I met you.”
“True, but I have excuses. Would you like to hear them?”
Autumn turns and points to the couch. “Your face is camera-ready, but we have a bit before you have to be out there. We can sit over there.” She moves to the sofa, stops at the small refrigerator, pulls out two bottles of water, and hands one to me. We both sit, but Autumn angles toward me, waiting for me to give her every excuse I’ve come up with as to why I’ve been such a jerk.
“Okay, so the first night I met you, I had just come back from L.A. where I had gone to see my ex. The meeting didn’t go well, coupled with some hard liquor and the fact that you’re unbelievably gorgeous, I didn’t know how to react. I heard you talking to Peyton and some other media people and just got it into my head that you were using her to get ahead in your career. There was another time, where I ended up at the bar, and the guys in there were catcalling you. I was pissed, and I didn’t know why.
“Then you were at the game. Funny story, I had never lost a coin toss at home. You show up, boom, I lose. So, naturally, I’m angry. And after the game, you see the bullshit with my ex and her father, plus my kids are in the car screaming. It was like the universe put you in my path at the most inopportune times. If something bad happened, you were right there to witness it.”
“You think I’m gorgeous?” Her voice is quiet, and her brown eyes are piercing.
My head shakes slowly. Not because I disagree with her, but because she even has to question it. “The night of the gala,” I pause and put my thoughts in order. “Everyone stared at you, and it bothered me. I kept thinking, damn, whoever she pays attention to is the luckiest person on the planet because I want five minutes to apologize. I was so pissed off when the emcee announced you had won me, but deep down I was happy, even though I’ve had a hard time accepting the fact I like you and didn’t want you to know. Or even admit it to myself.”
“Could’ve fooled me by the nickname you gave me.”
I chuckle and take a long pull from the bottle of water. “Yeah, I thought I was clever, but I’m just an ass. You have to admit, it’s cute though, Weather Girl.” I reach for her hand and play with her fingers for a bit before letting them go.
“It’s grown on me. I don’t hate it as much, but I’m not okay with anyone else saying it either.”
“So, what you’re saying is, it’s our thing?”
Autumn shrugs, and I take this as a good sign. “You’re a lot different than I thought you’d be today,” she tells me. “I figured I’d want to get rid of you five minutes after our time started.”
“I don’t blame you for thinking that. I haven’t been very nice to you.”
“You were the other day in the park.”
I nod, remembering the morning very clearly. “The way you were with Roxy.” I pause and look at Autumn. “I left her sitting with you and walked away. The whole time I watched your every move. You treated Roxy as if she was someone important to you. After those other kids showed up, every few seconds, you’d put your hand on her leg or turn to her. To Roxy, you’re the famous one because she can see you on television, and for you to make her a priority that morning, it meant the world to us.”
“I know this is going to sound odd, but I felt like I had known her for years. She’s an incredibly special little girl.”
“Don’t I know it.” I reach over and touch Autumn’s hand again. “So, would you date a single dad?”
Autumn shrugs, and my heart falls. She smiles, but it still doesn’t do anything to lift my spirits. “It’s really going to depend on the dad,” she says with a wink. I laugh and groan, knowing I’ve been played.
Autumn takes me back to the stage. I expect everything to be different with cameras everywhere, and people running around, barking orders. But it’s still the same, with the only exception being Selena Rich and Arthur Brentwood are delivering the news. To say I’m confused would be an understatement. Where are all the cameras?
“You okay?” Autumn asks.
“Confused.” I’m sure the look on my face expresses this as well. “Who the hell are they talking to?”
Autumn pulls me a bit farther into the room, turns me around, and then points up. “Our producers and cameras are up there. The only one down on the floor with us is the teleprompter. All our communication is through our earpieces. Come on, I gotta get you mic’d up.”
“Wait, I thought the entire set was one large microphone.”
“Nope, here slip this wire under your shirt, preferably in the front, and clip the mic right here.” Autumn touches my chest, and I shiver. Our eyes meet, and normally, this would be the right time to lean forward and kiss her. It’s wrong for me to even think about kissing her because of the way I treated her, but I’m not sure if there is a better way to show her I’m not the guy she first met, that the one standing in front of her is the type of person I am.
“Got it,” I hear her say.
“Huh?”
“I’m talking to Marvin. It’s almost time. Come on, let me show you how to do this.”
I follow Autumn. She shows me the teleprompter and introduces me to the guy who makes sure it’s facing the right direction. Then, she takes me to this green screen, and that is when I freeze.
“I can’t do this,” I tell her, but she’s not listening. “I suck at geography.”
Her eyebrows raise as she smiles. “You’re going to stand here and face the prompter.”
“Where’s the map?”
“There isn’t one. Just read what the prompter says and point where you think you need to point.”
Autumn helps . . . more like forces me to stand in a specific spot. She steps away and gives me a thumbs up. This isn’t going to go well at all. There’s a voice in my earpiece, giving me a countdown. My heart starts beating rapidly, and my palms sweat. I’m beyond nervous. I’m anxious and feel like I’m going to crumble to the ground in a heaping pile of embarrassment.
“Shit,” I mutter.
“No swearing, please, Julius,” the voice in the earpiece says. Of course, I cuss again, and then there’s laughter. Great, they’re all mocking me. I’m told I’m on the air and instantly start reading from the screen.