The Leftover

by Brooke Williams

  “What are you most excited about experiencing on The Leftover?”

  “Meeting new people?” Megan raised her voice at the end, making it sound more like a question than a statement. “I work out of my house so I don’t get out much.” She smiled awkwardly. She was coming off like such a geek! And meeting new people was probably the last thing she was excited about . . . other than the competitions.

  “And what do you do?”

  “Mostly read.” Megan shook her head. That wasn’t a good description. “I’m a freelance voice actor. I do a lot of audio books, commercials, some radio theater, that sort of thing.”

  Megan’s job was unique and she felt lucky to make a living doing something she loved out of her home. No one ever had to see her in person and she seldom spoke to clients on the phone. Everything ran remotely through email. When she started in the radio production business, she worked behind the scenes at a studio. Her sister saw how painful going to work was for her and encouraged her to branch out on her own. Megan was good at what she did, but she was too shy to sit in a studio and record things with people looking at her. Working at the studio limited her to producing and editing. The more her sister prodded her, the more thought Megan gave to creating her own business. Eventually, she took the plunge. She credited her sister for her current success.

  “We should be good here.” The blinking red light on the camera went black and the operator stepped into view. Megan immediately looked down. “Nice to meet you, Megan. Hope to see you in a few days on set.”

  “Thanks.” Megan stood and gathered her wits. One foot got tangled in the cords that ran across the floor as she tried to get out from under the hot studio lights. She quickly recovered and scurried out.

  Whose idea had this been anyway? Oh right, Molly’s. And they were meeting for dinner in less than an hour.

  Megan rushed for the studio exit. She’d been around people long enough. She hoped she had enough energy to do her dinner date justice, but she wasn’t sure. Tucking her chin to her neck, she threw her shoulder into the exit door.

  “Whoa there, steam roller!” Cane jumped back on the other side.

  “Sorry! Did I get you?” Megan groaned inwardly. She wasn’t sure she could have another conversation, especially after her embarrassing interactions with Cane earlier. But his soft eyes beckoned and her car was close.

  “No, but it was a close call. I was just leaving.”

  Megan fell into step beside him. “I didn’t know my own strength. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”

  “Did it go that well?”

  Megan frowned as she watched her feet move closer to her car. “Great.” She knew the sarcasm in her voice told him there was more to the story.

  “I gotta get these samples to the lab.” Cane patted the black medical bag slung over his shoulder.

  “Oh, so my . . . it’s in there?”

  Cane grinned. “It is.”

  Megan’s cheeks flamed once again. After a few steps, she realized he wasn’t next to her anymore. She turned to find him standing there, looking at her.

  “I really hope everything goes well for you, Megan. I think you’ll be a great addition to the show.”

  “You do?” Megan searched his gaze, realizing he was being genuine.

  Cane shrugged. “I know TV can be intimidating. It’s hard to be yourself with so many eyes on you and plenty of expectations. But if you relax and let your true self come out, everything will fall into place.”

  Her eyes flicked from his eyes to his shirt and back to his eyes. “Well, thanks. I appreciate that.” And she meant it. If Cane were an average medic, he wouldn’t know so much about TV. But Cane was a TV star in his own right.

  Cane smiled and Megan felt herself melt into the cement. Oh, the things his smile did to his eyes. They somehow got softer and deeper and she was certain if she didn’t blink a few times or look away, she would be lost forever. She remembered that smile on the show, but it was much more attractive in person. She would have chosen him any day of the week. Of course, she had felt that way about Steve and Mitch on the show too . . .

  “Tell Molly hi and I’ll give you a call soon.”

  Megan shook herself from her reverie and hoped her lack of speech hadn’t showcased her awe. He was going to call her!

  “The lab results shouldn’t take more than a day.”

  With lab results. Of course. He was going to call her about her tests.

  “Have a good evening.” Cane waved and ducked into a sensible Chevy four-door.

  Megan watched him place the black medical bag carefully on the floor of the passenger seat before she fumbled her keys out of her pocket and got into her own car.

  Chapter Four

  Cane tapped the steering wheel and squinted into the rain. His delivery was complete and he had the evening to himself. Of course, he had every evening to himself if he wasn’t working, but that was his own fault. His friends sometimes offered to meet him for dinner or a movie, but since Eva, he’d tried to fill his schedule with work, and when he was free, he pushed people away.

  Cane had been a paramedic for the past seven years. He’d planned on being a doctor, but he wanted to help people faster than medical school would allow, and paramedic training was more immediate. He loved his job, though it was certainly trying at times. Cane hadn’t grown up in the city, but after he completed his training and found an opening in his field, he grabbed the opportunity, moved, and made the area his home.

  He’d made good friends from work that almost felt like family to him, but they didn’t understand what it was like to get rejected on TV in front of the entire city. They all told him to get over Eva and move on with his life, as if it were as easy as wiping a slate clean. That’s exactly what he wanted to do, but a little compassion along the way never hurt. He just needed time, that was all.

