September 10, 2010 @ 6:49 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

              MELROSE MIRACLE

by Staci Wilder

 

Chapter Thirteen

              Luke sat in the right-hand turn lane at the corner of Melrose and Turner. They’d wrapped up filming a half-hour ago and now he was headed home. Kurt, Ernie, and some of the crew were going to grab a burger from Jake’s Chop House, but Luke had begged off. He’d seen the knowing gleam in Kurt’s eyes as he’d climbed into his Expedition in the studio parking lot.

            “Hey, man,” Kurt had propped an elbow on the rolled down window. “You really going home?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Or are you going to find a certain pretty little waitress…er, I mean…girl, uh, woman?”

            Luke could hardly fault his buddy. Ella Paglia was indeed in a class all her own. Pretty, yes. But not beautiful—not by LA’s standards anyway. Funny, absolutely. But not in a ‘I’m-going-to-make-you-laugh-now’ sort of way. It was subtle, and 100% natural. A woman, well…duh! Her delicate feminine curves—he was glad she had curves, too many walking popsicle sticks around here already—left no doubt she was a woman. But the innocence in her dark eyes when she gazed at him like she had the other night…

            Ella Paglia was beauty and wit, infused with childlike wonder, and packaged in a delightful womanly form.

            “I’m headed home,” he answered Kurt’s question now. “I’m not sure where Ella went.”

            Kurt nodded. “Yeah, I heard a couple of the crew mention she seemed upset after her segment.” He shrugged and pulled away from the truck window. “But she’s not the only finalist that had a tough day. She shouldn’t have taken it so hard.”

            Luke had no reply. What could he say? That Ella was just that type of woman—with ridiculously high standards for herself? That this contest was merely a springboard for the bigger dream in her life—a future of security for her small daughter? He couldn’t voice these things to Kurt. The guy already thought he was nuts. How could he explain that, in the course of a few days and several marathon hours of conversation, he’d “gotten” Ella. Understood her. Felt like he’d known her his whole life.

            “All right, buddy.” Kurt waved him off. “If you change your mind about joining us, we’ll be at Jake’s.”

            Now—scarcely five minutes later—Luke made a decision.

            Flipping on the left-hand blinker, he twisted in his seat, signaling the driver in the lane next to him. Can I get over?, he mouthed. Waving his thanks, Luke steered the Expedition into the left lane as the light turned green. Making a U-turn, he headed back the way he’d come. Past Jake’s. Past the studio lots.

            He headed to the Radisson.

            Luke didn’t know where Ella was. He knew that what Kurt had said was true though. Ella had been upset with her performance during the afternoon challenge. What she didn’t know—couldn’t know—was that her slip on the floor was in no way at all the worst of the catastrophes that occurred in the competition today. Dirk completely lost his place with the teleprompter, rambling for a long three minutes about nonsense and never fully recovering. Deidra’s elbow had grazed a carton of eggs, sending an even dozen crashing to the floor during her demo.

            Luke shrugged now. He was used to these things—they’d happened every day to some degree during his stint on It’s My Kitchen. Unfortunately Ella and the other finalists aimed for perfection, feeling that was the requirement for the winner of this competition. Luke knew it didn’t require perfection, just personality to persevere, ability to work hard, and the talent to do the job.

            In his mind—Ella.

            The finalists had been given a two-hour break between the final demo taping and the next elimination ceremony. Asked to return to Sound Stage C at seven o’clock sharp, Luke knew one of the seven would walk back out disappointed.

            He pulled into the parking lot of the Radisson and found an empty space right up front. He didn’t know if Ella had taken a cab back here, but he sensed she probably needed a connection to home, to her heart. She would have come here for some private time to call Chloe. To reconnect with why she was even putting herself through this wringer of a competition.

            His heart ached for her as he jogged to the rotating glass doors of the hotel. Frustrated by the slowly turning glass, he pushed against it, easing out as soon as he could. Once in the lobby, he headed for the front desk. He didn’t know Ella’s room number since they’d just sat in the lobby the other night. He’d wanted to walk her back to her room, but somehow it didn’t feel like the appropriate thing to do yet.

            “Hello?” Luke leaned over the counter, trying to get the attention of the hotel clerk.

            She looked up from her magazine. “May I help you?”

            “Yes,” he rapped his knuckles against the marble counter. “Can you tell me what room number a Ms. Ella Paglia is listed under?”

            The woman popped her gum and shook her head. “Sorry. Can’t give out room numbers.” She made a couple of clicks on the computer keyboard in front of her, then picked up a phone. “I’ll dial her room for you though.”

            Luke waited for what seemed an eternity.

            “Ms. Paglia? I have someone in the lobby who’d like to talk to you.” The woman glanced up at him and mouthed, what’s your name?

            “Luke,” he whispered. “Luke Abney.”

            “Ma’am, a Mr. Luke Abney is down in the lobby. Would you like to speak with him?”

            “Mmhm. Very good, ma’am. Bye now.”

            Luke watched with a sinking heart as the hotel clerk replaced the phone in its cradle. He’d never considered that Ella might not want to see him. That she might refuse the comfort he wanted to offer her. He ran a hand over his eyes, suddenly weary, and turned from the counter.

            “Uh, sir, she said she’d be right down.”

            His heart bounced inside his chest as he spun around. Grinning, he pointed at the hotel clerk. “Thank you! Thank you!”

            The wait couldn’t have been more than five minutes, but Luke thought the elevator doors would never open. Even when they finally did, it wasn’t until three cars later that Ella stepped off.

            He jumped up from where he’d perched on the arm of a chair. “Hey.”

 In one glance, he drank in the sight of her, feeling a smile light his face. Her hair was loose, like he loved, and the crazy curls framed her face, somehow accenting the delicate features of her face. A pastel pink-button down was tucked into a slim denim skirt. Strappy matching sandals covered her feet, giving her maybe two more inches in height.

            “Hi.”

            Her smile was bright and steady and it wasn’t until they were face-to-face that Luke saw the evidence of tears not long dried.

“How are you?” His voice sounded husky, even to his own ears. He cleared his throat. “I…I was…worried about you.”

            Ella shrugged and Luke was overcome again with how petite she was, her shoulders seeming so fragile with the simple movement. “I’m okay. Better now.”

            “Did you call home? Talk to Chloe?”

            The instant grin was genuine and torpedoed Luke’s heart. “Yeah. I did. How’d you know?”

            It was his turn to grin, and he felt a blush begin to creep its way beneath the skin of his neck. If he wasn’t careful, he’d give away too much of himself, too quickly. “I don’t know. I just figured it was something you’d want to do.”

            What he wanted to do was reach out and pull this delightful creature into his arms. Hold her and let her know that he didn’t care what any silly TV competition decided, she was the winner in his book. Instead he took her by the elbow, gently leading her to the nearby chairs.

            “Well, you were right.” She curled up in the chair across from him, tucking her legs beneath her. “Chloe was glad to hear from me.” Ella shook her head, her curls bouncing. “Of course, she doesn’t understand the distance—the time—that we’re apart. And she’s having such a blast with her Aunt Reggie…”

            Luke leaned forward, anchoring his elbows on his knees, and looked into her eyes. “I’m sure she misses her mama.”

            Tears pooled in her eyes and she glanced away. Luke could have kicked himself. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry again. “Hey, I’m sorry—.”

            Ella laughed and waved away his comment. “Don’t be. I’m just being silly. It’s just—” she threw her arms wide open—“this competition is stressful and being away from Chloe is painful. Sometimes…sometimes it’s just too much, you know?”

            Luke stood and pulled his chair closer to hers. He saw the hotel concierge look his way and knew he probably committed a faux paus, but he really didn’t care. Sinking down again, he did what he’d wanted to since the first day he’d met her. Lifting her hand from where it rested in her lap, Luke laced his fingers through hers. Feeling her smaller hand in his, skin-to-skin, sent a thrill of electricity through him. He instinctively wanted to take care of this woman.

            If Ella was surprised by this, she didn’t let on. Instead he felt her fingers relax against his and he squeezed them. Resisting the urge to bring her hand to his lips, he contented himself with staring into her dark eyes. The tears were all but gone, now only a filmy brightness left in their wake.

            “Is there anything I can do?” He felt helpless, and yet hopeful, all at once.

            She giggled, and the sound filled his ears. “You’re doing it.”

            Luke smiled and covered both their hands with his other. “If I’d known this was all you needed, I’d have been here a lot sooner.”

            Ella gulped and Luke wondered if he’d made her cry again. But she recovered and instead laughed. “I guess you saw my graceful performance today, right?”

            “What are you talking about?” Luke teased. “I saw grace in action. I mean, you must have set some kind of record for jumping to your feet again. And without ever letting go of that blasted lobster, no less!”

            This time Ella’s laugh was from her gut, and Luke felt like he’d won something major, like the Pulitzer or the Nobel Peace prize. Something worthy. Something great.

            Because sitting here in the Radisson lobby, with Ella Paglia’s hand tucked securely inside his own, listening to her laugh—this trumped all else Luke could imagine.

*****

            Ella couldn’t believe she was sitting here, holding hands with Luke Abney. Her Mr. Blond. Yet talking and laughing with Luke felt as natural to her right now as cuddling with Chloe or chatting with Reggie.

            “Let me see your foot.” Luke held out a hand.

            “What?” Ella stared at him, not sure if she felt anticipation or pure horror. “Why?”

            “Come on.” Luke grinned at her. “Trust me.” He bent down and reached for her foot. Slipping her sandal off he eased her foot onto his lap. “Okay, just relax now. Shut your eyes.”

            Ella didn’t want to close her eyes. She wanted to look around and make sure no one was witnessing this embarrassing moment.

            “If I’d have know you were going to do this, I would have—”

            Her words trailed off as Luke’s fingers pressed into the sole of her foot. The pressure was exquisite and her eyes closed involuntarily.

            “That’s it.” His voice was low and husky. “Relax and let me do the work.”

            Ella felt the urge to giggle, but her body was doing just as he asked without waiting for her permission. After a few minutes, she opened one eye and peered at him. He was watching her face, his fingers still moving with slow, measured movements across her skin.

            “Where’d you learn to do that?” Ella didn’t know if she wanted to know the answer. She for sure didn’t want to know how many other woman may have experienced this.

            Luke’s grin was lopsided, and partly sheepish. “I grew up watching my dad do this for my mom on days when us kids proved to be a handful.” He shrugged and his voice dropped another octave. “It always seemed to work.”

            Ella did giggle now. “What are you saying? That she was putty in his hands after this?”

            “Are you saying that you’re putty in my hands?”

            Ella arched an eyebrow, but didn’t answer.  

            “Will you go out to dinner with me tonight?”

            “What?” Ella laughed and eased her foot from his grasp. She slipped back into her shoe. “Wouldn’t that be against some rule? Me, a finalist and you, a network employee?”

            “Nope.” Luke’s voice oozed pride. “I checked. I technically work for Dreamcaster Productions, not The Cooking Channel, so there’s no conflict of interest. I mean, I probably couldn’t marry you—until after the competition…”

            Ella stared at him, her mouth open wide, speechless. His lopsided grin told her he was teasing. This felt good, being here with Luke. As though she were supposed to be here. That this place in time had been held for her and, now that she was here, all the pieces of her heart and soul seemed to come together in perfect unison.

            Or almost perfect.

            “Ella?” Luke’s voice turned serious. “Do you mind if I pray for you?”

            Her mind went into instant freeze mode. Luke wanted to pray for her? This mixture of emotion and attraction she’d been feeling toward Luke Abney had left no time or room for her to consider things. Things like value systems and belief structures. Or church attendance or a belief in a higher power.

            And now—out of the clear blue—was a non-too-subtle hint at where Luke Abney stood in the faith department. Ella wasn’t sure how she felt. She’d managed to keep her mind safely off such subjects for so long now…

            “Uh…of course.” She nodded, knowing her hesitancy showed. What could it hurt, right? “Sure, you can pray for me.”

            “Really?” Luke looked hopeful. “I just want you to go into this elimination thing tonight with peace.” He tapped his own chest. “You know, a really deep peace. So that no matter what happens, you know without a doubt you—and Chloe—are going to be all right.”

            The lump lodged in Ella’s throat made it difficult for her to speak. It had been so long since someone had spoken words like these to her. Something inside her screamed for her to believe this man, to bow her head with him and give herself fully to this peace he spoke of.

            But she couldn’t. She’d let him pray for her. Ella knew her heart would allow no more than that. There was a time—not too long ago—when this would have been the most natural thing in the world, to bow her head and pray in faith. But that was before…

            Ella knew better now. Sometimes prayer didn’t accomplish a thing.

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, Staci Wilder books, summer reads, writing

September 3, 2010 @ 6:29 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

             MELROSE MIRACLE

by Staci Wilder

 

Chapter Twelve

 

            “So you’ve spent some time working on your TV skills.” Nathan Charleton, in his uniform of black slacks and gray sweater, addressed the finalists. “But remember, the cooking still has to look effortless. That’s where the The Cooking Channel’s kitchen and culinary staff—or K&C for short—come in.” He paused and grinned. “Did you think Marcus Jordan or Dario Patali did everything on their own?”

            Ella glanced at Torrie, sitting next to her, and raised her eyebrows. Was she the only one who’d not known the hosts had people behind the scenes? But the blank look in Torrie’s eyes was enough to let Ella know she wasn’t alone.

            “To help you understand more about what goes into preparing one of our shows, the grill master himself is back with us today.” Nathan Charleton gestured toward the back door of the studio. “Marcus Jordan, folks!”

            Ella felt the same surge of excitement she’d felt earlier in the week. After years of watching the chef in action on TV, it was almost surreal to see him bound past her in the flesh. The tall and slim, curly-headed chef looked even more boyish in person than he did on screen. The energy was the same though. Ella knew that whatever today held, the bar would be raised.

            She leaned forward, pen in hand, willing herself to concentrate on Marcus Jordan and what he had to share with them today. Meeting this chef and sitting in on his lectures had been little more than a daydream just weeks ago and Ella knew this was a once in a lifetime experience. But as thrilled as she was to be sitting here in front of Marcus Jordan, one thing still thrilled her more.

            Knowing Luke Abney was somewhere near.

            She smiled, remembering last night. Her eyes felt a bit gritty this morning from lack of sleep. At breakfast she’d had to down a third cup of coffee for an extra jolt of caffeine. Even so, nothing could dim the way she felt this morning. There was a lightness to her, a sense of excitement and adventure, that she hadn’t felt in such a long time.

            And it was because of Luke.

            They had sat in the lobby of the Radisson talking until two a.m. They talked about everything and nothing, all at the same time. After their marathon phone conversation a few months ago, Ella thought she’d known the basic Luke Abney trivia. He was from Indiana and loved apple pie, baseball games, and the LA Lakers. His favorite color was blue and he’d dreamed of being a veterinarian when he was a little boy. He lived in a small apartment in Brentwood, but his favorite spot was his parents’ farmhouse in Bloomington. The long, wraparound porch with the wooden swing, to be exact.

            Last night, they’d filled in the many layers put into place during that phone conversation. Time seemed to fly by. In a matter of hours, Ella felt like she’d known Luke Abney all her life. Somehow it didn’t surprise her. There had been something almost electric between them since their first meeting. Still, the intimacy of the details he’d shared with her—as simple and inconsequential as they might seem to others—was everything to her. Luke Abney had shared himself. Ella had experienced that once before—with Stephen—and she knew that anything less than that was unacceptable.

            Maybe that’s why in the middle of her happiness this morning there also rested an unease. Stephen. He seemed to be all around her today. In the sound of Chloe’s voice on the phone this morning. The scent of his cologne still clung to the suitcase in her hotel room. This caused uncertainty in her emotions, almost like a warning of some kind.

             Ella wanted to ignore it, had, in fact, done a fairly good job of it so far. But even as she pushed all thoughts of Luke and Stephen and even Chloe from her mind as she focused her eyes on Marcus Jordan, Ella knew that something was different.

            It would be different from now on—

            Ella jumped as Marcus Jordan’s voice boomed right in front of her.

            “I’d like to introduce you at this time to what I like to call “my secret weapon”—Miriam Goldsmith, come join me please!”

            Ella twisted in her seat to get a look at the tiny woman making her way to the front. Even shorter than Ella, she was fifty-ish with short gray hair and a huge smile. Marcus placed an arm around Miriam’s shoulders and pulled her close.

            “Miriam is my sous chef. Translated that means she is my right-hand. I really could not do my show without Miriam and the rest of the K&C staff. They are the ones who enable us to do our jobs.” Marcus handed the microphone to Miriam. “I’m going to turn the podium over to you, Miriam.”

            Ella joined the other finalists in a standing ovation. Miriam grinned, waving them back in their seats.

            “Thank you,” the older woman’s voice was soft and kind as she held up two fingers. “The K&C staff is divided into two departments. First we have the cooks and food stylists who actually develop and style the recipes for television. They are the ones who make the food look gorgeous.”

            Henry, on Ella’s right, reached over and nudged her. “Hey, El, can I borrow a sheet of paper?”

            Ella glanced at his desk—completely bare—while she flipped to the back of her notebook and removed a couple of clean sheets. She grinned at him and shook her head. Typical Henry. Funny to a fault, and almost never fully prepared. Ella wondered how far he’d make it in the competition with his lack of organization.

            “Second,” Miriam continued, “is the writers and the editors. The editorial staff works together with the chefs to create recipes for the shows. Then they take those recipes and write ‘break-downs.’”

            Ella scribbled the word and then waited for the definition.

            “A break-down is an action script for a show. Each episode is literally broken down action by action. This way the chef or the host knows what to and when to do it.”

            Ella squirmed. She wasn’t sure how she felt about all these new revelations. Maybe she’d been naive to think that the likes of Marcus Jordan or Kendall Brooks simply walked into a kitchen and proceeded to whip up one amazing meal right after the other—in front of a camera. If so, maybe she should feel relief right now at learning that even the network greats had lots of help.

