“I’ll let you know if and when I’m ready.”
Lisa shook her head. “Fine.” They sidled past each other. “More telethon rehearsal today?”
Jessica tried unsuccessfully to stifle a groan. “Yes, but not as much as we’ve done in the past few days. Tomorrow is the big dress rehearsal. Today should be bearable.”
“Good. ’Cuz it’s Friday and we’re doing Happy Hour and you’re coming.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve got so much to do. I’m way behind.”
“I don’t care. You’re coming.”
“God, does Ashley put up with this much bossiness?”
“Yes, because she likes it,” Lisa said with a wink.
“Ew, okay. Enough.” Jessica held up a hand to forestall any more comments, and laughed as she headed toward her office.
A very hot, very long shower helped immensely with the aching muscles, but it didn’t completely restore them. “I am too old to sleep on the floor,” she muttered to her reflection as she unzipped the little toiletry bag she kept under the sink and took out a tube of mascara. The circles under her eyes weren’t super dark, but they were definitely there. Terrific. She found some cover-up she hardly ever used and did her best to make herself look normal. “I’ll be damned if I let Sydney Taylor, she who never looks less than fresh as a daisy, see me looking old and tired.”
Fresh, clean clothes always went a long way in making Jessica feel better and she almost moaned with delight as she slipped her leg into a pair of worn jeans that smelled like fabric softener. The purple T-shirt had the same scent, and once she was fully dressed and had dried her hair with the tiny blow dryer that she cursed every time she used it, vowing to get a better one—though she never did—she felt much better and ready to face her work day.
And that meant facing Sydney Taylor.
Jessica recalled the feeling of the almost-kiss, but didn’t allow herself to dwell. “Shakin’ it off,” she said as she literally shook out her limbs and rolled her shoulders. “Just shakin’ it off.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sydney had successfully shaken it off. She was sure of it. The few things she’d wanted to go over with Jessica Barstow had run super smoothly. Jessica was a pro—there was no denying that. She instinctively knew where the camera was going to be the whole time, never missing a beat or looking in the wrong direction. She smiled perpetually, and it actually seemed genuine, not forced, which would go a long way in getting people to call and part with their money. Nobody wanted to donate their hard-earned cash to someone who seemed fake. Jessica was far from it. She was warm, charming, and approachable.
“Okay, next we’ll do a piece with another dog,” Sydney explained. “But I’d like to have the camera follow you right into the dog wing and stay with you while you get one to talk about. Is that okay?”
“Sure.” Jessica pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She’d left it all down today and the waves of auburn seemed to catch any source of light they could find to reflect back.
Sydney clenched her fingers into a light fist.
“It’s going to be loud, though.”
“Right. Maybe we’ll follow you, but keep the dialogue to a minimum until you bring the dog out. Yes?”
Jessica gave an agreeable shrug. “Let’s try it.”
They went through the motions a couple of times, and Jessica wasn’t kidding. Any time anybody pushed through those double doors, the barking and howling kicked up several hundred decibels until Sydney had to consciously not clamp her hands over her ears.
“Hmm,” she said as they went back out into the lobby, which now looked more like a telethon set than an animal shelter. The phone bank was complete. The two separate sets at opposite ends of the lobby had been painted in cheerful colors. “Maybe that’s too much. We don’t want to deter people from coming by showing them how deafening it can be.”
“Good point,” Jessica said as she nodded. “In their defense, though, a lot of people have been milling around. Way more than usual. The dogs sense the change and it’s got them more excitable. They’re not always this spazzy.”
“Well, we’ve got Lisa. Maybe we just have her bring the dogs out. While I’d like to show the size of the dog wing, I’d like to avoid the noise. Maybe we shoot from the door?” Sydney looked to Jeff for his opinion. He gave a nod. “Let’s try that.”
