“It does sound vaguely familiar,” she admitted with a crooked smile. “Harley said all the right things, Josh, but I’ve been down this road before, and I am… afraid.”
“I know exactly how you feel, but you’re smarter than I was with Gabe. I don’t know why he didn’t give up on me,” I admitted to Meredith.
“He was smart and could see beneath the veneer you show the world, and he thought you were worth fighting for,” Meredith told me.
“Well, maybe Harley will feel the same way about you if you give him half the chance. How could he not be crazy about someone like you?” I asked. “You’ll always wonder what could’ve been if you don’t go on one date with the man.”
“I’m going to give it a shot,” she told me. “I’m nervous, but I’m going in with no expectations.”
“That’s my girl,” I said, pulling her into a hug.
Chaz came in through the rear door and yelled loudly, “Group hug!” It was so good to see some life return to his face. He held his arms open wide, and Meredith and I rushed him.
It had been awhile since we’d done something as simple as a group hug and it felt right. I didn’t want to be one of those people who let his friendships fade into nothingness when a new love came along. Sure, we worked together and had Sunday dinners together, but it had been awhile since the three of us did something fun together. I made a mental note to plan a date with my friends soon.
We broke up our hug and got busy setting up for the day. The rest of the staff and clients soon filed in and the day was underway before we knew it. Chaz let me know that there was a phone call for me right before my lunch break.
“Do you mind taking a message?” I asked.
Chaz smiled broadly and said, “I think you’re going to want to take the call.” He held out the phone toward me and did a little dance.
I rolled my eyes when I accepted the phone from him. “Hello, this is Jazz Roman.”
“Hello, Jazz. This is Cindy Rollins, and I’m one of the producers with Channel Eleven News. I wondered if you had a free moment to chat about an upcoming series I’m producing.”
Surprise rendered me speechless, a feat that my friends and loved ones knew was a rare occurrence. Chaz snapped his fingers in my face to snap me out of it, and I said, “Sure, now’s a good time.”
“Great,” she said cheerfully. “Channel Eleven will be producing a wedding series that will feature a wedding gown boutique owner, a caterer, a wedding planner, a photographer, a florist, and a hair stylist and makeup artist, of course. My associate producer is one of your clients and mentioned your name. She said that you have a vivacious personality and the camera will love you.”
“Me?” I asked in shock.
“Yes, you. Tabitha said that you’re amazing,” Cindy said. I knew that Tabitha worked for Channel Eleven News, but I never expected our connection to equal television time for me. Was that something that I even wanted? “Is it possible to schedule an interview with you in the next week or so?”
“I’m off on Mondays,” I told her, not quite sure what I was getting myself into.
“That’s fantastic! Can you meet me at the station at say… noon? We’ll have lunch and go over some ideas.”
“Noon sounds perfect,” I replied, still a little numb with shock.
“Great! I’ll see you then. Oh, if you don’t mind, can I have your email so I can send you my contact info in case something comes up, and you need to reschedule?”
“Sure.” I rattled off my email address and told her I’d see her on Monday. I handed the phone back to Chaz then turned to walk to the kitchenette to have a bite to eat.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Chaz said, following behind me. “What was that all about?”
I flopped down in one of the chairs at the table. “Well, it appears that Channel Eleven is interested in featuring me in a series about weddings. Tabitha recommended me,” I told Chaz.
“That’s awesome!” Chaz exclaimed.
“Is it?” I asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” he questioned. “You’d be perfect for something like that.”
“I don’t know, Chaz. It’s never been a goal of mine to be on television.”
“Just see what they have to say and get a feel for how it would go. Meeting with Cindy on Monday doesn’t equal a commitment to doing the show. Besides, she might not like you anyway.”
“Bullshit! She’s going to love me.” I had no idea if she would or not, but it sounded good.