            But all Ella felt was worry.

            Up to this point she’d known about the teleprompter, the cue cards, the time cards, and the importance of switching from one camera to the next seamlessly. Now Miriam was telling them that each segment is broken down into separate actions, telling her where to be and when to be there.

            Ella shuddered and chanced a peek in Torrie’s direction. The girl had her hands over her ears and her eyes squeezed closed. If Ella hadn’t felt so overwhelmed herself by this fresh onslaught of information, she would have laughed out loud. She knew how Torrie felt. Her earlier premonition had been right.

            The bar had been raised.

            From this point on, the seven remaining finalists would have to give it their all. Less than that, and the loss of concentration and initiative would be just enough to send them packing.

            Ella straightened her back and made up her mind. She’d learn how to do the . break-downs. Face the teleprompter with courage. Show the camera no mercy. Whatever it took, she’d master it.

            She’d come way too far and had way too much at stake to risk going home now.

*****

           Nathan Charleton was issuing the day’s challenge to the seven finalists.

          Luke could hear it all from where he sat in the control booth. Munching on a PB&J sandwich, he leaned back in his chair and propped his tennis shoe-clad feet on a corner of Kurt’s desk.

            “Today each of you will be given a break-down from an episode of Marcus Jordan’s nationally acclaimed cooking show Just Grill Me. You’ll have thirty minutes to read the break-downs and you’ll each have a ten-minute consult with Miriam right before you’re set to begin filming. Miriam will walk you through the break-down. Then tonight—”

            The host paused and Luke quit chewing, straining to hear what he already knew would come next.

            “Tonight another one of you will be eliminated from the contest.”

            Luke swallowed hard. It felt like the peanut butter had coated his throat, suddenly dry. He folded the last two bites of sandwich in a paper towel and stuck it back in the Ziploc baggie. Tossing the whole thing into the trash can beneath Kurt’s desk, he took a deep breath then blew it out in one loud huff.

            “What’s wrong with you?” Kurt punched a button, filtering out all sounds from the sound stage below them, and pulled off his headset.

            “Nothing.” Luke shrugged, then grinned. “Everything?”

            Kurt swiveled in his chair and picked up a can of soda. “Hmmm. It’s the waitress again, isn’t it?”

            “Don’t call her that, man.” Last night, Luke had learned the story of why Ella had gone to work at the diner in the first place. How the big, burly Max had looked out for her. How hard she and her baby girl had it in the months after her husband’s death.

          Now this protectiveness he felt toward her seemed like a big billy club he carried in his hand. Just daring someone to mess with Ella.

          “I mean…she’s more than that, you know?”

            Kurt took a long swig of the cola, then sighed. “Sure she is, man. Hey, Luke, you know I didn’t mean anything by that comment. Really.”

            Luke only nodded.

            “Wow.” Kurt whistled softly. “You’ve got it bad, dude.”

            Luke nodded again. “I know.”

            Kurt seemed at a loss for words. Luke couldn’t blame him. No doubt he was throwing his buddy a curve ball. Nobody—least of all, Luke himself—ever expected Luke Abney to fall this hard or this quick for a woman.

            “Here’s the thing,” Luke faced Kurt and planted his elbows on his knees. Kurt wasn’t exactly the one to go to for female advice, but he was the best Luke had at the moment. “I…I like her. I mean…we’ve only talked a little. But I know I like her. A lot. I know that I like her a lot.” He kept nodding his head. “I know this.”

            Kurt laughed, and rubbed his hands over his eyes. “Oh, man! It’s much worse than I thought. Luke Abney, have you gone and fallen in love behind my back?”

            Love? Luke straightened. He hadn’t given that word a second thought since Tessa. The truth was, he was no longer certain what love was. Maybe he’d never known. He thought he had a great love with Tessa and look how that turned out.

            He shook his head now. He didn’t want to think about Tessa right now. “I don’t know about that…about love, that is. But,” he spread his hands, “I want a chance to know Ella better. But what if she leaves before we have that opportunity?”

            Kurt just stared at him. “You’re not serious, are you?”

            “What do you mean?”

            Kurt’s chair popped as he leaned forward and rapped Luke on the head. “This is the twenty-first century, dude. You know, cell phones and email and airplanes and—”

            “Okay!” Luke held up his hands in surrender. “I get your point. I get it.”

            “So,” Kurt spoke very slowly, as though to a first grader. “If the pretty girl goes back to Louisiana you will call her.” Kurt picked up the cell phone laying on his cluttered desk and waved it in the air. Then he turned to the computer and tapped on the keyboard. “And you’ll email her. See how easy that is?”

            Luke grimaced at Kurt’s good-natured mocking, but as much as he hated to admit it, he felt better. Somehow blockhead Kurt had made this whole Ella Paglia deal seem like it could work.

            “Okay then,” Kurt picked up his headset and jerked a thumb toward the control room door, “Better get downstairs, lover boy. You have a challenge to tape.”

*****

            Ella paced the perimeter of the green room, the dreaded blue card clutched in her hand. Muttering to herself, she rehearsed the break-down: when she’d brush the lobster with oil, which counter she’d be using for her food chops, and how long to grill the quesadillas on each side.

            Each of the seven finalists had been given one of Marcus Jordan’s famous recipes. She’d drawn the Lobster-Toasted Garlic Quesadillas. In less than fifteen minutes a stage hand would show up at the door, beckoning her to the studio floor.

            “That’s not very encouraging, is it?” Dirk’s question broke the silence of the room. He pointed to the couch.

            Across the room, Patty lay face down on the sofa. The poor woman had drawn first again. Ella had been sitting in the overstuffed chair when Patty came back from her demo. She’d entered as quietly as before, but had walked straight to the sofa and lay prone. An hour and a half later, Ella didn’t think the woman had moved a muscle.

            “Should we…shake her?” Ben’s words were whispered. “Nudge her or something? You know, make sure she’s breathing?”

            Dirk grinned. “Sure. Go ahead and do that, Ben.”

            Ben lifted the brown Stetson from his head and ran a hand through his tousled blond hair. “I think she’s probably all right.”  He glanced up at Ella. “Don’t you?”

            Ella giggled in spite of her own nerves. She nodded. “I think she’s fine. She’s just recovering right now.”

            Ben’s sigh filled the green room. “Personally, I think she’s got the right idea. I may pass out myself after I finish cooking up some Marcus Jordan braised pork ribs.”

            Ten minutes later, Ella stood behind the counter in the studio kitchen, thinking that she, too, might join Patty on the sofa. If she ever lived through this demo, that is. She licked her lips and smoothed the white apron over her hips.

            “Okay, Ella,” Marnie called, “On five…four…three…two…one!”

            Ella opened her mouth to speak, but then remembered she’d forgotten to smile into the camera. She clamped her mouth closed again, then gave her best Colgate grin into what she hoped was the right camera.

            And hopefully not Luke’s camera.

            “Today I’m making Lobster-Toasted Garlic Quesadillas.” She turned the smile up another notch. The judges had wanted to see more of her, right? What did that mean, exactly? More personality, Ella supposed. “First I’ll take this lobster—isn’t he a beauty, folks?” She held the lobster up just in time to see Marnie motion toward the other camera.

            Remembering her Colgate smile just in time, Ella spun around with the lobster, her eyes wildly searching for the second camera. As she did, Ella felt her shoe begin to slip on something wet. Confident that she could regain her footing, she tried to find her place on the teleprompter.

           “We’ll need to lay this lobster down on a flat surface and rub him with some oil and seasonings—!”

            Ella lost her battle with the wet spot on the floor. It happened so fast it seemed almost impossible to believe. Yet here she was. On the floor. Still clutching the lobster. And the cameras were rolling.

            That split-second thought was enough to propel Ella into action. On her feet again, she carefully stepped over the water puddle on the floor and dropped the lobster onto the counter with a loud plop! Her eyes found the camera, but not the teleprompter. “And that, folks, is for the experts. Please don’t try that at home!”

            Ella’s heart sank to her knees, though she kept the Colgate grin in place. She’d probably just blown her chance in this competition. Only one thing brought her any consolation. She hadn’t broken the cardinal network rule.

           Don’t ever stop the show!

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, Staci Wilder books, summer reads, writing

August 27, 2010 @ 6:17 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

             MELROSE MIRACLE

by Staci Wilder

Chapter Eleven

             Luke sat on the worn leather sofa in his apartment and stared at the clock on the wall. Eight-fifteen. He sighed and leaned forward, rubbing his hands on the thighs of his jeans. The contestants should know by now which of them had made it to the next round.

            Ella should know by now.

            The thought of Ella leaving LA before he really even had a chance to get to know her did something funny to Luke’s stomach. It was crazy, really. This wasn’t his style, mooning over some lady he barely knew. Heck, he didn’t even moon over the ones he did know. This was new territory for him, a space he hadn’t explored since…

            Well, since Tessa.

            The thought of Tessa Shepherd made the hairs on his arm stand on end. He’d once loved her fiercely. Was prepared to give her the moon, had she asked for it. He had, in fact, given her something far more precious. His heart. And she had stomped on it so hard that Luke wouldn’t have experienced more pain if she’d walked on his bare chest in a pair of her four-inch stilettos.

            Of course, he hadn’t been without blame. Leaving his mid-west values behind in Indiana, he’d reached out and grabbed all he could hold when he first arrived in Los Angeles six years ago. Late nights, wild parties, and pretty women—all were available for the taking.

            But then he’d met Tessa and had felt like he had at last come home. At last he’d felt free to shed the glitz of Tinsel Town and bare his heart and soul to someone who shared his passions and his morals. Only Tessa hadn’t been that person. One mention of his hometown values and she’d started deleting herself from his life, one pair of shoes at a time.

            But this wasn’t fair, his drumming up past hurt at the hand of Tessa. It wasn’t fair to Ella, and it wasn’t fair to him. The two women couldn’t be more different from one another. Tessa had been self-centered, more focused on her own career and needs than anything else.

            Ella had a child that came first. A little girl. He knew this from the initial bios that Kurt had shared during their cross-country trek. He knew this competition meant far more to her than she let on. Maybe that’s why he felt such an unexplainable tenderness toward her, almost a protectiveness. Her motives were noble, at least he thought they were.

            Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time he’d been wrong about a woman.

            Luke paced the length of the small living room. Then he sat some more. Then he did a few jumping jacks. By the time he’d stretched on the floor to do a set of sit-ups, he realized that only one thing would really soothe his uncertain emotions. He sat up and reached for the Bible on the coffee table. Scooting around, he leaned his back against the sofa and flipped through the soft, worn pages until he found it. Psalm 1.

            Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

            Luke read the verses again, then dropped his head forward, resting his forehead on his knees. How many times had this set of scriptures spoke comfort to his questioning mind and bruised spirit? Too many to count, he knew that.

            He’d learned an important lesson the hardest way possible—through experience. His mother had always been fond of saying that pain was her best teacher. She’d been right. After his breakup with Tessa, his enraptured view of Hollywood and all it had to offer began to dim. It was as though he’d had blinders covering his eyes and at last they were stripped away and he could see again.

            Where once he’d seen only the glitz and glamour of a city known for indulgence, he now knew it for what it really was. Just another city. Large, wealthy, and full of super stars. Yeah, maybe so. But what Luke now knew was that even superstars with mega-hit movies were just regular folk. At the end of the day, they brushed their teeth and went to bed, much the same as he did.

            Only Luke could now lay his head on his pillow with a peace in his heart.

            He’d never risk that peace again. Not for a job. Not for LA.

            Not for a woman.

            That’s why he had to make a move, one way or another. If Ella was as real as he felt she was, then he didn’t want to let an opportunity to know her better pass him by. But he’d need strength if she turned out to be in search of only what the Hollywood scene could provide for her.

            The strength to simply walk away.

            “Lord,” Luke mumbled the prayer out loud. “You know I want your will. Guide my footsteps. Direct my words. Let me follow wherever you lead me. Even if it’s not what my heart wants to hear.”

            By the time the clock on the wall read eight-forty-five, Luke had showered, changed into a fresh pair of pants and shirt, and was locking his front door. He knew Kurt would call him crazy and most of his other friends would think he’d flipped out. But he had to know if Ella was staying in LA.

            He had to know tonight.

 *****

             Ella went with the others to the corner ice-cream shop. Over milkshakes and banana splits, they celebrated surviving the first round of eliminations. Ella felt her place in the group was shaky, at best. She’d have to find a way to give the judges what they were asking for. But as she sat and nibbled on her waffle cone, she had no idea how to do that.

            Everyone else felt good, she could tell. Torrie talked nonstop, barely giving anyone else time to get a word in edgewise before jumping to a new topic altogether. Even Patty had agreed to join them and, while she wasn’t really participating in the conversation much, she did nod in agreement and give a furtive smile from time to time. Ella was more convinced than ever that Patty just needed a friend. She purposed to try harder to be that person for Patty.

            “Hey, Cowboy,” Henry tossed a wadded straw wrapper Ben’s way. “There are two men in jeans and Stetsons in the kitchen. Which one is the real cowboy?”

            “Oh, no, here we go again.” Deidra threw up her hands.

            Ella grinned as Ben turned a pretty shade of pink.

            “Dunno.” He shrugged. “Which one?”

            “The one on the range.” Henry howled, slapping his palms on the table. “Get it? Range? Like, home on the range?”

            “WE GET IT, DUDE.”

            Ella cringed at Deidra’s hateful tone. Henry’s jokes did tend to wear a little thin, particularly after fifteen of them and a very long day in the studio. But you certainly couldn’t fault the guy for trying to keep things light and humorous. Ella appreciated that, even if she could have done without the corny one-liners.

            “On that note, I think I’ll head back to the hotel.” Dirk pulled his ball cap on and stood up. “Anyone want to walk with me?”

            Ella held up her hand. “Me. I need to get back to the room and call home anyway.”

            “Hey, it’s still early yet.” Torrie’s pretty mouth turned down in a mock pout. “You two are party poopers.”

            “That’s us.” Dirk grinned and tapped Torrie’s shoulder. “But this is one party pooper who will have had his eight hours of beauty sleep and be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for tomorrow’s challenge.”

            No one had an argument—pretend or otherwise—so Dirk and Ella waved their good-byes and walked the two blocks to the Radisson. Ella bid Dirk a good-night as he turned the corner in the lobby, headed for his first floor room. Ella started for the elevator when she heard her name.

            She spun around, shocked to see Luke Abney standing in the lobby. Ella started toward him, then glanced around. “What—what are you doing here?”

            He moved closer, and in that one motion she noticed several details. Details that made her heart rate pick up and the now familiar flush to creep up her neck. Things like the neat line in his khakis. The way his button-down shirt hung untucked. The fact that he wore flip-flops and she could see his feet. Silly details that she’d never admit to another human being. But details that caused her heart to flutter in a way she’d never expected to feel again.

            “I came to see you.” He stood in front of her now—no more than a foot away—looking down at her with such frank honesty in his blue eyes that it almost took her breath away. “I wanted to make sure that you…that you weren’t…”

            Ella nodded. “I get it. You wanted to make sure I wasn’t the one eliminated, right?”

            His grin was sheepish, but she loved it. Loved that he wanted to check on her. Loved that he was standing here, close enough for her to reach out and touch.

            “Yeah, something like that.” He stared down at her and his grin widened.

            “What?” Ella felt self-conscious beneath his gaze. She reached up to wipe at her mouth. “Do I have something on my face?”

            Luke shook his head and stepped even closer. With one hand, he reached out and fingered a curl that hung over her shoulder. “You’ve got your hair down,” he whispered huskily.

            Ella’s heart skipped a little beat. She couldn’t have taken her eyes off of Luke Abney right then if a gun had been held to her head. Nor did she want to.

            “I like it like this.” He let go of the curl and it jumped back into place. “You know, curly, free. It’s you.”

            Ella finally found both her breath and her voice and she laughed out loud. “Easy for you to say, mister! I’d like to see you try to tame these curls at six o’clock every morning. It’s not easy, let me tell you.”

            Luke laughed and shook his head. “I’m sure it’s not.” He glanced around the lobby, still littered with groups of people. “Hey, do you want to sit for a while? Just talk?”

            Ella hesitated, thinking of the phone call home she needed to make and of the early morning wakeup call she’d requested. Then she looked into Luke’s blue eyes again and knew there was only one answer to his question.

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, Staci Wilder books, summer reads

August 20, 2010 @ 8:55 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

     MELROSE MIRACLE

by Staci Wilder

Chapter Ten

            Ella’s exhilaration barely lasted through lunch.

            As she and the other contestants filed back into Sound Stage C after a rather loud and festive lunch at a nearby bistro, it was clear something was up. The two rows of metal desks had disappeared from view and three more sets of cameras and tripods peppered the studio floor. The kitchen lights remained ablaze, but the round, overhead lights above the studio were dimmed.

          The result was an instant charge of energy.

          Or dread, Ella wasn’t really sure.

            “Welcome back, contestants.” Nathan Charleton motioned for them to cluster to one side of the room. “I trust you had a pleasant lunch. You’ll be glad you’ve had plenty of nourishment because—” he paused and pointed at the group—“this afternoon’s challenge will lead to what you’ve all been waiting for. The first elimination ceremony.”

            A chorus of groans echoed what Ella felt.

          This was it. The contest was on, no doubt about that now. Up till this point they’d felt and operated as a single team. But now the gloves—or Chef’s mitts—would come off and may the best chef among them win. Anticipation wiggled around in Ella’s stomach and she tried to embrace it rather than fight it. This was why she’d come three thousand miles in the first place, wasn’t it? To win the contest that would guarantee a safe future for Chloe.

            The truth could not be avoided. As much as they liked one another and as well as they got along, the contest would boast only one winner. In the end, it would come down to which one of the eight held up under the pressure, delivered culinary delights, and provided an entertaining performance.

            Ella held her breath as the host continued.