The afternoon went on like this, trying different methods, focusing on things that were or might become issues. All recorded interviews with volunteers and adopters had been completed and edited. She had a list of times and where everything fit. Brad had said just this morning how impressed he was with the way she’d managed the whole thing. She tried not to puff up with pride at the time, but that’s how she’d felt. Live guests were lined up and scheduled and would be at the dress rehearsal tomorrow. Everything went smoothly and there was no residual discomfort from Jessica. In fact, it was as if the other night had never happened. Sydney couldn’t decide if she was relieved or disappointed by that.
Despite Anna’s constant, very close proximity, Sydney was impressed with the way she’d handled the social media end of things. Between her and David, word was out and anybody who couldn’t actively watch television but wanted to follow the telethon could do so on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr. The shelter’s website would show videos of adoptable animals for the next week.
All the bases were covered.
Back at the station that evening, she went over the schedule again, watched video, tweaked a few things, and generally made sure that every single thing that would happen on Sunday was planned and executed by her. She was in control. This was her baby and she was going to knock it out of the park. She’d told Laura exactly that when she’d answered her call while sitting in the editing bay.
“I’d love to say I’m surprised, Walters, but I’m not.” Her voice held a smile that Sydney could almost feel. “You were resistant, but I knew once you relented and put your mind to it, you’d own this project.”
“I’m hoping to bring in the most money of any of the telethons they’ve had in the past. That’s my goal. You should hear some of the stories. They’re amazing. This shelter has touched a lot of lives.”
There was a beat before Laura said, “Who is this and what have you done with my very professional college roommate who doesn’t let herself become emotionally involved?”
The comment was meant to be light—and it was—but Sydney bristled a bit. “I’m not emotionally involved.”
“Okay, okay.” This time, she could feel Laura take a step back. “All I’m saying is it sounds like you like this place.”
Sydney closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, and it was as if the past three days of late nights and hard work simply fell on her. “I’m so tired, Laura.”
“I was just going to ask if you’re getting enough sleep.”
“I’m not. And when I have the time, I don’t sleep well.”
“New surroundings?”
Yeah, let’s go with that. “Uh-huh.”
“Hang in there, kid. It’ll pass. Just takes time.” She paused for a beat. “What else is new? Make any new friends?”
“I got an e-mail from a station in Austin. They want to see more of my work, so I was thinking I’d wait until Sunday is over, then send them some clips from the telethon.”
“That’s great, but that’s not what I asked you.” Again, she could feel the gentle smile in Laura’s voice. It helped to soften the rebuke.
“A couple. I haven’t been here that long.” Sydney tried to keep the defensiveness out of her voice, but was pretty sure she failed.
“I’m just checking on you. It’s my job to remind you not to pour every minute of your time into your job. That’s all.”
“I know. I know. I promise I’m not doing that.”
“Good. That’s all I ask.”
They talked about a few more mundane things, Sydney sent her love to Zack, then ended the call and focused on the
monitors in front of her. She had just glanced at the clock, noticed it was going on eight, when her phone rang. She snapped it up without looking at it.
“Sydney Taylor.”
“I love when you get all newsy and professional,” Anna said. “It’s very sexy.”
Crap. “Hey, Anna. What’s up?”
“I’m cashing in on your promise. You’re late, but I’m going to allow it.”
“My promise?” Sydney searched her brain, but came up empty.
“Yes. From this afternoon? I told you we were going to Happy Hour and you should come, and you said it sounded great.”
Sydney didn’t want to tell Anna she had zero recollection of that conversation, but she had zero recollection of that conversation.
“You were talking camera angles with Connor and Jeff?” Anna phrased it as a question, obviously realizing that Sydney was drawing a blank. “And I mentioned Happy Hour at Sling and you said, ‘yeah, that sounds great, let’s do it.’ Remember?”
Feeling worse by the second, Sydney caved. “Oh! Yes. Yes, I remember now.” She just needed to keep everything copasetic until Sunday evening. Then she could feel free to ignore Anna’s calls if she wished.
