I shake my head and bite into my burger. God, there is so much grease and fat in this thing to kill an elephant and it is glorious. I hum as the flavors dance over my tongue.
“Do you want me to leave you alone with your burger?”
I finish chewing my bite, then swallow it. “Please, go on with your sad story.”
“That Mrs. Peterson was convinced there was a man following her. She had it on good authority that he was after her person.”
I blink. “Was there?”
“It was the mailman; you know one of the county people?”
Outside of town, there are people who deliver the mail via personal vehicle. The only difference is that the driver’s side is on the right.
“She was out visiting her sister and he kept—and I quote—‘catching up with her.’ I just can’t with those women.”
I laugh. “Well, at least there was no one bothering her, and they do love you.”
He nods. “True. I’m happy to live in the sleepy town of Juniper Springs again.”
I know that he worked for the Rangers for a while before coming home and was assigned to a particularly grisly serial killer case. It was right after that he returned home and started working as a deputy for his father. A year later, his father retired, and he ran for the office. Usually, I wouldn’t be in favor of something like that. I mean, you need to earn your way through this world. I’ve definitely had to do that. Josh is different. He’s probably overqualified, and he didn’t just walk into the job. He took a position as a deputy first to make sure he knew how to do the job. Also, the people of Juniper Springs wouldn’t keep electing him each year if they didn’t think he was doing a good job.
We don’t talk about anything really important. Just catching up with gossip and I discuss a bit of the show this season. On my way back to the office, I decide to pick up a few things to keep in the little fridge. Once I’m settled back in, I check my phone for about the thousandth time today. Of course she hasn’t texted me. I know that I stepped out of line, but I will do anything to get her back.
When I acted like I wasn’t worried, it was a lie. It’s easy to pretend that I can handle it all on my own. Thinking back to those first episodes, I realize that I never would have made it without her. It’s easy to forget that, to minimize my need to have her near me.
The thing is, as rough as those first few shoots were, we were having the time of our lives.
3-1/2 years ago
Halfway through our ten-episode run and I still can’t make it to the set the first day of filming each week without losing my breakfast.
Fucking embarrassing. Worse, Nancy knows. I don’t think she’s said anything to Syd, which is a miracle.
I flush the toilet and straighten up. When I see myself in the mirror, I cringe. Fuck. I didn’t sleep worth shit last night. It’s always like this. I don’t get any sleep, then I barf my breakfast.
There’s a knock on my hotel door. After filming the first episode, At Home decided to put us up in hotels, at least for a while. The trailers were too difficult to maintain, and there was a security issue, so Grady put us up in the hotel.
Another knock.
“Open up, Tray-Tray.”
God, that stupid nickname from high school. And Nancy has the whole crew calling me that. I step out of the bathroom, which is right by the front door and open it. She’s got a couple of containers of some kind of hot liquid.
“Drink,” she shoves a cup towards me.
For a second I just stand there, unable to act. It has been like this since I met her, and over the years, it has only gotten worse. She’s my sister’s best friend, and the kind of girl next door who has half the town crushing on her. I was definitely in that category. Still am. She’s dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and even though it’s early, she looks happy and bouncy. Her hair is up in a ponytail, leaving nothing to frame her beautiful face.
“Coffee will only upset my stomach more,” I mumble out as I fight back the bile. Just the thought of coffee makes me want to barf.
“It’s tea, special kind for your tummy,” she says, still holding the cup out to me. Apparently, she’s not giving up on finding me a ritual to deal with my nerves. I take the cup and sip at it. It’s light with an herbal taste to it, but it doesn’t make me want to Ralph all over her. I turn and walk into the hotel room and she follows.
“Thank you, Nancy. You’re the best,” she says sarcastically.
I sigh. “Sorry. Thanks. I hope this works.”
I turn and find her smiling at me. “No problem. I know we can come up with something.”
After my first show issues, my stomach and nerves had settled down. We thought we were in the clear. When we started filming the second weeks’ show, I had the same reaction. Nancy proclaimed she would help me.
The former beauty queen is convinced that there’s something out there that will help me with these jitters. She talked about the last year she competed—before she dyed her hair pink just to get kicked out of the Miss Texas Pageant. She hated it, but her mother had wanted her to compete, and she did for a while. There was even talk that she was the favorite for Miss Texas America. That’s when she dyed her hair neon pink. Other than hating beauty contests because she found them demeaning, she also had horrible stage fright, so much so, that she passed out the first time her mother forced her to compete. I never knew that.
I sip a little bit more of the tea and my stomach seems to settle.
Meanwhile, Nancy makes herself at home in my room, climbing up on the extra bed.
“Feel better?’
I nod and keep sipping on the tea.
“Your color is better already. See, I told you,” she says, offering me a huge smile. Damn, she’s pretty. Like stunning. When she smiles, it’s like the whole world around her sparkles. Maybe that has more to do with my infatuation with her than anything else. Although, I have noticed that she garners a lot of attention from the crew. Not in a bad way, but that they all like her. Nancy comes from one of the richest families in Texas, but you would never know it. She’s gracious and works just as hard, or maybe harder, than anyone else.
“So, I was going over all the stuff for our family.”
We’re in West, Texas. A few years ago, they had a massive explosion out at the chemical plant. One family lost their breadwinner, but worse, last year, the family of six kids almost lost their mother to cancer. She’s done with treatment, but they are devastated financially and have been for a while, so things in the house have kind of been overlooked. At Home is letting us do one of these a month, Texans who need help to put their lives back in order.
She nods. “I can’t wait to get in that girls’ room. They’re both big into Wonder Woman. It is going to be so much fun decorating.”
I smile, my stomach finally settling. “Yeah. This whole thing is going to be fun. I don’t mind doing those other redo’s, but this one means something more.”
We share a smile, but then mine fades. “Of course, if I can’t get this under control, we might not be able to make it.”
She cocks her head and studies me. Her blue gaze is direct, but soft. She has no makeup on since we will both have to get made up for the shoot today.