being an u ̈ ber-celebrity who sleeps around, but in reality he’s just a normal guy. Surely you don’t believe those tabloid rumors, Ms. Perrin.”
She wrestled with her hands, her confusion growing.
“Look,” continued the man, “if you want proof, didn’t your Uncle receive something important in the mail recently?”
“How do you know about that?”
“I have my sources.”
Her heart leaped. Then it was true. Jeremy had been the mysterious donor. Of course he had. Hadn’t he looked at her with such concern whenever she talked about Uncle Leo? Hadn’t he made it clear that he didn’t like the fact that she worked herself like a dog? He’d wanted to lessen her burden. To comfort her in some small way. Perhaps he hadn’t done it just to clear his conscience. Maybe he really did care for her.
She glowed with happiness, her love for him so strong. Even so, fear that he would never forgive her for how she’d behave held her back.
“It’s too late, Mr. Howard.”
Suddenly he was by her side, and she crying on his shoulder.
“There’s one thing I’ve discovered in all of my years of working in the entertainment industry,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“It’s never too late for a second chance…for a comeback.”
****
Jeremy rubbed his red eyes as he sat in the sound room of his station. He hadn’t worked the late night shift in over a year, but Chad had insisted that he deejay tonight since one of his employees was out sick and no one was around to pick up the slack. Feeling ashamed for his recent behavior toward his staff, he wanted to chip in and help.
Even so, he was still in a bad mood. A dark cloud had hung over him throughout the day, and from what he could tell, it wasn’t going to dissipate anytime soon. He frowned, thinking about how he’d behaved toward his sisters that afternoon when they’d stopped by to hang out. He couldn’t seem to laugh when they’d made fun of the sports DVD comedies collection in his office, something they always did to cheer him up. Instead, he’d yelled at them about their overbearing silliness.
It was all her fault. Why couldn’t he forget her?
He cracked his knuckles and growled into the microphone. The segment followed believers of the strange and unusual. For the past hour, he’d listened to stories about UFOs, government conspiracies, and ghosts. It wasn’t his thing, but the listeners lived for it.
On the other side of the screen, Chad waved that there was a new caller on the line. He clicked the yellow button and switched to his DJ voice.
“Hello, you’re listening to Hot ., the midnight shift, what’s your weirdness?”
“Hello?” The woman’s deep voice caught his attention.
“What’s your weirdness, ma’am?”
“Am I on the air?”
“You sure are, so tell us about the things that go bump in the night, the midnight freaks, the monsters under your bed. What’s your weirdness?”
“Well, I once worked at a store late at night—a dollar store.”
Jeremy tapped his fingers on the dashboard. Would the woman get to it already? “Yes, go on.”
“And well, one night this man came in and bought fifty pairs of ladies underwear.”
His heart stuttered. A slow smile unraveled across his face. It was Mira. An incredible sense of joy and relief ripped through him as he recognized her voice, which she had tried to hide by speaking as low as a bass drum.
He chuckled. “Maybe the man was having a hell of a party, ma’am.”
“Maybe. But that’s not the story I want to tell.”
“Go on.”
“Well, one night I worked there this guy came in and got me fired.” She retold how they first met.
Sweat trickled from his forehead as he leaned toward the microphone. “Do you forgive that guy for that night and any other stupid shit, um, stuff he might’ve done or said?”
Her voice purred like a cat. “Oh, I most definitely do. You see, I’ve done some pretty dumb things myself.”
His hand gripped the sides of the
She wrestled with her hands, her confusion growing.
“Look,” continued the man, “if you want proof, didn’t your Uncle receive something important in the mail recently?”
“How do you know about that?”
“I have my sources.”
Her heart leaped. Then it was true. Jeremy had been the mysterious donor. Of course he had. Hadn’t he looked at her with such concern whenever she talked about Uncle Leo? Hadn’t he made it clear that he didn’t like the fact that she worked herself like a dog? He’d wanted to lessen her burden. To comfort her in some small way. Perhaps he hadn’t done it just to clear his conscience. Maybe he really did care for her.
She glowed with happiness, her love for him so strong. Even so, fear that he would never forgive her for how she’d behave held her back.
“It’s too late, Mr. Howard.”
Suddenly he was by her side, and she crying on his shoulder.
“There’s one thing I’ve discovered in all of my years of working in the entertainment industry,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“It’s never too late for a second chance…for a comeback.”
****
Jeremy rubbed his red eyes as he sat in the sound room of his station. He hadn’t worked the late night shift in over a year, but Chad had insisted that he deejay tonight since one of his employees was out sick and no one was around to pick up the slack. Feeling ashamed for his recent behavior toward his staff, he wanted to chip in and help.
Even so, he was still in a bad mood. A dark cloud had hung over him throughout the day, and from what he could tell, it wasn’t going to dissipate anytime soon. He frowned, thinking about how he’d behaved toward his sisters that afternoon when they’d stopped by to hang out. He couldn’t seem to laugh when they’d made fun of the sports DVD comedies collection in his office, something they always did to cheer him up. Instead, he’d yelled at them about their overbearing silliness.
It was all her fault. Why couldn’t he forget her?
He cracked his knuckles and growled into the microphone. The segment followed believers of the strange and unusual. For the past hour, he’d listened to stories about UFOs, government conspiracies, and ghosts. It wasn’t his thing, but the listeners lived for it.
On the other side of the screen, Chad waved that there was a new caller on the line. He clicked the yellow button and switched to his DJ voice.
“Hello, you’re listening to Hot ., the midnight shift, what’s your weirdness?”
“Hello?” The woman’s deep voice caught his attention.
“What’s your weirdness, ma’am?”
“Am I on the air?”
“You sure are, so tell us about the things that go bump in the night, the midnight freaks, the monsters under your bed. What’s your weirdness?”
“Well, I once worked at a store late at night—a dollar store.”
Jeremy tapped his fingers on the dashboard. Would the woman get to it already? “Yes, go on.”
“And well, one night this man came in and bought fifty pairs of ladies underwear.”
His heart stuttered. A slow smile unraveled across his face. It was Mira. An incredible sense of joy and relief ripped through him as he recognized her voice, which she had tried to hide by speaking as low as a bass drum.
He chuckled. “Maybe the man was having a hell of a party, ma’am.”
“Maybe. But that’s not the story I want to tell.”
“Go on.”
“Well, one night I worked there this guy came in and got me fired.” She retold how they first met.
Sweat trickled from his forehead as he leaned toward the microphone. “Do you forgive that guy for that night and any other stupid shit, um, stuff he might’ve done or said?”
Her voice purred like a cat. “Oh, I most definitely do. You see, I’ve done some pretty dumb things myself.”
His hand gripped the sides of the
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