Five
Logan pointed to each one of them in turn, and they saw their close-ups on the monitor. “Kim Allen, who currently works as a manicurist and wants to open her own glamorous day spa. Let’s see what Kim’s colleagues at home think about her goal.”
Kim’s mouth dropped open as the monitor segued to a taped segment featuring interviews at the salon where she worked. “Omigod, when did you do this?” she cried.
Tanya smirked. “If you leave your current job, it’s going to affect the people you work with. It’s only fair to get their reaction.”
Heather glanced over her shoulder at Rex, wishing they’d been seated closer together. His tight-lipped face had gone pale. Dear heavens, what if they’d spoken to his father? Now the older man would be aware his son planned to leave him.
“Jonathan Walker,” Logan continued. “Jon works as a clerk in an attorney’s office. He hopes to finish his college degree and open a collections agency. Jon, your boss wishes you the best.”
None of them had been allowed to tell their coworkers where they were going, just that they needed a leave of absence for personal reasons. Heather had realized they’d be exposed on national television, but not everyone watched reality shows.
“Did you vote for him?” Logan said into the camera. “Is Jon still in the competition? Stay with us, and we’ll have the results coming up shortly.”
Commercial break. Michelle, clearly rattled, rushed out to the bathroom. Heather got up to approach Rex.
“This must feel like a stab in the back. Perhaps your dad was too busy to be interviewed,” she offered, touching his arm.
Rex’s eyes glimmered. “He’ll think I’m abandoning him. Damn, and we’re not supposed to call home for the entire week.”
“Rex seems to think he has something to hide.” Tanya took over when they went live again. With instant replay, his dialogue was repeated over the air. Heather heard his muttered curse. “Rex Andrew Gerard works in his father’s furniture repair and restoration shop. They are expert wood craftsmen, and his dad has owned the business for thirty years. Let’s see what Gerard Senior has to say about his son’s desire to captain a charter fishing boat.”
Her gaze glued to the monitor, Heather soaked in the sawdust-strewn linoleum floors, worn worktables, upended chairs, and implements scattered throughout the studio. She could almost smell the lemon oil polish, paint varnish, and turpentine. A man with a sun-freckled complexion and gray hair shuffled into view, wearing a leather apron over a short-sleeved shirt and trousers. His eyes, shaded with a curtain of pain, exuded the same aquamarine clarity as Rex’s.
“When I opened in the early seventies, this place was surrounded by cow pastures and horse ranches,” Mr. Gerard said to Logan on-screen. “I worked hard to establish a reputation in town. Then an influx of New Yorkers swelled our ranks, and Davie, Florida, became more like a Fort Lauderdale suburb.
“The people who moved here brought a lot of their stuff from up north. My business thrived, and I was proud to be part of the community. Nowadays, you’ll find very few men with these skills. We used to take Shop when I went to school. Now kids learn computers. I made sure Rex knew how to use the tools, though.”
He cleared his throat. “He seemed to appreciate the craft. You could see it in his eyes when he’d sand down a piece. Wood likes to be caressed, you see, like a lady. Each cut has its own unique grain. Guess I was wrong about my boy.”
Logan held the microphone closer. “How do you feel about his fishing enterprise?”
The older man shrugged. “Takes after my brother, I suppose. Jules got him started with the fishing bug. Took him out to sea every time he visited. I can’t figure why the boy didn’t say anything to me,” he said, his tone gruff.
“If Rex wins the prize and gets his own boat, how do you feel about him leaving you here alone?”
Heather’s heart sank. This couldn’t be more painful for Rex than if they’d pried off his toenails. She didn’t dare look back at him but imagined him staring stoically ahead.
“I reckon I’d manage, but it isn’t easy these days. Arthritis, you know. I was kinda hoping to retire in another year if he’d take over. The boy never said nothing to me about giving it up.” His voice cracked, and the camera focused on his bewildered expression. Then the monitor faded, and the live broadcast resumed.
