Rick the Rocket was drunk. Oh, he did a pretty good job of covering it for the first five minutes he was in Travis’s office, but he wasn’t a good enough actor to hide it any longer than that.
Travis exchanged a look with Bill, then took a deep breath. “You’re fired,” he said, not hesitating for a single second over the decision.
The middle-aged man looked as if he was still trying to recapture his youth in a wrinkled T-shirt from a heavy metal group that had long since faded into oblivion. His shabby jeans were about a hundred wash cycles past trendiness. He regarded Travis with confusion.
“Fired? Why?”
“You’re drunk,” Travis said with exaggerated patience.
“So what?” Rick asked, looking genuinely bewildered. “I’m not on the air till tomorrow.”
Travis shook his head at the poor logic. “And I’m not taking any chances.”
“But you heard my tapes, man,” he said. “I’m good.”
“You were,” Travis conceded. “But I have no way of knowing whether you were drunk or sober then, or what you’ll likely be tomorrow.”
“This blows,” Rick said. “How are you gonna replace me before tomorrow?”
“Not your problem,” Travis told him. The headache was his, and most likely Bill’s. He’d seen the subtle nod indicating that Bill was well aware of the cost of firing Rick with so little time before the station’s launch. Bill’s fishing would be on hold until further notice. “Look, even though you haven’t worked a single day, I’ll give you a week’s severance for your trouble. I think that’s generous under the circumstances.”
“Where am I supposed to go now?” Rick asked. “I gave up a job to come here.”
“Maybe you can get it back,” Travis said. “I’ll call the station and tell them things didn’t work out.”
Rick was already shaking his head. “I burned that bridge, man.”
“Then I’d suggest rehab,” Bill said quietly, speaking for the first time. “Now’s the perfect time for you to get your act together. I remember you when you first hit the air in Columbia a couple of decades ago. Your morning show rocketed straight to the top in the ratings. That’s how you got your nickname, right?”
“I was something,” Rick acknowledged with absolutely no hint of humility. “Still am.”
“How long have you been away from Columbia? Ever since you got serious about drinking, I’ll bet,” Bill guessed. “How many other stations have there been? Two? Ten? Each one smaller than the one before?”
Rick regarded him with blurry-eyed animosity. “They didn’t know a good thing when they had it. You hicks here are no better.”
“Maybe not,” Bill said, “but we’re giving you the best advice you’ve probably had in years. Clean up your act.”
Travis nodded. “You do that, come back here with proof you’re sober and we’ll talk. I agree with Bill. That’s the best advice anyone will ever give you.”
Rick stood up, wove a little trying to get his bearings, then let loose with a stream of profanity that topped anything Travis had heard in the locker room, even after a humiliating loss.
“That’s it,” Travis said, escorting him from the office. Fortunately Rick was too wobbly to put up much resistance.
He drove the deejay over to the Serenity Inn, rented him a room for the night and told him to sleep it off. By the time he got back to the station, Bill was filling Sarah in.
She turned to Travis with wide-eyed panic. “You fired the afternoon deejay the day before we go on the air? Are you insane?”
“Which part of drunk as a skunk did you miss?” Travis asked. “I wasn’t about to risk putting him on the air.”
“Maybe he only drinks when he’s not working,” she suggested.
“To all intents and purposes, this meeting was work,” Travis told her. “He was three sheets to the wind for it.”
She sighed. “Okay, I know you’re right, but that’s hours of airtime that has to be filled.”
“And I’m going to fill it,” Bill said. “For now, anyway. The fish haven’t been biting worth a damn anyway.”
Sarah’s obvious relief mirrored Travis’s.
“I’m going to owe you for this,” Travis told him.
“You’re doing me a favor,” Bill insisted. “I’ve barely been home lately and my wife is already sick of me. That doesn’t bode well for the peaceful retirement I was envisioning.”
“I’ll find a replacement as soon as I can,” Travis promised him.
