First Date (21 page)

“I’ve missed you too.” Addy put the last of her clothes away. “Now let’s go find some food. I’m starving.”

Chapter 36

A
ddy, over here.”

She heard the voice but couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

“Addy,” she heard again.

Looking toward the sound, she only saw a row of trailers. From the door of the farthest trailer, a hand motioned for her to come in.

“Go on.” Kara pushed Addy toward the door. “But I want to hear all about it.”

Kara walked toward the catering tables and Addy walked forward. Jonathon greeted her from inside.

Addy stepped up into the trailer and looked around. The room was dark, with a large portable screen at the far end. Below the screen sat a table that held equipment Addy had never seen before. Knobs and dials and little computer screens, flanked by larger computer monitors and speakers of every shape. A huge whiteboard calendar hung to her left, the words written on it completely illegible. Crushed soda cans, half-empty pizza boxes, and yellow Post-it notes covered every surface in the room.

“What is this place?”

“The editing room.” Jonathon stood. “Nice to see you too.”

“I’m sorry, Jonathon. It is nice to see you. How was your week off?”

“Not exactly a week off.” He motioned for Addy to sit down. “I had some major tests to take and several baseball games to play.”

“How did it all go?”

“Really well. But I’m glad graduation is just a couple of months away.” He stretched. “I’m getting too old for this.”

“So this is where you come to relax, huh?” Addy remembered their conversation on her way to the Nashville airport.

“I love this stuff.” Jonathon flipped a button and all the moniters in the room came on. He keyed in a few commands, then Addy saw a clip of herself skiing at the lake with Lexi. And Spencer.

“Impressive.” Jonathon watched the screen as Addy dropped her ski and jumped the waves. “Do you think you could teach me how to do that?”

Addy’s heart raced. “I don’t know if I’m a very good teacher. I’ve tried to show Lexi how to do that, and she still can’t do it.”

“And Lexi is . . . ?”

“My best friend.” Addy pointed to the screen. “Right there.”

“I see.” Jonathon pointed to Spencer. “And that? Who is he?”

“He’s . . . a friend.”

“Would this friend mind if you taught me how to ski?”

“What?”

Jonathon blushed, and Addy thought it was the cutest thing she’d ever seen. “I mean, is he a boyfriend or just a friend friend?”

Is Jonathon Jackson actually acting shy around
me
? Is he jealous?
Addy tried to take a deep breath so she wouldn’t hyperventilate.

“Just a friend. Really, more of a classmate than a friend. There’s nothing to be . . . I mean . . .”

“Good.” Jonathon leaned closer to Addy. “Because I spent a lot of my week thinking about you. When I saw this footage, I thought that . . . Well, you’re a great girl. A guy would be crazy not to be interested. But I was hoping I still had a chance.”

Oh, Lord, please let this not be a dream. I will be so upset to have to wake up from this. Jonathon Jackson is actually interested in me? Me?

“Addy?”

“Yes, yes, you definitely have . . . I’m . . .”
Just one sentence. Can I just speak one complete sentence here? He’s going to think I am an idiot
.

“So you’ll teach me how to ski with one ski?”

“Slalom,” Addy said.

“What?”

“It’s called slalom skiing.”

“Okay. So will you teach me to slalom?” Jonathon was so close Addy could see the stubble on his face.
He is beautiful
.

“Yes, I’ll teach you how to slalom.”
You just might have to remind me to breathe
.

“Great.” Jonathon sat back up and Addy exhaled. “But let’s keep this between us, if that’s all right.”

“The skiing lesson?”

“No, this talk.” Jonathon looked into Addy’s eyes and smiled.

“Yes, this . . . sure . . . I’ll see you later.” Addy stood to walk away and, for a moment, feared her legs would give way beneath her.

Chapter 37

G
ood evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to tonight’s special episode of
The Book of Love
.” Hank looked into the camera and smiled. Addy and the other girls sat, once again, in their spots on the front lawn. “Tonight we’ll see each of the Top Fifteen in their hometowns. And when the show ends, the phone lines will open for you to vote for Jonathon Jackson’s Top Ten.”

The girls clapped as Hank walked in front of them. He continued to talk about the week, and Addy replayed her time in the editing room with Jonathon.

Best. Day. Ever
.

Addy looked up to see the first of the packages being shown. Each girl would have a ninety-second package.
That sounds so short
, Addy thought. But after seeing the first few, she knew a lot could be fit into a ninety-second clip.

Jessica was first, smiling and crying as she showed America her hometown of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“This is where my sisters and I used to spend our days in the winter, sledding down this hill over and over again, until our mom made us come in to get warmed up.”

A parade was given in her honor and the mayor of Colorado Springs named Jessica its citizen of the year. Jessica’s home—a huge ranch with a view of Pikes Peak—was filled with friends and family who were thrilled to see her.

“I have the best family in the world,” Jessica cried for the camera. “I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

After the package, Jessica, once more wiping tears from her eyes, expressed how grateful she was for all the people in Colorado Springs who loved her and came out to support her last week.

“Is there anything else you want to tell them?” Hank urged.

“Oh yes.” Jessica looked straight into the camera and folded her hands together. “I almost forgot. Vote for me. Please!”

Lila was next. Wearing a traditional grass skirt, she led the cameras around a luxurious luau given in her honor. Pigs were roasted, women danced, and the beach was filled with fans chanting Lila’s name.

“No one deserves to win as much as this Hawaiian jewel.” Lila’s cousin hugged the beauty and the crowd around the luau roared their approval.

“Thank you, Lila,” Hank said to the camera. “Next we have Kara McKormick, returning to her hometown of Smithtown, New York.”

