Runner Up

by Leah Banicki

You be safe, I am now checking the weather in Alaska daily like a crazy person. You stay warm and dry.

  Cannot wait to see you, we will get you all moved in. But first, you will have a vacation on us. No worries and no paparazzi, just crazy fun family.

  Love you sweetie,

  Ruby P.

  I grinned as I read. I felt her exuberance through her words. I could see her dancing around the living room and working her hardest to keep the news private. She really was a gem.

  * * * * *

  Five days later I was in Anchorage. The city was showing off in the fading light and I had my camera with me to take advantage of it. It felt like a big city with the minor change that late winter brings with the wispy clouds and the snow drifts. I took a few cityscape pictures earlier when I rented a helicopter for an hour tour around the city. I was strapped into a harness with the door open, getting amazing shots that were unblocked by a window. I had done this many times for clients and it was always exhilarating.

  I felt tired and a cold was sneaking up on me. I had one day before my flight back to New York. I had so many wonderful pictures and I was ready for a great meal. Then, a walk back to my hotel room. I wanted to catch up with everyone after I spent the last few days traveling. Three small planes, two snowmobile runs with Blake and his wife, and today was a helicopter tour. I filled up so many memory cards on my camera it would take me weeks to get through it all. I suddenly felt overwhelmed at all I had to do.

  My ‘to do’ list was long, be a bridesmaid in a wedding, move to Michigan, finish this massive job and all of this had to be finished in four short weeks. I had already talked to Allison this morning and I booked my flight leaving New York behind on July 1st, no looking back. I just hoped my short stay in the Big Apple would be peaceful. I just couldn’t stand the thought of more TV show drama.

  I took a deep cleansing breath as I walked the streets of Anchorage. I chickened out of eating at a restaurant alone and headed back to my hotel room, after I bought gifts from a few stores. I knew little Kyle would love a stuffed moose. I got a cute designer top for his older sister Tina, something that was covered in sparkles. She would love it. I got Ruby a gorgeous throw rug with an elk on it. It was right up her alley. Her home is very rustic and earthy like her brother’s home.

  For Jackson I struggled finding him a gift this time. After the awkward gift giving we shared last time, I was afraid we would have even more trouble with this next round.

  I lucked out when I found an Alaska snow globe, it was large, expensive and heavy but the wolves inside were designed beautifully. For a minute I wasn’t sure if I would be willing to give it away, I figured the best gifts were the ones you secretly wanted to keep.

  He will love this! I said to myself but secretly I knew the best present somehow would be when I told him I was moving back and would be a nearby neighbor.

  Ruby sent a picture of the little rental cottage and a map of Stone Lake. It showed me how close I would be to Jackson’s Bliss Cabin, “A minute or two by boat across the lake, maybe 3 minutes by car.” Ruby wrote.

  Yea, I was pretty happy. I was not sure why I hadn't told him yet. Maybe I was just waiting until I could tell him without it sounding so weird. I had been telling him over and over in my head and it sounded very needy and kind of weird.

  I was guessing that it would be over soon. I don’t want him to find out when I arrive, 'hey neighbor'. I don’t think that would be very fair.

  I would call him tonight and tell him.

  * * * * *

  After dinner I grabbed my cell. It had been charging near the bed. I kept glancing while I was eating the dinner I ordered from room service. I knew I was catching a cold. I thought it was from the other day when I stayed with Blake and his wife and went snowmobiling; I got really cold and wet and was tired after staying up all night playing cards. It was fun but I felt a bit foolish now. I took a couple ibuprofen and steeled up my courage to call Jackson. I hadn’t heard his voice since I left.

  His email and Facebook messages had been so fun and light and I needed that from him, but tonight I felt like I wanted to make up for what I did to him when he gave me the bracelet. The kiss had been such a bad idea then, but now it seemed a much better thought. My heart healed rapidly in that hideaway in the Alaska Mountains. This had been a way for me to finally get the junk out my head and face the challenges of life after reality TV.

  I felt that my second chance was coming around and I would jump on board before the opportunity disappeared.