          “This is your challenge. You will each prepare the dish that won you a place in the finals. You’ll have two hours to prepare both the dish and a demo tray. After presenting your demo to the judges panel, you’ll be individually rated then you’ll prepare for the elimination ceremony. Tonight—” Nathan Charleton’ voice dropped an octave—“one of you will go home.”

             The three judges were introduced and again the three points of judging were covered: performance, personality, and culinary point of view. Ella still wasn’t sure what the latter meant. This afternoon’s challenge left no time for her to mull it over though. She had twenty minutes to prepare her cue cards and do a dry run-through before the contestants began filming.

            The earlier butterflies in the pit of her stomach now seemed to be having a block party inside her. Swallowing an acrid taste in the back of her throat, Ella found a quiet corner and rehearsed the steps of her demo. Her winning entry had featured her grandmother’s Vegetable Panini, a dish she could—just like Reggie had said—make in her sleep. She concentrated now on the prep work ahead of her: the vegetable chops, heating the griddle, slicing the baguettes.

            This first crucial challenge differed from the previous ones in another way. Before, each finalist was allowed to sit in during each demo and challenge. Beginning today, they’d be sequestered in the green room both before and after their own demo. It added another layer of mystery to the goings-on, making it virtually impossible to know how well one stacked up in light of the remaining contestants’ performances.

            Ella had drawn second demo and now she sat huddled in an overstuffed purple armchair, waiting for a stagehand to come fetch her when it was her turn. Deidra, Ben, and Kim occupied the matching couch. Torrie sat cross-legged against the wall, twirling her braids in her hands. Dirk and Henry lay flat of their backs on the green Berber carpet. All were quiet, just waiting.

            “Hey, check it out,” Dirk, from his spot on the floor, pointed to the walls. “The green room is really green. I’ve always wondered that.”

            It was an observation, but if Dirk was expecting a response Ella was certain he’d be disappointed. Their minds were too occupied at the moment to absorb anything of substance—even something as minute as the color of the green room.

            “How do you think Patty is doing out there?” Deidra was the first to voice it.

            Ella straightened in her chair. She’d been thinking about Patty too. The woman was an enigma to the rest of the group. She fascinated Ella every bit as much as she startled her. With her short, dark pixie cut and waif-like features, she appeared as harmless as a feather on a china dish.

             From a distance, that is. Face-to-face with those small beady eyes and firmly set lips was enough to make Ella back up a step or two.

            “She’s doing fine,” Ben piped up from his corner of the couch. “Haven’t you watched her in the kitchen? She’s a whiz with her chops. If you ask me, that spooky persona is all an act.”

            Ella stared at Ben. Was it possible that someone could have their head in the game deep enough to effect a persona, for crying out loud? It was all she could do to function well as…herself…let alone trying to feign a false front just to throw the others off balance.

            “I don’t know…” Torrie didn’t sound convinced.

            “Wait a minute.” Deidra held up a finger. “I think Ben may be on to something. She was the only one that didn’t go to lunch with us today, right? Something about having an appointment or something like that? Well, when we were leaving the restaurant, I saw her at a table off to the side. By herself.” Deidra’s voice was emphatic, and she jerked her neck as though to accentuate each word. “What happened to that appointment, I ask you? She didn’t have one, that’s what!”

            Ella giggled. “Deidra, that’s a stretch. Give the woman a break. I mean, she freaks me out to, but I don’t think she’s sinister or anything.”

            “Hmph, maybe not,” Deidra crossed her arms. “But that woman’s got some real bad mojo going on up in that head of hers. You know what I’m talking about now!”

            The doorknob to the green room clicked and all seven of them turned to the door. Patty walked in and took a seat in a metal folding chair nearest the door. She nodded curtly, acknowledging their presence, but then hid her head behind a dog-eared copy of California Living.

            Ella watched as Dirk sat up and stared, first at Patty, then at each of them. He raised his eyebrows in question, but she only shrugged her shoulders. They’d all love to ask Patty how the demo went, but no one really knew how to approach her. Ella didn’t know what the deal with Patty was, but she did know she envied the woman right now.

            The door opened and a stagehand poked his head inside. “Ella Paglia?”

            Ella sighed and stood up.

            Patty had another challenge behind her—at this moment, a position Ella envied.

*****

            Luke’s chest tightened as he watched Ella walk to the center of the kitchen and take her place behind the counter. Almost like he was nervous for her. Or maybe he was just nervous right along with her, that was more like it. It wasn’t that he feared she’d flub up or make some awful error. All the contestants made mistakes; the competition didn’t require perfection. But it did require releasing your personality in front of a camera and being at ease with your movements and actions.

            Ella had the latter down pat, Luke was convinced of that. She moved about the kitchen with a grace that captivated him, handling the pots and pans and ladles and mixers with the greatest of ease. It was the former part—the personality issue—that troubled him.

            In Milltown, at Max’s Diner, Ella’s personality had been larger than life. Funny in a very unintentional way, her comedic expressions and quick wit had added wonderful layers to her naturally quiet persona. Here, in the studio kitchen, she was reserved, holding something back from the camera.

            Luke feared she held back the very thing that could win this contest for her.

            He and the other crew members had the distinct advantage of seeing all eight contestants in action. It tickled Luke the way folks reacted with a camera trained on them. Some of them—like that woman, Patty—become an animated version of Superwoman.

          Luke nearly fell off his stool the first time Patty had opened her mouth during filming. The mousy, timid housewife vanished and in her place stood a ball of pure energy, tossing knives and pepper mills around like she was Tom Cruise in Tequila Sunrise. It beat all Luke had ever seen.

            Then you had folks like Ben. And Ella. People with unmistakable skills and resources. But they tended to hide from the camera instead of reaching out and embracing it. For something to be appealing on a TV screen—whether it was the food or the chef—it had to be over the top.

            Okay, Ella, show me what you’ve got. He eased behind his camera and waited for Marnie’s countdown. Ernie, another camera guy, would be taking the opening sequence of shots, so Luke used this time to zoom in tight on Ella’s face. Show me that beautiful smile, Ella.

            “Three…two…one!”

            On cue, Ella smiled into the camera and made her opening speech. Luke didn’t move a muscle as he watched, following her every move. Introducing her recipe—Luke wasn’t even certain what a panini was—he locked back into position as she turned on the grill then moved to the far counter to begin her chops.

            Focusing the camera on Ella’s hands, he watched as she lined up eggplant, zucchini, and onions, then began to slice them with the ease of a pro. Her fingers—short and slim—were topped by neatly manicured nails, covered in clear gloss. Luke knew her hands would look awesome on-screen. He couldn’t say the same for everyone else he shot. Take Patty, for instance. The woman was a whirling dervish in the kitchen, but her hands looked like they needed a good long soak in a bowl of Madge’s Pamolive.

            Ella finished the vegetables and reached for a basket of sliced baguettes. Working with one piece at a time, she spread a thin layer of pesto sauce, then layered slices of eggplant, zucchini, onion, tomato, mozzarella, and roasted red peppers. Sprinkling it all with salt and pepper, she then slid the sandwiches onto the griddle and placed a heavy iron skillet on top of them.

            “You can use a panini maker if you want,” She spoke clearly and without hesitation. “But I like to make these sandwiches the way my grandmother taught me.”

            Ella paused and grinned at the camera, pointing to the heavy skillet. “So I just use any old cast iron pan I have around. They’re just weighty enough and press the baguette in much the same way as an expensive panini maker.”

            Good job, Ella! Luke wanted to shout out loud. She’d made it personal. Shared a little of herself with the camera. Now if she could just relax into it…

*****

            Ella trailed down the hallway behind Dirk and Henry. Torrie walked on one side of her and Deidra on the other. Just behind them came Patty, Ben, and Kim. The motley group somehow reminded Ella of a bunch of kids, walking the long barren school hallway to the principal’s office.

           They entered Sound Stage C as a group of eight. But only seven of them would return in the morning.

            Ella’s lunch—was it only seven hours ago that they’d all been laughing and cutting up at Tony’s Bistro?—felt like it was lodged somewhere between the base of her throat and the middle of her ribcage.

             Never could she remember being quite this nervous. Even walking the long church aisle to meet Stephen at their wedding and her planned C-section with Chloe seemed like a cakewalk in stark contrast to the panel of judges she was about to face.

            Ella didn’t know what kind of stakes the other seven had in this competition, but for her, they were high. Winning this meant an opportunity to carve out a future that would utilize her talents and passions and also provide a generous and stable income for Chloe. It was a long shot; she’d known that going in.

           But now that she was here, Ella intended to give it everything she had to make it all the way.

            They entered the dim studio. The three judges sat behind a long table, a single row of track lighting illuminating the space. Just behind them, cloaked in semi-darkness, stood McAllister Pruitt, himself. The lunch-turned-stone in the pit of her tummy rolled over as Ella glimpsed the man who held the key to her future.

          The eight contestants walked to the center of the room and took their places. When they were settled, Nathan Charleton stepped forward.

            “Tonight we’ve reached the very first elimination ceremony. You’ve been introduced to the judges, but now let me tell you a little about each of them. You’ll be seeing them a lot over the course of this competition. First up, Tom Fogelman, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production here at The Cooking Channel.”

          Nathan Charleton took a couple of steps and smiled. “The pretty lady next to Tom is Heidi Turner. Heidi’s role with the network is that of VP of Marketing. And last, but certainly not least, we have Jordan Elliott, well-known TV broadcaster.”

            Ella surveyed the three judges, but could get no real feel on just how tough or how lenient the trio might be. Each of them smiled and waved at the contestants as they were introduced, but it was clear by the expressions on their faces now that they were all business.

            “Now for the icing on the cake, ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to present Mr. McAllister Pruitt.” Even Nathan Charleton’s voice contained a timbre of awe.

            Ella’s fists clenched in anticipation at her side as the tall, daunting man stepped from the shadows, and came to stand before them.

            “Good evening,” He nodded and looked each of them squarely in the eyes before continuing. “It’s my great pleasure to welcome you all to Los Angeles, but more specifically, to this competition. At one time, not so many years ago, I was in the same position you are right now. I had a dream, and that dream was to operate my own restaurant.”

            Ella found herself relaxing as McAllister Pruitt began to share his background. She leaned forward in interest, finding it amazing that a man of his stature would be this candid.

            “I came from a family that could barely afford to place the basics on the table, let alone purchase the extras we all enjoy today. I began to experiment with bits of this and pieces of that—all leftovers from the meal before. I cultivated a love for experimenting with food.” He smiled. “I still love to experiment.”

            Ella could relate. Some of her best concoctions had been mistakes gone right.

            “I finally lassoed my dream after ten grueling years. Now I want to help one of you lasso your personal dream. One of you will walk away from this competition with your own restaurant.

            Not a sound was heard as McAllister finished speaking and retreated to the corner. Ella hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath, hanging on to every single syllable out of the man’s mouth. She blew it out in a long, soft sigh.

           “Contestants, we want to thank each of you for your participation in Restaurant 101.  Obviously, the network saw something exciting in each of you or you wouldn’t even be here. But as contests go, there can only be one winner and tonight we’ll take the group down to seven.” Nathan Charleton gave one last look at the finalists, then turned to the panel. “Judges, I’ll turn it over to you now.”

            The one named Tom stood and picked up a sheet of paper from the table in front of him. He ventured a small smile as he began to speak. “I want to second the comments our host, Nathan Charleton, made. All eight of you show amazing potential and we’d love to be able to keep all of you. But tonight we are asking the following people…to stay.”

            Ella felt her stomach drop the remaining distance to her knees and she forgot how to breathe. Without thinking, she reached out to clutch both her neighbor’s hands. In some remote corner of her mind she realized she’d grabbed hold of Patty’s hand, felt a half-second’s resistance, and then the warmth of Patty’s skin as the woman returned her anxious squeeze.

            “When I call your name, please step forward. Dirk…Deidra…Henry…”

            Ella stood frozen as Henry released her hand and stepped forward to join Dirk and Deidra. She felt Patty move in a little closer to her, and found it somehow oddly comforting.

            “Torrie…Ben…Patty…”

            Patty gave Ella’s hand one last squeeze, then joined the others in line. Ella felt sick. This wasn’t how she’d imagined it. Being plucked out during the very first round of competition.

            “Kim and Ella, we have a few comments to make about your performance in the studio today.”

            Ella nodded, rubbing her clammy palms along the side of her denim skirt. She watched as Heidi, the lone woman on the panel, stood.

            “Let’s start with you, Kim.” She nodded in his direction. “There’s no question that you are a skilled chef, particularly with Asian and Asian-inspired dishes. You’ve impressed us with your knowledge of foods. What we’re not seeing, however, is the ability to speak clearly and concisely. This is a trait that any good TV host or hostess must possess.”

            Ella saw Kim nod his head in acceptance. Her knees buckled a little further when Heidi turned her gaze her way.

            “And Ella. You’ve got definite style, and a real flair for cooking. Just like with Kim, it’s obvious that you, too, have a vast knowledge of kitchen operations. What we’d like to see more of though—and haven’t yet—is Ella.” Heidi stretched her arms wide. “Let us see who you are, Ella. All of you.”

            Ella tried to smile, but wasn’t sure if she’d been successful. She just wanted this moment to end. Whatever the outcome…

            “Ella…we’d like you to…stay.”

            Like a punctured balloon, Ella felt her lungs give out and a burst of air shot through her. “Oh…” A mixture of relief and excitement and a sadness for Kim almost overwhelmed her. She took Kim’s outstretched hand.

            “Good luck,” he nodded to her.

            The next half hour passed in a blur of motion and activity as the group bid their farewells to Kim. When they’d all waved to him as he drove away in a cab, it was a moment of bitter sweetness.

            As the remaining seven sat together, rehashing the day’s events and that night’s elimination ceremony, Ella couldn’t help feeling a bit like a knobby-kneed school girl who had won the spelling bee by default. She listened to the chatter around her, marveling that some of the other contestants had the confidence to openly boast about their progress thus far.

            As near as Ella could tell, the competition was just heating up. And—if today was a clear indicator of things to come—the road to restaurant ownership via this particular route would be bumpy, at best. She was ecstatic that she was still in the game, but her heart ached that it was at the expense of someone else’s dream.

            Tonight, Kim’s dream had been sacrificed.

            Whose would be next?

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, Staci Wilder books, summer reads

August 13, 2010 @ 8:55 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

   MELROSE MIRACLE

 

Chapter Nine

 

            The next morning, Ella made sure she left in plenty of time to snag one of the front desks in Sound Stage C. She felt surprisingly refreshed after a decent night’s sleep and looked forward to the day, wondering what challenge was next on the docket.

               Kim Yung Lee, the only Asian contestant, walked in right behind Ella. “Good morning.” He bobbed his head toward her, his dark hair waving with the movement. Quiet up to this point, Kim had impressed them all yesterday with his egg fu yung demo.

           After a few minutes of conversation, she learned the forty-five year old Kim owned and operated his own Chinese restaurant in Lubbock, Texas. But the family business was failing and this was Kim’s way of trying to save it.

          Torrie, Ben, and Dirk walked in about that time and Dirk—hearing Kim mention Lubbock—turned the topic of conversation to Texas Tech, his alma mater. “Hey, you missed a great time last night.” Torrie settled into the desk next to Ella’s. She dropped her backpack to the floor and leaned forward, planting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. “A lot of the crew came out with us. That cute camera man—you know, Luke—he came too.”

          Ella hoped her face showed no emotion. It wasn’t like she cared what Luke Abney did, or who he saw. Or did she? She couldn’t deny the effect he had on her when he was close by: rapid pulse, heart flutters, flushed cheeks…

           No doubt about it. Luke made her heart do weird—yet somehow delicious—flip-flops. Remnants of their conversation still danced in the corners of her mind, making it difficult to hide the smile that was aching to crawl across her face right now. She resisted it, though, grabbing a pencil instead and doodling on her tablet.

            It wasn’t like she cared what Torrie thought. This was Ella’s first experience with this kind of attraction, or chemistry—or whatever this myriad of feelings might be labeled. She wasn’t even sure herself yet how she felt about them. For sure she wasn’t ready to confide them to others.

           It had seemed like there had been a mutual connection back in Milltown, and again on that amazing all-night phone conversation. But the past few days in LA seemed to suggest otherwise.  Almost like she was just one of the gang—someone he spoke nicely to because it was a part of his job.

         “I wanna get to know him better,” Torrie continued, tossing one long platinum braid over her shoulder. “Away from the crowd, you know?” She grinned and Ella felt her stomach plummet. “Some good ‘ol one-on-one time.”

            “Sounds…like a plan.” Ella pulled another notebook from her duffel and pretended to read through some notes. When Torrie took the bait and did the same, Ella blew out a soft breath.

            She needed to get her head in this contest and off of Luke Abney. She sneaked a peek at Torrie. Why in the world would Luke give Ella a second glance when the likes of Torrie Tyler was around?

            The morning session started up at 10 o’clock sharp, and not a moment too soon for Ella. Now that she was ready to put Luke on the back burner of her mind where he belonged, she was ready to throw herself headfirst into the day’s challenge. A fresh zeal burned inside her, an urgency to make the most of this incredible opportunity. If she worked hard and showed the network what she was capable of, maybe…just maybe…this contest would change the course of hers and Chloe’s life.

            “Welcome to Cooking TV 101.” Nathan Charleton began, “Today you’ll learn the basics of live cooking. When you watch Kendall on Meals in Minutes or Toula on Toula’s Home Cooking, what the audience may not realize is that it is a live television performance. Done…in real time.”

            Ella shifted in her chair as Dirk, on her right, whistled softly. That was something she hadn’t realized. The idea was slightly terrifying. Filming for a taped segment sounded daunting enough, but to film for a live feed? Yikes…

            Nathan Charleton nodded at their responses. “Because of this, there is a cardinal rule in our network. A rule that can never be broken, no matter what.”

            Ella grabbed her pen, waiting.

