Read Online Channel 20 Something by Amy Patrick - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Amy Patrick
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up at him in an ain’t-I-just-darling? baby-doll expression. He gave her a smile in return.
Everyone knew Colleen was training for the Miss Mississippi pageant—we’d all been treated to the details of her special diet, and she would announce it loudly whenever she’d had a particularly grueling workout. No doubt attaining such physical perfection was hard work, but when someone begs so loudly for your admiration, you feel downright stingy about giving it.
I’d always found Colleen sort of harmlessly annoying. But today, watching her fondle Aric caused a startling amount of toxic sludge to form in my veins. I should have been thrilled. Aric would no longer be asking for details on my college freshman flameout… or anything else about me. Still, seeing the two of them together, looking so couple-y … it bothered me.
Janet stepped out of her office. “Okay troops. It’s two-fifteen. Time for the two o’clock meeting.” She laughed at her own joke. The two o’clock meeting never started on time.
I darted a last glance at Aric and Colleen before walking into Janet’s office. She was still staking her claim in every possible non-verbal way, and he didn’t seem to mind a bit.
# # #
I was assigned the live shot that night—a huge tree had fallen into a house in Louisville, causing massive damage and providing spectacular video. The storm continued throughout the afternoon and evening and actually picked up in the last hour before the newscast. During my live shot, I felt like one of those poor souls you see on the network news reporting from the site of an approaching hurricane, slapped in the face by driving rain as they gravely warn everyone else to stay inside. Maybe it would be something I could use for the reel, if I didn’t look too much like a drowned rat.
“I tell you—it feels like we’re fixin’ to wash off the road any minute.” Tony’s knuckles gleamed white in the glow of the live truck’s dashboard lights as we drove back to the station afterward. He gripped the large steering wheel, leaning forward in his seat, straining to see through the water gushing over the windshield.
“Should we pull over?”
“Nah. We’ll be all right. I’ll just take it slow. My wife’s gonna kill me if I don’t get home right straight, though. She’s been with the baby all day, and that boy hasn’t figured out his days from his nights yet. I guarantee I’ll walk through the door and his eyes will be wide open, bugging out of his little head. She’s gonna stand up, hand him to me, and walk directly to the bed.”
I laughed, the image relieving some of my tension over the rain-slicked roads. “Poor Shanna.”
By the time we got back to the station, the building was nearly empty. Tony and I said goodnight as he hurriedly locked up the truck in the side lot.
“Good luck tonight.”
“With Shanna or the baby?” He laughed.
“Both.”
“See you tomorrow, Heidi. Drive careful.” With a wave, Tony headed around back toward the employee parking lot.
I went to the newsroom to gather my things and leave a note for the morning producer. It was quiet. Aric was gone. So was Colleen. Well, he’d finally found someone who’d say “yes” to an after-work drink with him. In fact, she’d probably asked him . The thought left a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I watched the playback of my live shot, in which I did, in fact, look like a drowned rat. Then I fished my keys out of my purse and walked to the back exit, wishing I’d thought to keep my long, station-logoed rain slicker with me instead of leaving it in the live truck. I was going to get soaked. I opened the door to the parking lot and was relieved at first to see the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Then I saw my car and groaned.
My Mini was sitting in a huge puddle that had definitely not been there when I’d arrived for work today. I would have to wade through it to get in. At least I was still wearing my rain boots. I crunched
Everyone knew Colleen was training for the Miss Mississippi pageant—we’d all been treated to the details of her special diet, and she would announce it loudly whenever she’d had a particularly grueling workout. No doubt attaining such physical perfection was hard work, but when someone begs so loudly for your admiration, you feel downright stingy about giving it.
I’d always found Colleen sort of harmlessly annoying. But today, watching her fondle Aric caused a startling amount of toxic sludge to form in my veins. I should have been thrilled. Aric would no longer be asking for details on my college freshman flameout… or anything else about me. Still, seeing the two of them together, looking so couple-y … it bothered me.
Janet stepped out of her office. “Okay troops. It’s two-fifteen. Time for the two o’clock meeting.” She laughed at her own joke. The two o’clock meeting never started on time.
I darted a last glance at Aric and Colleen before walking into Janet’s office. She was still staking her claim in every possible non-verbal way, and he didn’t seem to mind a bit.
# # #
I was assigned the live shot that night—a huge tree had fallen into a house in Louisville, causing massive damage and providing spectacular video. The storm continued throughout the afternoon and evening and actually picked up in the last hour before the newscast. During my live shot, I felt like one of those poor souls you see on the network news reporting from the site of an approaching hurricane, slapped in the face by driving rain as they gravely warn everyone else to stay inside. Maybe it would be something I could use for the reel, if I didn’t look too much like a drowned rat.
“I tell you—it feels like we’re fixin’ to wash off the road any minute.” Tony’s knuckles gleamed white in the glow of the live truck’s dashboard lights as we drove back to the station afterward. He gripped the large steering wheel, leaning forward in his seat, straining to see through the water gushing over the windshield.
“Should we pull over?”
“Nah. We’ll be all right. I’ll just take it slow. My wife’s gonna kill me if I don’t get home right straight, though. She’s been with the baby all day, and that boy hasn’t figured out his days from his nights yet. I guarantee I’ll walk through the door and his eyes will be wide open, bugging out of his little head. She’s gonna stand up, hand him to me, and walk directly to the bed.”
I laughed, the image relieving some of my tension over the rain-slicked roads. “Poor Shanna.”
By the time we got back to the station, the building was nearly empty. Tony and I said goodnight as he hurriedly locked up the truck in the side lot.
“Good luck tonight.”
“With Shanna or the baby?” He laughed.
“Both.”
“See you tomorrow, Heidi. Drive careful.” With a wave, Tony headed around back toward the employee parking lot.
I went to the newsroom to gather my things and leave a note for the morning producer. It was quiet. Aric was gone. So was Colleen. Well, he’d finally found someone who’d say “yes” to an after-work drink with him. In fact, she’d probably asked him . The thought left a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I watched the playback of my live shot, in which I did, in fact, look like a drowned rat. Then I fished my keys out of my purse and walked to the back exit, wishing I’d thought to keep my long, station-logoed rain slicker with me instead of leaving it in the live truck. I was going to get soaked. I opened the door to the parking lot and was relieved at first to see the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Then I saw my car and groaned.
My Mini was sitting in a huge puddle that had definitely not been there when I’d arrived for work today. I would have to wade through it to get in. At least I was still wearing my rain boots. I crunched
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