Chapter 34

© Copyright 2013 by Elizabeth Delayne



At some point in the first hour on the road to New York, Felicty decided they should watch classic New York musicals. She downloaded them into the DVR. Jamie joined her in front of the television for much of the time, reclaiming it from Cameron’s daily marathon.

They had started a new movie as they entered New York state. She looked up as Tyler sat beside her on the love seat sized sofa. So far, he hadn’t joined her for one of the movies, but had found time with her at other moments, over their morning coffee, when they stopped for dinner, when Cameron reclaimed the television.

But today he’d been on the phone, in a meeting with producers, getting details about their time in New York. It was his usual responsibility that he handled with an almost corporate finesse.

Even so, she couldn’t picture him in the board room. Or behind a desk.

“Seen this before?”

“Ah ... my mom’s into musicals.”

“But you’re not.”

He grinned and slid his arm behind her, “I can be persuaded.”

Jamie let herself relax, let herself fit into the crook of his arm. She thought of what

Felicity had said back at Yellowstone, that it was nice to be around people that were together and settled.

Honestly, it was nice to just be ... to be with someone you could just be with. It had been a long time since she’d allowed herself this comfort, since she’d been able to have this comfort.

Her last relationship hadn’t ever been settled enough. They’d been on the move constantly. He was a resident and never had time for much more than late night meals and short chats.

Then the one before had been Paul. Sweet and phony Paul, whom she’d liked a whole lot in the beginning and whom her Grandmother despised. Of course, so had Jamie, after a while. He’d wanted marriage. He’d claimed God had told him she was meant for him The pressure had built between them until she’d nearly suffocated.

And touching, even simply like this, had lost its comfort.

Relaxed, Jamie let her head fall against Tyler’s shoulders. No, it hadn’t been like this.

She sighed.

“Tired?”

“Not exactly.”

He chuckled, and she felt his arm shift just the smallest bit around her. “I’ll take that as a good sign.”

Jamie laughed, but stayed where she was. Felicity looked over at them and smiled. Jamie looked around the RV. Cameron was at the computer, playing some online game. George was at his own laptop, wearing his bi-focals and concentrating on his research or writing, or whatever it was that he had settled into today. Thessa was at the other end of the RV painting her nails while she talked on the phone, probably to her fiancé.

It hadn’t been easy on her, but Thessa had always stepped up to the plate. She’d never given anything less than what she could do. She’d come back from the last challenge covered in mud, with two of her own three flags and another three that belonged to the other team.

When her cell phone rang Jamie sat up and drew it from her pocket.

“Ah,” she said, and flipped it open. “Hey Gram.”

“Your mom said you were back on the road by now.”

“Back and fine,” she leaned back into the seat, and into Tyler’s hold. “You okay?”

“Fine-Jamie, you’re going to have to learn to deal with these things better. I always worry-“

”Gram-“

”And tell your mother-“

”Gram-“ Jamie enunciated. “I’m fine. I want to know if you’re keeping up with your medications.”

“You took care of all that before you left. Jamie, I’m just worried that you’re taking care of yourself.”

Jamie turned to Tyler and found him watching her with a snarky smile. She rolled her eyes.

“And your physical theorpy?”

“I see the masochist. Jamie-“

”Gram.”

Tyler reached out and plucked the phone from her. “Gram?” he said. “Ths is Tyler -“

Jamie reached to grab the phone from him, but he only winked and stood and walked further down the bus.

Felicity got up and flopped down beside her.

“He’s talking to your grandmother.”

“And he’s making my Gram melt right into her house slippers,” Jamie shook her head. “Look at him. He has his game face on.”

“His game face?”

“Oh, he knows when he’s being charming,” Jamie murmured. “He’s flirting with my grandmother.”

“Jealous?” Felicity asked.

Jamie leaned back and laughed. “No. No-but you don’t know my grandmother. Tyler doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into.”

“Seems to me he rescued you,” Felicity followed her gaze to where Tyler sat on the edge of his bed and laughed as he talked on the phone.

“Rescued me ...” Jamie murmured, then watched as Rose walked passed them with her camera trained on Tyler. “Oh, she’s going to get all of this on camera.”

“Did you forget you were on a reality show?”

Jamie grimaced. “No but my grandmother might. And she knows just about every sorid story of my life from the past 13 years.”

“You have a sorid past?”

Jamie just groaned out an uncertain laugh and leaned back into the seat. *

When they stopped to eat dinner, Thessa grabbed a table for Jamie and Felicity. When Tyler tried to take a seat, she waved him off. “This is girl time.”

“We have time for girl time?”

“Not with you trying to monopolize one third of the ladies on our team. Now you get over there and be with your kind.”

He laughed and motioned George and Cameron to the table.

“So what’s up?” Felicity asked as Jamie leaned in to sip her drink from her straw.

Thessa lifted a shoulder. “Guess who is coming to see me and my new friends in New York?”

“Could this be the aloof Dante?” Jamie asked.

“It could, and he’s only aloof because we’ve been on the west coast for so long, but he heard I was coming to New York ... and he had to come see me.”

“That’s awesome. So we get to meet him?”

“Of course. When I’ve spent all my time telling him that I can’t tell him about what’s been going on. But he’s heard your names.”

“So you have plans?”

She nodded. “The producers gave the approval. He’s going to buy a ticket and Cameron volunteered to switch with him. Cameron even said to buy the cheapest ticket, cause he’s not really into this kind of thing.”

“Knowing Cameron, he’ll sneak out halfway through,” Jamie said.

“So,” Felicity asked, stirring her soda with her straw. “You think Tyler would switch out his seat if I wanted to invite someone?”

Thessa laughed. “Are you kidding girl?”

“Right now,” Jamie said. “He just might.”

“Is he in trouble?” Felicity asked with s somewhat delighted smile.

“I haven’t decided,” Jamie murmuered. “And I’m so glad you find this funny.”

“Has he told you what was said?”

Jamie glanced over at him, and raised her brows when he winked at her. “No, but they were on the phone for a long time. There’s no telling hat dear grandma-ma had to say.”

“Surely nothing incriminating,” Thessa said. “You’re as clean as a whistle.”

“Yeah, but some things, you really want to keep to yourself until ...”

“Until what?”

“Until you know it’s only his ears that will hear it.”

“No kidding,” Thessa said. “I dated a guy once after I made a hurge mistake in the realtionship before. I told him and it was across campus three days later-only six hours after we broke up.”

“You sure you’re not spreading it now on your own?” Felicity asked.

“Everyone that mattered already found out seven years ago anyway.”

“In high school,” Jamie said.

“Of course. I was the one dumb enough to blurt it all back then. But how long does it take boys to grow up?”

As Jamie laughed with Thessa and Felicity, she caught Tyler’s eye on her again. But she didn’t respond to his mating call. Her grandmother had already been on her case before he grabbed the phone from her.

She just didn’t know what to think.



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