Behind the Scenes

by Elisa Preston

  “Seth said to ask you about a girl.”

  Levi’s deadpanned expression invited giggles from Kelsey. “He also predicted that exact reaction,” she said with a coy, knowing smile.

  “Yes, I met a girl. She is amazing. She is also last-name-less, as far as I’m concerned. So I came in this morning ready to plow forward in the hopes of forgetting that I’ll probably never see her again.”

  “Even though you believe her to be your future wife,” she said, moving from sweetness to light teasing.

  Levi playfully cut his eyes at her. “Yes, Little One. Crack all the jokes you want, I know what I felt on that plane and it was a forever kind of thing.”

  Kelsey teased once more, “Now if the universe could just bring her back to you and you could convince her of that…”

  Levi feigned offense before turning on his laptop. “Anyway. Yes, Virginia. The most interesting woman I’ve ever met, the best hazel eyes I’ve ever seen, and we held a conversation for seven hours. Here,” he tossed Kelsey his phone, “the first photo in the gallery was taken just before we got off the plane. If you see her, let me know. I toyed with the option of putting out a WANTED poster.”

  Kelsey studied the photograph for longer than Levi thought she would. “She is a knock-out. That long, dark hair. And yes, her eyes are incredible. Soulful.” She paused. “I guess you know how to pick ‘em, boss.” She smiled at Levi.

  “Now, work,” he said. “Let’s talk about these two work-related conference calls.”

  Levi settled into his routine. The iComfort chair that sat in the middle of his split chestnut-stained desk became his post for the next six hours. He answered e-mails, searched aimlessly—truly, aimlessly—on the internet for Virginia, answered more e-mails, checked over and approved travel plans for the group going to the Pacific in a couple weeks, and reviewed the summary documents in preparation for the conference calls.

  To some, spending most of his day reading and talking to people about putting specific pieces of the puzzle together would get boring. Not for Levi. His passion for helping families around the world understand how they could make their land work for them kept him moving forward. Every decision he made every day, every e-mail he wrote and responded to, every plan he and his team made, it all pushed the cause forward. As long as Levi had his purpose, he could get through any day, no matter how morose he felt over losing the woman of his dreams.

  At ten after two, Kelsey popped into his office.

  “Levi, you haven’t signed into your conference call yet. They’re all waiting,” she said, snappy but professional, as she usually got around this time in the day if she hadn’t taken a break and was reaching her daily cap for demands.

  He jumped out of his daydream and picked up his headset. He dialed into the call through the app on his machine, and the team got to work setting the final plans in motion for the Pacific trip.

  During the entire seventy-five minute call, Levi paid close attention to Kelsey. She had just seemed overwhelmed a moment ago in his office, but on the call she was nothing short of professional, knowledgeable, and passionate. She had every detail either in front of her or stored for quick retrieval. With a calm, confident tone, she set people at ease about travel plans, accommodations, timelines, and project execution, and she reviewed any information that helped other team members understand bits and pieces they had been feeling lost on. In all, she acted more like the Team Lead than the assistant to the Team Lead.

  Once the call was over, Levi buzzed Kelsey into his office.

  “What’s up, Levi?” She asked, seeming more relaxed than before the call. She casually sat on the couch that faced his desk, sitting back in her favorite spot in the office with her feet on the desk and her arms crossed across her chest.

  Levi smiled. He felt like a big brother to her in a lot of ways. She was five years his junior, but that said nothing of her maturity, which he felt surpassed his own on many occasions. When she was nervous she fiddled with her hair by tucking it behind her ear even if it was already there. Her calm demeanor currently showed none of that, proving to Levi that she had no idea what was coming.

  “Kels, I want you to be the Team Lead for the Pacific.”

  She hadn’t been moving, and yet Levi could sense that she had frozen. Until she sat up straight, slowly at first, then like a slingshot she was off the couch and next to his desk.

  “You mean for the preparations, right? I know we don’t have your ticket yet, but I assumed you’d be coming.”

  Levi shook his head. “No. This one is all you, Kelsey. You are passionate about this part of the world because of where your grandparents come from. You know more about this project than I do, which blows my mind. I’ve been watching you with this one, and you are ready. If the trip goes well, I’d like to talk about moving you into a higher role.”

  In a rare moment of stunned silence, Kelsey looked as though her words had been checked at the door. She looked to the window for a long moment, and when she came back to Levi, her flush face held a trace of tears.

  “That’s incredibly kind of you, Levi.” She cleared her throat.

  “Does that mean you’ll take it? The Team Lead for the Pacific?”

  Her eyes shone. He knew she was thinking about her grandparents, who had come to America from the Philippines with little more than seeds from their garden. Those seeds had been promptly harvested once they found land in rural New York, and their little family-only farm grew to feed multiple counties. It was an American Dream success story at its best, and it was part of Kelsey’s fabric. To reach that part of the world with a program that would teach her people what her grandparents built their lives on meant everything to her.

  “Of course, Levi. Thank you so much,” she said, her voice thick with emotion as she made her way to where he was standing. The two shared a meaningful hug, one that had Levi holding back his own set of tears.