  I scrolled through my address book until I saw his name on my iPhone and worked up the nerve to hit send.

  It rang.

  "Hello Beautiful." His voice sounded amazing, my phone didn’t have the best reception today and yet I was grinning hearing his “hello.”

  "Hi Zee, I hope you are well." Argh, small talk.

  "How is Alaska treating you? You ready to get back to the mainland yet?" He asked, so politely.

  "I am not sure how long this connection will last so I wanted to tell you something." I said to get my own courage up.

  "Hannah, you can tell me anything."

  "I am moving to Michigan in July." I blurted it out.

  "Please repeat that, you were breaking up."

  "I am moving to Michigan in July." I said louder nearly laughing.

  "Wait, let me sit down, you are moving here?" His voice cracked a little.

  "Yep, Ruby is renting me her little cottage on the lake. I just couldn’t stand the thought of living in New York again. I hope you won't mind if we are neighbors."

  "Well, as long as you don’t throw loud parties... and not invite me." Jackson said. He laughed nervously. "I can't tell you how happy this makes me."

  "It makes me pretty happy too. I'd like to say something else if I can be brave enough."

  "Okay." He urged.

  "When I kissed you two weeks ago I wasn't ready. I am sorry I put you through that. But if you wouldn't object, next time I see you, we can try that again." There was silence on the line and I thought for a second that we got disconnected.

  "You have made me very happy man." Jackson sounded cheerful. That was a good sign.

  I could actually see his big grin while he was saying it.

  "I just wanted you to know. I have really missed you Jackson." I said, feeling a little braver.

  "Say it again." He said slowly, devastatingly.

  "I have missed you Jackson."

  "I am not sure I can wait to see you. I suddenly have an urge for some fresh Alaska lobster." His voice was serious.

  "I am leaving in eight hours. That would be pretty ridiculous." I teased him.

  "Well, when can I see you?" He asked, his tone all business.

  "July 1st, I already have my flight. You can pick me up in Chicago." I was happy he wanted to see me now, I was scared that maybe he had lost interest when I left. I should have known better.

  "That won't work. I want to kiss you now."

  "Well, Jackson, I need to go, but all I can say is I hope I am worth the wait." I said, when my hotel phone rang.

  "Darling, I will wait." The endearment went straight to my head more than any champagne had ever done.

  "Zee, I will call you when I get to New York. We will talk all you want until I get to see you again." I said, my heart a bit light, I didn’t want to go but I needed sleep.

  The moment of silence was long. The hotel phone rang again.

  "Goodbye Hannah. This talk is not over. Have sweet dreams."

  "Bye Zee. You, too."

  I ended the call and felt like a teenager for a second. I answered the hotel phone and it was confirming my check out time in the early morning.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about what I said to Jackson. I was so glad I was brave and told him what was on my heart. I still could not believe I basically told him that I was going to kiss him the next time we met. That was not in my character at all.

  I am the ‘wait for the guy to make the move kind of girl.�
� I laughed a little to myself, it tickled my throat and I started to cough. Uh oh!

  I was too happy to let a sore throat and cough bring me down. I attacked my bag of travel goodies and found some cold medicine and some vitamins. I called room service and ordered a glass of orange juice and some hot tea.

  I called my mom and talked for a few minutes after I took my meds and vitamins. She had known since this morning about my plans to move closer to them. She did a little teasing about being closer to a certain author but I accepted it willingly. I was not saying anything yet. The relationship with Zee was a very pleasant flirtation. I didn’t want to jinx it by making it out to be more than it was. But in my heart I knew it was a tangible thing. It had just enough substance to make me scared and happy.

  Chapter 22

  By morning my little cough and sore throat had turned into a full blown yucky cold. My shoulders were achy and I was feeling feverish. I was glad I had a first class ticket from my client. I planned on sleeping through the long flight. Dragging my sorry sick self through the airport wasn't much fun but I got through it. Once my meds kicked in I was only mildly miserable. The flight attendants were very kind to me once they heard me coughing. I tried to hold it back but whenever I spoke, the tickle got a little too much to handle. I apologized profusely to the other first class fliers but all of them were polite. Several pulled out the over-the-counter vitamin cocktail that was specifically designed for the germ sharing environments like this. I said a prayer for all of them that my plague wouldn't spread.