“No rush. Next time, check more references. I guarantee you the ones Rick gave you were only of people anxious to have him gone. You dig a little deeper, say, where a prospective employee worked a couple of jobs back, and you’ll get more unbiased feedback. I imagine his old station in Columbia would have given you an earful. Also wouldn’t hurt to pay attention to the trajectory of a man’s career. Sometimes you can tell by the size of the stations if he’s heading up or sliding down.”
“Lesson learned,” Travis said. He turned to Sarah. “So, other than panicking over this minor little crisis, are you all set for tomorrow?”
Sarah nodded. “Grace is going to be my first guest. I think we can count on her to keep things lively.”
“Just try to keep her from spreading any gossip we can’t substantiate,” Travis warned.
“We’re going to stick to talking about the Fourth of July traditions here in town,” Sarah promised. “I won’t let her get off track.”
Travis regarded her skeptically. “Won’t that be like trying to corral a wild mustang?”
“I’m up to the challenge,” she assured him.
“Okay, then, I propose we all take the rest of the day off. I’ll be back here at midnight to sign us on and will stay through the night, along with the engineer, to be sure we’re not having signal problems. Sarah, you’ll be here early in the morning?”
“At least an hour before showtime,” she promised. “Given how nervous I am, it could be even sooner. I doubt I’ll sleep a wink.”
“Try,” Bill encouraged her. “You’ll want to be rested. It’s important to start off with a lot of energy, especially in the morning. People like to leave the house feeling upbeat.”
“I figure we’ll all be operating pretty much on adrenaline tomorrow,” Travis said. “I try not to let myself think about it, but I have a lot riding on this.”
“Your investment’s safe,” Bill assured him. “Your ad revenue’s solid, even better than I anticipated. Serenity was obviously ready for something like this.”
Travis looked toward Sarah, thinking about how much she was counting on him being right about her. “The money’s the least of it,” he said quietly.
Bill immediately understood. “No worries on that front, either. Your talent is highly professional.”
Fortunately, Sarah seemed to have no idea they were talking about her stake in the station’s success. In fact, for the past five minutes, she’d been totally engrossed in the notebook in which she wrote down a hundred little reminders a day. Going over them seemed to soothe her.
“I’d suggest a toast,” Travis said, “but given how I came down on Rick for drinking, it’s just as well I didn’t bring over any champagne.”
“Diet Coke suits me just fine,” Bill said, lifting one of the half-dozen cans he seemed to go through in a day.
“Works for me, too,” Sarah said, lifting her own can.
Travis popped the top on another one and tapped cans with his team. “Then here’s to a successful launch and many more years together,” he said. His gaze caught Sarah’s and held.
Eventually she blinked and looked away, but not before he’d caught the flash of confusion, then the glimmer of hope in her eyes. It was the hope that scared him, because as much as he was starting to want more with her, he wasn’t the least bit sure he had what it took to make it happen.
* * *
The Voice of Serenity, WSER, went on the air at 12:01 a.m. on July 1. Sarah and Raylene sat up to listen to it. When Travis’s low, sexy drawl came over the airwaves, Sarah felt a thrill wash over her that had little to do with the station’s official launch. It was all about that amazing voice and the heat it stirred inside her. Judging from Raylene’s rapt expression, she wasn’t immune to it either. He was, indeed, one sweet talker.
“Now that’s a man who could get me out of this house,” Raylene said, a poignant note in her voice.
Sarah immediately forgot about the station and Travis, and regarded Raylene with concern. “I know you’re only half-joking,” she said, seizing the opportunity. “Maybe it’s time to think about seeing Dr. McDaniels.”
Raylene was already shaking her head before Sarah completed the thought.
