Page 30 of I Do, or Dye Trying
I braced my hands on the side of his car and leaned in for a quick kiss, not giving a shit what any onlookers might think when they drove past. “I got a surprise for you,” I said, thinking about the little vibrating fingers and lube.
“I love surprises,” he said.
“No you don’t,” I reminded him. Josh liked to be in control and absolutely hated surprises.
“I do when they come from you,” he amended.
“This one will bring us both pleasure,” I promised him.
“Detective Dirty Talker, did you stop at a sex toy store?” he asked hopefully.
“No, Walmart,” I responded.
“Walmart?”Josh asked in disbelief.
“Trust me; I found things there I never expected to find.” I waggled my eyebrows at him. “Slow it down, Sunshine.” I bumped my fist on his car door and took a step back. “I love you.”
“Love you too.”
He zoomed off before I even made it back to my car. Knowing the fun time I had ahead of me at home helped me get through the last stores on my list. I came up empty at all my stops, but hoped that either Whitworth or Dorchester had better luck. I had just turned onto my street when a call came through my stereo system. I could tell by the number on the display that it was the police station.
I hit the answer button and said, “Detective Wyatt.”
“Detective Wyatt, I found something you need to see,” Sergeant Dawkins said. “It really can’t wait until the morning. I called Captain Reardon first, and he requested that you report to the station immediately.”
“I’m on my way,” I said without hesitation. I decided to wait and call Josh once I knew how late I’d be home. Could be a long meeting or a short one; I wouldn’t know until I got there. Either way, I knew whatever Sonia discovered was huge if she called the captain back to the station.
IHAD BEEN NERVOUSabout returning to the news station. I was embarking on a solo career and, although my anxiety wasn’t at panic-inducing levels, I was a bit of a wreck. It didn’t help when the producer, Cindy Rollins, pulled me into her office the moment I arrived.
“How was your vacation?” she asked.
“Are you just making small talk before you lower the boom on me?” I asked suspiciously.
“No, I’m asking how your vacation was after such a sweet and romantic proposal,” Cindy said patiently then added a reassuring smile.
“Oh, okay then,” I said in relief. “We had an amazing trip, and I returned home to some very exciting news. I learned that my best friend is also a best-selling author.” I smiled when I thought about his budding relationship with Kyle and Meredith falling in love with Harley. “I can’t remember a time when all the people I love were so happy.”
“Best-selling author, huh?” Cindy said, her brilliant dark eyes came alive as she thought of an idea. “You think he’d like to do an interview to promote his book?”
“I doubt it, but I’ll ask him.” I was done making decisions for my friends. I’d overstepped with Chaz when I attempted to set him up with Dr. Delicious, and I wasn’t doing it again, even if I had only love and good intentions in my heart.
Cindy nodded and said, “Let me know if he’s interested.” She placed her arms on top of her desk and smiled professionally. I could tell that our niceties were over and it was time to get to work. Cindy proceeded to outline what she wanted to accomplish with my weekly segments that would air throughout the week. The goal was to film three segments every Monday that would air on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week. Monday would be about health and fitness regimens for hair, skin, and nails. Wednesday would be about testing new products that were out on the market, and Friday would be fun stuff like makeovers. “As structured as it all sounds, I want you to run with it and be yourself. I want your honest thoughts on items you’re testing and have fun with the Friday makeovers. In fact, I want to be your first Friday makeover.”
“Uhhhhh,” I said, not sure it was a good idea.
“Stop, you’re going to be fine, and we’ll have fun. I’m not always so uptight,” Cindy said with an exaggerated eye roll.
“I don’t think you’re uptight at all,” I assured her. “It’s just that you already know how to perfectly balance glam and business. You don’t need my help.” I wasn’t kissing ass either, Cindy knew her shit.
“Okay, fine. You can do my hair and makeup as if I was about to get my groove on at the club. We’ll film it last, and you can paint my face like I’m about to paint the town. And who knows, maybe I will,” Cindy said.
“Yeah, okay,” I agreed, getting excited about the prospect. “That will be fun. Are there any color schemes you don’t like?” I asked, making sure we didn’t waste the crew’s time later.
“Yellow,” she replied.
“Got it,” I responded, although I thought the color would look beautiful against her dark skin. “I’ll see you in a few hours then.”
I left Cindy’s office feeling a little better than when I first arrived. I wasn’t sure about the source of my anxiety because everyone on the crew had been very welcoming to me—well, except the hair and makeup gal who got offended when I said I’d do my own for the show.I mean, hello¸ what is it that I do for a living?There was one other person, a very popular news anchor who gave off vibes that she didn’t like me very much.