            “A chef can never stop the show. Remember that.”

            Ella heard Dirk mumbling the words as he, too, scribbled furiously on a notepad.

            “Okay, let’s get started.” Nathan clapped his hands and a line of men and women filed into the studio, coming to stand at the front. “Today you’ll meet a few of the folks who make a cooking show possible.”

            Luke Abney was the last to enter. He ended up directly in front of her desk and Ella felt the now familiar tug at her tummy. For the briefest of seconds their eyes locked and—though it was fleeting—time seemed to halt. Ella felt as though this man were looking inside her soul. She straightened in her chair and lowered her eyes, trying to concentrate on the introductions as Nathan Charleton announced each name.

            “…Marnie Wilson!” The host paused as Marnie—just as energetic as she’d been at the meet-and-greet—took a deep bow. “Marnie is our stage manager and she will become your very best friend.” He gave a knowing nod. “Believe me, Marnie is absolutely crucial to your success in this competition.”

            For the next fifteen minutes Marnie explained the use of the dreaded teleprompter and time cards. Ella was amazed at how much useful information she was able to soak up in the short amount of time. The teleprompter would not—contrary to what she’d thought—keep going if the host quits talking. Instead it is regulated to the speed of the host’s voice; if he speaks fast, the teleprompter speeds up, if the host slows it down, the teleprompter matches it.

            “Time for the first challenge of the day.”

            Ella looked up from her notes at Nathan Charleton’ words. Besides the host, the front of the room had been cleared. She didn’t know if she felt more relief or more disappointment that Luke Abney no longer stood in front of her.

            Each contestant was given a task card. These were aqua blue note cards with a given assignment printed on them. Ella heard Torrie groan as she read hers. She turned hers over slowly, her earlier confidence in the day taking a dip.

            Stretch the time, it read. Obviously she’d have to ad-lib, waiting for Marnie to give the signal that there was extra time to fill. It wouldn’t be difficult.

            Ella sighed. It was just out of her comfort zone, was all.

*****

             From behind his camera, Luke zoomed in on Ella’s face. He could see a tiny vein in her neck throbbing wildly and his heart wrenched. She was nervous.

            Come on, Ella, you can do it. He tried to send her telepathic encouragement and he thought that, just for a second, she looked right at him. Not just at his camera, but at him. His breath caught in his throat until she looked down, at some notes in front of her, and the spell was broken.

            He waited for Marnie’s countdown and kept an eye on the stage manager’s arm as it went high into the air.

            “In five…four…three…two…” At one, Marnie’s hand came down and Luke pushed the red button, instantly sending Ella Paglia to the live feed. His throat felt tight and dry as he put his eye to the lens.

            “You want your filling to be rich and creamy,” Ella looked up from the batter she was mixing and smiled into the camera. “Make sure it is mixed well, then pour it into your prepared muffin tins.”

            Luke grinned. Thatta girl! If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought Ella was an old pro at this. He glimpsed Marnie out of the corner of his eye and watched as she gave the signal to stretch the time. There was the briefest gleam of panic in Ella’s dark eyes as they widened at the camera. She paused and Luke held his breath. Keep talking, Ella, don’t stop. Even he knew the cardinal rule of the network. There was flexibility with a lot of things, but not the cardinal rule.

            “I remember as a kid I’d love to help my mother make pies and cakes,” Ella’s smile was back and she was shooting from the hip, filling the time with an anecdote. “My very favorite recipe was a cherry cheesecake—very similar to the one we’re making today.”

            Marnie gave the sign for a commercial break.

            “So when we come back, we’re going to taste these beautiful mini-cheesecakes. Don’t go away.” Ella finished the sentence in a rush of air and then sighed, loudly. Her lapel mic crackled and the contestants and crew laughed. It was clear to everyone that Ella was glad to have this challenge behind her.

            Luke shut the camera off and backed away from the tripod. As Ella passed in front of him on her way back to her seat, he held up both thumbs. “Good job,” he whispered.

            “Thanks,” she whispered.

            Luke reached out without thinking and squeezed her fingertips. He glimpsed the flitter of surprise in her eyes and let go quickly. It wasn’t like him to act on spontaneous impulses—particularly when it came to grabbing a pretty gal’s hand. But there was something about Ella that tugged at his heart. Made him want to reassure her. Care for her. Let her know he was around if she needed him.

            He ignored the pang of disappointment that swam around in his gut when Ella continued on to her seat. Last night’s encounter in the shopping district on Melrose had been much too short. That brief conversation with Ella had done nothing except make him want more time with her.

            Of course, seeing the modeling agency where Tessa was a client had been jarring, to say the least. He’d not known the agency had changed locations and seeing the sign last night had temporarily brought all the craziness from the “Tessa years” sharply back into focus. It hadn’t been until later, when he was lying wide-awake in bed, still thinking about his chance meeting on the street with Ella that something very clear began to seep into his thoughts.

            Everything he’d thought he’d wanted in Tessa, everything he thought he’d found—had ultimately been nothing more than a mirage of the heart. Yet, in Ella, those very things were alive and well. So close to him, close enough for him to reach out and grasp, if he wanted.

            If only he knew Ella felt the same way…

 *****

             Ella all but melted into her seat. Her heart still raced from the rush of adrenaline that had pumped like fuel through her veins while on camera. She knew her cheeks were hot and flushed. Normally that would embarrass her, but right now she didn’t even care.    She was floating—riding the relief of having another scary challenge behind her. Luke Abney’s unexpected touch had been like the cherry on a sundae for her. As she’d walked by, she’d glimpsed the victory she felt gleaming in his own eyes. As though he shared the moment with her.

            Relaxing, she watched the final two contestants take their turns. She and the others bit back laughs as Dirk’s comical expressions grew even more outrageous as he tried—rather unsuccessfully—to make seamless switches from one camera to the next.          

             Torrie’s task was called the “swap-out”—placing one pan in the oven and pulling out another of the finished result. The real trick was to do this while never breaking your train of speech, something Ella knew Torrie could do with ease.

            What no one anticipated, though, was that in her haste to finish her segment in time, Torrie pulled the unbaked pan of brownies from the oven instead of the finished one. Ella saw it before Torrie, and her heart ached for the girl. She shouldn’t have worried though. Torrie’s giggles at her own mistake proved infectious and soon even Marnie and Nathan Charleton chuckled with her.

            If Ella had any reservations about how Torrie Tyler would fare in this competition, they flew out the window at that moment. Torrie had the entire studio eating out of her hand. With southern charm and a voice of honey, Torrie knew how to do something Ella feared she’d never learn herself: Torrie was comfortable in her own skin. It worked for her and—this time anyway—earned her a standing ovation.

            Ella rose with the others, reaching out to hug Torrie as she came back to her seat. As she did, she caught sight of Luke Abney standing beside his camera. A big grin crawled across his face and he raised one thumb in the air again. Releasing Torrie, she returned the signal to Luke, knowing her own smile mirrored the one on his face.

            Torrie might have received the standing ovation. But Ella had received something far more. She’d conquered another fear today and, in her celebration, she’d found another soul who—in his own quiet way—clearly celebrated with her.

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, Staci Wilder books, summer reads, writing

July 30, 2010 @ 6:39 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

MELROSE MIRACLE

by Staci Wilder

 

Chapter Seven

             A strange mixture of apprehension and excitement drove Ella from the comfort of her bed at the Radisson the next morning. It might not be the Beverly Hills Hotel, but the Rodeo Drive Radisson was none too shabby either. Reggie—back at home in Milltown with Chloe—had offered her LA apartment up for the ten days. But Ella had opted to stay nearer the studio, with the other contestants.

            As much as she would have loved to bask in her surroundings this morning—spending time in the over-sized tub, nibbling the chocolate-chip cookies left on her pillow the night before—Ella knew she didn’t have the luxury of time to do that. At least not right now.

            Today was the first official day of the contest and her roiling stomach had been the first to recognize it. Popping a Tums, Ella shucked her pajamas and turned on the shower. Forty-five minutes later, she was dressed and downstairs, waiting for the cab the concierge had called.

            It looked like a typical LA day. At least it fit the image Ella had in her mind of what Los Angeles should be. Sunny sky, balmy weather, lots of busy, tanned people. She scanned the street, trying to catch a glimpse of the cab. In each direction, people crowded the sidewalks. The pace was quick and full of energy.

            Just liked she’d imagined.

            “Ella!” Torrie’s voice interrupted her thoughts just as a Yellow Cab pulled to a stop at the curb. “Is this your cab?”

            She turned and smiled as Torrie rushed to join her. Nodding, she jerked a thumb toward the waiting car. “Want to join me?”

            “Yes! Please!” Torrie laughed as she climbed into the backseat after Ella. She reached into her backpack, pulling out something that resembled a pair of chopsticks. Gathering her long hair in her hands, she maneuvered the platinum locks into a knot, and then secured it with the sticks. Ella watched with amusement—and a little awe—as Torrie finished the task and sank against the back of the seat.

            “Whew. That was close, wasn’t it?” Torrie’s words came in a torrent of energy, her Alabama drawl totally captivating. “Thanks for the ride, Ella. Why, I’d be waiting another ten minutes, at least, if you hadn’t been so kind.”

            “No problem. To be honest, I’m glad to have the company.”

             Ella was surprised to find she meant it. Her dismay at seeing Luke laugh and joke with Torrie last night was all but forgotten. It seemed silly in the light of day. Ella was in LA for one reason alone; she didn’t need to lose sight of that. It sure felt like a dream right now, but she was playing some high stakes—she and Chloe’s future rested in what happened over the next ten days. Nothing else mattered.

            Ella surveyed Torrie’s outfit, impressed that the girl could pull off such an eclectic pairing. A turquoise skirt with multi-layered ruffles struck her about two inches above her knees, and a snug white T-shirt hugged her bodice and accentuated the girl’s tanned complexion. But what really grabbed Ella’s attention were the turquoise boots on Torrie’s feet.  Ella had to hand it to her. It remained to be seen if Torrie could cook, but the girl could sure pull off an outfit.

            Fifteen minutes later, the cab pulled up to the security gate at Dreamcaster Productions and Ella fumbled in her purse for her ID badge. She rolled down the window and handed the uniformed officer both hers and Torrie’s ID. When he handed them back, bidding them a good day, Ella looked at Torrie and they both laughed.

            “I can’t believe I’m here.” Ella stared out the window as the cab maneuvered past several buildings and sound stages, including the one where Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman had been taped a few years back. Finally the car came to a stop in front of a rather plain-looking building with a single door in the front.

            As Ella climbed out and held the door for Torrie, another cab pulled up next to them. Dirk, Ben, and Henry emerged, large McDonald’s sacks in their hands.

            “I know what you’re thinking,” Henry held up one hand in mock protest. “We’re here at The Cooking Channel to impress the pants off the judges with our…um, shall I dare say…culinary genius. So why in the world am I eating breakfast out of a McDonald’s bag, right?” He grinned as half a sausage biscuit disappeared inside his mouth.

            “I have one thing to say, guys,” Torrie’s pert nose wrinkled in disdain. “Gross!”

            The other three contestants were already inside. The studio anteroom had undergone a transformation overnight. The tables had been removed and now eight metal desks were arranged in two neat rows. The kitchen lay front and center, a massive island of gleaming stainless steel appliances and some of the brightest overhead lighting Ella had ever seen.      She slipped into the last seat on the second row, just as Nathan Charleton—who she recognized from the night before—took his place at the head of the room.

            “Good morning, contestants. I trust everyone had a restful night’s sleep? No tossing, no turning, no worrying about today, right?”

            Nervous laughs accompanied his words and Ella relaxed a bit. She turned to smile at the person next to her, a little discomfited to find that it was none other than Patty, the pixie. “Morning,” she whispered.

            Patty nodded, although a bit reluctantly, and turned away. Ella wished she’d been paying attention when she sat down. Maybe she’d have grabbed the spot where Torrie now sat. Even the dead-center front seat seemed like a jewel compared to where Ella now sat.

            “Welcome to Sound Stage C, here at Dreamcaster Productions. You’re new home-away-from-home for the next ten days. As you already know, the network is looking for three things when considering which chef will earn his own restaurant.” Nathan Charleton ticked them off on his fingers. “Personality. Performance. And a culinary point of view.”

            Ella fidgeted in her seat. Culinary point of view? What was that?

            Her anxiety from earlier came flooding back with the mention of that one term. She glanced around her. Even Patty seemed nonplussed as she gave her full attention to Nathan Charleton. Ella suddenly felt very alone.

            “Just the fact that you’ve all made it this far—” Nathan Charleton’ spread his arms wide—“is huge. After all, we had over thirteen thousand entries. And out of those thousands of chef wannabes…we’ve chosen the eight of you to come here to LA to compete for your very own restaurant.”

            Tingles ran up and down Ella’s spine. She didn’t know if it was from excitement or sheer terror. The energy in the room alone was almost palpable, and Ella felt herself being pulled along with it, in spite of her own set of fears and apprehensions.

            Take it one task at a time, she tried to coach herself. One task, one activity at a time. It was all she could do anyway, right? No need to borrow anxiety from tomorrow when she had more than enough heaped on her plate for today.

            “Ready for your first challenge?” Nathan Charleton continued. “Here to get you started today is a man I know you’ll recognize. One of The Cooking Channel’s very own—grill master, Marcus Jordan!”

            Ella straightened in her chair as the legendary chef jogged right past her on his way to the front. When had he come in? She couldn’t believe it—Marcus Jordan, in the flesh. Henry, sitting in front of her, turned and wiggled his eyebrows. Ella assumed he must be impressed too.

            “Good morning, people. Welcome to The Cooking Channel, and welcome to your very first challenge. We want to waste no time in getting you broken in…really well.”          

              Marcus Jordan grinned and moved to a long table, set up on the far side of the room. “On this table are—” he pulled the cloth that covered the table, revealing a mountain of various foods—“just about every ingredient you can imagine. You will create an egg dish. You will have exactly thirty seconds to pick out the ingredients you wish to have in your dish and then you’ll have thirty minutes to prepare and set up a tray to demo that dish. Any questions?”

            Deidra stuck her arm high in the air. “One question. Will we be taking turns in the kitchen?”

            “Good question, but…no. Everyone will be working simultaneously.” He jerked his thumb toward the kitchen. “Two refrigerators, four ovens, six ranges, plenty of work space. You’ll all work together.”

            Ella’s mind raced to egg dishes. She’d make an omelet. Stephen always said her omelets were the best. Somehow Ella doubted these judges, particularly McAllister Pruitt, would be as partial to her cooking as Stephen had been. She might be an okay cook with family and friends, but Ella knew the real test was about to begin.

*****

            Luke, Kurt, and a couple more guys from the crew slipped into the back of the studio just as Marcus Jordan called the contestants to the front. He gave each of them a starched white apron with the network logo splayed across the front.

            Luke watched, smiling, as Ella wrestled with hers, trying to get it tied behind her back, before finally pulling the strings to the front and tying a huge knot.

            He’d been hoping to catch a glimpse of those great curls this morning, but he couldn’t tell much about her hair from here. She’d pulled it back into a knot low on her neck and, except for a few stray strands here and there, it seemed secure and unmoving.

           Swallowing his disappointment, he eased into one of the vacated desks. He hoped Ella didn’t see him. Or the others either, for that matter. He sensed that this contest was crucial for Ella, and he didn’t want to do anything to get in the way of that.

            “Ready, contestants?” Marcus Jordan stood aside as the finalists took their places around the table of ingredients. “On three. One…two…three!”

            The next few seconds were a blur of activity. Luke tried to track Ella’s movements, but all eight contestants moved at break-neck speeds. If Luke hadn’t known what they were doing and why, he’d have thought it was one of the funniest sights he’d ever seen.

            Dirk and Deidra both went for a small dish of—something, Luke couldn’t tell from his seat—and ended up spilling most of it between them. Without missing a beat, Deidra scooped up the contents and plopped them onto her tray. Even Patty, the mousy, quiet one, was in on the action. She scurried from side to side, reaching between people, stealthily filling her own tray.

            “Okay!” Marcus Jordan called time and everyone backed up, laughing. “Fun, huh?” He nodded. “Well, it’s about to get even more exciting. You’ll now have thirty minutes to prepare your egg dish. But remember, you also need to prepare, and have ready, a demo tray.”

            Luke watched Ella. Her eyes never left Marcus Jordan and, even from this distance, he could tell she was in culinary heaven. He couldn’t wait to watch her cook. Luke rose with the others and took his place behind the camera on the right side of the kitchen. He knew it was too much to hope that Ella would be working at the station where he filmed, so he wasn’t too disappointed when he turned out to be right.

            For the next thirty minutes Luke’s focus was on his work. He filmed Cowboy Ben and Patty the Pixie—the crew had coined nicknames for each of the finalists—capturing their every move, zooming in tight when Patty began to do some fancy chops that impressed even Luke.

            Wow. Who knew the woman had it in her? Although his mind never completely left Ella, he was drawn into the excitement of the contest as the aroma from sautéed onions and roasted peppers began to waft his way.

*****

            Ella put the finishing touches on her demo tray: a pinch of parsley, a teaspoon of oregano, and two whole bay leaves. Finishing with a full minute and a half to spare, she backed into a corner, joining Dirk, as the other six scrambled to complete their tasks.

            That’s when she saw him. Or part of him.

            The part of Luke Abney’s blond head that peeked from behind the camera and tripod. Today he was dressed down—jeans, a lawn-green pull-over shirt, and tennis shoes. Ella lifted a hand to her hair, suddenly conscious that in the flurry of the past half hour some strands had come loose from the knot and now hung in damp ringlets against the back of her neck.

             No time to fix it now though. Marcus Jordan called time and Ella joined the others back at the desks, her attention fixed on the chef. Luke Abney might pique her interest on some level she was yet to understand, but Marcus Jordan held the key to a vault of useful information.  Ella was determined to glean all she could from this legendary grill master.

