Coming Home

by Kimberly McKay

  “And you’ll stay to see it out?” Ned thought the idea had merit.

  “Maybe.” Chad grinned.

  “Maybe? You have a contract.” He warned him once more.

  “I know. And you’ll get your episodes. I promise.”

  Chad grinned, hoping the prizes would put the wheels in motion. And if it did go according to plan, he hoped it was a sign that he should go after Anne.

  “What happens if all three of them choose the parting gift?” Ned asked, and walked across to the sound board, making sure the mic was live.

  “Then I have my answer.”

  “What are you up to?” Ned turned back just in time to see the grin flash across Chad’s face.

  “All you need to know is that you’ll get your episodes either way.”

  Chad felt hopeful for the first time, since Anne left. He prayed if she really were the one for him, this would play in his favor.

  “Promise?” Ned stared him down.

  “Yes. Listen I kept thinking all through the night, what would be the ultimate prize for each girl … something that would be too hard to turn down? I looked over the girl’s bios to help refresh my memory about each one.”

  “Okay.” Ned waited.

  “In Treana’s bio, she stated her life-long dream was to fly to Japan and work overseas in marketing. What if we made that happen? The network has subsidiaries over there.” This time it was Chad, who stood and started walking the room. “And … and … Brooklyn … her bio said she loved the idea of being on the show to find love but she also is a ballet dancer. What if we gave her the opportunity to try out for the met? And Brandy …” Chad looked to Ned, who sat stunned.

  “Yes?” Ned nodded, wondering if Chad was borderline manic.

  Chad’s rapid speech was almost too fast to keep up with. As he watched him walk the room in a perfect square, Ned wondering if he’d gotten any sleep at all.

  In seeing Ned’s reaction, Chad took a deep breath and finally sat back down, relieved he was really listening.

  “Brandi is obviously very gorgeous. Her bio had modeling written all over it. She was in pageants … done some singing … What if we set her up with an agency, which would offer her a modeling contract? And to top it off …”

  “Like that’s not enough?” Ned snorted. Chad was asking a lot.

  He ignored Ned and kept going. “To top it all off, the show could offer them ten thousand dollars in addition to the opportunities they’d win.”

  Ned scoffed and threw up his hands. “Ten thousand dollars? It’s official. You’ve gone mad.”

  “Come on. You and I both know what my signing bonus was. It was five times that amount. I’m happy to give it back, if the studio can’t or won’t come up with it.”

  Ned studied Chad. “You’d pay them out of your signing bonus?”

  “Yeah,” Chad said, softly.

  Ned finally nodded, in agreement. “Let me make some calls. It’s not too far out of reach.”

  “Great! Make the calls, make it happen, and have Terrance make an announcement to the girls. I want to see how they react. Still have those secret cameras in place around the property?”

  “Of course.” Ned grinned.

  “Okay, I’m heading back to my place to get ready for tonight. But before I go out on my date, I want to see what the girls’ reactions are to their potential opportunities, here, in the editing bay.”

  “Okay. I’ll text you if it all comes through.”

  Two hours later, the details were set. Ned had received final approval, and the studio executives loved it. Ned was given a budget to take care of whatever was needed, in order to make this the most sensational ending in ‘Broadcast Affair’ history.

  Chad sat in the production bay, eyes peeled to the monitors waiting to see what the girls’ reactions would be to the next surprise.

  “In five, four, three,” Janie whispered her count- down to Terrance. They were standing outside the front door, getting ready to make a grand entrance.

  As Terrance pushed through the door, he watched all three girls’ faces fall.

  “Uh oh,” Brandy said, under her breath. “This is never good.”

  “Hey girls.” Terrance stepped down into the living area, and casually sat on a stool near them.

  Janie and the crew followed him in, waiting for the girl’s reactions.

  “This is so exciting,” she whispered to her camera man, Toby, who nodded in return.

  Brooklyn cocked her head at Terrance, and cut her eyes to the door before asking, “Um, where’s Chad? Do we still have a date today?”

