The next morning, he tried to get a new phone, but to his surprise, someone else had already gotten one under his account.
“I’m sorry, sir, but that number has already been activated.”
Brian frowned and then he realized his mistake. How could he have been stupid enough to leave his phone on the ground at the airport? Anyone could’ve picked it up.
“May I borrow your phone for a minute?” he asked, trying to remain calm.
The salesman nodded and handed over a cordless office phone. Brian dialed his number and waited, but it went to voicemail. Unrelenting, he dialed again and again and finally, someone answered.
“What?” the voice snapped.
Brian recognized it immediately. “Nate?”
“Who’s this?”
“Blaze,” he ground out. “You damn well know who this is. What the fuck are you doing with my phone?”
“You left it behind and I’m cleaning up after you, as per usual. That’s what Alan hired me to do. I’m also supposed to remind you we have a meeting with him on Friday.”
“I need my phone. You had no right to replace it.”
“I have every right. You shouldn’t have had it. You stole it from me, remember?”
Brian clenched his jaw. “Give it to me.”
Nate whistled. “There are some great pics on here. Your girlfriend looks pretty good when she makes an effort.”
“Fuck you,” he spat. Remaining civil wasn’t an option. Not when Nate insulted Alex.
“Have it your way,” Nate replied before disconnecting.
The phone creaked in Brian’s hand as he squeezed the plastic a little too tight.
“Everything okay, sir?” the salesman asked from a safe distance.
“No. I need a new phone. Now.”
The salesman nodded and got to work. By the time Brian got home, his stomach churned and his back ached. Because he didn’t have her number memorized, he had no way to get in touch with Alex directly and it was killing him. The number at the park was busy, no matter how many times he tried calling.
With his new, empty phone in hand, he grabbed Ozzie’s leash and started on a run. Ozzie’s tongue lolled out of his mouth as he ran by Brian’s side, which made Brian laugh and he needed to be in a good mood if he was going to write a letter of recommendation for Twisted Juniper. Mr. Reid had asked him to write one at the wrap party and he had jumped at the opportunity. He and Travis were meeting that afternoon to work on it together before faxing it to Mr. Reid’s office. Anything to help Alex. But in that moment, he needed to run. He could deal with the world later.
****
Alex knew she would eventually have to explain to her best friend she had been an idiot. But not yet. How could she admit she had given everything to someone who didn’t care? Keeping his words bound up inside her where they couldn’t hurt her again, she threw herself into her work and pretended there wasn’t a hole in her heart.
Brian didn’t call. Not that she would’ve answered.
On Tuesday, Mr. Howard called, and she had to talk to him about the filming and agree it had been a huge success.
“Good work,” he boomed.
“Thank you, sir,” she said, trying to muster some enthusiasm.
“Besides the little hiccup near the beginning, I would consider this a slam dunk,” he added. “We received a donation and two letters of praise.”
“Great.” And it was. Everyone would get a raise which meant she should be happy, but she wasn’t. Celebrating was the last thing on her mind.
The next day, a picture circulated the Internet of Blaze kissing an unidentified ranger, her Twisted Juniper patch visible on her shoulder. Wild speculation filled social media, and as much as Alex wanted to stop reading about it, she couldn’t.
And then it happened. Another picture surfaced. The one Brian had taken of them before their date. That night had been real, hadn’t it? But the hashtag under the picture said it all: #anothernotchinmybelt.
Within the day, someone identified her.
Like a kick to the gut, her brother texted her, asking if it really was her with Blaze and how she had managed to trick him into kissing her. Almost immediately, her mom tried to video chat, so she turned her phone off and stashed it in her desk drawer. No good would come from answering any of the calls or reading any further texts.
By Friday, the pictures made the front page of the gossip magazines displayed in every store in Dembi:
OO LA LA BLAZE JOHNSON GETS A TASTE OF LOCAL CUISINE
WHAT DOES PARK RANGER ALEXIS MITCHELL HAVE TO OFFER?
Each headline was worse than the last, implying she wasn’t worthy of someone like him. Of course, she wasn’t and everyone knew it.
****
On Friday, Brian pushed into Alan’s office, prepared to do battle with Nate. Not with his fists, but with his words. If he lost his temper, he didn’t stand a chance, so his strategy was to get Nate to flip out first. Unfortunately, Nate had arrived early, giving him the advantage.
“Nate has been telling me about your trip,” Alan said as he leaned back into his plush leather chair and laced his hands behind his head.
“Oh?” Brian replied as he took a seat next to Nate across from Alan.
Nate smirked. A hint of double black eyes still remained, the same ugly yellow as Brian’s eyebrow. “I was just telling him about the incident at the airport.”
“The part where you confessed to leaking a picture that would expose me and the staff at the park?”
“No, the part where you punched me in the face.” Nate bristled and sat forward in his chair. “There are witnesses.”
“I’m aware.”
“It’s true?” Alan interjected.
“Yes,” Brian admitted. “I’m actually glad we’re all here. Sir, I’m afraid Nate isn’t a good fit. His behavior on this trip was dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Nate shouted.