“I know you think you have to beat this on your own, but staying locked up in here the way you do, it’s not good, sweetie,” she continued despite Raylene’s stubbornly set expression. “I get that a part of you is still scared that your vile ex-husband is going to come over here after you, but those days are over. He’ll never lay a hand on you again. In fact, once he finishes that pitiful excuse of a jail sentence they gave him for beating you, if he’s smart he’ll move across the country. I swear, if he hadn’t had all those connections, he’d never have gotten a plea deal like the one they gave him. Once he’s out, he should thank his lucky stars and head for someplace they’ve never heard of him.”
“Rationally, I know all that,” Raylene admitted. “But I can’t seem to make myself step across the threshold of the front door.” Her expression sober, she said, “And I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. I love taking care of Tommy and Libby, but even though I only do it once in a while, I worry that they could slip out of the house and I wouldn’t be able to chase them down.”
“They adore you, and you’re only alone with them for a little while when the sitter’s late or I’m in a bind. I’ll make sure they understand that they can’t go outside. The point is, though, that you need to do something to change what’s going on. For your own sake, Raylene. Don’t let this drag on. You’re missing out on life.”
“Look, this is my problem,” Raylene said. “We need to rethink this whole arrangement, Sarah. I probably should find some little apartment of my own, where I can hide out and not let my fears impact anyone else.”
“No,” Sarah said flatly. “You’re going to remain right here. And if staying with the kids for even an hour worries you, we’ll find another way to handle that. But I will keep pushing you to see Dr. McDaniels. Annie and I both will go with you. Or maybe she’ll even come here, at least at first. Will you at least think about that?”
Raylene nodded, though with obvious reluctance. “In the meantime, I’d rather think about him,” she said, gesturing toward the radio, where Travis continued to drawl out the next best things to sexy sweet nothings that could be sent over public airwaves.
Sarah sighed as she listened. “He does have a way about him, doesn’t he?”
And increasingly, it seemed, he was practicing that sweet-talking technique on her. She wondered if they’d invented a vaccine that could protect her against it, because she knew with every fiber of her being that sooner or later, if she let herself believe even half of what he said, she’d wind up getting her heart broken.
* * *
On the Fourth of July, every business on Main Street was draped with red, white and blue bunting. American flags flew all around the square and in front of the Town Hall. The sidewalks were jammed with families eagerly awaiting the start of the annual parade. Heat seemed to roll off the sidewalks and streets in waves, but there was a hint of a breeze and the sky was pure summertime blue.
On the green, vendors were already setting up with arts and crafts and food. The aroma of hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill filled the air. Given the soaring temperatures predicted, the snow cone and ice cream booths were going to do a brisk business. Sarah’s favorite had always been the icy snow cones with syrups in every color of the rainbow and then some. It took her forever to decide between orange, cherry, lime and root beer. Then she’d spend the rest of the day regretting the ones she hadn’t chosen.
Barriers set up outside the studio kept the area in front of the station relatively clear, so Sarah could see everything happening on the green. She’d also be able to describe the parade as it passed by, just like those big-time announcers who were on TV for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York or the Rose Bowl parade in Pasadena on New Year’s Day.
Not that the Serenity Fourth of July parade was in the same league. Local veterans marched in rag-tag fashion. The ones who could fit into them wore their uniforms. A couple of area high school bands and majorette groups were interspersed with floats dreamed up by local businesses.
Traditionally, Wharton’s had the most lavish float, a flat trailer that this year was going to be decked out like the pharmacy’s soda fountain. They’d even re-created an old-fashioned jukebox which would be playing the same rock ’n’ roll music available inside the restaurant. A few high school kids, dressed up in sixties attire they’d borrowed from their parents or even grandparents, would dance as the float made its way along the route through town.
Inside the studio, Sarah was almost as excited as she had been two days ago, when Grace had joined her on the air for her first show. She gulped, though, when Travis walked into the studio and sat down opposite her.
The second they went to a commercial, she asked, “What are you doing here?”
He winked at her. “I thought I’d help out with the commentary on the parade.”