  “I’m not sure about any dates, but I do have these.” Terrance pulled three cards from his pocket.

  “Oh, no.” Brooklyn’s heart fell. After Chad sent Staci home - and with Anne leaving, nothing was certain anymore. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing bad. In fact, it could be great.” He fanned the envelopes out like cards, and offered them to the girls.

  “Is there elimination tonight?” Treana bit her lip, staring at the stack of cards, not wanting to take one.

  “I don’t know,” Terrance replied, and pushed the cards toward the girls. “Trust me. You’ll like it.”

  All three jumped up, and looked for their names on the envelope. They quickly tore them open, with the promise of something good, and smiled when they read them.

  “This is a new twist.” Brooklyn laughed, when she read what was inside. She instantly spun in a circle on the tatami mat, envisioning herself on stage with other professional ballerinas, before plopping down on the couch.

  Treana sat down stunned. The idea of going to Japan to work for a marketing firm, plus an additional ten grand on top of it was almost too good to be true. She smiled at her card, and could think of nothing else.

  Brandi brought her eyes up from her card, and glanced up to Terrance. He noticed they were misty, on the verge of tears.

  “Is this true?” She asked him.

  “Very.” Terrance grinned.

  “Wow.” Brandi dropped to the couch, next to the other girls, in awe of the possibilities that lay in front of her.

  Chad was never more grateful that he snuck upstairs early to watch what unfolded onscreen. Each girl was practically salivating at what they read, but not yet talking with one another. He needed more.

  “Have the crew leave, so they can discuss it freely,” he said to Ned, who picked up his handset to give the order.

  They watched the monitors, as Terrance said his goodbyes and the crew left.

  “Zoom in on them,” Ned instructed his assistant, who tightened the shot from the hidden camera.

  The girls sat, in silence, as the crew left. Each one seemed dumbfounded over what had transpired.

  “What just happened?” Treana was the first to speak.

  “What does yours say?” Brooklyn asked, to which Treana offered her the notecard to read.

  After they read each other’s notes, Brandi finally spoke up. “I think I need a drink. I mean what if I’m chosen at the end? I have to give up on my dream?”

  Chad looked to Ned, whose eyes were gleaming. “See,” Chad said, happy to see the true colors

  shining already.

  “Shhh …They’re about to speak again.”

  Both immediately tuned back into the screen, to see what else transpired.

  Brandi juggled three tall glasses with her hands, as if she were a professional bartender. Each one was poured to the brim with a frozen liqueur.

  “Here.” She set them down on the coffee table and plopped down.

  The three girls hastily took a drink and sat back, wondering what was to come next.

  “What would you do in the end, if it came to it?” Treana asked to no one in particular, waiting for either one to answer.

  Both Brandi and Brooklyn widened their eyes, and grimaced.

  Brooklyn spoke up first. “I hate to say it, but I’m with Brandi. It would be wrong to give up on our dreams, if that’s what we real
ly want.” She took another sip, before continuing. “I mean … unless Chad is your dream. Then if you’re the last one standing – it’s a bonus. You’ve gained him.”

  Treanna tossed her head back on the couch and slipped down to lay into Brooklyn’s side. All three girls cuddled in and dreamed of ‘what if’.

  “I am not sure if having a few dates with Chad would be worth giving up my dream. I mean he’s awesome. He’s handsome and funny. What girl wouldn’t be happy with him? But come on … just how serious is he about this process? What if I take a chance on him, only to be given the boot a few weeks later … when I could have had my dream?” Treana asked, eyes wide.

  “Did you see that the card only gave a prize to second and third? So if you’re picked …” Brooklyn paused and looked around, hoping no one heard what was coming next. She whispered to the other girls, in a hushed tone. “You’re screwed.”

  Chad had heard enough. He knew now where the three girl’s loyalties lay, and now more than ever he knew he needed to go after Anne.