Kara’s homecoming was as fun and dramatic as Kara was. Her family met her at the airport in a limo and drove her all through Long Island, her torso hanging out the sunroof as she waved at the people lined along the streets of her hometown.

Kara’s classmates threw a party in her honor at Theodore Roosevelt’s vacation home.

Mr. McKormick even earned some airtime there.

“Look at this.” He pointed to the turn-of-the-century mansion. “We are here at a former president’s home celebrating our current president and his son. Fitting, I think. Jonathon, I know you’re watching this. You can’t do better than my girl here.”

“Pop, America picks now, not Jonathon.” Kara laughed as her father pulled her into an even tighter hug.

“Then, America, you pick my girl Kara. She’s the best daughter a man could ask for.”

The camera cut away, but not before Mr. McKormick produced a handkerchief and wiped his eyes.

Addy, seated next to her friend, squeezed Kara’s leg. “I love your dad.”

“Me too,” Kara said.

Addy’s package was twelfth in the lineup.
Not very exciting
.
Mrs. Hawthorne stole the whole show with her cupid getup, though. Even Hank had to laugh at that
.

Out of the corner of her eye, Addy saw Lila yawning.
So maybe my life isn’t the most exciting. But I love it. I love it, God. Thank you for taking me out long enough for me to see how wonderful it is
.

The evening’s show finished and the girls stood in a semicircle around Hank.

“Call or text your votes tonight, and tune in tomorrow for the next chapter of . . .”

The Top Fifteen all leaned in and shouted, “
The Book of Love
.”

Chapter 38

O
n Friday, having been given the morning and afternoon off, Addy decided to sneak away to her favorite spot in the woods. Uncle Mike had just returned from his trip, and she had sent word through Eric for him to meet her there.

“Over here!” Addy watched as Mike stomped through the forest, removed his backpack, and sat down. He pulled out a couple of sandwiches, a bag of chips, and two huge bottles of water, then spread a plastic red-and-white-checked tablecloth on the ground.

The two prayed, and Addy began to eat her sandwich—turkey with Swiss cheese and spiced mustard. Her favorite.

“Looks like you had a nice trip home,” Mike said.

“You saw the show last night?”

“Are you kidding?” Mike wiped mayonnaise off his mouth. “When I told those recruits I worked with whose uncle I was, they insisted we make it home in time to watch it.”

“You watched
The Book of Love
with a bunch of soldiers?”

“Sure did. And they loved every minute of it.”

“I missed you at home.”

“I missed you too, Addy-girl.” Mike patted Addy’s leg. “Everything going all right? Any more problems with Hank?”

Addy shook her head. “He hasn’t spoken much to me in the last week or so. I know he’s still upset that I’m here. He hates that.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“He wants to be in charge of everything,” Addy said. “Can you believe he allowed some of the parents to pay to have their daughters put on this show?”

“I can believe just about anything about that man.” Mike finished off his sandwich. “He is one piece of work. And it seems like we both have the same effect on him. He hates me too. Must be something in our genes.”

“I thought no one was supposed to know we’re related?”

“No one does—don’t worry,” Mike said. “But I got off the van for my first day of work and went up and introduced myself to Hank. He looked at me like I was from another planet. Asked me if I was aware he was the host. I said I was and I was happy to meet him.” Mike shook his head and snorted. “Later, one of the guards told me no one talks to Hank. ‘Speak only if spoken to,’ I was told. Can you believe that? He thinks everyone around him should cower in his presence, like his job makes him a better man than the rest of us.” Mike was getting mad now. “I can’t stand it when people think that.”

“Calm down, Uncle Mike. It can’t be that bad.”

He looked sideways at Addy with an “Are you kidding me?” stare. “Hank’s made sure to ridicule and patronize me every day since. Treating me like some ignorant little rookie.”

“Be good now, Uncle Mike. You’re here to help
me
, remember?” She laughed.

“I know. But I’m human too, girl, and that guy just rubs me the wrong way. Do you know he walked up to me in the cafeteria when I was praying and started speaking to me? My eyes were closed. He didn’t care. He just picked up my name tag and started telling me what to do. I was so mad. I kept my trap shut, but that was just by the grace of God. Wouldn’t look good to punch a man right after you say ‘Amen.’”

“You know”—Addy put her arm around his shoulder—“a wise man once told me it’s the meanest ones who need love the most.”

He kissed the top of Addy’s head. “Using my own words against me, huh? Well, all right. You got me. I’ll try to be nice. But it sure isn’t easy.”

“You’re telling me.”

“Ah, well, I don’t think things can get worse, right?”

Addy started packing up their things. “You’d better be careful, Uncle Mike. Those sound like famous last words.”

Chapter 39

L
ater that day the Top Ten would be announced. Nausea swept over Addy in a wave, and she ran to the bathroom, barely making it in time. As she weaved her way back to bed, Kara looked up, frowning.

“Addy, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t feel well.” She collapsed onto her bed, pulling the covers over her in an attempt to warm her freezing body.

“Hang on.” Kara jumped up from her bed and placed a cold hand on Addy’s forehead. “You’re burning up.” She grabbed her cell phone from her nightstand. “I’m calling Eric to get you to a doctor.”

“No.” Addy was shaking, every inch of her body hurting. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep. Forever.

In ten minutes Kara had dressed Addy and handed her off to Eric, who “happened” to request Mike guard Addy for the day.

Kara had found a bucket for Addy to bring with her in the truck on the way to the hospital. Mike tried desperately to weave in and out of mid-morning traffic on I-24 so he could get Addy to the hospital as quickly as possible. The motion made Addy feel worse, but she barely had the energy to raise her head to the bucket. The open window next to her didn’t help at all. Addy felt as if she were moving in slow motion, on the bottom of an icy ocean with weights tied to her feet.