            She listened as he explained the basics of demo-ing a recipe, jotting mental notes for future reference. When you think you’re speaking slowly enough, take it down another notch. Learn to work the counter appliances backwards – the camera likes to see the front of the food processor. Ella felt the fresh beads of perspiration as they dotted her upper lip. Between the pressures she was feeling from Marcus Jordan’s words and the heat from the intense overhead kitchen lights, the studio was beginning to feel something like a sauna.

            Weariness crept into the muscles in Ella’s neck and her head ached with the amount of knowledge she’d tried to tuck away. She looked forward to retreating to her room at the Radisson, spending an hour soaking in the tub, and then a long telephone call home to Chloe and Reggie. She just hoped she could manage all three without falling into a deep sleep first.

            One thing remained: the demo.

            Ella had drawn to go third, so she watched closely as Torrie and Ben went before her. Torrie was nervous and stumbled a bit over her words, but even her mistakes—when made in that lilting Alabama drawl—seemed to only add to her charm.

            Ella’s heart went out to Ben though. She had a feeling this gentle cowboy would be more at home in  ranch house kitchen. Not only did he jumble his speaking, but he spilled almost a fourth of a cup of flour on the floor, never quite recovering after that.

            Ella took her place behind the counter, eyeing her tray one last time before she began. Certain everything was in place, she waited for the cue from Marcus Jordan to begin. When it came, she opened her mouth and, amazingly enough, the words began to come.

             Ella moved about the kitchen—cracking the eggs, stirring in the heavy cream, and chopping onions—with ease, feeling surprisingly at home. By the time she’d flipped the Western omelet onto a serving plate, added a sprig of mint for garnish, and set it before the panel of judges, Ella had managed to forget about all about Luke Abney.

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, summer reads, writing

July 23, 2010 @ 11:17 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

       

 

MELROSE MIRACLE

 

by Staci Wilder

 Chapter Six

 Dreamcaster Productions

Los Angeles, CA 

               Ella stood outside the impressive Beverly Hills Radisson. She caught sight of her reflection in the moment just before the doorman pulled open the heavy glass door. Thanks to Reggie, she was dressed in classy olive Dior separates. Ella didn’t dare think what the original price tag must have read. Reggie had stifled Ella’s objections by claiming the outfit had been a virtual steal at a charity auction. Either way, Ella felt a little like a fish out of water.

            Looking at her reflection though, she had to admit the outfit worked. At the last minute she’d opted to leave her hair loose and now the mass of curls spiraled over her shoulders.

            Not bad. Maybe, for this moment in time anyway, she could almost pass for an L.A. girl.

            “That’s the idea.” Ella muttered under her breath.

            “Ma’am?” The elderly doorman lifted thick, bushy gray eyebrows in polite question.

            Ella shook her head, embarrassed to have been caught talking to herself. “Nothing.” She shrugged, sucked in a deep breath, and summoned up her most courageous smile. “I’m ready.”

            She could see the hint of amusement in the man’s kind eyes. He tipped his hat and smiled as he held the door for her. “Very good, ma’am. Enjoy your evening.”

            Ella stepped inside, staring in awe at the expanse of marble floors that seemed to run for miles in all directions. Deep reds and muted greens dotted the massive lobby, appearing in everything from the luxurious overstuffed sofas and chairs, to the thick rugs on the floor, to the floor-to-ceiling draperies that hung suspended from huge wrought-iron rods.

            She moved forward with hesitation, half expecting someone official-looking to pop out of the shadows, grab her by the arm, and tell her she didn’t belong here. The nicest hotel she’d stayed in was on wedding night with Stephen, when they’d spent the one night at the Doubletree, before moving to a more affordable economy motel for the remainder of the honeymoon.

            This—she looked around, her palms growing sweaty—this was the type hotel she’d only seen in movies, never believing she’d actually be a guest in one!

            “Ma’am?” A deep voice behind her startled Ella.

            I knew it! She scrambled for the words to convince the man she was a part of The Cooking Channel party that was meeting here tonight. Ella’s breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding like mad, as she turned. Not even ten steps inside, and already her worst nightmare was coming true.

            A short, portly man, dressed in traditional hotel concierge attire, stood with his hands tucked behind his back, a friendly smile on his round face. “Can I direct you somewhere, ma’am?” His features creased as his smile widened. “I know this place can be somewhat confusing. May I help?”

            “Y-yes.” Ella swallowed, relief all but choking her. “That would be great. I’m looking for”—she glanced down at the scrap of paper clutched in her hand—“the ExCaliber?”

            “Yes, of course, ma’am.” The man nodded again, and then gave detailed directions in quick, choppy sentences.

            Ella hung on every word, all the while thinking how humiliating it would be to miss some crucial detail, wind up in some forsaken part of the hotel, and end up right here all over again, asking once more for the simple directions.

            Concentrate. Ella inhaled deeply, willing her body to obey. Concentrate.

            “Thank you,” she nodded at the concierge even as she turned down the hallway he’d indicated. Anxious to reach the restaurant before her addled mind refused to recall the directions, she listened to the steady click-clack, click-clack of the black Manola Mary Janes that Reggie had insisted she borrow. For what seemed like the thousandth time since climbing aboard the airplane in Baton Rouge earlier today, Ella wondered if she’d completely lost her mind by daring to go through with this. She felt like a fish out of water, not quite sure whether to dive headfirst into the dark, scary waters ahead, or do a back-flip and swim as hard and fast as she could for the familiar.

            The bright neon sign just ahead announced she’d found the restaurant. And without any casualties, at that. Ella glanced down once more at her skirt, sucked in a raspy breath, and reached for the doorknob. This was it, ready or not.

            “Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore,” Ella muttered.

*****

            Ella’s fist tightened around the strap of her purse and she hiked it a little higher on her shoulder. She was thankful for something to hang onto, even if it was just a handbag. The room was filling up—twice as many people milled about now than fifteen minutes ago when she’d first arrived. Ella wondered who they were. There were only eight contestants, right?

            She glanced around her. Mustard-color walls framed the room, and the sage green carpet felt thick and spongy beneath Ella’s borrowed wedges—again, courtesy of Reggie. Just a couple of paintings graced the wall—abstracts, maybe?—but other than that, the room boasted an air of simple elegance. Chic.

            At least Ella’s idea of chic.

            “Ella, have you had a cup of coffee yet, dear?” Marnie Barrows, who’d introduced herself as a sound stage employee of the network when Ella arrived, placed her arm around Ella’s shoulders. Robust and jolly and—if Ella judged right—somewhere in her mid-fifties, Marnie’s ready laugh was deep and throaty, hinting at too many years of indulging in a pack or more of Marlboro’s a day. “What about a pastry? The strawberry ones are to die for.”

            “Not yet.” Ella could have hugged the woman. Just when she wished she could catch a cab back to LAX and board a return flight to Louisiana, Marnie’s infectious enthusiasm grounded her. “Thanks though.”

            She glanced at the serving table, laden with every conceivable fruit and pastry imaginable. “Everything looks wonderful.”

            “Well, that’s a perk of being a part of The Cooking Channel, doll. If nothing else, we can always feed you!” Marnie’s husky laugh was somehow reassuring and Ella felt a pang of disappointment as the older woman strolled away.

            “He-ey,” a twenty-something with waist-length platinum hair and a zillion-watt smile had somehow materialized next to Ella, “Are you a contestant, too?”

            The distinctive lilting drawl was a dead give-away to the girl’s Southern roots. “Yes, I’m Ella.” Ella ran her hand down the hip of her skirt, then stuck it out. Hopefully this southern beauty wouldn’t notice how badly her hands were perspiring.

            “I’m Torrie. With an ‘ie’. Torrie Tyler.” She shook Ella’s hand and her smile grew even bigger. “Isn’t this excitin’?”

            “Very exciting,” Ella found the long drawn-out syllables of Torrie’s speech comfortable. Not quite the same as a Louisiana drawl, but close enough to do. “Are you from Alabama, Torrie?”

            The girl flipped a long lock of hair over one shoulder as she nodded. “Mmhm, Mobile. Have you ever been there, Ella? To Mobile?”

            “Uh, no. No, I haven’t.” Ella tried not to stare at Torrie. But this girl was a knock-out. A real Southern bombshell. Now that she’d had a moment to take inventory, Ella felt a little in awe of this tall, leggy beauty queen with the Zoom-white smile and the honeyed voice. Ella could just picture it now—America voting between her and Torrie the amazing Alabamanite. Ella couldn’t swallow the giggle in time. Even I would vote for Torrie. What kind of competition would that be?

            Torrie’s topaz eyes flickered in uncertainty and Ella regretted the giggle. The last thing she wanted was to alienate a contestant. If she was going to spend ten days away from home and from Chloe, then she’d need all the friends she could gather around her. “I’m sorry,” she shook her head and smiled at the girl. “I’m nervous, I guess…”

            “Oh, I understand.” Torrie’s tone was forgiving as she reached out and squeezed Ella’s hand. “Believe me. I’m nervous, too!”

            The talking around them hushed, accentuating a rustle of activity at the far end of the room. Ella and Torrie turned as a rather tallish man in black slacks and a gray ribbed short sleeve sweater stepped up to the microphone.

            “May I have your attention, please?” The man’s salt-and-pepper hair sparkled beneath the bright, round lights of the above the makeshift stage. He waited till the room quieted.

            “On behalf of The Cooking Channel, I want to welcome you all to the Los Angeles area and to our contest. My name is Nathan Charleton and I will be the host of Restaurant 101. I hope you enjoy your rooms here at the LA Radisson Beverly Hills.”

The man stopped, glanced around the room, and stuck one hand in his pocket. “The next two weeks will be busy ones. Your days will be long. They will be difficult.”

Ella ignored the shudder of apprehension that kept trying to wiggle up her backbone. Nathan Charleton’s bright smile did little to cover the reality of his words. This competition was for real, and it was going to be tough.

“Tomorrow,” he continued, “You’ll be introduced to the sets at Dreamcaster Productions, especially Sound Stage C.” He paused again, and Ella couldn’t help but wonder if it was done for dramatic effect only. The whole room seemed to suck in a deep breath, holding it until—finally—Nathan Charleton turned loose of a grin and spread his arms wide. “But it will be a magnificent journey. One you will be glad you took.”

            Ella blew out her breath, and gave Torrie a hesitant smile. The girl shrugged her slim shoulders and lifted perfectly arched eyebrows in a way that seemed to say, okay, here we go. That’s how Ella felt too. Ready or not, they were off…

*****

            Luke leaned against the wall, near the back of the room, as Nathan Charleton began his introductory speech. That’s when he glimpsed her. Standing next to a tall girl with white-blonde hair—why did women all want hair that color anyway?—she wore a slim brown skirt, a blue blouse, and she clutched a handbag like she was scared it’d run off if she didn’t.

            Luke felt the grin crawl across his face. He’d been looking for her, and had just about decided she wasn’t here. He inched forward a couple of feet to a better vantage point. He felt the grin grow wider. No wonder he’d almost missed her. Her hair was different—it was straight and long, replacing the wild mass of dark curls he remembered. He wished she’d left the curls alone. He liked them.

            “Why are you grinning?” Kurt nudged him, and handed him a cup of coffee. “Did I miss something?”

            “Thanks, man.” He took the cup from Kurt and shook his head. “No, Nathan’s just getting started.” Raising the cup to his mouth, he blew on the hot liquid while his eyes searched for Ella again.

            “Not the girl again, Abney!” Kurt’s elbow in his rib nearly dislodged the cup.

            “Careful, man,” he whispered as he reached up to finger the burned spot on his upper lip, “And be quiet, okay?” He feigned an air of irritation. “Show some respect while our man Charleton is talking, how about it?”

            Kurt grinned, but at least he quit talking.

             Luke didn’t want to small-talk anything that had to do with Ella Paglia. They’d had one more phone conversation since their original all-night phone marathon. They’d talked about everything and yet he’d never felt so liberated while talking to a woman before. He wanted to tell Ella things. She asked questions and seemed to really wait with expectancy to hear what he had to say.

              He’d filled Kurt in on just the necessary, just the fact that the conversations had taken place. As expected, his friend was cautiously encouraging.

            “Just be careful, dude. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Though he didn’t add it, Luke knew his buddy had been thinking, ‘don’t let this gal twist you in knots like the last one did.’  

             One thing Luke knew for certain. Ella Paglia bore no resemblance to Tessa Shepherd. He had no idea at this point whether a real relationship would develop between him and Ella. He’d like to see it happen. But he also knew that he’d not go back on the lessons he’d learned the hard way at the hands of Tessa. His priorities were finally in alignment with his principles again, and he couldn’t afford to let anything—or anyone—come between him and God again.

             Not even Ella Paglia.

            He’d dated enough women in the industry to know he didn’t want to do it again. He wasn’t saying there weren’t good women in show business. He just knew they’d have to share his passion for God if they were to share his heart.  And that combination was proving harder to come by.

            Luke Abney had been burned for the last time. He knew better now, and wouldn’t make the same mistakes he’d made in the past. Taking a long sip of coffee, he eyed Ella Paglia over the rim of his cup, trying to ignore the warning bell sounding in his head. The one telling him to quit staring at the pretty waitress with the head full of missing curls. The one he’d thought about for the past two months—since he’d last seen her at the tiny diner in Milltown, Louisiana.

            He’d better not lose sight of why she was here, on his turf. To compete on a reality TV series for a chance to have the network sponsor her own restaurant. And if she won—how could she not win?—that would make her—

            Luke drowned the remaining coffee and focused his attention on Nathan Charleton’s final words. But not before the fatal thought eked its way into his head.

            Ella Paglia would be just like all the other Hollywood women.

 *****

            A half hour later Ella stood in line at the food table, finally acknowledging the fact that—besides the itsy bag of pretzels on the airplane—she’d had nothing to eat since early morning. Sandwiched between two other contestants—Deidra Holloway, a thirty-something African-American and Henry Williamson , a youngish-looking guy from Nashville—Ella tried to force her body to relax.

            She’d made it through the tough part.

            Meeting each of the seven other finalists had proven to be much less painful than she’d imagined. A couple of them—especially the homemaker with the pixie haircut from Iowa—seemed almost as nervous as Ella felt. Once the eight of them were brought on stage and introduced, it almost felt as though—in that one, brief instant—they became a team of one instead of a group of individuals competing for a solitary reward.

           That was especially true as they stood together, facing the sea of faces in front of them, faces that—it turned out—belonged to producers, set designers, and hair and makeup people. It looked to Ella like everyone who had a connection with the upcoming show was in attendance here tonight.

            She reached for a croissant, and tried to push the thought of Luke Abney from her mind. Disappointed when she didn’t see him during the earlier introductions, now she felt only relief. She wasn’t sure what that brief spark of connection had been about in Milltown, but she was certain a distraction as cute and attentive as Luke, the camera man, was the last thing she needed during this competition.

            “Do you feel like we’re being served our Last Supper?” Deidra forked a slice of cantaloupe and slid it onto her plate. “You know, like tomorrow we’ll be fed to the wolves or something.”

            Ella grinned and chose a couple of orange pieces. “Or something.”

The panel of judges had made it clear that the days ahead of them would be strenuous, at best. Intolerable, at worst. Listening to Henry’s corny jokes in front of her and Deidra’s worried comments behind her, it was hard to imagine that these were the very people she’d be in fierce competition with beginning first thing in the morning.

            Henry turned and reached for a napkin. “Hey, ladies. Did you know Spock had three ears?”

            Ella glanced at Deidra, who shrugged and popped a grape into her mouth. “No, Henry. Tell us about Spock’s three ears.” She smiled at Henry. He, at least, wasn’t letting the pressure of their circumstances get to him.

            “The left ear, the right ear, and the Final Front-ear!”

            Deidra groaned behind her and Ella laughed out loud. “Boy, get yourself on out of here!” Deidra waggled a finger in Henry’s direction, but Ella could tell Henry’s stupid joke had eased some of the tension.

            “Please don’t tell me that’s the entertainment we have to look forward to for the next ten days,” Deidra whispered as Henry walked away with his full plate of food. “That was some more corny joke, don’t you think?”

            Ella agreed, but she made a mental note to hang around Henry when the competition got rough. She could think of worse things than keeping company with a person with a penchant for bad jokes.

            Taking her plate, Ella joined another group of contestants at a nearby round table. One of the men in a chocolate brown Stetson cowboy hat—Ben, was it?—stood as she walked up and pulled out the chair next to him.

            “Thanks.” Ella scooted in and hoped they’d continue their conversation. She took a tiny bite of her tuna croissant, trying to remember the names of the two other finalists at the table. One was the pixie-cut lady from Iowa. She sat across from Ella, her eyes downcast, seemingly intent on studying the pattern in the ivory tablecloth. Ella’s heart went out the woman, who could quite possibly be even shyer than Ella felt.

            “Hi, I’m Dirk.” The dark-headed man on Ella’s left nodded. “You remember Patty and Ben?”

            Patty and Ben. Ella smiled and nodded, reciting the names of her tablemates in her mind. “It’s nice to meet you all.”

            Ben, a quiet-mannered blond with a shy smile, had been the one to hold her chair. Now he leaned over and whispered in Ella’s ear. “Don’t let Patty scare you. She’s been staring at all of us that way.”

            Ella picked up her cup of tea, taking a sip as she sneaked a peak in Patty’s direction. Nearly spewing the liquid right out again, Ella choked back a cough as her eyes met Patty’s smaller, beady ones. Eyes that seemed to stare right through Ella, giving her the chills in a very Munsters kind of way. The lady looked too meek and demure to be of any harm, but Ella was convinced those eyes of hers could bore a hole right through a solid piece of wood.

            Ben only chuckled, but Dirk leaned in close to Ella’s ear. “You know it’s not all about talent, right?” He nodded in Patty’s direction. “Some of us just make for great TV, you know?”