“Well, Rex, doesn’t that make you feel like a heel?” Logan said, grinning broadly. “So, American viewers, what have you decided? Will he remain on the show? Coming up next, advice for the person who leaves the competition.”
Heather kept her place, hands clenched in her lap. Sweat dripped between her breasts. She yearned to comfort him, but not while the entire nation watched. Her own segment should be better. She’d already shared her dream. Thus, shock riddled her features when she saw an exterior shot of her parents’ hovel in West Virginia. No, they weren’t going there. What happened to her real estate office?
“We thought this next clip would have more impact if we spoke to Heather’s parents,” Tanya crooned when the session resumed. Perfectly coiffed, she spoke with sugary sweetness from her glossed lips. “Her real estate friends already knew she searched for the perfect bed-and-breakfast, but her parents had no inkling of her intention to bring them south. Let’s see what they say on the subject.”
Heather winced as the cameras followed Tanya inside the small two-bedroom house her parents called home. They had fought to better her life, and her success had been an elixir for them. But they hadn’t known about her deep-down feelings that she hid even from herself.
“Did you know your daughter’s ambition is to own a bed-and-breakfast and have you move in with her?” Tanya said.
Heather’s mother, silver-streaked hair shaggy and unshorn, stared with world-weary eyes at the interviewer whose stylish suit put her outdated shirtwaist dress to shame. “I wouldn’t know about that, ma’am. I’m happy for Heather, really I am. I hope she wins her dream.”
“When’s the last time you saw your daughter, Mrs. Payne?”
“Why, I don’t right know. Do you, Al?” she deferred to her husband. Her wheezing breath descended into a cough. “Sorry, that’s from all those years at the glass factory.”
“We don’t hear from our baby much,” said her dad, shaking his coal-dust-blackened hair. “Just about once a month, she calls to see if we’re okay. We understand her job keeps her busy.”
Heather recognized the same look in his eyes that Rex’s father had exhibited. Forgive me, she pleaded silently. I’ll check on you more often. I didn’t mean to be neglectful.
“How come you don’t visit your folks?” Tanya asked her on live feed. “Are you ashamed of your origins, Heather? Is that why you want to get your parents away from there?”
Grasping her hands together, she dug her fingernails into her palms. “I’m concerned about their health,” she said in a neutral tone. “The cold winters have taken their toll. They both need the warm, moist air in Florida to survive.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you ignore them. You’ve never even brought a boyfriend home. Is it because you don’t have any suitors, or because you’re too embarrassed to show a man where you’ve lived?”
She shot to her feet. “This has nothing to do with my ability to run a business. Why are you doing this to us?”
Tanya’s smile stretched her mouth but didn’t extend to her eyes. “Your viewers want to see how you react to personal pressures. When you own a business, you don’t work in a vacuum. You still have strings to the people at home. If someone who depends on you gets sick, what then? What if someone you love gets hurt or needs your help? Emotional issues affect people’s efficiency every day. Sometimes, they can lead to failure.”
Tanya paused, moistening her lips before zeroing in on her next target. “Isn’t that right, David Molina? We interviewed your ex-wife to see what she thought about your arrest for hacking into your employer’s personal computer files.”
And so the heart-wrenching stories continued. Heather’s stomach churned until she thought she’d throw up if they were on the air much longer. Then Tanya brought up the murder.
“As if these people don’t have enough to hide, one of them may be a killer. The other night ...” She showed the contestants talking in the living room, their discussion interrupted by Michelle’s screams, and what ensued. “Just think, Heather, if you win this bed-and-breakfast, you can advertise that it comes with a ghost.”
Heather closed her ears to the woman’s laughter. When Logan took over, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” their host said after the last commercial break. “The person with the least number of votes in their favor, who will leave us tonight is ...” Heather froze. “... Kim Allen.”
Heather’s tense muscles relaxed.
