Causing A Commotion

by Lynn, Janice

  He’d exorcised his guilt at Karen’s death. Yes, he had played a minor role by association, but she’d been paid to lace his alcohol. For months. She’d chosen the path she’d gone down and, although he regretted her death, he no longer carried the burden of guilt. With Senator Thomas’ death, another chapter in his life ended. A chapter that had dictated he had to constantly worry about anyone he cared about being victimized because of association to him. Sure, there were always risks with certain occupations, but the main reasons he’d ended his relationship with Jessie disappeared the moment Bill Thomas pulled that trigger.

  He wanted Jessie back in his life.

  Only problem, how did he go about pulling that off? It wasn’t as if he could march back into her life and say, “I’m back. Let’s just pick up where we left off.” Besides, his new job would put him in Washington D.C. more than not. Jessie was tied to L.A. and Causing A Commotion.

  How crazy that he missed the show, found himself recording and watching her late into the night. He hadn’t even liked Causing A Commotion. How could he miss it? He burned with memories of her kisses. Burned with listening to her sassy voice read the Sex Tip of the Day. Burned with the knowledge that she’d cared for him, and he’d pushed her away.

  Out of necessity, but to a woman like Jessie, she wouldn’t see things in the same light he did. She’d think he should have let her decide whether or not to take the risk of Senator Thomas striking out by hurting her.

  Perhaps Colin should have, but he’d made the choice he believed right.

  Two months had gone by since he’d last seen her, but he’d thought about her almost non-stop. Only when focused on Senator Thomas had thoughts of Jessie slipped from his mind, and then only for short periods. Too short periods

  Now, Senator Thomas was gone and nothing distracted him from thoughts of Jessie.

  “I heard you were back in L.A.,” J.P. said, when he came into his office and saw Colin sitting in the chair. The older man didn’t look surprised to see him. Apparently, he’d bumped into Beverly. A Beverly Colin had barely recognized due to the sparkle in her eyes and smile on her face. Amazing how much a person’s outlook could change in two months.

  Had Jessie’s love?

  “Beverly told me to wait here. I didn’t want to chance being seen.”

  “By Jessie, you mean?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s out of town recording a chili cook-off in Texas.”

  A chili cook-off? “You’re kidding?”

  “No, apparently a bunch of Texas bigwigs do this cook-off every year to raise money for The Retired Rodeo Cowboy Fund and Jessie wanted to cover the event. They made her a judge when they found out she was coming. She’ll be back on set for tomorrow’s live audience taping.” J.P. sat in his chair. The man moved with greater ease than the last time Colin had seen him, but he didn’t comment on it.

  “Now, tell me why you’re here because I don’t buy any garbage about you just being here for old time’s sake and to shoot the crap with me.”

  Colin grinned, liking how J.P. cut straight to the chase and didn’t bother with any superficial bull. “I need help, and you’re probably the only man in the world who can help me.”

  J.P. eyed him and went to pull a cigar from his pocket only to come up empty-handed. He mumbled something about “Damn interfering women”, sighed, and then met Colin’s gaze. “Well, you got my attention, boy. Tell me more.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Tension crackled in the air, and Jessie couldn’t quite put her finger on the cause.

  Beverly wouldn’t meet her eyes and J.P. practically threw her out of his office when she’d stopped by earlier to tell him about the man she’d met while doing the chili cook-off segment.

  Barnabas was wonderful, and she’d wanted to run her latest idea past J.P. Only he’d refused to talk to her. If she hadn’t known better she’d have thought Beverly was hiding under his desk nude or something.

  She didn’t think Beverly was, but she supposed anything was possible.

  “Would you please hold still?” Elaine said, examining Jessie’s make-up. “I can’t tell if I’ve got your shadow even when you squirm.”

  Jessie rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why I have to wear so much of that stuff anyway.”

  “Because it makes your eyes sparkle.”