            Ella swallowed hard. She hoped her smile made it to her face, because right now she suddenly felt too tired to know anything for certain. The long flight, the seemingly endless introductions, and now Dirk hinting that this competition wasn’t all about skill—Ella’s mind balked at taking in any more new stimuli.

            “Well, if it isn’t Ella Paglia.”

            Ella froze, a muffin clutched in one hand and a napkin in her other. Mr. Blond. Luke. She would now recognize that husky voice anywhere, and instantly her senses felt as though she’d sent them on vacation. She felt her eyes widen as she accidentally wiped her mouth with the tip of the muffin, then dropped both—the pastry and the napkin—in embarrassment.

            Satisfied that it was official—she couldn’t be more humiliated—she twisted around in her chair. “Luke,” she tried to sound surprised to see him, but figured the squeak in her voice was enough to let him know the truth.

            Tall and lanky, Luke Abney towered above her, his blonde hair just slightly tousled, a grin spreading across his tanned face. Dressed in black jeans and shirt, he looked like he belonged in front of the camera, rather than behind it.

            Ella struggled to locate her voice. “How…how are you?”

            “Fine.” He nodded and knelt down so that he was eye-level with her. “And you?”

            “Good. Great.” She looked around the room. “It’s been amazing so far. Unbelievable, really…” Her voice trailed off, not certain what to do or say next. She could feel the curious stares of her tablemates. All of them, not just Patty.

            “Mr. Bl—Luke,” she smiled at him, then spun around, “meet Dirk…Patty…and Ben. This is…Luke.”

            “Hey, I remember you.” Dirk stood and shook Luke’s hand with enthusiasm. “You were with Kurt Finley, right? The day I found out I was a finalist?”

            “That was me.” Luke stood right behind her now, and Ella was conscience of his hand being mere inches from her shoulder as he spoke. “It’s good to see all of you again. I wish you well in the contest.”

            Luke’s fingertip barely grazed the fabric of her shirt as he said his good-byes and moved on. Ella chided herself for being silly, for thinking that the likes of Luke Abney had somehow taken an interest in her. Dirk’s comment reminded her that Luke had met each of them already. Who’s to say he wasn’t friendly and attentive with everyone?

            Ella waited as long as she felt was appropriate, pretending to pay attention to Dirk and Ben’s animated conversation on the upcoming NFL play-offs. Then she turned her head, her eyes scanning the crowd, trying to pick out the dark jeans and shirt—

            There he was, not six feet away, leaning against the wall, and laughing with…Torrie!

            “That’s right,” she heard the blonde’s lilting voice, “Torrie—with an ‘ie’.”

            Ella spun around before he could catch her staring and dropped her napkin in her plate. Just as she figured. Luke Abney was no more interested in her than he was in…Patty!

            Ella smiled at the small woman across from her, suddenly feeling just as out of place as this woman looked.

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, Staci Wilder books, summer reads, writing

July 23, 2010 @ 10:57 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

 

MELROSE MIRACLE

by Staci Wilder

 

Chapter Five

             The flight home from Louisiana was delayed a couple of hours and, by the time they finally landed at LAX, it was nearly seven o’clock. Luke’s stomach grumbled that it needed some dinner but Kurt, once on the ground, was intent on only one thing: Getting home to Janie and Daniel.

            Luke unlocked the door of his apartment and stepped inside. He flipped on a light switch, tossed his keys onto the breakfast bar, and walked to the refrigerator. The steady hum of the fish tank was the only sound marring the still quietness. Pulling out a bottle of water, Luke glanced toward the tank. He’d asked elder Mrs. Norman, from the apartment below him, to feed the fish while he was out of town. Right now he was trying to remember when he’d asked her to feed the trio last. Yesterday? Today?

                He bent over the tank and peered closer. “Hmm.”

              Luke took a long sip of water and then set the bottle down and reached for the fish food. “Sorry ‘bout that, guys.” He sprinkled the brown caplets across the top of the water and watched Mannie, Moe, and Jack swim with feverish speed to the surface.

               Getting the tank, and the fish, had been a virtual afterthought during one grocery run to Wal-Mart. Sort of like a consolation prize because he couldn’t have a dog in the apartment. Besides the outrageous pet deposit his landlord required, the long hours at the studio would leave the poor animal cooped up inside more often than out. So one Saturday last month as he was pushing the cart down the shampoo aisle, he’d glimpsed the large overhead sign that read PETS. Of course, this meant pet food, for the most part, with the exception of iguanas and fish.

            Hence…Mannie, Moe, and Jack.

            Kurt had laughed when he’d learned of the newly acquired tank and fish, but Luke had shrugged it off. It was easy enough for a guy like Kurt to poke fun. He had a beautiful wife and adorable son at home. Not to mention the golden-haired retriever that ran laps around the Finley’s large suburban back yard. The consummate family man for five years now, Kurt had lost the sense of what it meant to be a single guy in LA.

            And what it meant to come home to an empty apartment night after night.

            Luke gathered his bottle of water, poured some peanuts into a small Tupperware bowl, flipped off the kitchen light, and retired to his leather chair in the corner of the room. This was his spot to relax, the place he unwound frazzled nerves at the end of each long day. He wondered what Kurt and his other married buddies did, fairly certain their rituals didn’t include sitting in semi-darkness, enjoying a cool drink and a salty snack.

            Luke leaned back and closed his eyes.

            There was a time—and not all that long ago—when he’d have been out with his single buddies, having a nice dinner or hanging out at a local pub. But that had been before Tessa, and certainly before he’d reexamined his life and found it most wanting in the spirituality department. Back then, it had been all about the fun, and how much fun could be had in a single night on the town.

            It shamed Luke now to think how far he’d allowed himself to stray from his conservative Mid-western upbringing. Fortunately, he’d made it through those tumultuous years without either of his parents finding out about some of his more embarrassing shenanigans.

            When he’d met Tessa, he thought his life had changed, and for the better. It changed, all right, but not in the ways he’d originally thought. Sure, he’d put other women out of his mind, reserving all his attention for Tessa. But her social life had made his own resemble a Boy Scout camp. Tame, in comparison with the wild parties and dimly lit clubs she loved so much.

            It hadn’t been his scene, but he’d loved Tessa and thought she’d loved him, so he’d tagged along wherever she wished to go. It had felt right at the time, like they were forming their own traditions, their own experiences together, as a couple. It wasn’t until after the pain of the breakup, he’d realized that letting go of who you were in favor of becoming more like the person you were with was no tradition at all. And their experiences? Well, most of the time the two of them had a few too many drinks to even enjoy their nights out.

            It had started out with petty jealousies and Tessa’s incessant penchant for shameless flirting. Knowing that her provocative dress and teasing mannerisms angered him, she’d promised to stop. For real, this time, she’d say. And she would, until the next time they went clubbing and the lure of attention was just too much for her to ignore. Still, when she’d packed her things and announced she was leaving, he’d been shocked. He thought they were building something solid, something permanent.

            Luke scrubbed a hand across his face now. What a fool he’d been, to believe that his future actually lay with a woman who put herself before anything and everything else. He’d never been drawn to shallow people before his move to LA; what had happened?

            It hadn’t been until a few weeks after Tessa had moved out that Luke realized the answer to that plaguing question. By then the scent of her perfume was but a memory, completely gone from his clothes and his sheets. Once she’d been purged from his surroundings, from the things he touched and smelled and viewed each day, the truth came into focus.

            He’d let go of God somewhere along the way. At what point he exchanged his daily Bible reading time for a couple of beers out with the guys or what point he’d begun to crave the noise of some club over time alone in devotion, Luke didn’t know. All he knew was that all of a sudden he was very much alone in his apartment. No Tessa. No more noise. No more distractions.

            No real relationship with God.

            It hadn’t been a pain-free walk back to where he should have been all along, but it had been an easy one. After a few weeks, he’d come to realize that he was the one who’d abandoned the relationship, and not God. Finding comfort in knowing He’d been there all along gave Luke the reassurance he needed to stand up to his buddies and say no to the meaningless evenings out on the town. Instead, he’d taken to nights like these in his apartment, times of soul-searching and truth-seeking. He’d had his fill of shallow treats and temporary pleasures. He craved substance now, and wanted this kind of quality in all parts of his life.

            Including relationships with women.

            If that meant he’d not find that in this town, then Luke knew that was something he’d have to face one day. At that time, some difficult decisions would have to be made. He’d carved out a very nice career path for himself at The Cooking Channel and he enjoyed his work. But he wouldn’t settle in love again. Love wasn’t about settling, it was about sharing heart and soul with someone who valued you for yourself.

            Luke popped a few peanuts in his mouth and chewed. But what if God were to send him the right woman? Send her right here—to Los Angeles? Luke tugged his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans, opened it, and pulled out the business card he’d carefully tucked inside. He stared down at it, his eyes going over and over the small, printed words. ELLA PAGLIA.

            Luke reached for his cell phone and flipped it open. He stared at the key pad, trying to decide whether to go for it, or not. It was seven-thirty here on the West Coast, which meant it was…what, nine-thirty in Milltown? Luke battled with himself. She might be tucking her daughter into bed. She might be asleep herself. Or—

            “Come on, Abney,” he chided himself out loud. “You can come up with a list of ‘reasons why not’ as long as your arm. Or—” Luke sucked in a deep breath and punched in the printed number on the card—“you can call her and see what happens.”

            Luke grimaced. He remembered all too well that a misplaced phone call can mean the kiss of death to a potential relationship. In all his years of dating, he’d never managed to get a good handle on when to call/not call a woman. His relationship with Tessa had only intensified his fear of the phone.

            “There are phone rules, Lukie.” She’d pouted, one hand on her slim hip. “You should know them by now.”

            The rules, he’d come to realize, were subject to change without prior notice and very often were at the whim and mercy of Tessa’s ever-changing moods. Nothing seemed to emphasize the difference between the sexes like the telephone. And not the stereotype that women like to chat and men like to have quick, informative conversations. Luke knew men who could talk your ear off and women who insisted on getting straight to the point.

                The real difference lay in call counting. Women knew who called whom last. Women knew exactly how many times each of you has called the other over the last month. Women knew that you ended the last phone conversation with ‘I’ll talk to you this weekend’ and then didn’t call until Tuesday. Women knew that it’s been 4.5 days since you last talked on the phone. A woman knows these things and she believes they matter.

               Luke had found himself in these murky waters with Tessa more times than he’d like to admit. It wasn’t like he tried to see how many times he could get it wrong. Men, it seemed genuinely don’t know who called whom last. For real. Looking back, Luke knew it was just another sign of trouble in the relationship that he’d been to starry-eyed to notice.

                 The small business card felt heavy in his hand. His heart thumped with uncertainty, and his mother’s words echoed in his head. Don’t allow this bad experience with Tessa to rob you of what God has for you, Son. Do you hear me? Funny how his mom seemed to have a better grasp on what God’s ultimate plan was for his life than Luke did.

                 He stared down at his phone. What was the worst that could happen? She wouldn’t be home? She’d be too busy to talk? What? He’d better make a decision soon, before it got to be too late.

*****

              Ella paused while brushing her teeth, listening. Sure enough, her cell phone jangled again. Still clutching her toothbrush, she made a made dash across the hall to her bedroom where the phone was plugged into the charger. Glancing at the caller ID, she shrugged. Not a number she recognized, although the area code was the same as Reggie’s.

            “Hew-o?” She’d forgotten about the toothpaste.

            “Ella? This is Luke. Luke Abney.”

            Ella’s mind went into a tailspin. Luke Abney—Mr. Blond? Between her pounding heart and a mouthful of toothpaste, her throat felt clogged and tight. She ran for the bathroom on legs that were all of a sudden about as much support as a column of Jell-O. Covering the phone with her other hand, she leaned over the sink and spit.

            “Luke.” Ella tried to clear her throat without sounding like she’d just swallowed a mouthful of pool water. “Hi. How…how are you?”

            “Good, thanks. Listen…is this an okay time to talk?”

            “Sure…” Okay time? Ella scrambled to remember the parting words of The Cooking Channel team before they’d left Milltown earlier today. Had she agreed to a phone meeting? Had they asked for something and, heaven forbid, she’d forgotten?

            “I wasn’t sure I should call this late. I know you have a small daughter and all.”

            Luke Abney’s voice was quiet and mellow in her ear. He sounded neither rushed or business-like and, as the implication of what this meant began to dawn on Ella, she swallowed against the rush of adrenaline that seemed to push through her veins like a freight train.

            “Chloe.” She nodded in the darkness of the bedroom. “Yeah, she’s fast asleep.”

            “I was just thinking about you and I remembered I’d picked up one of your cards from the diner, so…”

            “Oh!” Ella perched on the edge of her bed, her mind in a desperate race to connect the dots. He was calling because he was thinking about her? He wasn’t calling on official contest business? “Did…did you make it home okay?” She laughed nervously. “I guess you did. You are calling me from LA, right?”

            Luke’s chuckle sounded close. “Yes, I’m sitting in the living room of my apartment. And, to answer your question, we made it home just fine. Easy flight. No major bumps. And I had an aisle seat. That’s important to us tall guys, you know.”

            “Do you live in Los Angeles? Close to the studio?” Ella crawled across the bed and leaned against the headboard, pulling her knees beneath her chin. Somehow the image of Luke Abney sitting somewhere in his apartment while talking to her felt very intimate. Not sure what to do or say next, she closed her eyes tight, hoping she wasn’t coming across as some star-struck high school kid.

            “Brentwood, actually. In a little apartment. Want me to describe it for you?”

            “Sure.” Ella opened her mouth in a silent scream. Just wait till Reggie heard about this! She’d never believe it in a million years. Ella heard a faint rustling on the other end of the line and assumed Luke was moving around.

            “Okay, let’s start in the kitchen. Small, galley-style kitchen. Pine cabinets. At least, I think they’re pine.”

            “And dishes?” Ella reached down and pulled the quilt up around her legs. “What kind of dishes do you have?”

            “Oh, man, you don’t even want to know the answer to that question, do you?”

            He laughed again and the sound of it caused something deep in her stomach to flip. She gripped the quilt, leaned her chin on her knees, and listened as he opened what she assumed were the cabinets.

            “I have…let’s see…three, four…I have five plates. Plain white. Four cereal bowls, eight glasses and…hang on, this could take a while…” He counted out loud. “Sixteen coffee mugs.”

            “Sixteen!” Ella laughed. “Why so many cups?”

            “Because everyone knows I like coffee and evidently everyone thinks I need a new cup for each and every birthday that rolls around.”

            “Ah, I see.” Ella nodded. “I get candles. Lots and lots of candles.”

            “Oh, yeah?” His laugh was soft in her ear. “I’ll remember not to buy you a candle for your next birthday then. Maybe you’d like a mug?”

            “Yeah, maybe.” Ella’s heart hammered inside her chest. How was it possible that things felt so easy with this man? She couldn’t remember ever feeling this kind of intimacy on this level.

            She’d shared a passionate love story with Stephen for sure. But they had been high school sweethearts. Ella couldn’t remember ever not loving Stephen. He was as much a part of her as her arm or her leg; an extension of her.

            But this…This was different. Luke was a virtual stranger and yet he felt so familiar. The feelings he stirred in her were completely new and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of them, and certainly didn’t know what to do with them.

            “The rest of my place is about as non-descript as the kitchen, I’m afraid. Brown leather chair and sofa, a few bookshelves, lots of books. Oh…I can’t forget the fish.”

            “Fish? You have fish?” Ella smiled in the darkness.

            “I do. Three fish. Mannie, Moe, and Jack.”

            She laughed out loud. “Chloe loves fish. I think the aquarium is her favorite place. Next to McDonald’s, that is.”

            “Me too. Chloe and I must have a lot in common. Which does she like better, the burger or the nuggets?”

            “Nuggets, hands down.”

            “Me too! Ketchup or barbeque sauce?”

            “Neither. She dips them in mayonnaise.”

            “What?”

            Luke’s deep laugh made Ella’s skin grow warm. She pressed a hand over her flushed face, still not quite believing this was happening. A whimper from across the hall snapped her back to reality.

            “Oh, Luke? I hear Chloe waking up. I’d better check on her.” She paused, not sure how to handle this. She wanted nothing more than to keep talking to this man, but at the same time she didn’t want to be too presumptuous. “Do you want me to let you go or—”

            “I’ll wait.”

            Ella pumped her fist in the air and resisted the urge to jump up and down on the bed. “You sure? It could be a few minutes?”

            “Take your time. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, Staci Wilder books, summer reads, writing

July 16, 2010 @ 6:40 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

Chapter One

Chapter Two

MELROSE MIRACLE

 

by Staci Wilder

Chapter Three

 

             Luke couldn’t remember a day when he’d had this much fun.

            Even now, several hours later as he relaxed in the tiny parlor area of Milltown’s local boarding house, his mind continued to run the reel from this afternoon at Max’s Diner. The look of intense surprise on Ella Paglia’s pretty face when he’d introduced himself and Kurt, announcing she’d made the short list of contest finalists. The way her mouth dropped open, how her dark, smoky eyes had widened in disbelief.

            Talk about shock and awe.

            It was clear The Cooking Channel had been the absolute last thing on her mind at that moment. Luke found that kind of innocence refreshing. And to think, he’d come within a hair’s breadth of not making this trip with Kurt. Luke leaned his head back on the worn sofa and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander at will.

            He’d been in the studio, finishing up another long twelve hour day of shooting three back-to-back episodes of It’s My Kitchen, I’ll Fry If I Want To. Twelve tortuous hours of listening to the constant demands and petty requests the show’s star, Sheila Morgan, made on the crew. The perfectly coifed blonde hair and willowy figure belied the whiny voice screeching orders in front of his camera all day long. Sure, on camera, she managed to convey sincerity and warmth, capturing an avid audience and devoted viewers. It was the cast and crew who suffered her wrath, both before and after taping.

            This day was no different.

            “Okay, people, that’s a wrap!”

