WLUV Box Set: Ignited, Consumed, Burned (10 page)

Well, that was a surprise. He owed Bernie a nice steak
dinner for noticing Gary’s backup battery in the newsroom and suggesting Wes
run it out to the live crew.

In the cold blizzard, Wes finally got Macy to thaw out. But
as he’d promised, he was not going to press the issue. She would be the one to
take the lead. The idea that Macy was starting to warm to him in more than just
a sexual way pulled at his heart, since somewhere along the way he’d gone from
wanting her body to wanting everything. Being there for her in her world had
given them a chance to interact in a way he’d never done with another woman. No
dinner, no drinks, just work.

He’d watched Macy run the show, make decisions, and
completely throw herself into the job at WLUV, even after he’d pretty much told
her it was a lost cause. At first he hoped to overwhelm her with their
chemistry, but now he just wanted her to see him the way he saw her: As someone
she could be with as an equal, a partner. It was all he could do not to hang on
tight and demand more from her kiss. But he had learned a lot about Miss Green
and knew that was the surest way to get her to bolt.

So Wes got out of the way and watched Macy turn Shelby into
a star. Gary, the photographer, quickly set up the live feed now that the
battery issue was solved. Macy positioned Shelby in front of the camera,
guiding her on where to stand and then going over what Shelby needed to focus
on for her report.

When the news began Wes and Macy huddled in the live truck as
Gary manned the camera outside. It was covered in plastic and Gary had both
hands on the tripod so it wouldn’t blow away.

“She looks cold as hell,” Wes commented.

“Well, she’ll have to pull it together. The viewer doesn’t
care about our problems. They care that we don’t waste their time.” Macy dialed
into the producer in the booth, “Yep, okay, just make sure you cue her. Yes,
she’s ready. Fawn can ask questions but remember even with the IFB it’s windy
as hell out here. If she can’t hear, I’ve told her how to handle it.” They
watched WLUV’s special live coverage of the storm. A double box of Fawn and
Shelby popped up on screen. Fawn smoothly tossed to Shelby and Gary pointed to
her.

Okay kid, this is it
, Wes felt his stomach knot up.
He hoped the rookie reporter had the stuff. It was painful to watch her
flounder on air the last time.

Half a second seemed like a minute.

“Come on kiddo.” Macy murmured at the screen and stared at
it intently as if she were mentally willing Shelby to do well, to have confidence,
to deliver the facts she’d gathered.

“Thanks, Fawn, I’m live over I-96 on the western portion of
Kent County and as you can see if we pan the camera over here, there is a semi
jack-knifed in the westbound lane.”

Macy and Wes were silent for a moment, making sure Shelby
continued to roll, and she did, like the pro she was becoming before their
eyes. She described the conditions, hunkered down to show the ice on the
pavement of the overpass, and even described the feel of the biting wind.

As Shelby talked they could see her gain confidence, each
word surer than the one before.

“Atta girl…” Macy clapped her mitten-covered hands.

And then Macy put her hand up to Wes, he returned her
mittened high five with one of his own.

He moved behind her and she leaned back into him as they
watched what was unfolding outside the window.

“Do not get any ideas. This is merely for warmth.” Macy was
caught up in the excitement of the success they were having and surprised Wes
by letting him put his arms around her.

“I understand. And just so we’re clear, if we get stranded
out here, I will eat you. Gorgeous.” Wes whispered in her ear. He couldn’t
restrain
all
his impulses to goad Macy. She gave him a little hip check
and he was fairly certain he had a smile like a ten-year-old kid on his face.

“Okay, enough of this warm fuzzy bullshit. This hit’s up. I
need to make sure she gets warm and gets different content for the next one.”
And just that fast Macy was out of the van and into the blizzard.

For over four hours, it went like that. Macy would lightly
coach Shelby; Shelby would do the live shots, work with Gary, and get
interviews. Between shots, Macy mother-henned both Gary and Shelby, making sure
they warmed up in the van as much as possible. She also showed Wes how to send
video back to the station and it became one of his jobs to send the fresh video
Gary shot to WLUV.

Wes also trudged to the lone gas station that was open on
the other side of the highway exit for sandwiches and a vat of coffee. It was
tough to eat with mittens on, but they did it—it was too cold not to!