  “I feel so good today I don’t need shadow for my eyes to sparkle.”

  “Must be a new man in your life.”

  Jessie thought about it. “There is. A cowboy.”

  “A cowboy?”

  Jessie nodded, earning a frown from Elaine since she’d been prepared to coat mascara on Jessie’s lashes and jerked back only in the knick of time to keep from putting black smudges on Jessie’s face. “A gorgeous one and I’m going to ask J.P. if I can follow his season with the rodeo. I think we need to have our own Causing A Commotion Cowboy. What do you think?”

  “Will he come on set?”

  “I sure hope so, but most of the stuff will be shot at actual rodeo events.”

  “Is he good-looking?”

  Jessie nodded. “Absolutely gorgeous.”

  “Then, I’m all for adding a cowboy to the show.” Elaine smiled. “Especially if he’s wearing faded Wranglers and a black Stetson.”

  “Exactly.” Jessie winked. Barnabas had definite appeal.

  She was discovering that life moved on beyond love despite what Shakespeare led one to believe. Yesterday with Barnabas and his safe, friendly flirting, she’d actually felt like a woman again.

  Plus, she had a sneaking suspicion Tamara had the hots for the cowboy. So getting him on the show again, even if just for a short series about cowboys would give her friend a chance to find out if the cowboy way really was better.

  “But what about Colin?” Elaine asked.

  “What about him?”

  “Oh, nothing. I just thought he’d come back to the show now that all this mess with that horrible Senator was cleared.”

  “Colin never like Causin A Commotion and his leaving the show had nothing to do with the senator. He left because…”

  Why had he left? More often than not she couldn’t figure it out, except that he hadn’t loved her and perhaps really had used her as he’d said.

  “Well, I’m not sure why he left, but he’s gone, and he’s not coming back, and quite frankly, I don’t want him back.”

  She didn’t. Somewhere during the long nights of the past few weeks she’d realized that she didn’t want a man who could walk away from her so easily.

  As easily as she’d walked away from every man who’d ever been in her life.

  Walking away told a story all its own. A story that had no happy ending. Not for the one being left behind.

  Colin hadn’t loved her. She’d decided months ago to quit settling in her love life, and for the first time, she’d fallen in love. Sadly, that left her in the situation of never dating again or settling for less than the real thing.

  Or hoping that with time she’d love again.

  Jessie was a hopeful kind of girl, although she doubted she’d ever love quite the way she loved Colin.

  Spending yesterday with hundreds of cowboys convinced her that her libido hadn’t died completely, which was nice to know since she’d begun to think so.

  “You’re frowning again,” Elaine warned.

  “Sorry.” Jessie held her face perfectly still so Elaine could finish her make-up.

  “Knock ‘em dead today, hon.”

  “Will do.” Jessie headed to the studio, Elaine following her with her case in tow, always prepared to make a quick touch-up if needed.

  Jessie walked onto the set and found J.P. oddly missing. The audience was full capacity. It usually was these days. Jessie casually waved as she made her way to her Causing A Commotion desk.

  She stopped short of the set. Her new desk had been replaced with the old one. The one she’d shared with Colin.

  She sent a questioning look toward Beverly. S
he just shrugged. “J.P. knows. He said to just go with it.”

  Jessie nodded. Maybe something happened to her desk and last minute they’d replaced it with this one. Still, sitting at the desk with the empty chair next to her rattled her nerves. Some thoughtful person had even put Colin’s old chair at the desk.

  Hell-o. How was she supposed to concentrate on today’s show when that empty chair mocked her empty life?

  No matter how much bravado she tried to put on, to herself and the world, her life was empty without Colin.

  The Chicken. The Coward. The cold-hearted chicken coward.

  J.P. came on the set, and the crew geared up to start the show. Jessie glanced at the papers in front of her. They weren’t really necessary with the prompt screens, but from the beginning she liked having the papers in front of her. Having papers in her hand made her feel more official. More secure.

