I thought about Eli and his electric personality. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“Eli’s lucky to have you. I hope you know that.”
I nodded. “I’m starting to see it. But I’m also really lucky to have him.”
“Who would have thought the two of us would both have someone at the end of all this?”
“I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but thanks for going with your heart and picking Rachel that day. It was the right call for both of us. If you hadn’t done that, I doubt I would have ever forced myself to open up.”
“You deserve love, Calla. I’m glad it worked out.” He laughed. “I was so nervous that day. I thought for sure you’d hate me.”
“I could never hate you.”
We both sat in silence, staring out at the mountains. A breeze flowed through the valley and the grass and trees swayed dramatically in the wind. I hoped Eli and I could come back here one day, just the two of us. We had hardly gotten to explore anything.
“So, you and Eli are going to try for real?”
It was hard not to feel like a giddy schoolgirl talking about a crush. “He’s coming with me back to Chicago after filming is over,” I said.
Arnie whistled. “I’m happy for you. Eli’s been a good friend to me in here. And I know he’d do anything for you.”
I was starting to think he would.
“What about you and Rachel?” I asked.
“She’s got a job dancing in a play for the whole holiday season. Since I work remotely, I’m going to stay with her. Then next year we’ll figure out what we want to do next. I’ve got a really good feeling about it all.”
“I do too.”
Hurried footsteps behind us and the faint sound of a walkie-talkie approached.
“Arnie, we need you for an interview.” An assistant I usually saw lurking behind Shay approached us. Given all of the filming and coordinating of interviews today, it seemed it was all hands on deck.
Arnie waved goodbye. Happiness bubbled to the surface as I realized I hadn’t just fallen for someone in here, I’d also made some lifelong friends. Maybe this show did know what they were doing after all.
Sounds of loud sniffles and a choked sob came from the other side of the room and I whipped around to see Trace flinging herself into a chair by the fireplace, face cradled in her hands. Jumping up, I hurried over to her and set a tentative hand on her shoulder.
She jerked her head up, but her eyes softened when she saw it was me.
“Calla,” she cried. “It was so awful.”
“What happened?” I asked. Trace was the last person I’d expected to see crying over today’s events. She and Danny seemed like this picturesque couple. The prom king and queen of the whole show.
Trace blew her nose loudly into a tissue before attempting to sit up.
“He s-said that he couldn’t pic-picture how I’d fit into his life after the show.” Just those words had her weeping again.
My mouth parted in shock. Danny moved from thecorner, being led away for an interview. He looked sullen and he wouldn’t even glance in Trace’s direction.
Patting Trace’s back, I patiently waited for her to calm down so she could talk through whatever had happened in there. After a few minutes she was finally able to take some deep breaths as she wiped her mascara-rimmed eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked gently.
She leaned her head back against the stone fireplace. “Not really.” She sniffled. “I really thought we had something. I actually...I actually thought that he was the one. I feel so stupid.”
“That’s not stupid.” We had all been thinking the same thing. The way that he looked at her was straight out of a romance novel.
“Apparently it was, because he doesn’t even want to try. He’s done with me.”