She frowned at that. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course I do, but having two of us in the booth will make things livelier. That is the way they do it on television, you know. Listeners will love hearing us bantering about what’s going on.”
“I suppose.”
“You’re not scared of being all alone with me in this cramped little space for a couple of hours, are you?” he asked, a taunting note in his voice that Sarah couldn’t ignore. “I promise I’ll stay on my side of the desk, unless, of course, you’d prefer me to cozy up next to you.”
“You don’t scare me, Travis,” she said emphatically, wishing it were true.
He grinned. “Good to know. Now, I hear the first band, so we need to get ready to go live, sugar.”
She scowled at him. “I know that.” Somehow she managed to keep the same sour note out of her voice as she told the audience, “We’re back live from Serenity’s Town Square, where I can already hear the Serenity High School marching band. They should be coming into view any second now.”
“I’m anxious to hear them,” Travis chimed in. “I understand they won the state band competition last year in their division.”
Sarah regarded him with surprise. That hadn’t been in her notes. Nor was it written down on anything in front of Travis, as far as she could tell.
“They won back when I was in school here, too,” she said, suddenly carried back to the day of their triumphant return. “It just proves a school doesn’t have to be huge to have a competitive band if they have a dedicated band director. Mike Walker has been director here for nearly thirty years now.” She glanced out the window and caught a glimpse of the band’s red-and-white uniforms turning the corner. “Here they come now, everyone. They’re going to stop right in front of the grandstand to play our national anthem. Let’s listen in.”
She hit a switch to the microphone Bill had installed on the grandstand. It wasn’t exactly a top-notch sound system, yet it was clear enough to capture not only the sound of the band but also the clear, rich voice of Annabelle Litchfield, who was singing the words of the anthem.
Sarah waited until after the last note had played and the cheers had quieted before killing that microphone and turning to her unexpected cohost.
“What did you think, Travis?”
“That little girl sure has one sweet voice,” he said. “I’ve heard there’s talk she wants to try out for American Idol. She wouldn’t be the first Carolinian to have big success on that show, now would she?”
Once again, he’d caught Sarah by surprise. She wasn’t sure why she’d dismissed his dedication to preparation. Probably because she hadn’t seen any evidence of it firsthand, but clearly he’d done his homework. She was impressed.
“You seem to know quite a lot about our local talent,” she said. “How about filling us in on the first float? It just made the turn onto Main Street.”
The local nursery had decorated a trailer like a backyard vegetable garden. A low picket fence around the edge added charm and made it safe for the three people on board. A woman, dressed in shorts and a tank top, held a watering can, while two young children pretended to pull weeds and toss them into a wheelbarrow. Shock registered when Sarah realized the woman was Annie and the kids were Tommy and Libby. Annie pointed out Sarah through the window of the studio, and Tommy and Libby waved wildly. Though she couldn’t hear their voices, they were clearly shouting, “Mommy!” She waved back, thrilled by the surprise.
Apparently Travis had figured out what was going on, because he told listeners all about the float, then added that the cutest kids in town, the children of his cohost, were aboard the float.
A few minutes after the float passed the grandstand, Annie brought Libby and Tommy to the sidewalk outside the station, where they again waved to catch Sarah’s attention.
Travis announced a commercial break, then told her, “Go outside and say hello. You have a couple of minutes, and I’ll cover if you don’t get back before we’re back on the air.”
She didn’t even hesitate. “Thanks. I won’t be long.”
She ran outside and scooped up the kids, giving them a tight hug.
“Did you see us?” Tommy asked excitedly. “Did you? It was a surprise.”
“It certainly was,” she said. “And you were wonderful. You did a great job. I’m so proud of you.” She glanced up at Annie. “How’d you get talked into doing this?”
“I was supposed to help with the spa’s float, but then the nursery was in a bind. They had a great idea, but the family that was supposed to ride on the float bailed. Maddie agreed to loan me out, and we decided to borrow your kids.”