            Luke had breathed a deep sigh of relief at the producer’s words and shut the camera off. It had been another long day and his grumbling stomach reminded him that he’d skipped lunch. Again. For the third time that week.

            Luke had rubbed his neck and rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen muscles that had long since grown stiff. It was a vain attempt to jar free the irritation that had been gnawing at his gut for the better part of the past few hours.

            He should have been used to it, the constant demands and petty requests Sheila Morgan made on the cast and crew. Two years on the job, though, and he still cringed every time she held up a finger—flashing that annoying bright red nail polish that had become her signature trait—halted filming, and yelped, “Ex-cuse, me! This lighting is absolutely not right! Fix it, pu-lease.”

            Luke remembered shaking his head in amazement at her insensitivity to those around her. He’d hooked the shutter cover of his camera in place. Women were beyond him, that’s for sure. His mother liked to say Sheila had ruined him for all women. He knew she chomped at the bit, wondering when her one and only son would finally settle down. Maybe even give her a couple of little Abneys.

Luke wondered about that too. He’d grown up with two parents who were still madly in love with one another. In fact, the day he’d left for college, he’d not missed the special looks that passed between his mother and father. While they’d missed him, they also looked forward to a life full of couple things. Luke wanted the intimacy he saw in his parents, the friendship and passion that flowed freely between them.

“Son,” his mom had held him just a moment longer than usual when he’d visited last Thanksgiving, “don’t give up on what God has planned for your life. The right woman is already on the scene. She just hasn’t introduced herself yet.”

“Sure, Mom.” What else could he have said?

“I mean it, Luke.” Marion Abney had propped one fist on an ample hip and stared up at him until he squirmed. “That Sheila woman has ruined you, hasn’t she? Not all women are like, son. There are still plenty of women out there who have their hearts and heads in the right place. Be patient.”

The truth was actually deeper than his mother knew, and went way beyond the annoying antics of Sheila Morgan. As frustrating as she could be, it was another woman entirely that was responsible for Luke’s reticent heart. He shuddered now as images of Tessa Shepherd paraded uninvited across the front porch of his mind.

His one serious relationship since making the cross-country move to Los Angeles had left him wounded…and wiser. Needless to say, it hadn’t ended nicely. Luke preferred to block the unpleasant memories from his mind and tried not to dwell in places he couldn’t afford to return.

 Instead, he chose to concentrate on work. Between his duties on the set and Wednesday evening Bible study, his weeks filled up surprisingly well. The noise and friction on set seemed to follow him home at night, causing him crave nothing more than sanctity inside his nice, quiet Brentwood apartment. Forget about dating. With the hours he worked, the only women he came across were on the job. And spending ten hours a day with the likes of Sheila Morgan, or anyone like her for that matter, left a sour taste in his mouth when it came to industry dames.

            Thanks, Luke thought, but no thanks.

            So when Kurt had approached him that particular day, Luke’s interest was cautiously piqued.

            “Hey, buddy,” Kurt had clapped him on the shoulder, “Long day, huh?”

            Luke emitted a low whistle and grinned. “Aren’t they all? Man, how’re you doing?”

            If Luke’s day had been long and trying—which it had—he couldn’t even begin to imagine Kurt’s day. He didn’t envy the man one iota; pitied him would be closer to the truth. Luke shuddered just to think of dealing with Sheila on a one-to-one basis. Maybe he was the lucky one, after all. Unlike Kurt, at least he got to stay behind his camera, relatively safe from the spoiled star’s barbed comments and petulant complaints.

            Kurt had hooked a thumb in his front belt loop and leaned against the wall, watching as he’d wound the camera cord and stowed it in its case. “So have you made a decision yet?”

            “Decision about what?”

            “Like you don’t know.” Kurt had chuckled. “The new show. This is your chance, guy!”

            The thought had crossed his mind, Luke had to admit. His buddy had landed a long overdue plumb role as lead producer on a new reality-based show for the network, and he wanted Luke to join the camera crew for that series.

            Luke wasn’t convinced leaving It’s My Kitchen was the answer for him. When he did leave he wanted to make good and sure he wasn’t leaping out of the proverbial frying pan straight into a roaring flame. Things might get a little hot under the collar with the likes of Sheila Morgan, but Luke had heard enough industry horror stories to know she resembled a lamb in comparison to some of the other starlets his pals worked with.

            Still, Kurt had been persuasive. “This opportunity has your name written all over it. You’d be my lead camera guy.” He’d high-fived Luke, a wide grin splitting his tanned face. “No more obscurity, man. You could call the shots yourself.”

            Luke had rolled the camera into the supply closet and locked the door. “Really? It says ‘Luke Abney’, huh?”

            “Might as well.” Kurt shrugged. “But that’s not all.”

            “What?”

            “The eight finalists will be decided the first of next month. And yours truly,” Kurt had thumped himself on the chest, “is in the very enviable position of personally advising each one of them that they are a viable contestant.”

            Luke plucked his jacket from the closet, and stuck his trusty L.A. Lakers cap on top of his head. “No kidding? So you’re going to…what? Travel all over, making these announcements?”

            “Yup.” Kurt had nodded as they headed for the elevator. “And I want you to go with me.”

            “Me?” Luke had laughed at the preposterous suggestion. “Why?”

            “Number one, you haven’t taken a vacation in the four years I’ve known you, Abney. In the two years we’ve worked together, I think I can count on one hand the number of days you’ve taken off.” Kurt began to tick the reasons off on his fingers. “Two, I have absolute knowledge that this show drives you as nuts as it does me. And three—why not? Take a week’s vacation, come with me, get a feel for what the show’s going to be like. Then you can make the decision on whether or not you’re ready to leave this one.”

            “Is Janie really going to let you leave town for that long?” Luke had lifted his cap and repositioned it, glad when the elevator doors finally slid open.

            Kurt laughed. “Only because she knows it’s the prelude to a job that will leave us more family time.” He shrugged. “A little sacrifice now, a whole lotta reward later.” A wry grin creased his face. “I’m sure she’ll be ready to share Daniel-duty again the minute I roll back into town though!”

            Luke had no doubt. Little Daniel Finley was the apple of his parents’ eyes, but—in Luke’s opinion anyway—the little tyke could use a few lessons from Super Nanny. Maybe an introduction to the Naughty Mat from time to time…

“It’s going to be an incredible opportunity for someone. Might as well be you…” Kurt had held the elevator door open, even after Luke stepped inside. “It’s going to be a real kick to be a part of something new, Luke. With the TV reality craze going gangbusters, it’s no wonder our network has jumped on board.” Kurt had chuckled. “I’m just surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.”

Luke had to admit Kurt knew how to make a tempting offer. Not to mention the guy was relentless and continued to press for an answer.

“I’ll think about it.” Luke had punched the button for the ground floor.

Kurt grinned and saluted as the doors slid closed. “That’s all I’m asking, man. Just think about it, okay?” His voice had faded as the elevator doors slid closed between them.

            In the end—after more cajoling on Kurt’s part and more whining on Sheila’s end—Luke had opted for the cross-country vacation. The two weeks were winding down, but they’d served their purpose. He was returning to work refreshed. He’d even made a decision.

            He was going to join Kurt’s team on the set of Restaurant 101. It would be a welcome challenge to be a part of something fresh. The decision to leave It’s My Kitchen wasn’t an easy one. He felt as though he was taking a real gamble. At least with Sheila he knew what he dealt with each day. It was kind of like that old saying he’d heard somewhere. “Do I go with the devil I know or the devil I don’t?”

            Luke roused himself now, straightening on the sofa and glancing at his watch. He’d agreed to meet Kurt at Max’s Diner at seven sharp for a quick bite to eat. Ella would join them at eight to discuss the contest’s legalities and guidelines.

Luke couldn’t deny that the thought of seeing the pretty waitress again so soon was a pretty good one. He ran a hand over the pocket of his shirt, and then reached inside and pulled out the business card he’d stealthily tucked away as they’d left the diner earlier today. EDIBLE EATS BY ELLA was printed in neat block letters across the top, followed by a list of various catering services available, a website URL, and a telephone number below that.

Wishing he had enough time to look up the catering site on his laptop, but knowing he didn’t, Luke tucked the card inside his wallet and headed upstairs to his room. He had time enough to dash upstairs and freshen up a bit. A little cologne, a little Colgate, maybe pop an Altoid or two…

Luke grinned at the irony of the whole situation. Just a month ago he would have scoffed at the very notion of working on a reality series. It seemed like a guy could hardly turn on the tube these days without yet another reality show making its debut. He didn’t understand it. Weren’t the terms ‘TV’ and ‘reality’ an oxymoron? When he wanted a dose of reality, he certainly didn’t have to plop down in front of his entertainment center for it.

Now Luke had a feeling that Ella Paglia might very well change the way he looked at reality television. Forever.

*****

            Ella stood stock still in the midst of the sea of clothes and scarves that now littered the floor of her bedroom. She hadn’t pulled a stunt like this since college, but—come to think of it—this whole thing kind of made her feel like a giddy school girl. She’d all but emptied out the closet, and still had no clue what to wear for the meeting with the Cooking Channel guys.

            Ella smoothed nervous hands down the sides of her skirt, and examined herself again in the mirror. She’d found this skirt on the clearance rack of Dress Barn right after Chloe had been born. Proud of her fifteen dollar purchase at the time, now she worried that her closet contained nothing that would hold up to Hollywood standards.

            “What am I going to do?” she wailed, unzipping the dark, pin-striped skirt, slipping out of it, and adding it to the heap at her feet.

            “First of all, b-r-e-a-t-h-e!” Reggie, sitting cross-legged on Ella’s bed with Chloe nestled in her lap, spelled out the word with exaggerated animation.

            “I don’t have time to breathe!” Ella snapped, and then stopped as both Reggie and Chloe stared up at her with wide eyes.

            “Mommy’s a nervous wreck, Chloe,” Reggie continued to tease. “Can Chloe say ‘nervous wreck’?” She giggled and ducked as Ella aimed a discarded beret in her direction. “Hey, that look was actually really cute, El. Try it on again.”

            Ella sighed and reached for the cap. “Yeah? You sure?” She sat it on her head and turned back to the full-length mirror behind the closet door. “But what about clothes? I certainly can’t parade into Max’s like this”—she pointed to her slip-clad body—“can I?”

            “Oh, I don’t know,” Reggie rolled Chloe over on the bed, tickling her. “I can think of a couple of guys who might like it!”

            “Reg!” Mortified, Ella sank to the floor. “That’s it. I can’t go. I just can’t.”

            “Mariella Paglia, must I talk you through everything? Of course, you’re going. And not only that—you’re going to wow the socks off these guys.” Reggie jumped from the bed and began pawing through the clothes.

            Chloe sat up on the bed, her dark curls still damp from her bath, and clapped her hands with enthusiasm. “Wow, Mama. Wow, Mama.”

            Ella reached for her and cuddled her close. “That’s right, Chloe-bug. Your Mama needs to wow these guys.”

            “And Ella—” Reggie’s voice was muffled among the heap of material—“this whole adventure might be just the ticket you need to get out of here. Now don’t get me wrong—”she cast a furtive glance around the cramped space, just a hint of apology in her voice—“I love what you’ve done with the place, but…”

            Ella followed Reggie’s gaze, taking in the dated floral wallpaper she couldn’t afford to replace. She tried to swallow the instant irritation trying to snake its way up her throat. Reggie meant well, Ella knew that. This old—and somewhat dilapidated—walk-up garage apartment, well past its prime, was the best her salary at Max’s would allow, while still enabling her to slowly chip away at the hospital and doctor bills.

            As much as it had pained her to do so, she’d had no choice but to sell the two-story brick Colonial she’d shared with Stephen back in New Jersey. It was either sell it pay off a couple of the creditors or sit still and lose it anyway.

            “Ella P, I know where that pretty little head of yours just went! And that’s not it at all. You know how proud I’ve been of you since Stephen—” Reggie let her words fade away and dropped her head in dismay, sending her sleek auburn ponytail cascading over one slumped shoulder.

Ella’s heart constricted. The roller coaster her emotions had been enjoying since Stephen’s death took yet another sudden upward turn. Honestly, some days she felt more like a mad woman, never knowing from minute to minute what her mood would be.

            “I know.” Ella crouched on the floor beside her friend and wrapped her arms around her. “I’d be lost without you, you know that, don’t you?”

            Reggie leaned her head against Ella’s. “So are you ready to get dressed and go show these guys that you’re just what they’re looking for? And you’ll be wearing clothes, all right. Very proper, very appropriate, very…Ella-like clothes.” She made a face and stuck out her tongue, eliciting delighted deep-throated chuckles from Chloe. “So relax, okay?”

            “Okay.” She still wasn’t convinced she could do this. But she had to at least try, didn’t she? Otherwise, all her efforts—the tape, the memories, the time it had taken—would be in vain. Not to mention the time and effort Reggie had contributed to this project.

            Right now Ella knew that Reggie was the only one in the world trying to help her make sense of this new life into which she’d suddenly been tossed without warning. She couldn’t bear the look of defeat she saw etched around her friend’s eyes this minute.

            Poor Reg. Ella had lost track of how many times Reggie had fed her and Chloe over the past year. Too many to count, that’s for sure. The months after Stephen’s death had been tortuous and, just when Ella thought she might go stark-raving mad from grief, Reggie had stepped in. When Ella had found it virtually impossible to leave the house, let alone run errands and prepare even the simplest semi-healthy meals, Reggie made sure the dry cleaning got picked up, kept Chloe’s closet stocked with Huggies, and made frequent runs to the neighborhood taco shop for the spicy salsa they both loved.

            She hadn’t been in a state of mind to make sense of it all then, but Ella now realized that Reggie had sacrificed weeks of her time—probably to the chagrin of Kristi Carmichael—to fly cross-country and care for her. She owed Reggie. No doubt about it.

            Ella scooped up her daughter now and snuggled her close, breathing in the sweet scent of baby lotion and strawberry shampoo. In her arms she held a living, breathing reminder of why this venture was so important.

             She’d been given a chance, a real opportunity to carve out a decent life for the two of them. If she’d never placed, she wouldn’t have been surprised and really not even disappointed. How many people entered these contests truly expecting to win, after all?

            But she had placed, and now they wanted her to fly to Los Angeles and make her a part of the new series. If she won, it would mean a rebirth to her dream—she would operate her own restaurant. This could be it—the big break she and Chloe needed. A way out of the mountain of doctor bills and late credit card statements.

            It was really happening. To her, Ella Paglia, the girl from the Jersey shore. This was opportunity knocking. She couldn’t let this door slam shut without giving it her best shot.

            “Here!” Reggie popped out of the closet, clutching a pink skirt and a simple short-sleeved black sweater. “This is it, it’ll go perfectly with the beret. Don’t you think? Oh, El, this is…so exciting!” She hopped up and down, prompting loud squeals and more exuberant hand-clapping from Chloe.

            Ella grinned. She couldn’t help it. It had been a long time since she’d seen and felt such displays of ‘happy’ in her house. It felt good.

            Even if it also scared her silly.

*****

Luke fidgeted in the booth, resisting the urge to check his watch again. She’d be here when she promised, no use acting like a middle school kid and getting all restless over a girl. Anticipation pumped through his veins, and all he wanted to do was grin.

            Even though he’d ordered the house specialty—tonight it was Max’s fried catfish and dirty rice—Luke didn’t feel one bit hungry. Just restless in a way he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

            Ella Paglia was clearly different from the other seven finalists. The last to be notified, Luke’s expectations of her hadn’t been that high. Each of the others—three women and four men—had been nice enough.

            He could easily see any of them in front of his camera. They had “the look”, that elusive star quality that earmarked the difference between ultimate success and dismal failure. In short, they all seemed similar. Maybe too similar.

            But Ella Paglia was…different. Unaffected. A real woman. Not like the plastic ones he’d become accustomed to in La-La Land. The gals who looked as though they had their makeup applied at Earl Shively and sported implanted body parts that looked anything but natural.

             Ella had reminded him of home, of his high school days in Cleveland, long before he’d made the move to the West Coast. She embodied the wacky grace of Lucy Ricardo, the gentle spirit of Renee Zelwegger, and the exotic beauty of Salma Hayek—all rolled up in one petite, yet curvy, package.

            “So,” Kurt folded his menu and settled back in the worn and squeaky booth, “Why the huge grin, Abney?”

            “What do you mean?” Luke picked up his iced tea and took a long, slow drag through the straw. He knew the grin, but also knew he’d better wipe it off his face, and quick, before Kurt caught on. No way would his buddy let him live this one down.

            Kurt nodded, a knowing gleam in his eyes. “Uh-huh. Just what I thought.” He pointed a finger in Luke’s direction. “Just remember something, Abney. She’s a finalist. There’s several more just like her. I wouldn’t get attached just yet, if I were you.”

            Heat inched its way up Luke’s neck and settled in his cheeks. Wishing he were beneath anything besides the bright overhead lights in the diner, he pulled at his shirt collar, suddenly feeling hot and stifled.

            But mostly just irritated.

            Kurt didn’t know what he was talking about. In the four years they’d worked for the same network, Luke could count on one hand the number of women he’d found appealing enough to ask out. Attractive on the inside as well as the outside, that is. And the number he’d actually taken out, even fewer. It certainly wasn’t like he was some scrawny-kneed junior high kid with a larger-than-life crush. He didn’t fall for women like…well, like some of the other guys at the network did. It was easy enough for Kurt to talk—he was happily married to a woman who adored him and the father of a cute, if rather precocious, three-year-old son.

            “Hey, man, I’m just messing with you,” Kurt’s hearty laugh attracted the attention of a nearby table of women. “Don’t go all serious on me!”

            Luke made a pretense of unfolding the white paper napkin that encased the silverware. He methodically set the knife and fork on the table and dropped the napkin into his lap. He shrugged, and then whispered, wishing the women at the next table would return to their own business and quit staring at them. “All I’m saying is she was—”

            What? What was Ella Paglia, exactly? Beautiful—but in a natural, totally unaffected way? Charming—but without conveying any physical interest at all?