  I slept better after the flight attendant loaded me with a few extra blankets and a hot tea that felt heavenly on my throat. I was a bit nervous about whether I would snore with my stuffy nose, but the flight attendant assured me later that I hadn't.

  She shook me awake about ten minutes before landing. I groggily stared at the aisle for a minute or two before being aware of what was happening, but I acclimated and gathered myself, and put the folded blankets next to me. The flight was basically a blur. I dragged myself off the plane, gathered my luggage and headed to the door. I got a quick text from Allison saying her exact location and off we went.

  I must have looked a pitiful site because when Allison arrived she immediately pouted at me, sympathetically.

  "Hannah, you look beautiful and terrible." Allison stated and grabbed for luggage.

  I gave her a weak smile. I tried to say thank you but hacked and coughed instead.

  Allison went into mothering mode and I accepted it gladly. Slowly I shuffled into a taxi and then arrived at the apartment within an hour. For New York that was a miracle for that time of day.

  "Let me drag your sorry butt to the couch and I will throw your luggage in your room. If I see you move other than to use the bathroom, you are dead meat!" Allison threatened.

  I laughed at her evil glare and started hacking again. I gave up the fight and lay on the couch and grabbed the nearest fuzzy blanket. A girl's apartment was not complete without at least ten fuzzy blankets, in various colors.

  Allison worked wonders serving me tea and hot broth on a tray within fifteen minutes. She ran around the apartment primping and fussing over me then talked to her fiancé Jason and got him in on the action. After an hour, the doorbell rang and he was at the door with popsicles, ice cream, pudding and all sorts of comfort foods. He even brought fresh brownies from my favorite bakery down the street. Okay, Allison found a keeper. I told them both, repeatedly, how much I appreciated the pampering.

  I forced them both to take as many vitamins as they could stand. They did, I seriously didn’t need them getting sick during the last few weeks before their wedding.

  “I don’t need that kind of guilt.” I told them, in between coughs.

  I took a nap on the couch after I ate several samples of the comfort food. Allison and Jason went to the other room and did some wedding planning while I slept. Before falling asleep, I made a mental note about my friend and her man, they were very cute together.

  After I woke up, I waddled to the bathroom. I found some throat spray and then wandered to the kitchen to heat some more water. There was a note that said Allison would be right back after work. I only to make a call and she would send in reinforcements. She had everything ready, tea on the counter, soup in the fridge, ready to be poured in a pan and reheated. I was very thankful.

  After another round of tea and medicine I felt well enough to talk without coughing. I decided to call Jackson back.

  I wasn't sure how much I could talk but I wanted to hear his voice again. I found my purse and my cell phone. I hit the send and it only rang twice.

  "Hey Hannah." Jackson sounded so happy.

  "Hey Jackson," I said, my voice a scratchy mess.

  "Oh no, are you sick Beautiful?" his voice sounded immediately concerned.

  "Yes, I overdid it a few days ago with an all-night card game then a very cold ride on a snowmobile. I should have known better. I have strict rules while traveling. My company was fun and we got carried away. I usually get sick when I combine no sleep with arctic weather." All the talking was hurting my throat, sending me into more coughing, argh, this isn't going well.

  "Darling you shouldn't be talking, we should switch to chatting if you are up for it.” He paused and I heard some scuffling on his end of the line. “This is what I want from you. Can you give me the number for your roommate?" Jackson finally said.

  "Yes, she has been doing such a great job taking care of me, she has to work the late shift tonight at the New York Library, but she will send her fiancé to check on me." I didn’t want him thinking I wasn’t being taken care of.