“Why not hers or even Helen’s?” Sarah asked.
“Helen’s little girl is riding on the Sullivan’s float with Erik, and Maddie’s kids are on the spa’s. I probably should have asked, but I thought it would be a great surprise.”
“It was. I wish Walter could have seen them.”
“Oh, he did. He’s around here someplace. He was snapping pictures like crazy.”
Just then Walter rounded the corner and made his way toward them. Tommy ran for him, shouting, “Daddy, did you take our picture?”
Walter laughed as he scooped up her son. “I probably took a hundred of them,” Walter said, then winked at Sarah. “I’ll bring some prints over for you.”
“Thank you,” she said, surprised that he didn’t seem bothered that the kids had been on a float. Although efforts had been made to make sure they were safe, usually he’d be pitching a fit about the dangers. “What do you think your parents will have to say when they see the pictures?”
He frowned. “It might be best if they don’t see them. I’ll get a half-hour lecture on how they’ve demeaned the Price name.”
“I was sort of expecting that from you,” she admitted.
“New leaf,” he told her, holding her gaze. “I told you I’m thinking for myself these days, and all I could think today was that they looked like they were having a blast.”
“Me, too,” she said, relieved by the changes she’d seen lately in his overall attitude. “I need to get back inside. I’m working.” She turned to Annie. “Thanks for the surprise. It was a great one.”
“See you at the house later,” Annie said. “Why don’t you invite Travis along to the barbecue? Tom and Jeanette will be there. I think Mom and Dad have invited half the people in town. Then we’ll walk back to the green later to watch the fireworks.”
“I’ll think about it,” Sarah said, then hesitated. “What are we going to do about Raylene? I’ve tried to talk her into going, but she’s flat-out turned me down.”
“Me, too,” Annie said. “But I’ll try again.”
Sarah ran back inside and nearly collided with a tall, willowy woman who was literally perfect from head to toe—perfectly highlighted blond hair, designer sunglasses and a halter-top sundress that showed off perfectly tanned shoulders. She even had the perfect pedicure on display in sandals that had probably cost more than Sarah made in a month. Mariah Litchfield, if she wasn’t mistaken—Annabelle’s mother.
“Thank you again,” Mariah said to Travis as she backed out of the studio. Her voice was as sugary as a mint julep and twice as seductive. “I just had to run right over and thank you in person for the sweet things you said about my daughter.”
“Every word was the gospel truth,” Travis told her. He gestured toward the blinking on-air sign that was signaling the end of the commercial break. “Gotta go, sugar. You stop by again sometime.”
His low, sexy tone and the invitation he’d uttered hit Sarah like a blow to the stomach. It all sounded so familiar. Even though she’d known deep down that she wasn’t anything special to Travis, she’d hoped otherwise. Damn the man, she thought, then bit back a sigh that would be way too telling. No, the fault was hers for taking one word he’d ever said to her seriously. He was just a big ole flirt, a label he’d never even tried to deny.
Unaware of her turmoil, he caught sight of her in the doorway of the studio and smiled his trademark grin, the one that set off butterflies. “Welcome back, sugar. We’re on the air in five.”
Reminding herself that she was a professional now, she took her seat, plastered a smile on her face and got through the final half hour of the parade, exchanging banter with Travis as if there weren’t a thing in the world wrong.
The instant the show ended, though, and Bill replaced them on the air, she bolted from the studio. She grabbed her purse and would have torn out of the building if Travis hadn’t blocked her way.
“Where’s the fire?” he asked, regarding her with a puzzled expression.
“I have someplace I need to be,” she said tightly.
“Away from me, I’m guessing,” he said, his gaze holding hers.
“Not everything is about you, Travis. I’m going to a barbecue with my kids and my friends.”
“I know. I’m going, too. I figured we could ride over together. Carpooling is good for the environment, right?”