  Ned sensed a switch in Chad’s mood, and looked to him wondering what was going through his head. He quietly said, “None of that sounded good for you, dude.”

  “No, it was good. Now I know what I need to do,” he said, reassured.

  He stood from the chair and headed for the door.

  “So what’s next?”

  “I have to find Anne.” Chad grinned. His heart was full. If anything, this exercise was one of affirmation that his heart was right all along.

  “As long as we’re part of the process, right,” Ned asked.

  Chad nodded, and headed for the stairwell. He didn’t even worry about the girls seeing him walk out the door.

  He swung around the bottom of the stairwell, gave them a short wave, and walked out the door.

  To the girl’s it looked like goodbye, and all three sat, apprehensive of what it meant.

  Brooklyn yelled, “Wait!”

  They scampered out the door, desperate to reach him before he left in his jeep.

  “Chad,” Treana hollered at him, and opened his passenger door. “Where are you going?”

  He turned to face the girls, without a spec of guilt. He knew that all three would be fine without winning in the end.

  In fact, he decided to pay for the third gift, in case the studio wouldn’t kick in for the additional consolation prize. They were all great girls, and deserved something special.

  “I’m going to find Anne,” he said simply, before starting the engine.

  “What?” Brandi sputtered. “Why? She left.”

  “I’ve made my choice. She’s it. And you guys are great, but you made it clear your dream was not standing with me in the end … which is okay, because I’ve only really wanted Anne to begin with. She’s the one,” he said, happy to finally divulge it.

  All three girls stood quiet, but not surprised. The energy between the two was undeniable. And all three, although loved Anne, thought she was the one to beat on this show.

  “I’m sorry,” Treana said softly. “I hope you find her.”

  “Where is she?” Brandi asked, still unclear of how this all transpired.

  Before he could answer, Treana interrupted, “And how will we know which of the three of us were number two and three. Number one doesn’t get her dream fulfilled.”

  Chad rolled his eyes, smiling. “You all three will get them.”

  He could almost imagine Ned having a conniption up in the production bay, as he heard Chad promise something he hadn’t asked for yet. “And to answer your question Brandi… I don’t know where she is. I’m hoping someone on the staff will. I’m going back to my place, down the shore to say good bye to my mom and sis, and then take steps to find her.”

  Chad looked for the camera crew, which should have been packing their gear to follow him home, but instead, they were running down the drive, as a small compact car drove up. He hoped with all his might, it was Anne returning with a change of heart.

  Ned got the call at about the same time that Chad was walking out his door, with the news that Grace Aundine had driven on set. He was almost salivating with the prospect of what she would do to his ratings.

  He and production crew knew they had a gold mine, with the sensationalism that will follow these last few episodes, let alone this one … with the appearance of Grace.

  He could picture the headlines now – missing heiress shows up on Broadcast Affair. He jumped up to run downstairs, he couldn’t sit to watch this from behind closed doors.

  The last three contestants turned to see what the commotion was about, just as Chad jumped out in hopes it was Anne.

  His face quickly fell when he saw not only that it wasn’t her, but some spoiled heiress showing up on set. He’d seen Grace at different events, back in L.A., and knew she was always splashed on the cover of some gossip rag.

  After his run in with Timberly, the last thing he needed was another diva on-set.

  He watched as a large muscular guy unfolded out of the beat up compact car, and rounded the front, to open her door.

  “Hi!” Treanna ran over, anxious to see what brought Grace Aundine on-set with her bodyguard, wondering why they weren’t in a limo.

  She looked the car over, but quickly ignored it when she realized she was within a foot of Grace.

  “Hi,” Grace responded in kind, but immediately looked to Chad, and said, “Can we talk?”

  Chad, already confused and frustrated, had no desire to deal with anyone or thing that was not part of his main mission, which was to find Anne. But he slowly conceded, when he saw the desperate look in her eyes.

  “Sure. Girls, excuse us?” He smiled and extended his arm to Grace.