“Well, get your cute butt down here,” Anna said, clearly relieved. “I’ll save a seat for you.”
“Great.” Sydney ended the call, then rubbed her face with both hands. She was really not up for more of Anna. And truthfully, she’d much rather walk to Bucky’s, sit at the bar, and enjoy the jazz while she scanned the place for… She shook the thought away and began packing up her things.
The bar was barely ten minutes from the station, so she was there in no time. It was also hopping, if the overflowing parking lot was any indication. She showed her ID to the very large, frighteningly strong-looking, female bouncer, nodded when she smiled at her, and headed inside. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the ultra-dim lighting, and once her ears were able to distinguish voices from the pulsing house music, she heard her name being called before she managed to see Anna clearly.
“You made it.” Anna had changed her clothes, from her usual jeans and polo to nicer jeans and a snug navy blue shirt with capped sleeves. Her signature ponytail was gone, her blonde hair just skimming the tops of her shoulders. She looked very cute and was so clearly happy to see her that Sydney allowed herself a genuine smile.
“I said I would.”
“I wasn’t sure.” Anna’s expression of doubt made Sydney feel the tiniest bit like crap, so she turned up the wattage on the smile. “What can I get you?”
They sauntered over to the bar together and Sydney let Anna order her a beer. The bartender made tons of eye contact with Sydney, which she tried to deter for Anna’s sake, and soon they headed to a corner table where three other women sat. Sydney knew Catherine and Emily, but not the other woman.
“So, you know these two,” Anna said, waving a hand at the two without looking at them.
Sydney shook their hands. “Good to see you both.”
Emily smiled, her brown eyes sparkling, and pushed a hunk of dark hair out of her face, as she said, “Nice to see you again.”
“And this is Ashley,” Anna moved on, indicating a pretty blonde. They also shook hands as Anna said, “She’s with Lisa.”
“From the shelter?” Sydney asked, failing to mask her surprise.
Emily chuckled. “Yeah, there’s something in the water over there. Obviously.”
“I’m just enjoying the fact that I’m here and Lisa is the one who’s late.” Ashley sipped from her clear drink.
“Ashley is notorious for her inability to be anywhere on time,” Catherine said to Sydney. “In fact, we’ve taken to telling her that things are scheduled to start a full half hour before they actually are. That way, she’s only a little bit late.”
“Hey!” Ashley playfully swatted at Catherine and Sydney decided she immediately liked these people. They seemed genuine, down-to-earth. Not qualities she found a lot of in the business of television.
“So, Sydney.” Catherine again. “Tell us how it’s going with the telethon. Is it going to be okay or quietly disintegrate like a sand castle at high tide?”
“Oh, my projects don’t disintegrate,” Sydney said, holding eye contact with Catherine. A beat passed and she grinned. “Wow, that was obnoxious, wasn’t it?” With a laugh, she sipped her beer. “Sorry about that. I’m a little punchy. Not enough sleep.”
Instead of being irritated, Catherine laughed. “I like you, Sydney. You tell it like it is.”
“I have to in this business. If I sugar coated things, I’d be run over before I even realized what was happening.” She looked around the table. “The telethon will go off without a hitch. You guys have a great organization, a terrific cause, people love animals, and Jessica is amazing, both in her business and in front of the camera. I am nothing but confident.”
“Speak of the devil,” Emily said, then raised her arm and waved.
“There’s my girl,” Ashley said.
Sydney had her back to the door, so she turned around to look. Walking toward the table was Lisa, followed closely by Jessica. Jessica met Sydney’s eyes, did a barely noticeable stutter-step, then approached the table with a smile that only looked slightly pasted on.
“Finally,” Ashley said, as she stood and gave Lisa a kiss.