  J.P. came over. “I’m going to vary from today’s agenda just a bit. Go with me on it, okay?”

  Jessie raised a brow. Another variance from the agenda? “What’s going on?”

  “You’ll see.” J.P. winked, and Jessie’s sense of unease gurgled to new heights.

  But as the countdown started, she kept her smile in place and went through the opening spiel. Almost out of habit she’d reverted to the original opening, the one she’d shared with Colin, something she’d not done in months. Damn having to sit at this desk. Just as quickly as she could she’d move over to the living area. The one-chaired living area.

  Her gaze cut to that area of the set. Two chairs besides the guest chair.

  She missed her cue, then stumbled over the words on the prompt screen, but quickly recovered. They cut to Tamara’s cooking segment. Most of which had been recorded earlier in the day and now Tamara displayed a perfect pot of Grandma’s Chicken and Dumplings to the audience.

  When they cut back to Jessie, she discussed a viewer email addressing the recent rumors that Eric Ewing was indeed really gay—-which he wasn’t--and then she missed her cue again.

  Straining her eyes she read the prompt board a second time.

  If this was a joke, someone would lose their job, and it wouldn’t be her.

  “Next up on today’s show,” she said, just going with it. It’s what J.P. had asked for. “I’ll be speaking with Beverly Gilley, a production assistant on Causing A Commotion. Beverly come on down and have a seat, so we can chat.”

  A surprised Beverly stared at Jessie, her eyes wide, and her face aghast. A grinning Elaine, gave Beverly a push toward the living room set where Jessie moved to per the prompt screen’s instructions.

  Jessie smiled at Beverly and shrugged at the woman’s questioning look. “Just go with it,” she repeated J.P.’s earlier advice.

  “Beverly,” Jessie read the prompt screen and her unease blossomed into full blown excitement. “Rumor has it that you’ve been dating the show’s executive producer.”

  Beverly’s jaw dropped.

  “The rumor mill also says during that time you’ve made all sorts of changes in his life. Made him start exercising and eating right. Got him to start acting his age and not his…” Jessie paused suggestively, winked at the audience with mischief, “shoe size. I’ve even heard tell that he’s given up his beloved cigars.”

  Jessie grinned and continued, thinking J.P. would pay dearly later for putting Beverly on the spot like this. Then again, reading her next prompt, maybe he wouldn’t.

  “Why would a man of his…shoe size,” another wink at the audience, “do this?” Jessie paused dramatically, letting Beverly absorb the fact that J.P. had come up on the set and grinned like there was no tomorrow. “That is, unless he was head-over-heels in love for the first time in his life?”

  Beverly shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t believe this,” she mumbled, her hand going to her face. “I just don’t believe this.”

  Jessie smiled, letting J.P. take over and work his magic. Amazingly, he got down on one knee in front of the chair where Beverly sat. Jessie swatted at the tears in her eyes.

  That rascal. He was really going to do it. And do it right this time. Lucky number seven.

  “Beverly, I know I’m an old man, but you make me feel young and alive. More alive than I ever thought this old body could feel.” He took her hand in his and lifted his other to reveal a velvet box. Inside was a ring with a gorgeous pearl and diamond setting. “It would give me great pleasure if you’d be my wife. I know you probably think we need more time, but I’m not getting any younger. I know what I feel is real and right. And I should know because I’ve gotten it wrong six times.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “I love you.”

  The rest was a blur. Probably from the tears in her eyes at Beverly agreeing to marry J.P. and loud cheers going up around the set while J.P. slid the ring onto Beverly’s finger. Telling her she was a pearl in a world full of sand.

  Jessie wasn’t sure it was the most romantic thing she’d ever heard, but close because it was said from the heart.

  They cut to a commercial and Elaine rushed on set and did a make-up repair.

  “Did you know he was going to do that?” Jessie asked.

