21

The party didn’t wind down until after eleven, and still no call from Geary, who was in Emory at a small tournament on Lake Fork. Surely he didn’t forget, Faith said to herself as she crossed the station’s employee parking lot heading for her car.

“’Night, Faith. Way to kick the ratings off the roof.” Chuck Howell, the cameraman who had been with her from the beginning, from that fateful broadcast at the bass championship on Lake Conroe, waved. “I can say I knew you when,” he hollered into the balmy night air.

Faith waved back. “Thanks, but we still have a ways to go to get to the top, and you’re coming with.”

“Absolutely—you bet!”

Cicadas buzzed in a clump of trees, and in the distance she could hear a siren, likely heading to nearby Hermann Memorial.

As she reached her car, she pulled her bag from her shoulder. Before she could reach inside, her phone rang.

Thinking it must be Geary, she quickly pulled the iPhone out. Seeing a number she didn’t recognize, she frowned and brought the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

No one responded. Yet something told her there was a person on the line. “Hello?” she repeated.

She heard what sounded like a sob. Alarmed, she said again, “Hello? Who is this?”

“Sis?”

Her heart stopped. “Teddy? Is this Teddy?” Her bag dropped to the ground, spilling the contents onto the pavement. “Teddy, talk to me. Is that you? Where are you?”

He sniffed. “Yeah, it’s me.”

Tears immediately welled in her eyes. “Oh, it’s good to—I mean, it’s been a long time, Teddy. Where are you?” She hadn’t heard from her brother since well before she met Geary. Rarely did she allow herself to think about him, wonder about him. It was just too painful. “Teddy, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Look, I saw you on television. That was awesome, sis. I just wanted to call and tell you that.” His voice dropped to nearly a whisper. “Mom—she would’ve been really proud.”

“Teddy, I want to see you. Where are you?” she asked again, holding her breath in fear he’d hang up. “Please, let’s—I want to see you.” She kicked at the pavement with her heel, listening . . . hoping. “I got married. I want you to meet him. Geary’s a really great guy. You’ll like him.”

Even though her brother was now an adult, in her mind he remained her little brother, the kid she tried to protect—and couldn’t.

Teddy laughed. “Hey, do you remember that time Mom drug us to that funeral?”

Faith squeezed her eyes shut. “Yeah, I remember.”

“What was that old guy’s name?”

“Leonard Walters, I think.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, Leonard Walters. What a trip. Who was that guy?”

“We didn’t know him,” she told her brother. The cicadas’ loud buzzing stopped.

“Classic. We went to a funeral of some guy we didn’t even know.” He paused. “What was Mom’s deal anyway? She wouldn’t even let us go to Dad’s funeral.”

“Yeah, I remember that too.” She also remembered holding tight to her little brother’s hand, whispering for him to turn his head when their mother made them pass by Leonard Walters’s open casket. Teddy had pulled his hand from hers and looked anyway.

Faith’s phone beeped. She glanced quickly. It was Geary.

“Did we know that guy?” her brother repeated.

Faith looked up into the black sky. “No, no, we didn’t know him.” She wiped at her tear-filled eyes. “Teddy, are you using?”

The minute the words were out of her mouth, she was sorry she’d said them. Faith quickly said a prayer, the kind you utter in your heart without words. “Look, I’m sorry. That doesn’t matter. I mean, of course it matters—you matter.” She was rambling now, not making sense. “Teddy?”

“Look,” he said, a sadness creeping into his voice. “I just wanted to tell you I saw the show. I’m proud of you.”

“Don’t go,” she pleaded. “Teddy, what Mom did—it wasn’t your fault.”

“Love you, sis.”

“No—Teddy, wait.” The phone clicked and she knew he was gone.

Her lip quivered as she bent to pick up the contents of her bag. She heard the back door open. In the light, she could see Scott Bingham, the production engineer.

“Faith, you’re still here?”

She quickly swiped at her eyes. “Yeah, just heading out. Good night.” She unlocked her car door, then slid inside and started the engine with trembling fingers.

For a brief moment, she thought of calling Teddy back. Or even storing the unidentified number in her phone. But she knew it would be no use. She would never find him. He didn’t want to be found.

He’d seen her on television. That meant he watched her.

She might not like the fact, but for now, that one-way connection would have to be enough.

She’d just pulled onto the freeway when Geary called back.

“Hey, Faith, I’m sorry. I called as soon as I got off the lake and in range. How’d the show go?”

A space inside her hollowed. He’d missed seeing her big report.

“Mom recorded your piece for me. When you didn’t pick up, I called and she said everyone was so excited and proud. Their phone hadn’t stopped ringing. Everyone from Lake Pine had been calling her all night.” His voice took on a slight edge. “Seems we have a star in the family.”

She listened, not quite sure what to do with his lack of true enthusiasm or the fact he hadn’t yet seen the segment.

“They want to celebrate, take us out to dinner tomorrow night. Before I said yes, I told my folks I needed to confirm with you.”

Her mouth drew into a tight smile. “Sure, that would be fine.”

“I mean, you don’t have to if you’ve got something going or anything.” He sounded like a pup trying to jump into her lap after wetting the floor.

“No, I’d like to go,” she assured him. “So, where are you now?”

“We didn’t get off Fork until late, so I decided to stay over. It’s just a little over three hours from Lake Fork to home, so I should be back by noon tomorrow.”

Faith merged into the left lane in order to pass a slow-moving semi. “The tournament—did you place?”

“Second. Didn’t mean a lot in terms of cash, but points are racking up.”

“That’s great, Geary.” She wished she meant it.

Teddy’s face appeared in her mind. If things had been different, he and Geary might’ve become buddies. There was a time when Teddy liked to fish . . . before.

“Faith . . .”

“Yeah?” She blinked away sudden tears.

“Everything okay? You sound really tired.”

Faith let out a heavy sigh. The call from Teddy had drained her capacity to feel excited—even about the wild success of her broadcast. “Yeah, big night. I’m ready to crawl into bed, though.”

“Yeah, me too.” He paused. “Faith?”

“Uh-huh?”

“I’m really glad things went well tonight.”

Later, when she unlocked the door and walked into their dark condo, she let the evening in the newsroom resonate in her heart again. What she’d pulled off with that story was quite the journalistic feat. She’d taken a fluff story and transformed it, revealing a subtle and dangerous turn in young women’s minds. One that could easily catch on as young women across America bailed on the hard work necessary to be a success, instead taking an easier route to the good life.

Tonight, viewers across their market had seen a confident reporter who worked hard, knew her stuff, and presented a polished image. She’d proven with her determination she could accomplish almost anything.

After talking with Teddy on the phone, she realized something else was just as true. A fact she kept hidden, sometimes even from herself.

Yes, she was Faith Marin—a rising media star with bright years ahead. But at times, she was still that little girl at a stranger’s funeral who’d let go of her baby brother’s hand.

Now it seemed her marriage was slipping away as well.