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He hung up. Despite her calling back, he didn’t answer. He felt trapped. The walls were closing in on him. Lance walked over to the small couch in his room. Plopping down in the seat, he rested his head back on the chair. He inhaled and exhaled.
***
Chantelle’s manicured fingers typed at the keyboard. Her notes were coming along about Lance. She shared about his family life, and how he became a pivotal person in the community of Delta Heights.
Her eyes scanned along the tabloid magazines next to her. Her stomach soured at the gossip about him and Andrea. Where was the bride? Would there be a wedding? Was there trouble in paradise?
She had to admit Lance was right. Between the press and social media, it compromised Lance’s privacy. All he wanted was a small wedding with Andrea and their families and friends. Yet, it spiraled out of control. Now he was trying to regain it.
Lance wasn’t happy. Even she could tell. His scrunched face and his clenched jaw proved it.
Then again, her chest swelled when he fired June Myers. The woman’s fair skin turned beet red. He walked out the door without a flinch.
Chantelle could have kissed him. Kiss him? She swallowed the moisture in her mouth. Proceeding with her notes, she wrote about Lance losing his sister. Not wanting to dwell on the past, she highlighted how Lance organized a foundation in Amelia’s name to grant scholarships to athletic students along with a few academies.
Her eyebrows raised. She could ask him that. It didn’t pertain to his personal life with Andrea. Chantelle checked her phone again. He was only an hour ahead of her and it was 8:30 P.M. She bit on her bottom lip for a moment, but decided to FaceTime Lance. The phone rang in her ears like a drum.
He answered. “Chantelle?” He dabbed the back of his head with a towel.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you. I can call back later or we can talk when you get back.”
“No, it’s fine. Is something wrong?” He asked.
For a moment, she lost herself in his eyes. Using her free hand to pinch herself, she said, “Nothing’s wrong, but I wanted to see if you could answer a few questions.”
“You want to interview now?”
“I think you’ll like this.”
He sighed and sat on his hotel bed. “What is it?”
“I was going over my notes and I want to include the foundation.”
“My sister? Why?”
“I think it’ll be a good angle. You don’t talk about it, but I think the public needs to know more.”
He rubbed his face. “That’s a tough one.”
She should have known it was difficult for him to talk about his sister. “I know you don’t want to get too personal. Forget I said anything.”
“No, wait a minute.” He waved his free hand as if to dismiss her comment. “What do you want to know?”
“How important the foundation is to you. The media portrays you as an easy going bachelor who’s the face of his father’s firm, but this will show more of you.”
He bobbed his head. “You have your recorder?”
She took it out and hit the record button. “Ready when you are?”
He exhaled. “Losing my sister was tragic. We thought she would go all the way to the Olympics, but we lost her. Some talented athletes are in our cities and neighborhoods can’t afford the training they need to take them all the way in the sport of their choice.”
“So, you created Amelia’s Foundation to help?” She wrote on her notepad.
“She had the opportunities that other kids don’t. So, we take in applications and help them with funds to support their dreams. ”
Chantelle asked. “What about students on the academic side?”
“We don’t discount them. Amelia’s Foundation is not limited to kids wanting to go to the Olympics. Kids in sports are the primary focus, but I know not everyone plays sports, so we try to be as inclusive as possible. We take their applications too for those who want to pursue education. Not everyone wins, but they are on our radar for the future.”