“Kim, you would have been disqualified today anyway. When you went upstairs last night ostensibly to use the bathroom, you really went to make a forbidden call on your cell phone. We captured you on film. Watch this,” Logan said.
A segment rolled that showed Kim grabbing something from her purse and dashing into the bathroom. She opened the door before emerging again, and her voice rang out. “I’ll call you later,” Heather heard Kim say in a clear tone.
“Oh, rats.” Kim stood to accept hugs from the rest of them. According to the rules, she had ten minutes to pack her bags and meet the waiting taxi outside. Meanwhile, Logan and Tanya asked each of the remaining six contestants, “How do you feel about the decision tonight?”
“I feel horrible,” Heather said to Rex when things quieted down. They trooped into the kitchen together after the others had gone upstairs. “I knew the show would be tough, but I never dreamed they’d shoot us with poisoned arrows.”
He stopped her halfway to the refrigerator and turned her around to face him. His hands rested on her shoulders. “You shouldn’t be ashamed of your parents,” he said, his steadfast gaze making her knees weaken. “Their strength resides in you. It’s given you a steel-hard core to go after your dream and make it into a reality. You will succeed.”
Moisture tipped her lashes. “I’ve treated them so badly. Truthfully, it pains me to visit them. I can still remember the taunts of the other kids at school. Did you see my mom’s dress compared to Tanya’s outfit? We could only afford stuff from the thrift shop. I’ve been sending them money, but they use it for maintenance on the house.”
“Well, I’m not the best one to offer advice. I don’t know how I’ll face my dad after this.” His voice choked, and his grip tightened, as though he clung to her for solace.
“Explain to him that you didn’t intend to leave him completely in the lurch. I think he’ll understand that you didn’t want to hurt him.” She hesitated. “It’s always painful for a parent when their child leaves the nest. Maybe he’s been holding on to you for his own security.”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s part of it.” He kissed her lightly. “I’m beginning to scare myself.”
“How so?” She felt so protected, with him towering over her, his broad shoulders stretching his white dress shirt.
“I almost want you to win.”
“No, you don’t. Then you’d have to give up your boat.”
He glanced away. “That would be tough. You’d understand if you went out with me.” His gaze slid back to snag hers. “The bow slicing through the water, the white foam funneling below, the rocking motion ... you feel as though you’re one with the ocean. You should see how the sun divides the water into shards of light.”
“It sounds incredible.”
“Nothing could be better, except sex.” He grinned, the transformation of his face making her breath catch. “Sometimes dolphins follow you. They like the bubbles that trail the boat. They speed along for miles, leaping and playing, then suddenly they’ll peel off. It’s amazing.” His handsome features flushed as though the admission weren’t manly.
She grasped one of his hands, callused from years of labor. Her forefinger traced a line from his thumb to his palm. “This may sound weird to you, but I’m just as entranced by houses. They’re like people to me. They hide old secrets, reflect the personalities of their owners, and stand sturdy through years of change. I suppose you could say the same about the furniture you restore.”
He tilted his head. “That’s a unique way of looking at it. You know, Heather, at times you seem to understand me better than I do myself. It’s uncanny.”
Her pulse accelerated. He’d begun twirling his thumb inside her palm, and the effect made a muddle of her thoughts.
“I almost wish we’d met elsewhere, and we weren’t competing with each other,” she said. When he pulled her close, she didn’t resist.
“I know. I could really dig someone like you.”
This time when his mouth descended, his hot breath sifted into her mouth like an offering of his soul. His strong arms folded around her, crushing her against him as he pressed his lips to hers with searing intensity. Heather returned his passion, admiring his loyalty to his father and his closeness to the land ... er, sea. Whatever. He seemed to provide something she lacked, and her intuition sensed it. She molded herself to him, oblivious to anything except the joy of his attention.
On the edges of her mind, she heard the microwave oven humming, as though it had just turned on. Crackling noises focused her awareness. The motor shouldn’t sound like that.
Her head lifted just as an explosion blasted the kitchen.