  "Oh no concern, you have told me about your room-mate, she seems like a sweet girl. I just wanted to know how I could help out from here. I will ask her to make sure you are resting. I don’t want to text or call if you are sleeping sweet pea." His voice was charming when he was worried about me.

  "I will find my laptop and get on soon, Zee. If you aren’t online I will just send you a message." I coughed for a minute more. Every word I said was shredding my throat. He was right, I did not need to be talking.

  "Ok. Not another word from you. You text me her number and I will chat online with you when you feel up to it. No worries, if you feel too gross and need to sleep okay?" I liked this side of Jackson, taking charge of the situation. I was wished he was here with me to hold my hand. I would try not to pout.

  I sent a text with Alli’s phone number and then thanked him for being so sweet. My head was a bit foggy, I laid my head down for a minute, and without further ado, I was asleep.

  I woke up and the dark room freaked me out. Where am I?

  I sat up and realized that I was in New York. I walked slowly to the bedroom. I was pleased to see my luggage was already open next to the bed and my laptop was sitting on my desk charging. Half of my clothes were already put away or in the hamper. Allison deserved a gift. I changed into the comfiest jammies I could find, then an extra fluffy purple sweater that didn’t match but was my favorite fuzzy thing. That was my ultimate comfort sweater. Everyone had one. I mused.

  I grabbed my laptop, the charging cord and a pair of slipper socks. Just moving made my head pound and I was counting the steps in my head until I could sit back down on the couch, I was already devising a plot involving several pillows that would allow me to be half-sitting, half laying on the couch so I could chat with people on my computer. Facebook was easier than typing everything out on my phone. I was a technology junkie but still preferred a real keyboard to a phone one.

  My laptop found a soft landing spot on the couch and I played the find-the-electric-outlet-behind-the-couch game. Sounded more fun than it was. By the time I had my charger plugged in and myself situated my headache had escalated. I noticed the cold medicine on the coffee table and an extra large water bottle waiting for me.

  Soon the over-the-counter meds helped a little, as well as the fuzzy blanket and sweater combo were making me feel comfortable. My laptop was open and I was c
asually trolling through my friends on Facebook when I saw a chat message from Ruby.

  ‘Heard you are sick sweetie.’ Ruby chatted.

  ‘Yeah, crazy times in the arctic circle.’ I responded.

  ‘Haven’t you learned to wear a coat and hat? :)’

  ‘I keep forgetting…’ I replied, enjoying her jokes. I was thinking ahead of the Fourth of July trip and how much I would enjoy her company. I was sure of it.

  ‘Take care, hope you get well soon. I will have your place all set up for you. It’s mostly furnished so you pick and choose, anything you don’t need can be stored in my husband’s storage barn. I will send digital pics this week to you. I am so excited to know you are gonna be close. I miss you already Hannah dear.’ Ruby wrote.

  Maybe it’s the cold meds but I suddenly felt a little emotional. It was nice to be missed.

  ‘I am looking forward to being home too. The city just isn’t for me anymore. I guess I am just a mid-west girl at heart.’ I typed.

  ‘Get better soon, gotta run. Kyle has been quiet too long. Makes me nervous.’ Ruby sent a smiling face.

  ‘Bye…Ruby’

  I saw Ruby was now offline and I sent a message to Jackson.

  ‘Got a nap in, am comfortable and got my laptop nearby. Will check messages. - Miss you - Hannah’

  I closed my laptop and stowed it nearby. I lay down and went back to sleep for a while. Seemed the thing to do.

  * * * * *

  When Allison returned I woke up and let her fuss over me some more, I think I thanked her too many times and she forbade me to say thank you again, after a few hours.

  The door bell rang a while later and a delivery man came in with several packages.

  Allison laughed and looked at me with an all-knowing look.

  “It’s a special delivery from Jackson Zenko.”

  I stayed quiet but gave her a grin.

  “Getting a special delivery from a best-selling author are we?” Allison signed the delivery form and set two boxes on the table and a few bags on the floor.

  I clapped my hands together as she brought me my packages.

  “There is a list to follow.” Allison looked through the stuff and grabbed the green bag first.