“Drinking, sleeping around, and interfering with my work schedule.” Brian shook his head. “You were supposed to be my assistant, not use me for your personal gain. Not to mention when you got drunk and hit me the first time.” He looked at Alan and ignored Nate. “I had to spend an extra twenty minutes in makeup the next morning to cover it up.”
“You lied to me. You took the keys,” Nate protested.
“To the car I rented.” Brian went on, “He also broke my phone and then replaced it without my permission or knowledge. He’s been using it all week.”
“But… But I…” Nate stammered.
“I’ve heard enough.” Alan silenced them both. “I’ve already spoken with Mr. Reid and Mr. Frederick. Blaze, they were both pleased with your work and said you never showed up late or missed a day.”
“That’s not true, Mr. Reid—” Nate said.
Alan glared at him. “Are you calling Mr. Reid a liar?”
Nate shrank in his chair.
But it was true. The director had lied for him, but why? Had he known how much was riding on his evaluation or had Brian made up for his tardiness with hard work?
“It might be time for me to trust you again,” Alan said to Brian. “Do I have your word you will continue to meet with your addiction support group?”
“Yes, sir,” Brian answered without hesitation. He was damn lucky to have Alan as an agent, and he wasn’t about to jeopardize their work relationship again.
Alan stood and offered his hand to Brian. Brian got up and shook it.
“Do you have his phone?” Alan asked Nate.
“Yes,” Nate grumbled as he pulled it out of his pocket. It was identical to the one he had broken at the airport.
“Your services are no longer required,” Alan stated as he took the phone from him. “Please leave before I have you escorted from the building.”
Nate nodded and stormed out of the office without another word.
After being fired by Alan’s agency, Nate wouldn’t be able to get a decent job anywhere in Hollywood. Knowing that made it easi
er for Brian to be silent. “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”
“You better not. Have a look at this.” Alan handed Brian a stack of papers. “It’s a script for a new movie I think you’ll like. Casting thinks you’ll be a perfect fit.”
Brian nodded and took the papers from him but kept his eyes on his phone.
“Go on, I have work to do.” Alan shooed him toward the door.
“My phone, sir,” Brian said. Waiting was torturous.
“I’ll be in touch.” Alan dropped the phone into Brian’s hand and opened the door.
Brian stepped out into the hall, pushed past a group of people, and turned his phone on. Thankfully, Nate hadn’t bothered to set up a lock screen.
He texted Alex.
Hey. Nate had my phone so I couldn’t text. I tried to warn you about the picture he took. I’m sure you’ve seen it by now. I’ve been hiding out and hope you have, too.
He got fired if that’s any consolation. I promise I’ll make it up to you.
Plans to fly her to California formed in his head, making him smile. The screen on his phone remained unchanged, so he texted her again because he couldn’t wait for her response.
I miss you.
Because she was probably busy with work, he would have to wait until the end of the day. As he walked to the stairs, he scrolled through his notifications and found hundreds of replies to a picture he had posted on Wednesday. Scratch that, it was a picture Nate had posted. Anger built inside him as he opened the app and found the picture everyone had been commenting on—he and Alex on their way to their date. When he read the hashtag Nate had typed below it, he stifled a shout. In a blind rage, he stumbled down the stairs and stormed out of the building.
Deleting the picture from his account would only get him so far. Another picture meant another explanation and another apology. Alex would understand, wouldn’t she? All he had to do was tell her Nate had his phone and posted the picture. It would all blow over soon enough and then they could be together again.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alex stayed out of town and avoided everyone in the park. It was easier that way; to retreat into her own world where no one could hurt her.
A tornado of media coverage hit and lasted for a week with reporters flocking to Twisted Juniper like ravenous migratory birds. Mr. Howard was thrilled at the increased traffic and didn’t seem to care why they were there. All he cared about were the letters and the donation. Alex’s personal life didn’t appear to matter to him one bit.
The phone in her office rang off the hook, so she unplugged it and let her voicemail deal with them. At the end of each day, she listened to the messages if the caller bothered to leave one.
All the rangers at the park pitched in to keep her out of sight during the chaos, for which she was eternally grateful. There was plenty of work outside to keep her busy, so it was easy to hide. Working long days made the nights shorter, anything to delay going home. Everything there reminded her of Brian, which meant she spent most nights crying. It didn’t matter that she knew the truth, she still missed him. Missed his sweetness, even if it had been a lie. Koko missed him, too. For two weeks, Koko looked past Alex whenever she came home, obviously expecting him to be right behind her.
Eventually, the story lost its hold on the public so the reporters left. The calls slowed to a trickle, giving Alex room to breathe again. At the end of another long day, she listened to a voicemail from Steve on her work phone. “Hey, Alex, it’s Steve Frederick. I hope you’ve considered what we talked about because we’re gearing up for our wildlife survey and getting you out here to discuss your vision for the future is the first step to making our dream into a reality. You said you’d consider it, so call me, okay?”