In Wes’s entire adult life, he’d never been a part of the process
or contributed to a finished product. He’d managed, acquired, analyzed,
consolidated, and outmaneuvered. But to be there at the most basic level of a
business he owned? Not once, ever. It thrilled him and made him think about
what he’d missed out on all these years without knowing it.

 As the last report of the night wound down and Shelby
wrapped up her interview with a sheriff, Wes finally understood why the Happy
Billionaire sent him here. It wasn’t an exile at all. It was an epiphany.

**

Macy was so stinking happy about Shelby’s performance she
barely registered the fact that her digits were nearly frozen. She
congratulated both Gary and Shelby for braving the elements, delivering damn
fine live reports, and never even complaining. Take
that
, Greater Grand
City Michigan Area! WLUV had themselves a top-notch talent in the making with
Shelby.

Macy had watched all the coverage unfold that evening and,
although she’d had a hand in everything, from phone calls to on-the-spot
producing for Shelby, she’d also seen each team member make their own decisions
the way she wanted them to; that is, they made the decisions that were the best
for WLUV’s coverage. It was exhilarating. 

It was also exhausting. They’d been working out of the van
and the Jeep, during a blizzard, for more than five hours. As they packed up,
she was reminded of the difference between what the public thought versus
actual reality when it came to TV. Here they were warning people to stay
inside…while they stayed outside.

They were just about finished packing when Gary made a
pronouncement, “There are only two belted seats in this van, so someone is
going to be bouncing around in the back. It’s going to be worse than the drive
over, boss. If we slide off the road, it won’t be pretty.”

“Shotgun!” Shelby’s youth couldn’t help but bounce out— even
in the middle of a blizzard, on an overpass, in the middle of the night. Wes
laughed, but Macy just looked at her driely.

“Really? Shotgun?” Macy smiled then, “Okay since you did so fantastic
tonight you get the seatbelt.”

“Macy, you can ride back with me,” Wes pointed to the open
seat in the Jeep he’d driven, “See? Seatbelts for all my employees! It’s in the
handbook… somewhere...”

“But— uh,” Macy had no argument. There was no logical reason
why she should refuse to ride with Wes. “Let me grab my bag.”

At first she was apprehensive about being alone in a car
with Wes, but she shook it off. They’d had a couple of nice little affectionate
moments tonight; she could take it slow and things would be fine. He’d felt so
perfect when she leaned into him earlier. Seeing him work as part of her team
disarmed her, but was he still only after one thing? If that was the case, she
thought, he sure was doing a good job faking it. He’d taken a lot of spaghetti
dinner cancelation and school closing calls to prove himself to her.

She’d asked him to be in the newsroom to establish a bond
with his employees in the hopes that it might save WLUV, even if the ratings
didn’t skyrocket. As she jumped out of the van, a tiny spike of jealousy hit
her chest when Wes hugged Shelby. It was irrational, of course, because then he
bro-hugged Gary. Denying her feelings made them pop up at the stupidest times.

“Great job you guys, great. And be careful going back.” Wes
trudged toward her and grabbed her bag, which had the live shot essentials in
it along with some assorted toiletries. She wondered if Gary and Shelby noticed
the gesture.

“You too,” Gary yelled into the wind as they got in the van
and slowly pulled away. Macy struggled against the elements and stumbled in the
rapidly drifting snow. Wes put a protective arm around her and they made their
way to the Jeep.

He turned on the heater and went to the back to load her
bag. Macy hurried to get closer to the heat vents and removed her mittens so
the air could hit her skin.

“That bad?” Wes got in and gave her a worried look.

“It’ll be okay in a m-m-minute,” Macy’s teeth were chattering.
The adrenaline of the day had warmed her when they were on the air, but now she
was struggling. Wes turned up the blower a notch and then reached out to grab
her ice cold hands. He put one to his lips. She didn’t pull away and he didn’t
kiss her hand as much as rest it against his warmth. He rubbed her knuckles
against his lips. “Purely medicinal, I’m not being fresh.”