  And he needed to realize, once and for all, that Eva wasn’t coming back to him. No matter how convinced he had been that she was the one, she had chosen someone else. At first he believed she’d change her mind, but it had been a year and she hadn’t called.

  When he took the temporary job at KETO, part of him wondered if they might run into one another. She was the promotions director for the Furry Friends Rescue League and he’d seen her on TV as she was interviewed about the animal charity. But the chance to see her wasn’t why he accepted the position, and in fact, he hoped he didn’t see her—it would be too painful. He simply needed to occupy his time and work gave him a positive focus.

  Cane turned his wipers off as the rain started to clear. What was left of the sun shone through the clouds and a brilliant rainbow formed just outside the passenger window.

  “Wow.” Cane whistled.

  After finding himself attracted to Megan earlier that day, Cane began to believe he really was getting over Eva. The side gig with KETO would require a nine-day, twenty-four seven commitment, allowing him to take a break from his normal paramedic work and forget about the social world completely for a while. He would shake his love failures off and move on with his life . . . finally. He had family, friends, and a job he loved. What more did he need? After a little time away from his regular schedule, he would pick up where he left off with his friends and maybe even start looking for Ms. Right again.

  He chuckled, remembering Megan’s embarrassment over the urine sample. Despite her very shy nature, he was rooting for her. She was a real person with obvious limitations. He hoped she would do well on the show—and that her clumsiness didn’t cause her to need his help.

  Ringing took over the interior of his car and Cane pushed a button on the steering wheel to activate the hands-free phone. “Hello?” He recognized the hospital’s number that popped up on the dashboard’s screen.

  “Hey, man, it’s me. I know you’re off today, but the rain really did a number on the streets. We’ve got accidents all over the metro and some are serious. Do you have a few hours to spare?”

  Cane knew his colleague wouldn
’t have called if they weren’t in dire need of extra hands. “Be there in five.” He turned at the next corner and sped up. Cane was good at his job and he would give it all he had. For now, it would have to be enough.

  Megan wrung her ponytail with one hand while closing the restaurant door behind her. It was just like her to leave her umbrella at home and get caught in the downpour. It hadn’t been raining when she left the TV studio, but the clouds had had their fun and now that she was inside, the rain had stopped.

  Molly burst through the door thirty seconds later, completely dry. She gave Megan the once over. “Shower in the rain?”

  “Very funny.”

  The girls waved at Pete, the owner of their favorite haunt, Peter’s Diner. It was just around the corner from the house they had grown up in. As children, they had stopped by daily in the summer to beg ice cream from the kind staff. Now that they were adults, they ordered meals—a payback of sorts. They met at least weekly, sometimes more.

  Molly slid into their booth in the back. It was almost always empty when they arrived, like it had their name engraved on the side and no one else dared use it. As Megan started to take a seat across from her sister, her wet jeans stuck on the vinyl seat, making it impossible to scoot without completely lifting herself up and moving over with short hops. Graceful, as always.

  “So, how did it go?” Molly leaned over and placed her palms down onto the table.

  “Forget the show, how are you?” Megan squinted at her sister. She didn’t look pregnant. She looked as long and lean as ever.

  Molly waved her hand. “Fine, fine. Forget about me, tell me about the show!”

  Megan shrugged, face solemn. “I’m a little ticked at you, to be honest.”

  Molly sat back in her seat as the waiter brought waters and quickly disappeared. “You don’t want to go on TV, do you?”

  Megan tried to hold back a grin. “I’m mad because you didn’t warn me about Cane!”

  Molly tilted her head with an impish grin on her face. “You recognized him immediately, right?”

  Megan nodded. “How could you keep that a secret from me? He was my biggest crush!”

  “I couldn’t help myself. I only wish I could have seen the look on your face when you saw him.”

  “It was probably something like this.” Megan widened her eyes to look like a deer in headlights and dropped her jaw.

  Molly laughed. “Wow, I bet that made quite the first impression.”

  “He was adorable on Accept this Dandelion, but the cameras didn’t do him justice.”

  “Cute, right?” Molly agreed. “He kind of looks like Mark Feuerstein with that curly hair.”

  “Mark who?”

  “Feuerstein. You know, the guy on Royal Pains? Oh come on, we have to get you Netflix.”

  “Well, whoever he looks like, he’s cute and he knows it.” Megan stared at the table.

  “He didn’t come across as arrogant to me. How did he act with you?” Molly stirred her glass of water with a straw.

  “It wasn’t how he acted, it’s the fact that I told him.”

  “Told him? That he was cute?” Molly’s eyes bulged.

  “Yup. Just blurted it right out. Honestly, I thought I said it in my head and not out loud, but based on the look on his face, I’m pretty certain it was audible.”

  “Oh, Megan!” Molly reached across the table and grasped her sister’s wrist. “What did he say?”

  Megan shrugged. “Something medical. I don’t know.”

  Molly waggled her eyebrows. “Did you get his number?”

