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“Are there any problems with the video?”
“No, not at all.” I wet my lips and swallow the lump in my throat. “I just want to ask you about something.”
Maxine finally lifts her hazel eyes from the documents on her desk. Her cold gaze pins me to the door, and I suddenly regret stepping into her office in the first place.
“Well, what is it? I haven’t got all day,” she says, leaning back into her swivel chair while I’m standing here with my hands behind my back to hide the fact that they’re trembling like crazy. Every time I’m in here, I feel like a teenager called into the principal’s office, not to discuss her exceptional school results, but to decide if this is even a suitable school for her.
“I heard that Zac is joining the filming crew for the new season ofMountain Men.”
Maxine laces her fingers together and rests her hands on her knee. “Yes. He is.”
“He’s a finance intern.”
“Your point?”
“I didn’t know interns could get picked for these things.”
“Zac got a degree in wildlife conservation before his finance degree. He’s more than qualified to join them.”
“Oh,” is all I can say. Now that I knowthat, it makes a lot more sense. However, it still bugs me that I was never considered. “Well, I have a film production degree. I would be plenty of help, if I could go.”
Maxine’s face transforms from surprise to amusement in a heartbeat. “Are you seriously asking me to consider you?”
I…guess?
“Yes,” I say with certainty and confidence I really don’t have. “I think I would be a great addition to the crew. It’ll be a lot easier to do the editing, if I’m involved in the filming stage as well. I can learn a lot—”
“Jess, listen,” Maxine holds up one hand to tell me to shush as she rises from her desk. I watch as she walks around it and leans back against the edge, arms crossed, eyeing me from head to toe. “I didn’t consider you because I know you’re not ready. You’re a lot of things, I must admit. I think you’re talented, and you have so much potential,butyou’re not one to take risks, and it’s a survival show, not a freaking cookingcompetition that we’re filming. You wouldn’t be going on a vacation, and this trip won’t be a walk in the park. You’d have to spend a whole week on a mountain in the middle of nowhere with a man who leads wilderness expeditions for a living. You’ll freeze to death before filming is even done.”
“But…”
“Now, go back to your desk and finish that video. I’m done with this conversation.”
I open my mouth to say something else, but Maxine has decided to stop listening as she returns to her chair. That’s my sign to make my exit.
***
“Do you seriously want to go on this trip, or do you just want to because you can’t?”
I don’t bother to look at Hailey as she stands behind me to see what I’m reading on my computer’s screen. I have some free time at work, so I decided to do some research on the mountain man who’s starring in the next season of our TV show. His name is Nick Meyers. He lives outside Healy, Alaska and leads wilderness expeditions through the Denali National Park for adventurous tourists. His tours are supposed to be some of the most strenuous available.
“Jesus,” Hailey’s breath warms the back of my ear as she leans in closer, chin resting on my shoulder to read with me. “How does one live like this in 2023? You’re telling me this man spends most of his time alone on a mountain?”
“Just like all the other mountain men we worked with in the previous seasons,” I say and click on the images section on Google.
“Yup, but the others were old men with their families. This guy looks like he’s only thirty. Too young to settle for that life!” Hailey shakes her head. “But damn, is it me or is he kinda hot?”
We’re both looking at a picture of him with his dogs outside his home. I don’t know how old the photo is, but he does look quite young, with dark hair, a bright smile, blue eyes, and cheeks flushed from the cold. He’s wearing a thick fur coat with heavy snow boots. For a second, I imagine myself wearing the same thing, standing with my feet sinking in the snow, and I quite like the image.
“Maxine already said no, though,” Hailey reminded me, once again, unable to be sympathetic. “You need to move on. Is this about what your ex said?”
I don’t even know, to be honest. Why do I care so much? Maxine was right when she said this wasn’t suitable for me. A 5’3” scrawny girl as part of a survival show? That sounds like a joke.
However, I just can’t stop thinking about it. I guess that’s because I can’t stop thinking about my ex’s text message. Not sure if I want to go on this trip for me, for him, for Maxine’s approval, or for my career, but I know I don’t want to just sit here and edit videos forever.
Well, maybe another opportunity will pop up—
“Jess?”