Macy needed the warmth so she wasn’t feeling like making a
crack or resisting. Plus, it felt really good. As her hands thawed so did the
rest of her. They sat like that for a few minutes until her shaking stopped. If
she didn’t snap out of this trance with Wes, she’d wind up like a teenager
making out in the car. The images in her mind made her cheeks flush, and she
pulled her hands away. She was warm enough now.

“Thank you. We should probably get moving. It’s piling up
out there.” In the brief time since Shelby and Gary left the road conditions
had worsened. The wind blew the snow that had already fallen all over the road,
making it difficult to see, and buffeted the Jeep from side to side.

Wes pulled off the side of the overpass and drove slowly
towards the on ramp, where they were faced with the same Sheriff’s deputy that
Shelby had interviewed earlier. His emergency lights on and he was blocking the
on-ramp. As they approached, the deputy came up to the driver’s side and the
snow burned Macy’s face when Wes cracked open the window to talk to the
officer.

“Sorry guys, the highway is shut down. They just did it. I
can’t let you on so we’re diverting people off. We’ve got people stranded out
there, spinning out… I just can’t let you on.”

“So what, we sleep in the car on the side of the road?” Macy
was annoyed. Just ten minutes before, Gary and Shelby were allowed to go
through.

“Well, there’s a motel right on up the road. I’d get there
fast, though—it’s going to fill up quick since we’re shutting down I-96. Or I
can give you directions to a shelter, a church gym two miles up that way.”

“We’ll go with the motel. Thanks, Deputy.” Wes said.

“Careful folks,” said the deputy.  Wes closed the window,
mercifully.

Macy sighed. Their options were a country church gym or a
motel. “Did you plan this weather?” Macy could not believe the situation she
was in. Wes slowly drove the short distance to the hotel.

“Nope…my dad, has those types of powers, but I’m still just
in training.” Wes parked at the motel and threw his own bag on one shoulder and
Macy’s on the other.

“I can carry my bag.” She had to shout to be heard in the
wind.

“Whatever.” They stumbled into the lobby.

“Close that door fast son!” An old man was manning the desk
of the motel.

Macy decided to take the lead. “Hi, we’re looking for two
rooms.”

“Well, you’ll get one. Unless he’s an ax murderer—“  The man
raised an eyebrow at Macy  “Or you are.”

 He lifted a grizzled thumb. “I’ve got a total of five rooms
left. The sheriff told me he’s got a pregnant lady and her husband and two kids
headed this way from the highway. They get one.”

“Two truckers that stay here all the time, they get two.”
The man’s thumb was still in the air, and now he lifted his index finger and
middle finger.

“Then my wife’s cousin Bernice’s son Tad is headed over
here. I’d soon as let him turn into a terdsicle out there but then it will be a
thing with Bernice and my wife will, of course, take it out on me.” Rolling his
eyes, he lifted his ring finger and wiggled it at Macy.

“So, Red, you can bunk with the Mr. America you walked in
with
or
one of them two truckers
or
Tad the Terd. But you won’t
be getting your own room. Take your pick.”

“One room is fine,” Macy growled at the desk clerk and Wes
stepped forward to offer his credit card information.

“Smart. Don’t worry, it’s a King size bed. Pleeeenty of room.
We’ve got a small store here, too if you’re needing anything, but I’d get in
there fast if I was you, ‘cause that’s going to be a popular place tonight. We
had to shut the restaurant down and send Anita – that’s my waitress – home
early. You know, on account of the storm.” The desk clerk handed them their key
and Macy wandered over to the store.

Wes grabbed a basket and they stocked up on some food. Macy
grabbed a toothbrush and toothpaste, some shampoo, and somewhere along the way
she saw Wes sneak a few bottles of something into their basket. She didn’t look
too closely.

“We’ll be fine for days.” Wes declared.

“Is there chocolate in there somewhere?” Macy would need
chocolate. Wes pointed to a few candy bars he’d added to the mix.

“Then I guess we’re all set.” Wes paid and they went in
search of their room.

“Ooh, I believe we have the penthouse suite.” Wes waggled
his eyebrows. They were on the second floor of a two-floor motel.

As they unlocked the door and closed it behind them, they
could still hear the storm raging outside. Anyone out in it at this point was
in pretty serious trouble. But Macy felt an even greater risk here in the room,
where her heart was on the line. Being alone with Wes was about to happen in a
major way.