  Chapter 6 

  If those executives could get one whiff of who the real Levi Adams was, the last thing they would call me would be uppity.

  That conference call had immediately followed his conversation with Kelsey. It had lasted more than two hours as every network executive weighed in on his current show, what they loved about it, what they hated about it—no holding back there—and what they wanted to see next season. They threw out words like ‘more interaction’, ‘less fancy’, and ‘it’s not your fault audiences love Zeek more than you. We think it’s your hair. And your clothes.”

  Did they even watch his show? He made things like burgers and fries. Sure, the accoutrements were usually goat cheese instead of sliced cheese and homemade relish instead of store-bought jars. And sure, he sliced his own fries and used seasonings his mom said she’d never heard of. What did they expect from a show called Downhome Made New?

  It baffled Levi that those guys couldn’t have had that meeting in person last week while he was in Los Angeles. A quarter of their conversation was I’m sorry, could you repeat that? And I think you cut out for a second; what did you just say?

  Another reason Levi didn’t love talking into those annoying little speakers that echoed and crackled, especially for important network meetings.

  What’s more, Levi couldn’t understand why they’d each taken such a large chunk of their day to talk about his show. His show wasn’t the most watched but it was consistent, an element his agent had always said would go farther than the up-and-down uncertainties of most other shows. Plus, people seemed to like him most on talk shows, awards shows, and red carpets, especially when his appearance related to Tutto Mangiare. Oh, and caught in candid moments walking through New York City that were made public via his least-favorite tabloid magazines. Why it interested people that he stopped for a Nathan’s hot dog would always lie beyond his comprehension.

  Shortly after the boring, going-nowhere conference call, he shook it off so he could live in an hour of happy on a video chat with his family.

  “Brother!” Ashley’s sm
ile went ear-to-ear.

  “Half pint!”

  Ashley was only three inches smaller than her big brother, but before she hit her growth spurt in seventh grade he had been a foot taller than her for almost a year, and thus was born her nickname from then until forever. He loved their traditional greeting exchange, and he always wished it could be in person. She had her short brown hair back in a stub of a pony tail; she looked like she had just come from the gym, with a neon pink headband pushing back her bangs, and a matching work-out shirt.

  “How are you, Levi? L.A. go okay? Did they tell you to come home and shoot your show from here?” His dad. Curtis Adams was nothing if not a man who much preferred his family to be all in one place. He had a knack for light teasing that always brought on a smile. Years of being a diplomat gave his father a distinguished look, what with his silver-gray hair that was always perfectly coiffed. Levi had gotten his blue eyes from his father, and Curtis’ seemed to shine with joy no matter what.

  “Not yet, Dad,” Levi said with a smile.

  “Someday, Levi,” his mom said. “We miss you all the time, sweetheart.” Always the one to point out how much Levi was missed. His sweet mom, known to most as Kate Adams, sent her motherly love with ease, through the screen but also through monthly care packages that usually included his favorite marinade from his hometown grocer, some of his favorite snacks she knew he never bought for himself, and new socks. Because, well, she’s mom.

  “Same here, Mom,” he told her. After a brief pause for the four of them to take a breath, Levi asked his burning question. “So, something important enough to schedule this call. What’s going on?”

  Levi’s parents and sister each looked at one another, silently asking who would spill whatever beans they were holding. Levi’s dad then held his hand out, palm up, toward Ashley.

  “Well, big brother, I wanted to share something.”

  She held out her hand off camera like she was reaching for something. Or someone.

  “You remember Brad?” Levi immediately recognized Brad from last Christmas, as well as from the photos his sister shared on social media and in photos sent through text messages.

  “Of course,” Levi said, friendly as ever and with a head-nod to Brad. “How are you?”

  Brad nodded in response, then answered shortly and returned the question.

  “Big brother, can you guess what I’m going to say?” Her excited tone had turned momentarily steady, then morphed into a sing-song tenor that seemed about to burst.

  Levi hadn’t thought about it until that coy moment from his sister, but a slow smile began to creep onto his face as he realized what she was about to announce.

  “We’re engaged!” She screamed like she was yelling across a canyon, and knowing his sister, that’s probably exactly how she wished she could announce it to the world. She, like Levi, had waited patiently for a partner to love with all her heart. She had watched most of her friends get married right out of college, and so six years after that milestone, she was more than ready for her turn.

  “Congratulations, half pint! And Brad!” Levi stood in front of his video monitor with his headset on. He was sure people were looking through the glass wall that separated his office from his staff, but he didn’t care. His hands were raised in victory.

  “Tell me everything.” Levi meant it. He missed being in their daily lives, so he especially loved the small details for big events like this one. And as the brother and sister had done since they were tots, Ashley zoned in on Levi and she told him the whole story. The balloons delivered to her house for her birthday; the singing telegram delivered two hours later; the flowers delivered two hours after the telegram; and how curious she was when the doorbell rang for the fourth time, two hours after the flowers.

  “I was so curious, but also a little irritated,” she and Brad laughed in harmony. “Every time the doorbell rang, Lucy got all jumpy. I had just gotten her settled back down when it rang again. So before I answered it, I comforted her and put her in her crate upstairs.”