  Elaine gave her a sly look. “I knew something was up because J.P. told me to make sure you looked fantabulous today and to check over Beverly and make sure she didn’t have anything stuck between her teeth or she’d never forgive him.”

  Jessie laughed. “He didn’t?”

  “His exact words, I swear.” Elaine laughed, wiping a concealer brush beneath Jessie’s eyes. “Now, you quit crying before you ruin your make-up again. You’ve still got half a show to record.”

  Elaine rushed off the set and the countdown began till recording restarted.

  Jessie led in with a quick story and then did her Sex Tip of the Day email winner.

  “And on that note,” she read the prompter, “we need to finish up old business.”

  She stopped reading.

  They were recording in front of a live audience. She had to say something. She was struck speechless.

  Fun for Colin contest.

  J.P. stood at the edge of the set, Beverly at his side. He motioned for Jessie to go on. She was going to strangle him. No where in her stack of papers was there anything about that particular contest. J.P. was dead meat.

  “A couple of months ago, we started a contest and the winner has yet to be chosen.” Dead, dead meat, she thought. Beverly would never get her wedding because the groom was going to die within minutes of proposing. “Today’s the lucky day the winner of the Fun for Colin Contest will be chosen.”

  Reading the next line, she gulped. “Here to pick the winner is my former co-host, Colin Crandall.”

  Jessie squeezed her eyes shut despite being on air. She didn’t need to see to know Colin was on set, to know he’d slid into his old chair behind the desk they’d shared. She heard him, smelled his spicy sandalwood, felt him as surely as if all the air in the room had been replaced by him and he wrapped himself around her, filled her lungs, and bound with her body in some unique chemical reaction only he caused.

  “Jessie’s right,” his rich timbre purred to the camera. “After months of investigative work, it’s time for Colin to have some fun.”

  Jessie’s eyes opened, and she looked at him, her gaze colliding with his intense blue one. Her breath caught.

  She’d forgotten how handsome, how strong his presence, how forceful his magnetism, how just looking at him left her insides weak and her stomach fluttery.

  Just looking at him made her remember how it felt to be made love to by him. Made her insides quiver and her uterus contract.

  Curse him for his power over her.

  He winked.

  Colin. Colin the Cold, stuck-in-the-mud, never-have-fun sex-in-a-suit winked. Winked!

  She scowled. Did he really think he could just waltz back onto the set and pick up where they’d left off? Not hardly.

  She stomped his foot. Hard. Enough that her heel gave and
his dynamite smile slipped for a milli-second. He pulled his foot out from under hers and grinned mischievously, never letting on to the audience that she’d just crunched his toes. Trying to keep the upper portion of her body prim and proper appearing, she made another lunch at his toes, hoping to elicit at least a yelp.

  “As you may recall, Jessie challenged viewers to come up with ideas for ways for me to have some fun. She felt that I was a bit too serious about life.” Colin gave a self-deprecating laugh. “She was right, and with all the public displaying of my life over the past couple of years you can imagine why I might find it a bit difficult to let loose. What you don’t know is that behind the scenes Jessie challenged me to prove to her that I knew how to have fun and that if I won, I could choose the winning email.” He met Jessie’s eyes and whispered “Steel-toed shoes.” before continuing, “We won’t go into the details of how,” he flashed a suggestive smile at the camera, “but I won.”

  Oh, the rat made it sound as if they’d had sex and that was how he’d won. They had had sex, but that wasn’t…oh! Steel-toed shoes? He’d worn steel-toed shoes? He hadn’t even felt her stomp? And she’d broken a heel over this…this…heel! She kicked at his shins beneath the desk but didn’t make contact. He’d wisely shifted to where his legs were just out of reach without her letting the audience know she intended to maim him.

  Was maiming a former co-host on live television something that would put her in a harsh light? Probably, and she loved her show. Still, the thought of permanently giving him a limp tempted. He deserved to limp. He could be called Colin the peg-legged weasel.