Jerome slid Alec a sympathetic glance. “You and me both. Our new baby is beautiful, but she’s eating every two hours. It’s a miracle I can stand up. Thank you for the gift, by the way. You’ll probably get a real thank you card in six months when we’re all sleeping better.”
“Please don’t worry about that. I do not need a thank you card,” Alec said. “And you’re welcome.”
Alec made it down to his dressing room and fought the urge to curl up on the couch. He knew he’d just be groggy. Luckily, one of the production assistants had spotted him and brought him a big cup of coffee. “You are a saint,” Alec said, inhaling the comfortable aroma.
“No problem, Mr. Trakas. See you on set.”
A pair of surprising faces appeared in his doorway fifteen minutes later—Tilly Ann and Renata. They never came to see him outside of the set. Most mornings, they didn’t talk to him at all until the cameras were rolling. “Can we steal you for a minute before we head into makeup?” Tilly Ann asked.
“Yeah. Of course.” Alec got up from his chair and offered it to her. Then motioned for Renata to take a seat on the sofa.
“We can stand,” Renata said. “We aren’t going to make this a big thing. We just felt like we needed to say something.”
“About?”
“We know you’re leaving,” Tilly Ann said. “Everyone’s talking about it. And I suppose it’s not a big shock. That Barry Millner interview you did was spectacular.”
“It was,” Renata said.
“I’m sorry you two had to hear about it through gossip. I was planning to talk to you once the contract was sewn up.” Or, at this point,ifit was sewn up. “I’m actually waiting to hear from my agent so we can talk about it.”
“We just want to say that we understand why you might want to move on to greener pastures, but we’re still going to miss you when you leave,” Renata said.
“You are?” He was legitimately surprised. Renata and Tilly Ann were so close, and he’d always felt like the odd man out.
“Of course we are. You’re a total pro. And we’ll be sorry to see you go. But we get it.” Tilly Ann looked over at Renata and they both nodded. “You know, I tried to get my own talk show once. The network turned me down after months of back and forth. They made me think I had it, and then boom, nothing.”
Alec then remembered what Tilly Ann had mentioned at theLavamanpremiere. “You warned me about that. The bait and switch.”
“Exactly.”
“I was stupid enough to think I could vie for a nightly anchor spot,” Renata said. “But nope. They held that carrot in front of my face for almost a year. Then they yanked it back at the last minute.”
“Kudos to you for getting this far,” Tilly Ann said.
Hearing that Tilly Ann and Renata had similar aspirations, and that they hadn’t worked out, only made him feel more at peace with what he already knew in his heart. “I really appreciate this. Both of you. So much.”
“We’ll see you on set in a bit,” Renata said as they both wandered out the door.
Alec was on his way into the hall when he finally got a text back from Olivia. Or, as it turned out, Olivia’s phone.This is Olivia’s husband. She had to get an emergency root canal. She’s still planning on meeting you at 8:30. Can’t talk before then.
Alec had his answer for now. He was just going to have to sort this out after his stint on the show.
Between his surprisingly kind conversation with Tilly Ann and Renata and the sense that everything in his life was about to change, Alec found himself feeling quite melancholy while he worked his way through segments on topics like Ten Tailgating Must-Haves and a viral video about an adorable sleepy owl. But much of the show that morning was about the storm, putting Wesley, with his perfect mid-twenties face and two percent body fat, at center stage. It was a lot for new on-air talent to deal with, especially since Wesley was expected to take over from Alec at 8:30. He was getting serious coaching from the production team during the commercials.
When it was time to pass the baton, Alec made a point of shaking Wesley’s hand. “I’d wish you good luck, but you’re a natural. You’re going to do great.”
“I’ve got some big shoes to fill, but I’m a fast learner.” Wesley grinned wide with his ultra-white teeth.
“What’s the latest on the storm?” Alec asked in parting.
“Looks like it’s going to be a doozy. If I were you, I’d head home and hunker down.”
Alec wasn’t quite sure how that was going to play into his day. A lot of things had to fall into place, and the weather had the possibility of disrupting it all. “Good to know. Thanks.”
He rushed down the hall, spotting Olivia outside his dressing room. Her cheeks were puffy and swollen, and quite frankly, she looked miserable. “Are you sure you should be here for this?” he asked, opening the door for her. “Can I get you anything? An ice pack? Something to drink?”A boatload of Advil?
She shook her head. “I’m fine.” It sounded a little like “I’b fide”, but Alec ignored that. Like all good agents, Olivia was pretty indestructible.