Alex sighed and deleted the message. Worrying about his job offer was just another thing weighing her down. That night, when she finally dragged her sorry ass home, Maggie paced the length of the driveway between their houses with Henry strapped securely to her body in his wrap. Up until that point, Alex had managed to avoid any conversation with her best friend.
A shadow darkened Maggie’s normally cheery face. “I’m worried about you, Alex. Have you been sleeping?”
Alex shook her head. “I fucked everything up.”
“No, you didn’t. You did a wonderful job, and we’re all going to get raises.”
“I mean in my personal life. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten attached to him. I knew it wouldn’t work out, but it happened anyway.”
Maggie’s mouth fell open. “Are you in love with him?”
Alex squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. “What am I supposed to do? Everything here reminds me of him. It’s killing me.”
Maggie frowned. “Time heals all wounds.”
“It’s been almost three weeks. It’s not getting better. I want to move on, but I can’t.”
“You need to find happiness. That’s all,” Maggie said. “You’re not happy here anymore.”
“I was…until Blaze ruined everything.” Alex slumped against her house.
“There’s a whole world out there. I’m sure you’ll find something that will make you happy.” Maggie smiled. “You have a ton of experience. You’re hard working. You’re—”
“Stupid. Unprofessional. A failure,” Alex said.
“You’re not a failure. All you ever focus on is work.” Maggie paused. “Except when he was here.”
Alex looked up. “Yeah, and we all know how that turned out. Literally. The whole world knows who I am now.”
“You need a new adventure.”
“A new adventure?” Alex’s heart thumped against her chest harder. Did Maggie know about Steve’s offer?
Maggie clicked her tongue. “You need a fresh start so you can really move on.”
“I don’t want to let go. My memories of him are all I have.”
“Those memories aren’t doing you any good.”
Maggie was right. She was always right.
****
Brian’s hopes slipped away with each passing day he didn’t hear from Alex. The apron she gave him hung from a hook in his kitchen, reminding him of what he was missing. Despite the sheer number of times he’d tried to contact her over the past few weeks, she didn’t reply to his texts or return any of his calls. The park number wasn’t any better.
“Relationships scare me,” she had told him. What they had was perfect for her—a secret affair revolving around sex.
Or maybe it was just a way to get a letter of recommendation. It killed him to think Nate had been right about her. Every time he went out he got asked questions about her. Where she was, what their relationship meant, but he didn’t know, so how could he answer?
He threw himself into his work and prepared for his upcoming role. They would start filming in January. Until then, he focused on anything that would keep his mind off Alex. Flying home for Thanksgiving turned out to be harder to plan than he anticipated.
“How long can you stay?” his mom asked over the phone.
“A week. I’m between jobs, so it’s pretty quiet around here.”
“Are you bringing anyone with you?” Her voice lifted with hope.
“Nope, sorry, Mom,” he whispered.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” The need to talk about it was driving him crazy, but he couldn’t admit what had really happened. The wound was still too fresh.
“Hon, did you hear me? Is Ozzie coming with you?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Good,” she said. “It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without my grandson.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He cleared his throat. “I need to go. I love you. See you in November.”
“I love you, too,” she replied just before he hung up.
All he had to do was get through the rest of October, and then November, and then every day for the rest of his life. Alone.
****
Alex spent a lot of time thinking about what Maggie said. Al
ex had to change in order to move on. And for the first time in her life, she realized moving on wasn’t the same as running away. It was time for something bigger. Something better. Something that would help her let go of the lingering memories of Brian, which caused her more pain than she cared to admit. Although he hurt her, he also taught her to trust herself. Fear had always held her back—worried she would disappoint someone, afraid she wasn’t good enough. But she was good enough.
Which meant it was time for her to run a nature reserve.
Alex waited until Maggie returned to work full time before she called Steve. She had to be certain everything would be okay at work without her, and sure enough, Maggie stepped back into the park manager role without missing a beat.
After a long day of culling infected pines, Alex returned to her office and picked up her phone. Her fingers shook as she dialed.
“Hi, Steve, it’s Alex Mitchell,” she began. “I was hoping we could talk.”
And they did; for half an hour, they discussed the job and everything it would entail: a full-time position, first doing a wildlife survey, and then running the show. Knowing she couldn’t afford housing anywhere near Beverly Hills she voiced her concerns, but Steve immediately offered his grandparent’s house, which would double as the Visitor Center, and of course, she could bring Koko with her. Everything fell into place.
After they worked out all the details, Alex skulked into Maggie’s office.
Maggie frowned from behind her desk. “What’s up?”
“I’m officially putting in my two weeks.” Those words were harder to speak than she anticipated. “I’m taking a job in California. During filming, Steve talked to me about turning a piece of property he and his sister inherited into a nature reserve. He wants me to help with the wildlife survey and then manage it. I think it’s time I start my new adventure.” Alex gave a little smile.
“That’s great news. Why do you look so sad?” Maggie rushed over to hug her.
Love on Location Page 21