Dismay crept over her. Annie had said she should invite him, so she’d assumed if she didn’t, he wouldn’t be there. Obviously Jeanette and Tom had thought to include him.
“As if you give two hoots about the environment,” she mumbled.
Travis regarded her with confusion. “Mind telling me what got your knickers in a twist? You were fine an hour ago.”
“That was before I heard you and Mariah Litchfield,” she blurted, then could have kicked herself. Now he’d think she was jealous, which she wasn’t. She was annoyed. There was a difference, or at least she thought she could make a strong case that there was.
A spark lit his eyes, making them dance like sunlight glimmering on the lake. “You’re jealous!” he gloated.
“I most certainly am not. I just thought you had better sense than to flirt with a woman who’s almost old enough to be your mother.”
He seemed to be having a very hard time keeping a straight face. “Sugar, I enjoy flirting with a pretty woman, no question about it, but I draw the line at going one bit further with married women. And, for the record, Mariah’s not anywhere close to being old enough to be my mother. A big sister, maybe, but that’s it.”
“Whatever,” she muttered. “If we’re going to Dana Sue and Ronnie’s, let’s go.”
“You gonna drive or should I?”
“I will,” she said. “That way, if you get on my nerves, I can run off and leave you there.”
He laughed. “Something tells me that the likelihood of me getting on your nerves is about a thousand percent. The only real questions are how long it will take, and which of my many flaws will tick you off?”
“At least that’s one thing we can agree on,” she said, enjoying the sight of Travis trying to cram his long legs into the passenger side of the little VW bug she’d had since before her marriage. It wasn’t the ideal car for two kids, but she loved it, and it was hers, free and clear. She’d happily left that monstrous SUV Walter had wanted her to drive back in Alabama for him to fill with gas about every ten minutes.
“Sorry there’s not more legroom,” she said.
Travis gave her a considering look. “You don’t sound sorry. You sound as if you’re enjoying the fact that I might be miserable and uncomfortable.”
She met his gaze, her expression as innocent as she could possibly make it. “Oops! Caught me.”
His gaze narrowed. “Are you really sure you want to taunt me, sugar?”
She hesitated, as if giving the question careful consideration, then nodded. “Actually, I think I do. It’s satisfying. I like knowing I can get under your skin, the same way you get under mine.”
“Okay, then.” Before she could blink, he managed to turn sideways in the seat, reached out to cup the back of her head and sealed his mouth over hers. She gasped, which was a huge mistake, because he deepened the kiss. Her pulse scrambled. Her heart raced. And every single sane thought flew out of her head.
Instead, it was all about the fire licking through her, the faint stubble on his cheeks from being at the station just about 24/7 for the past couple of days, the fresh scent of soap, the way the soft cotton of his T-shirt felt when she bunched it up in her fist, his heat radiating out toward her already overheated body.
The initial anger behind the kiss gentled. He tasted and savored. She trembled and stopped fighting it. If she’d been capable of clear thought, she might have rated it as the best kiss of her life.
When, at last, he slowly released her, he looked into her eyes. His were like a storm-tossed sea now.
“Just so you know, I have no interest in kissing Mariah Litchfield,” he said quietly. “You’re the only woman in Serenity I’ve kissed, the only one I’m interested in kissing. And before you can say hell will freeze over before I kiss you again, let me assure you that you’re wrong. This will happen again, sugar.”
“Oh,” she whispered, not sure what to make of his fierce tone.
“And also, just so you know, I am not one damn bit happy about that,” he added. “It complicates things. Work. My life. All of it.”
“I know,” she said, her own annoyance gone in the face of his admission. “Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe this was like a one-time thing because you were exasperated with me and you thought I was jealous.” She nodded, pleased with her analysis. It made sense.
He chuckled, but there was a bitter note to it. “Yeah, that’s it. You keep believing that, sugar.”
She had to, she thought, because she didn’t dare let herself believe anything else. Not even for a minute.