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“It isn’t that crazy. You have produced shows for us for years, what’s one more?”
“Producing is one thing, being a part of it and doing everything else is another. How about you? Did you know about this?” I looked over at Natalie. She hadn’t said a word to me all day. She hadn’t spoken to anyone since the will had been read. By the look on her face, she was as shocked by the reading as I was. Still, I had to be sure.
“I’m not any happier about this revelation than you are,” she said.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me with her piercing green eyes. It was a look I had seen numerous times when she didn’t agree with how I was doing something. It never ceased to take my breath away, even if it annoyed the crap out of me. I could never understand why I found it so attractive when the woman was angry at me other than that was the look she usually reserved only for me.
“You don’t have to do it,” I offered.
“Like hell I’m not. You aren’t getting my shares of the company!”
“No one said he would,” Sunshine said. She walked over to her daughter and put her hand on her shoulder. Natalie looked like she wanted to tear it from its socket but held back.
“Kevin was explicit in his wishes. You would both need to do this or neither one of you will get any stake in the company, or any decision in its future,” Travis said.
“What exactly does this hunt entail? How long is it? Where would we be going?” Natalie asked Travis.
“He didn’t say. Only that I have the first clue to give to you when you’re ready.”
“It will take as long as it takes,” Sunshine said.
“Does it really have to be Jason and me? Can’t I just go and he can produce back here. He doesn’t need to go with me. He would still be a part of it as he has always been. Isn’t that the same thing?” Natalie asked.
I knew before Travis answered her question that it wasn’t. Dad wanted Natalie and me to go on what he considered his final scavenger hunt. Together. Just the two of us. How it was filmed, what we said, and what we found and then showed to our audience would be completely and totally up to Natalie and me. But whatever it was, we both had to agree on it. Something that we had never been able to do before.
It was an unusual end game for my father, but he had thought of life as a game so why not send who he considered his children on one more? I was sure he was hoping that we would find a way to get along, to continue doing his show with me as the producer and her as the star. It was what I thought we would have done, it was the most logical of conclusions. My father and the rest of us had worked too hard to build this empire to let it crumble because he was gone. He wouldn’t want it to end and I didn’t want to let him down. I certainly wasn’t going to let some animosity that Natalie might have for me get in the way of us having a working relationship.
If I could work it into something more, then so be it. However, by how she was looking at me, the chances of her not only agreeing to do this, then even talking to me, much less thinking of me as anything romantic were slim to nil. But I had to try. I saw this as the great opportunity for me to show her that we might be able to be something, both professionally and personally. This trip was my chance to try.
But I couldn’t let her know I felt that way. If she thought for a second I believed this was a good idea she wouldn’t want to do it. I had worked with her long enough to know that she would do the exact opposite of whatever I wanted her to do. It wasn’t the best strategy to get a woman to work with me but it had always worked in the past.
“No, it isn’t the same thing,” Travis said and Natalie threw her hands up in the air.
“This is ridiculous. We can’t work together. Not like this. Not this way. We can’t agree on anything. How are we going to agree on how to make an episode together or more depending on how long this is? We work best when we don’t work together. I don’t see why that can’t continue,” Natalie said.
“Kevin wanted to give the staff time to heal, to grieve, and to decide their next step. It’s a chance for them to do that,” Travis said.
“Nice. They get to grieve, to have time to figure out their lives but apparently, we don’t,” Natalie muttered.
“That isn’t what he meant and you know it,” Sunshine said to Natalie.
“Kevin knew you two didn’t get along. Everyone does. Take this as the opportunity that it is to figure out what you want to do. Grieve for the man that made you who you are the best way you could; by doing what he loves and what you love as well. You both are excellent at your jobs and it would be a shame for either of you to not come back. This gives you a chance to see if you can work together and if this is what you want,” Travis said.
“But we both have to decide we want to come back. Just like we both have to agree to this hunt?” Natalie asked.
“Yes. This gives you that opportunity without having anyone around you. From what I understand Jason is an excellent camera man and has an eye for detail. You’re good about being spontaneous and working with what you have. See how it goes. Go to the first stop. If it’s horrible you can come back,” Travis said.
I glared at Travis and he tilted his head from side to side a few times before adding. “Or more like four stops,” he added.
“Four? How many are there?” Natalie asked.
“Again, he didn’t say but as the crew is supposed to be back in two months, it shouldn’t take longer than that.”
“Two months?!” Natalie practically yelled.
I wanted to ask Natalie if she was going to keep repeating everything Travis said. This meeting had already gone on long enough and she hadn’t agreed to do the trip. I knew she wanted to but she needed some time to get her brain wrapped around it. She just needed a little push and I knew just what would work.
“Stop stalling Campbell, are you going to do it or not? If you are, I need to pack and get some shit together. Some of us have responsibilities that need to be taken care of before we go gallivanting all over the world,” I said, calling her by her last name, something she hated.
