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Fifty
HAYDEN
We had fifteen minutes left — twenty if we were lucky. But her expression left little doubt as to what had to happen. It was something that should’ve happened long ago.
Devin gave me the go-ahead and I nodded toward Reese. They edged back a little as I turned to the nearest cameraman, a kid who didn’t even look old enough to be working yet.
“We’re starting just outside the hotel?”
“In exactly eighteen minutes,” he affirmed. “There’s a line drawn on the sidewalk.”
I nodded and scratched my head. “Yeah, well we forgot something upstairs. There enough time to head up and grab it?”
The kid shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
We headed for the smaller of the two elevator banks, with the camera crews in tow. Brooke still looked numb and a little rattled. I didn’t like it one bit.
“Are you sure we left it upstairs?” I asked Devin, just as the doors opened.
“Pretty sure, yeah.”
Brooke and I filed in. I pushed theclose doorbutton immediately, then I turned around.
“I mean, it could still be in the restaurant,” said Hayden. “Did you check?”
Devin hesitated. So did the camera crews. It looked for a moment like we might break off into two groups.
“I could run back and look,” Devin lied. “Unless you think—”
At the last second he leapt into the elevator, just as the doors began closing. The camera crew didn’t see what was happening until it was too late. As they scrambled after us, their faces went utterly white.
“You guys can grab the next one,” I called out, just before the doors came together. “It’s too cramped in here anyway.”
The doors closed and the elevator lurched upward. Brooke’s look of surprise was met by three grins.
“Shit, I wasn’t sure that would work this time around,” said Reese.
“You’ve done this before?” asked Brooke.
“Last season,” I nodded. “When we really needed a break.”
A second or two later Devin gave me the nod. I punched theEmergency Stopbutton, and the elevator bounced to a sudden and abrupt halt.
“You asked about the Million Dollar Meltdown a bunch of times already,” I said, “and we always skirted around it. But it’s past time we told you the whole story.”
Brooke’s eyes shifted downward. Standing in her own little corner of elevator she shrugged. “Look, it’s really none of my business. You don’t have to if you don’t—”
“No,” Devin said, lifting her chin gently. “Wehaveto.”
One by one her eyes shifted to each of us. Her expression was wholly different than the last time we’d talked about this. There was relief now, where they used to be curiosity. And there was admiration, too. Even love.
“We were all dating Melissa for more than a year,” I started. “You already know that part. But not long before the Race began last season, we found something out. Something big. Something—”
“She was cheating on us,” Reese said flatly. “Seeing somebody else.” As all eyes turned on him he shrugged unapologetically. “Sorry to rush the story, but there’s not much time.”
“You mean outside ofyou?” Brooke asked incredulously.
“Yeah.”