  “What? Of course not. Are you kidding me? I was too busy doing the screen test.” Megan bit her lip at the memory. “Another thing you forgot to tell me about.”

  “That part was fun. Did they ask anything unusual?”

  “I don’t think so. Just what I’d like about the show, if I was excited, things like that.”

  “And are you?” Molly took a sip of water, an expectant look in her eyes.

  “I’m ready to do this. For you.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.” Megan sighed. “You know me too well.”

  “Tell me what you’re thinking.” Molly moved the menus aside. No one came to take their order anymore—Pete knew what they wanted.

  Megan leaned her head back against the booth so she was looking at the ceiling. “It’s just so out of my element, you know? I’m used to sitting in my house, all alone, talking to myself. How am I going to go from that to actually talking to other people . . . on TV, no less?” She looked at Molly, hoping she’d have some encouragement.

  “I don’t have an answer for you.” Molly leaned back in her seat.

  “What? I was expecting some kind of pep talk.”

  “I don’t know how you’ll do it or how things will turn out. But I know you’ll be great. Megan, you’re so lovable. I want this just as much for you as I wanted it for me. You get a chance to show this city who you are. And the city deserves to meet Megan Malone. They’ll love you just as much as I do.”

  “Now that’s more what I was expecting.” Megan smiled. “We don’t even know if I’m on the show yet. They have to wait for the tests to come back and once the producer sees my screen test . . . well, let’s just say it could be a deal breaker.”

  “You charmed their pants off and you know it.” Molly swatted at her sister.

  “I’m fairly certain everyone was still wearing pants when I left.”

  Their food arrived and interrupted the conversation. They thanked Pete with a wave across the diner. He would come talk to them before they left, like he always did. He was like an adopted favorite uncle.

  “Well, we can’t wait for the test results. We need to start training right away.” Molly took a bite of her grilled chicken sandwich.

  “Training?” Megan’s mouth was full of her burger, but she managed to get the word out while chewing.

  “Mmhm. We only have a few days and you have a lot to learn. Have I shown you the list of things to bring?”

  Megan shook her head.

  “That’s okay, it’s pretty small. This is a Survivor-like show, after all. We’ll get to that. I need to see what you’re made of first.”

  “Sugar and spice and everything nice, of course, just like any girl.”

  Molly kicked her under the table. “See? You’re charming. Just bring that to the show and you’ll be the last one left over.”

  “Ah.” Megan stroked her chin. “I get it now. The Leftover!”

  Molly rolled her eyes. “What, did you think they were talking about food from last night?”

  Megan shrugged. “Instead of being the sole survivor like on the national show, the winner will be crowned The Leftover. That’s kind of silly.” She surveyed her sister’s serious face. “I mean cool. That’s very cool.”

  “You bet it’s cool. You could find yourself on Survivor next if you’re not careful.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be very careful.”

  “This is so exciting. I can’t believe you’re doing this!”

  Megan looked at her sister with incredulity. “And I can’t believe you’re pregnant. I want details, girl!”

  “That’s rather personal,” Molly joked.

  “Come on, spill. Do you want a boy or a girl? Got any names? Megan has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

  “You win The Leftover and you can name the kid anything you want.”

  “Promise?” Megan stuck her pinky finger across the table.

  “Pinky swear.” Molly wrapped her finger around her sister’s and shook.

  Done deal.

  Chapter Five

  The phone rang once, twice, three times. Cane prepared himself to leave a message when the fourth ring was interrupted, followed by some muffled sounds and a loud clunk. After a moment, her smooth voice came over the line.

  “I’m so sorry! I dropped you. Are you okay?”

  Cane smiled. Her tone w
as a breath of fresh air. No wonder she did well in the voice-over world—he had picked up on her engaging voice while watching her screen test. “I’m fine. Everything okay there?”

  “Yes, yes, of course. Just wrapping up a project.”

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “Not a problem. Who is this anyway?”

  Cane chuckled. “I suppose that would be a good thing to reveal. This is Cane Trevino, the medic from KETO.”

  There was a loud inhale. “You have news?”

  “I do.” Cane paused, enjoying the element of power he had.

  “I already know I’m not pregnant so if there’s something else of concern, spit it out.”

  Cane smiled and pictured her haphazard ponytail and wire-rimmed glasses. Since she worked at home, she didn’t have to get fixed up for anything unless she wanted to. And he guessed she usually didn’t want to.

  “You’re the epitome of health. You get the all clear for the show. I informed the producer and he’s sending you detailed information this afternoon. Since time is short, I wanted to let you know as soon as possible.”

  “So there’s no reason at all I shouldn’t go on the show?”

  “Nothing physical.” Cane hesitated. He was the medical professional on The Leftover staff and he didn’t want to cross any boundaries. But his contract didn’t say anything about making new friends. “Are you having doubts about the opportunity?”

  A shuffling sound echoed over the line. Cane wondered if she was pacing.

  “Yes. I mean no. I’ll do the show. I have to. For Molly.”

  Cane cleared his throat. “Megan, in my opinion, you’re just what the show needs.”