“I doubt that. The team is good. We work well together.”
She isn’t buying it, though, and frowns. “Know your value, Autumn. Once you start accepting your worth, you’ll go far in this world.” Lisette leaves me with those words lingering in the air. Does she know about the job at the Weather Channel? It wouldn’t surprise me if she did.
I finally make my way into the computer room where I start putting my segment together. I’ve printed all the reports for the weather, not only tonight but also for next week, and piece them all together with my production manager.
“Nothing but rain,” he says with a sigh.
“You live in the Pacific Northwest,” I remind him. “Do you expect anything different?”
He chuckles. “Good point.”
I do point out that the rain will subside by the weekend and that we’ll have a small heatwave before the weather turns dreary for the remainder of fall and into winter. He, too, echoes my sentiments on how rain is better than snow, and as long as it doesn’t get too cold, he’ll be happy.
Leon comes into the room cheerful and with a beaming smile. “Listen up,” he shouts to get everyone’s attention. “This evening, we are trying something new. We will be live for the viewers.” He says this as if we aren’t live every night. No one responds, and the only sound in the room is the hum of the computers.
He must find this funny because he starts laughing. “Oh, I forgot. We’ll be live on social media. I don’t know what I was thinking.” He continues to chuckle at his blunder. “We are going to give the viewers a chance to chime in and ask questions or make statements. During the segment, each anchor will read comments to the television viewers and answer questions.”
“Seems like you’re setting us up to fail,” Selene says from behind her computer. I happen to agree with her. I’ve seen some of the comments posted on social media. I’d hate to read them aloud.
“Nah,” Leon says as he waves her statement away. “Read what you want. Use sound judgment. Obviously, if someone has an issue, we don’t need to repeat it. One of the producers will try to filter out anything rude, suggestive, or inflammatory. What we are trying to do here is reach viewers on another level. Most people have chosen to get rid of cable and basic television packages, but we need to deliver our segments to them as people who bring the news. If this doesn’t work, we’ll stop it, but for right now, this is how we will do things moving forward. You’ll share an iPad on set, you’ll laugh right along with everyone else, and you’ll do it with a smile.” Leon exits, and the rest of us look around, wondering what the hell just happened.
“That man has lost his mind,” Selene says a few seconds after the door shuts.
Others agree, but I keep my thoughts to myself. It’s not a bad idea, but one that should probably have a bit more insight before it’s thrust out into the wild. After I finish putting my segment together, I head back to my dressing room to change. My phone vibrates in my hand with an incoming text. My heart drops to the floor and stays there for a long moment before bouncing back into place. How can one person make me feel this way? I hold my breath as I slide my finger across the screen to open his message.
Julius Cunningham: I hope you forgive me for being absent these past two days. I had some things to deal with.
Really? He’s been ignoring my calls and texts but wants forgiveness? Nah, I can’t. I won’t. I deserve someone who is going to give me the courtesy of communication and worry about my feelings along with his own. I close the app and go about my business. He can wait two days for my response.
Twenty-Eight
Julius
Roxy pats her bed. The sight of her doing so gives me pause. She looks so tiny in her big girl bed, yet I can see her growing like a wildflower in front of my eyes. I take the spot next to her, cross my ankles and wait for her to snuggle into my side. The book we are reading tonight, Rugby and Rosie, was a favorite of mine growing up. The pages are old, tattered, and the tape my mom added to fix a ripped page has yellowed with age. I start reading the story about two dogs, both Labradors. One is older. The other is a puppy. To some, the story is sad because a family brings a puppy home, but it’s only there to learn how to be a guide dog. I find the story heartwarming and genuine.
By the time I finish reading, Roxy is asleep on my chest with her mouth open and likely drooling. I stay there for a moment, relishing in her warmth and the love she has for me. I can’t imagine not seeing her every day and don’t understand how Elena can stay away from her children. It doesn’t make sense. I’m a wreck when I’m gone for an away game, checking in as often as I can, using every piece of modern technology offered so that I don’t miss anything with my kids. Yet, their mother doesn’t call every day or get on video chat. Days will go by until she reaches out or calls them back, and yet she expects me to hand them over to her. There is no way in hell I’m going to allow my kids to live anywhere but my home. I don’t know what I have to do to make this happen, but I’ll do it.
I slide out from under Roxy and place her teddy bear under her arm where I was. I’m shocked when she doesn’t wake up but also thankful. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, she’ll climb into my bed and suction cup herself to my side. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to her sleeping with me, but at this point, her comfort is far more important than my own.
Out in the living room, I sit down on the couch and flip the channels until I decide to leave the television on ESPN. I have hours until the news comes on again, having missed Autumn’s earlier segment. She doesn’t want to talk to me. I’ve gathered this much by her lack of response to my text message earlier. I deserve the cold shoulder, the silence she’s giving me. I haven’t handled myself very well since we slept together, and I know my actions make it seem like I used her. I didn’t, but I’m not sure how to convey this to her.
My phone vibrates, and my heart skips a beat, thinking it might be Autumn. With a quick glance, I see that it’s Noah. I’m at your door. Let me in.
“Hey,” I say as I open the door. “What are you doing here?”
Noah holds up a six-pack of beer and two bags, which smell like grease. “Peyton is at her group meeting tonight, and I thought I’d come to hang.” He walks in and heads right to the kitchen. I follow and place my hand over my stomach as it growls. Noah laughs.
“I gotta say, this is a surprise, but I’m damn thankful you brought Killer Burger.”
“The only thing that sucks about take-out is we don’t get bottomless fries.”
“I don’t care at this point.” Noah pushes the bag toward me while he twists the caps off two beers and I rip the bag of fries open, stuffing one in my mouth. The only thing missing is a chocolate shake. Noah takes the seat next to me, opens the other bag, and hands me my burger.
“What do I owe you?”
“Nothing,” he says.
I nod and take a few bites before setting it down. “So, why are you really here?”
Noah says nothing until he’s swallowed his food. “No reason. I went out for a burger, saw your building, and thought, what the hell? It’s been a while since we’ve done this.”