  As her bodyguard put a protective arm around Grace, he quickly understood there was a different dynamic between the two than bodyguard and starlet. This overgrown man looked to be claiming his territory, as he wrapped his arm around her tiny waist.

  Treana glanced to Brandi with a smile. “I guess he’s not the hired muscle after all.”

  She immediately got a frown in return and giggled at his response.

  “Oooh - he bites.” Brooklyn looked at him from under her lashes.

  Grace wanted to give the three a dirty look, but dealing with girl drama was not why she was here. She needed to find Anne.

  Chad led the couple around the back of the home, to sit near the pool.

  “Have a seat.” He smiled, and pulled out a lounge chair for Grace. “I’m Chad.”

  “I know,” she said quietly, and looked to her boyfriend, Burke.

  Chad looked at the exchange between the two, and waited.

  Burke leaned in and spoke for her. “This is going to be a surprise, but Grace … is Anne’s sister, and we’re looking for her.”

  Chad sat back, dumbfounded.

  “W-what? So you’re the sister, who went missing? The one she left to find?” Chad’s heart had lodged into his throat. If only Anne had waited one more day … if only he’d insisted on it.

  “You’re kidding? She what? She left … to find me?” She grabbed Chad’s hand, and squeezed it tight.

  “Now, wait a minute.” Chad slowly pulled his hand away from Grace’s grasp. Before he answered, he needed some clarification on how the two really were related.

  “Anne’s last name is LaSal. You’re an Aundine,” he said, desperately. “How is that possible?”

  “It’s a long story, but to shorten it up … our parents were killed a long time ago.”

  “That much I know,” he interrupted.

  “Our grandparents took us in. And … after she was old enough to leave their house, she changed her name back to LaSal. She wanted a normal life,” Grace said sadly.

  Chad’s heart filled with empathy for the woman he loved. He held a whole new appreciation for Anne. Not only did she suffer the loss of both her parents, but she had to learn how to strike it on her own … with some normalcy after living in a world completely foreign to how she was
raised.

  If Grace hadn’t shown up, he never would have guessed Anne were a part of that world, one of glamour. Anne was very unassuming, and he couldn’t imagine she’d fit very well in Grace’s world.

  However, with the way Grace arrived, in a very average car and with someone, whom seemed to be someone completely unrefined … he had to admit she, too, was completely opposite from the Grace he’d known of through the media and entertainment circles.

  This Grace … today … didn’t seem like she fit very well in that world either.

  “Well, if truth be told. As you were pulling up … I was about to go find her.”

  “Find her? You don’t know where she is?” Grace’s heart skipped a beat.

  Ned had slipped around the house unnoticed, and stood behind the camera crew, who was set up next the back patio. He stood listening to what they were discussing not sure what was to come next.

  Although shocked of the family relation, as it was never uncovered in her initial application for the show, he was grateful for this fortuitous twist. However, now that all three remaining contestants were now officially labeled losers … he had a show to produce.

  He stepped onto the back patio and quickly offered a suggestion.

  “If I might ...” He cleared his throat and waited for the camera to pan in his direction. “When Anne left yesterday – I had Janie take her to whichever hotel she chose. I am sure if one of you asks her, she can point you in the right direction.”

  Chad glared across the patio to Ned. “Were you going to tell me that, or let me flounder my way through trying to find her?”

  Ned looked like a kid, who got his hand caught in the cookie jar. “I hadn’t made up my mind yet.”

  “Well, let’s go get her!” Chad jumped up.

  Grace’s heart leapt for joy, but wasn’t sure about the show being a part of her reunion. She laid her hand on Chad’s arm, hoping he’d listen to her.

  “Please. I’ve not seen my sister since I was a young child. I know I have limited time before any of this airs, and the media catches wind of it all. If I could have some privacy when I go see my sister?” Grace’s eyes pleaded with urgency.

  There was nothing more than he wanted than to be with Anne today, but he knew what Anne needed was to be with her sister.