            No description seemed to do. At least nothing he cared to share with Kurt. “Look, all I’m saying is she’s got what the network bigwigs are looking for.”

            Huh? Where had that come from? Like he knew what the bigwigs wanted. Luke shifted in his chair again. Now would be a good time for the waitress to deliver their food. Before he went and said something equally foolish and meaningless.

            And before he revealed that Ella Paglia had somehow crawled under his skin.

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, Staci Wilder books, summer reads

July 9, 2010 @ 6:59 am | Filed under: Books,The Writing Life

Chapter One

 

MELROSE MIRACLE

 

by Staci Wilder

Chapter Two

             Ella pushed into the kitchen, and then leaned against the counter. Her heart felt like it had taken up permanent lodging somewhere in the back of her throat and her legs felt as wobbly as Chloe’s looked when she toddled about the house.

            “What’s wrong?” Max turned from his fry stove, concern etched into the worn lines on his face. “You sick?”

            “No.” Ella shook her head, then handed him the crumpled order for Table 10. “Two specials, Max.”

            The older man nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “Maybe you need to rest.” He nodded to a lone chair in the corner of the kitchen. “Have a seat.”

            Walking to the ice dispenser, she filled a pitcher with ice, and then poured it full of sweet tea. Table 3 needed refills. “I’m fine, Max. Really.” Ella hoped the smile made it to her mouth. She’d certainly ordered it there.

            Of course she was fine. Wasn’t she? Ella shivered in spite of the heat in the kitchen. The tingle that had rippled through her when the stranger at the table—the one wearing a purple LA Lakers cap—smiled at her had shocked her. She hadn’t felt anything like that since—

            It seemed that no matter what she did, or where she went, Stephen still eased inside her thoughts and emotions just as though he were still with her. Ella shook off her silliness and set the pitcher of iced tea on a small, round tray. It wasn’t Mr. Blond—she’d caught just a glimpse of closely-cropped blond hair beneath the cap—man who’d caused her heart to flip-flop. It was the memory of what she’d lost.

            It had to be.

            Anything more than that just wasn’t an option.

            “Max, can you brew a fresh pot of coffee? I have a couple of guys who’ve never tried it before.”

            “You don’t say!” Max’s hearty chuckle was half-evil, half-glee as he wiped flour from his beefy hands and reached for the canister that housed his special blend. Even Ella didn’t quite know just what the coffee mixture contained. But she did know that folks around here considered it essential, ranked right up there with fresh air and plenty of breathing room.

            Soon Ella had loaded two steaming cups of coffee alongside the pitcher of iced tea. With practiced ease, she hoisted the tray and pushed against the swinging door just in time to see Reggie toss several bills on the table and head for the door. Ella knew from experience that her friend was leaving far more than the measly lunch tab and tip. Ella felt a mix of awe and appreciation flood her senses as she watched Reggie slide Dior sunshades over her eyes, toss her a last wave, and step out into the bright Louisiana sunshine.

            Ella set the mugs of coffee down on Table 10, grateful that her jittery nerves allowed her to do so without incident. She purposefully avoided the eyes of Mr. Blond and turned her attention, instead, to the chicory-skittish man sitting across from him. Taller, darker, older—forty, if she were to guess—his dark hair had already begun to gray at the temples.

            “Your order will be up in just a couple of minutes. Can I get you anything else while you wait?”

            He glanced at Mr. Blond, and then smiled. “No, I think we have everything we need.”

            “Thanks, Ella.”

            Ella’s heart thumped a crazy beat as her name rolled out of Mr. Blond’s mouth. She didn’t remember telling them what it was. Around here—with regular customers and almost zero visitors—it was never necessary so she’d never formed the habit. She knew everyone and they all knew her.

            As though they had a mind of their own and were totally oblivious to her wishes, Ella’s eyes traveled back to Mr. Blond. Mischief mingled with the flecks of gray in his deeply blue eyes as he tapped his left shoulder. “It is Ella, isn’t it?”

            “Oh!” She reached up and touched the rectangular name tag pinned to her t-shirt. Of course they’d seen her name printed there. “Yes. Ella.” She nodded. “My name’s Ella.”

            Why did her heart feel as though it were running a race at the Churchill Downs? She forced herself to meet Mr. Blond’s gaze and willed her words to sound more intelligent than the garbled bunch she’d just released. “Are you just passing through Milltown?”

            The dark-headed one nodded. “We’ll be here overnight.” He eyed the cup she’d set down in front of him and lifted it. “Can you recommend a good hotel?” He lowered his mouth and took a hesitant sip.

            Ella stifled a smirk. It wasn’t often she got to witness a brawny guy like this squirm over a cup of Max’s coffee. Now he wanted to know about a hotel? Was the guy joking? Not only did Milltown not boast a hotel, the closest motel was a good half-hour’s drive down the highway. “Baton Rouge has several.”

            “Baton Rouge?” He grimaced but swallowed an impressive amount of the strong liquid. Straightening in his chair, he frowned. “We just flew into the Baton Rouge airport this morning. That’s—” he wrinkled his brow in thought—“I don’t know, maybe a hundred miles from here?”

            Ella nodded. “That’s right. Of course, there’s a small place down the road a piece.” She shrugged. “More of a boarding house than a motel. It may not have all the amenities you’re used to, but it’s clean and…well, closer.”

            Mr. Blond laughed out loud and slapped his palm on his denim-clad thigh as though what she’d said was the funniest thing ever. His eyes matched the merriment in his voice and Ella instinctively knew he laughed with her and not at her.

            Still, she looked away—couldn’t help it—when Mr. Blond winked, his eyes growing even bluer with the action. Even after a year at Max’s, Ella wasn’t accustomed to the attention she often garnered from some of the male customers who flowed through the small diner.

            Most of them proved harmless—men from around town who were just naturally curious—whether for themselves or their buddies, she was never sure—about her newly single status. They were respectful enough of her loss to keep their distance and it wasn’t that they leered at her; just the fact that they gazed with open curiosity was enough to make her want to bolt at times.

            “I’ll go check on your order.”

            Ella was thankful for something to do. She was even relieved to see another group of local kids straggle noisily through the diner’s door. Normally this group would make her groan, knowing they would hang around, joking and playing, until the appointed time their mothers had ordered them to be home.

            But today she welcomed them. Somehow the sight of something so familiar helped counteract the less familiar fluttering in the pit of her belly.

            “Feeling better?” Max’s gruff exterior masked a true softie. She could tell him she was fine until she turned blue in the face, but the man had a sixth sense that seemed to pinpoint her emotions every time. His aim might be a little off. After all, she wasn’t ill, but his feeling that something wasn’t right was dead-on.

            “Much.” Ella grinned. “Thanks.”

            Table Ten’s orders were up and she accepted the loaded tray of food from Max with gratitude. Another round of questions from him and she might be forced to admit that Mr. Blond had rattled her nerves. The weathered cook added two fresh-baked rolls to the tray with a final hmphh.  Ella grabbed the moment and backed out of the kitchen.           Mr. Blond stared at the heaping pile of chicken and homemade steak fries like it was a long-lost treasure. Letting out a long, low whistle, he pulled his plate close.

            “Enjoy.” Ella tugged a couple of straws from the pocket of her apron and laid them on the table. “Can I get you anything else?”

            “No, nothing.” The dark-headed one pointed to the empty chair at the table. “Unless you have time to join us.”

            “Sorry.” Ella swallowed the momentary panic clutching the base of her throat and took a halted step backward. Tapping the face of her watch, she cast a quick, nervous glance around the diner. “Still have lots of customers, and only a little while left on my shift.” Turning on her heel, she moved away.

            “Ma’am, it’s not what you think—”

            Ella heard Mr. Blond’s words, but pretended she didn’t. Moving toward the noisy group of teens gathered in the back corner booth, she tried to sweep Mr. Blond’s wink from her mind. That was difficult though when, seconds later, she looked back in time to see him bow his head in a silent prayer. Ella felt a nibble of something close to conviction. It wasn’t uncommon here deep in the Bible belt to see folks bow their heads in prayer over a meal, but Ella certainly hadn’t expected it from these two.

            The teens in the back booth were obviously more interested in slurping down vanilla shakes and catching up on the latest hot topics than hitting the school books they’d pulled from their backpacks. They seemed oblivious to her presence. Funny how comforting she found that…

            Ella caught a glimpse of Max out of the corner of her eye. The sight of the stout, pot-bellied owner of the diner caused Ella to breathe a little easier. No way would anyone get away with hassling her—not that these guys had been doing that—with Maxwell Durham around.

            She cleared her throat and leaned her arms on the kids’ table. A petite girl with slender shoulders and long auburn braids glanced up. “I’m so sorry!” Large blue eyes rounded with dismay, and she tapped the arm of the beefy jock-type guy next to her, trying to quiet him.

            “We’ve been too loud, haven’t we?” Her expression begged forgiveness and Ella felt her heart give way. To be this young again… Minimal problems, controllable conflicts, and time to chug vanilla shakes. What a life.

            “We’ll tone it down, we promise. Right, guys?” The girl glanced around the table for confirmation. A polite chorus of  yeah, no problem and for sure! ringed its way around the small table and the girl smiled with satisfaction. “See? We’ll be quieter now.”

            Ella smiled, this time an honest-to-goodness real one. Her heart gave an unexpected lurch, and she fought the urge to reach out and touch the girl’s neat braid, wanting to somehow embrace this visible evidence of youthful exuberance. This unadulterated view of the world and all its vast possibilities. Why not indulge them their rowdy chatter? Soon enough these kids would learn firsthand, as she had, the struggles life would throw their way.

            “Don’t worry about it.” Ella reached into her apron pocket and pulled out another stack of fresh, white napkins, passing them to a boy who’d just managed to spill half a glass of soda down the front of his shirt.

            Let them be loud, have their fun. They were kids, passing through the last of their innocence. She touched the girl’s shoulder. “Let me know if you guys need anything, okay?”

            “Thanks!” The braids bobbed with the movement as the girl turned her attention back to her friends.

            Ella would have loved nothing more than to continue standing next to them. Listening to the nonsensical chatter, and grinning at the cheesy jokes cracked by the boys, obviously meant to entertain the girls of the group.

            But she was a grown-up, dealing with adult issues and heavy-handed dilemmas. Hanging out with the kids wasn’t going to pay the bills, or care for Chloe, or even begin to fill the vacancy left in her heart by Stephen.

            When would she learn? Hiding out—whether in her run-down apartment or here in the diner with a bunch of kids—did nothing but prolong the pain. She could run, sure, but she knew now she’d never be able to hide.

            Ella roused herself, pushing against the heaviness that always tried to take over whenever she allowed her thoughts to stray toward Stephen. No time for that right now. In thirty short minutes she’d be free to pick up Chloe from the sitter’s. Then the best part of the day would begin. 

            Now anxious to finish her duties and clock off her eight-hour shift, Ella spun around, bumping forehead-first into the polo-clad chest of Mr. Blond. Before she had time to recover, the tray that had, just seconds ago, been carefully tucked against her hip, went flying, sending a mixture of  coffee cups, soiled napkins, and chewed-up straws in various directions.

            “Oh!” Ella gasped. Humiliation and anger tangled madly in her belly as she dropped to the floor in a desperate effort to halt a rolling cup. Heat flamed in her cheeks, and Ella knew her face now matched the red stripe on Mr. Blond’s expensive-looking shirt. The same shirt, Ella noticed, as she finally risked a glance upward, that now boasted a spattering of cold coffee dregs and bits of paper napkin.

            “Oh, no,” she groaned and snatched another handful of clean napkins from her pocket. “Here,” she thrust them toward Mr. Blond, “I think I ruined your shirt.”

            “Don’t worry about it. It was my fault anyway. I should’ve warned you that I was right behind you.” Mr. Blond waved away her concern.

            Trying to regain some modicum of dignity, Ella struggled to stand. Just when she thought she was steady, her right foot slipped on the spilled coffee, and she felt herself going down again. Only this time it was involuntary, and the impact of her backside against the tiled floor was anything but pleasant. Please, God, get me out of this.

            Ella knew she had no right to ask God for anything—serious or frivolous—and the idea that she’d done so after this embarrassing fiasco would have struck her as borderline sacrilegious. That is, if she actually had the luxury of time to dwell on it. Ella knew she didn’t pray enough these days. Okay, she didn’t pray at all. Hadn’t, in fact, since Stephen’s death. But here, on the floor, in the middle of broken glass, cold coffee, and a roomful of prying eyes, Ella sent up a silent plea. Get me outta here…

            Where were those proverbial trap doors when you needed them, anyway?

            “Ma’am? You okay?”

            Ella hadn’t noticed Mr. Blond kneeling beside her on the floor, but now his voice, husky and low, practically tickled her ear. Against her will, and only because it was the polite thing to do, she lifted her head to look at him. The intensity of his gaze, and the concern etched in his eyes—and wow, what blue eyes—was enough to knock her off balance again. He reached out and grasped her elbow, steadying her just in time.

            “Thanks,” Ella managed to mumble something she hoped resembled appreciation. Was there to be no end to this round of humiliation? 

            “Ella, girl?”

            She jumped as Max lumbered up, his booming voice conveying loud concern. “You hurt? Can you stand?”

            Oh, boy. Ella felt her skin deepen another shade of red. If anyone in the diner had missed the original escapade—however remote that possibility might be—they had, without doubt, been alerted to the situation by Max’s boisterous pronouncement.

            “I’m fine. Really. Just fine.” She stood up, held in an awkward stance, with Max pulling on one arm, and Mr. Blond still grasping the elbow of her other one. “See?” She nodded at Max. “I’m great. No broken bones, just broken…dishes—”

            Ella eyed the mess on the floor, regret all but sucking the breath from her lungs. From the looks of things, it would take the biggest chunk of her next paycheck to pay for the damage. Money she needed for the utility payment and groceries. Not to mention she still owed Chloe’s sitter for last week’s work. Why did she have to be so clumsy, this week of all weeks?

            “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, Ella girl.” Max’s voice came as close to tenderness as Ella figured it could. “I’ll go grab a broom and some towels and have this cleaned up in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

            Ella nodded, not trusting her voice. She would rather incur the wrath of Max than endure this kindness. If he ranted about the broken mugs or the complained with his usual gruffness over the mess she’d made, then she’d feel some anger. That she could deal with.

            She’d learned over the past couple of years that anger could propel her through a lot of things, including a humiliating incident like this one. She’d used the emotion more times than she cared to recall in the months after Stephen’s death. It had effectively distanced her from everything that even vaguely resembled the life she’d shared with her husband. Just as she’d wanted it to.

            Finally there had been nothing to hold her there any longer, except the pain and the memories, and she’d loaded up her and Chloe’s belongings and made the move to the small town Reggie called her second home. It had taken her a bit longer to learn about the flip side of the anger. It might have given her the needed unction to get moving, but the pain and memories had made the move with them. She’d changed her locale, but not her life. Oh, yeah, Ella knew about anger all right. She squeezed her eyes shut now and summoned it with all her strength, to no avail.

            Instead she had to contend with kindness. The kindness that now fluttered around her with helpful concern. Kindness like Max’s rarely seen soft side. Kindness in the graciousness of a tourist she’d been all but rude to minutes before. And now the kindness of the sweet, auburn braid girl, who’d jumped from her chair to retrieve flying napkins and silverware.

            Ella couldn’t fight against the kindness. In spite of how hard she tried, she couldn’t conjure up one thread of anger. And without the anger, there was just one thing left to do.

            I will not cry. I will not cry. The mantra chanted its way through Ella’s conscience and she willed her body to obey. I will not cry. She’d never been one to cry in public, not even during Stephen’s memorial and burial. This unexpected humiliating tumble was no excuse for her to start now.

            “Here’s a tissue.” Mr. Blond pressed a napkin into her hand as the disobedient hot tears made their wild escape. He turned and called out to his buddy. “Hey, Kurt, scoot that chair over here, will you?”

            His voice was soft, and close to her ear.  “Let me help you into the chair. Let’s make sure you haven’t injured anything.”

            Max cleared his throat with more gusto than necessary. “Uh, yeah. You have a seat, Ella, and I’ll go grab those towels. Nothing to worry about.” He hurried toward the kitchen as fast as his heavy frame would allow. Ella felt sure he was relieved to have a temporary break from the female saga of tears. Even Max had his limits.

            I have limits too,  Ella thought, fairly certain she’d reached hers.

            “I’m sorry,” she whispered as Mr. Blond helped her into the chair Kurt had kindly pulled up for her. “You know, for earlier. I was—” she shrugged, and then raised her chin in resignation. “Well, I was rude. And I apologize.”

            Mr. Blond waited until she’d settled into the chair, and then he knelt in front of her. “This may not be the best time to do this,” he glanced over at his buddy again, arching his eyebrows in question. Ella noticed—for the second time in mere minutes—the intensity of his blue eyes.

            What was going on? Ella’s confusion grew as—was his name Kurt?—nodded his approval and grinned at her.

            “Ella Paglia,” Mr. Blond picked up her hand and gave it a gentle shake. “My name is Luke Abney.” He nodded in Kurt’s direction. “And that guy over there is Kurt Finley, a producer from the The Cooking Channel.”

            Oh, no… This couldn’t be for real. Ella glanced around, half-expecting Ashton Kutcher to jump from the shadows and yell, “Punked!”  Even that shock seemed more probable than the one Mr. Blond was suggesting. But all around her the diners began to clap and soon a steady chant of “El-la! El-la! El-la!” began to circle the cafe.

            This wasn’t how she’d imagined it. Just wait till Reggie heard about this. She’d bust a gut laughing—

            “Ella, you’ve been chosen as one of the eight finalists for Restaurant 101!”

 

Tags: Free Fiction Fridays, Staci Wilder books, summer reads