Lisa jerked a thumb in Jessica’s direction. “This one tried to bail. I wasn’t about to let that happen.” Meeting Sydney’s eyes, she smiled. “Hey, Sydney. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I dragged her,” Anna said with a grin and a slight tone of possessiveness that set Sydney’s teeth on edge.
Soon drinks were ordered and everybody settled in, talking loudly to be heard above the dance tracks that had a good-sized crowd on the dance floor. Sydney found herself sitting with Anna on her right and Jessica on her left and she forced herself not to make the face she really wanted to. The one that said, Really, Universe? Really?
Trying to ignore both the body heat radiating from Anna, who had inched her chair so close their thighs touched, and the intoxicatingly musky scent of what had to be Jessica’s perfume or lotion, it took several beats for Sydney to register Emily’s comment.
“Sydney was telling us what a television star you are, Jess.”
Jessica’s smile this time was genuine, if not a little bit self-deprecating. “Yeah, well, Sydney has to say that. She doesn’t want me storming off the set in a huff.”
Sydney chuckled as she shook her head. “Don’t want that.”
“She’s been really amazing in front of the camera,” Anna chimed in, and Sydney had to consciously not roll her eyes. Anna obviously had a thing about being in the middle of things, seeming important, and while Sydney could sympathize a little, she mostly found it grating.
“Yeah, yeah,” Jessica said, literally waving a hand to wipe the words away. “Emily. How’s the new job?”
“It’s great,” Emily said, and the glance she tossed Catherine’s way was so clearly meant for only her that Sydney felt a tiny pang of envy.
“What do you do?” Sydney asked. She knew who Emily was in relation to the shelter, but not on a personal level.
“I run the marketing division of my company,” Emily said, her smile friendly. Next to her, Jessica rolled her eyes.
“Please. What she’s not telling you is that she runs the marketing division of Breckenridge and Associates, and her ‘little company’”—Jessica made air quotes around the word—“is one of the most successful companies in the city. They give a ton of money to Junebug Farms every year. You did know that part.”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Emily said with a wink. “My mother is a sucker for animals. I say let ’em rot!”
Catherine gave a mock gasp next to her. “I am telling both Mo and Dave that you said that.”
“Dave?” Sydney asked, her eyes darting from Catherine to Emily to Jessica and back. “I’ve met Mo. Who’s Dave?”
“Dave is E
mily’s sweetheart of a mutt,” Jessica told her, leaning closer. Not that Sydney noticed or anything. Nope. “That she rescued from Junebug Farms.”
“My mother rescued him, thank you very much,” Emily corrected. “I don’t really care about the beast one way or the other.”
“Right. And that’s why he sleeps in the bed between us,” replied Catherine before sipping from her glass of wine.
Laughter rang out around the table and Sydney grinned. Yeah, she liked these people. She spent the next ninety minutes listening to stories about the shelter, updates on various relatives, and discussions about television shows. She didn’t contribute a whole lot, but she had a great time listening and did a lot of laughing. She paced herself with the drinks, alternated with water, knowing she had to drive home soon.
“So, Sydney, what do you think of our fair city?” The question came from Ashley.
“It’s nice,” Sydney said. “I haven’t seen much yet, but it’s okay so far.”
“Oh, but Sydney isn’t staying,” Jessica said, and Sydney turned to look at her.
“Well,” Sydney said, feeling Anna’s eyes on her as well as every set at the table.
“That’s what you said, isn’t it? You want bigger.” Jessica finished the vodka tonic she was drinking. Sydney didn’t know her well enough to know how alcohol affected her, but if she had to guess from this moment, she’d say it probably made her say things she normally wouldn’t, and with a slight edge.
“I get that,” Anna said, surprising Sydney. And everybody else at the table, judging from their expressions. “I mean, this is a nice city, but it’s certainly not the big time. If you want more, you have to strive for more, right?” She looked at Sydney, her expression plainly broadcasting her need for Sydney’s approval.
Dare to Stay (Puppy Love Romances Book 3) Page 16