  “She took forever,” Brad had chimed in, clearly a wise enough man to know that a woman tells her engagement story.

  Ashley’s thousand-watt smile flashed. “I did. However, it was all worth it. Because when I opened the door, Brad was on one knee with a ring in his hand.”

  “Did you cry?” Levi had asked, his cheeks already sore from smiling. His hands were crossed on his chest now as he listened intently to her every word.

  “Of course,” she had said, giggling again.

  She and Brad rambled happily for another twenty minutes, and Levi soaked it all up. The joy coming from them cut straight through the phone and hit him square in the chest. His little sister was getting married! He couldn’t believe it.

  Levi would next see his parents, sister, and now soon-to-be brother-in-law in the summer when his family visited for the Fourth of July, their tradition for the last decade. His folks loved being in such a celebrated city for their favorite American holiday. They would revel in their homeland’s independence day then fly over the Great Lakes to celebrate their neighbor’s.

  After a long, jubilant goodbye, Levi hung up and spent the rest of his hours at work thinking about how happy and grateful for his sister he was.

  Now, at the end of a long, productive day, Levi slid a set of papers into his briefcase. It was a contract his agent wanted him to read for the upcoming season of Downhome Made New.

  Levi sent a text to Seth to see if he’d be up for some racquetball at the courts just three blocks down from Levi’s apartment. Seth responded with an affirmative, so Levi quickly made his way through the exit marked STAIRS in big, bold letters, and down one hundred and twenty gray cement steps. A habit Levi had started in college, if he could take the stairs at the end of the day—meaning he was not physically incapacitated and had working legs—then he would. It gave him time to wind down before propelling into the city’s zoo-like afternoon rush-hour. Usually by the time he reached the last stair, he was cleansed of the day and could face his moderate but packed commute with new energy.

  The next four weeks passed much the same. Levi worked with fervor each day. The Pacific trip went off without a hitch thanks to Kelsey’s careful planning. Levi looked forward to her video calls each evening when she could update him on her and the team’s day. Her energy never once dipped below that of a highly caffeinated golden retriever. He told her as much on their fifth night, asking how she stayed so energized with the time difference and demands of each day.

  “A: I learned from the best. And B: passion energizes you, something else I learned from my favorite boss.” She looked back at a team member who had come in to get her for dinner. “I have to go. Thank you, again, for this opportunity! I am having the time of my life!” They had signed off with big smiles.

  Levi knew he couldn’t keep her as his assistant for too much longer. She had the heart of a lion for Tutto Mangiare and he wanted to reward that. He also knew how much he would miss his calendar-keeping, uber-efficient, lend-an-ear, always-ready-with-a-bottle-of-water assistant-slash-friend that he had been used to for the last four years—just the two weeks she was gone had left a gaping hole in his daily life.

  Things change, he supposed. Things change and time moves on, whether you want it to or not. Time is supposed to heal, right? And time is supposed to help certain memories fade? Put them in a nice, nostalgically-filtered frame in your memory register so that when you look back at them you remember little-to-none of the downside of said memory and only the up-and-up elements?

  He wished that had been his experience with thoughts of Virginia. For more than a month now, he still looked for her every morning and afternoon on his commutes. He even kept an eye out at the airports when he flew to and from Miami for a quick golf-and-bachelor party weekend with a small group of friends. He looked at their selfie most days and had memorized everything about her: the high cheekbones that sat comfortably on either side of her smile; the expression of worry she
had started with that had slowly morphed into the peace he saw in that photo; and the amused—maybe terrified?—expression she wore when he wore his heart on his sleeve, which, honestly, he wasn’t so used to doing outside of his professional life.

  At work, his heart might as well have been sewn to the outside of every shirt he ever wore. He made his goals and anything related to his work life well known to his circle and beyond.

  Yet, the other side of his heart? The one that looked forward to a forever family, the one that wanted to cook for one special person from his gas stove at home instead of for an audience in a cold, over-lit studio, and the one that chose his two-bedroom apartment specifically to have a room for a child or two? That side of his heart was a vault, locked and sealed because no one had yet to convince him it was worth opening.

  Until one month ago when one woman’s hazel eyes upended that vault.

  Levi had no idea how to return to his life before knowing Virginia. Yet, he knew he had to try. Maybe this was the universe’s way of letting him know that he could find someone, whereas before her, he wasn’t sure the right woman existed. Maybe just the act of him opening his heart for a few hours and remembering that desires could exist outside of work was enough; maybe that had been Virginia’s express purpose in his life.

  Sigh.

  On a non-descript, overcast morning in June, Levi was sitting on the Sixth Ave. end of Bryant Park, enjoying the morning paper with a to-go coffee before he went into the office. He heard the distinct tone of a text from Kelsey. He reached for his phone, hoping she was telling him that the network execs had changed their minds and that he didn’t have to add a sidekick to his show.

  Got a call from event admin this morning. They want all team representatives at event location at ten this morning for a meet-and-greet.

  Nothing like last minute. Can I make it with my schedule?