Chapter 22

© Copyright 2011 by Elizabeth Delayne





Jamie sat down in the chair in front of the curtained video diary set that took up a small section of the producer’s bus. Another one of them—named Miriam—sat across from her, her legs crossed, note pad in hand. Her nails were manicured, her hair pulled up in a fancy bob that was both casual and elegantly easy.

Because she’d been through it a half dozen times before, Jamie knew partly what was coming.

They’d prepped her with makeup. Fiddled with her hair.

Then told her when it was her turn.

“Camera on,” Miriam said as she leaned away from the camera. “First off, you were still a little injured from the fall when you went on the hike. You’ve favored your leg, but you’re not taking the medication ...”

Jamie laughed, “The only thing that was really hurt was my pride, that’s all. It wasn’t major.”

“But it kept you from going down into the canyon...”

“Yeah,” Jamie agreed and laughed a little as she thought of the depth of the canyon. “It kept me from going down ...”

“So you weren’t bothered by it?”

“No, I would have liked to go. When else would I have the opportunity. But ... I got to do other things.”

“What did you think of your assignment?”

“It was fun. Its nice to hear the history and the stories and the legends. Those things are cool,” she talked about a few of the stories, about what the guide had told her and what her impressions were of it.

“You were able to bring Felicity back out,” Miriam crossed her long legs and tilted her head to the side. “She’d closed herself off to the group.”

Jamie felt a knot form in her stomach. It wasn’t something she was used to—talking about private conversations between friends. The camera had been there, sure, but ... it hadn’t felt like the camera was there.

But the camera had been there, so there was no pretending that the conversation did not happen.

“You know, you don’t stop living because you come on this thing. You’re still dealing with your past and fearing your future. It’s different. We’re all carrying things with us as we go.” She looked off to the side. “Real life’s messy and when you throw new people together it just gets messier.”

Knowing the video session was coming, she, Felicity and Thessa had already sat down to talk about what they would say. Things were better—so much better—between the other two girls. In fact, Thessa’s demeanor toward Felicity had completely changed. It was her idea to talk about it. Understanding what was going on behind Felicity’s actions had softened her a bit.

“I don’t know what I’d do without my mom,” Thessa had said. “She’s like ... the backbone for the entire family.”

And ... they’d bonded, over mothers, grandmothers, then laughed themselves silly over the words of wisdom they’d grown up hearing.

In interview, Jamie was asked about that, about her own mother, and their relationship. She was asked the questions she’d known were coming. She couldn’t have avoided them, because some form of the same tune was asked each and every time she sat in the session.

“You’ve backed away from Tyler’s advances. You don’t have a boyfriend. Anything not to like?”

“Tyler’s great ... but I’m a naturally cautious person. It’s a little unnerving. It’s like going to summer camp. You’re rarely around people all the time like this. It’s a little intense.”

“You’re afraid of the intensity?” Miriam asked. “Is it your response that’s intense, or his response to you?”

“No–not intensity itself,” she faltered—though it did make her. “It’s the whole situation. I don’t think either of us is all that intense,” which made her smile a little. “I’m a thinker. I just need time to think,” she said, and inwardly sighed.

To think ... and to trust, but she didn’t say those words. She didn’t want the words misconstrued. Tyler had given her no reason not to trust him. But there were reasons, and part of those reasons had already surfaced.

Did he really thin he could win her by telling her God wanted them to be together? That was a line. The wrong line. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe that God would be involved in orchestrating her involvement with someone, somewhere, if it were meant to be ... but to use it like a pick up line?

And to be fair, that’s not what he said.

But it was hard to trust. She couldn’t help it. They were part of a television show, part of his livelihood–as much as he might be thinking of leaving it behind soon. Romance was something that made for a good story.

And she wasn’t sure how much Tyler gravitated to the center of the show’s story.



Tyler was the last in the producer’s bus, and having done it so many times before, he simply sat and waited for the obvious. They asked about him getting Jamie to bring Felicity out, what he had been afraid that she had been hiding. They asked about what Felicity had finally shared with them all.

He told them he found nothing wrong with it ... and it was purly expected by the leader that had been chosen for the other team. They were now more prepared.

And still he waited. He knew they would have picked up on the vibes between him and Jamie, but unlike her, he didn’t think they could have been avoided. From the moment he’d met her it had just been ... easy.

Finally he was asked.

“Jamie’s been putting you off.”

He smiled, made it gentle. “I was pushing. I just went with the flow. But these aren’t natural circumstances.”

“You sought Felicity’s advice.”

“Felicity offered advice. She and Jamie have had a chance to bond. She reminded me this is a journey, not a series of stops. We have time to get to know each other, to ...” he stopped himself from saying play the game. He was afraid that’s what Jamie thought it was to him.

And who knew when they would use this segment they were filming in the show.

“...take the time to just be. At times, I forget that most people my age have jobs. They don’t experience this world all the time. Most people need the time to just be.”

“So that’s your plan.”

“Is it a plan? I think that would mean not having a plan.”

Miriam grinned, and he knew she knew he had a plan. It just wasn’t something he was going to share.

But ... maybe his plan was just to be. For once.

Be still.



As they headed through Wyoming, Felicity’s phone scwalked like a buzzard, signaling a text message from the guy from Zeke’s team who’d manipulated her. Cameron grabbed it off the counter took it over to where she’d been watching a movie with George and Tyler.

“It’s from him.”

“Carson?” George asked.

“What does he want?” Cameron asked as Felicity passed the phone to him. “Can’t wait to see you again.”

“What am I supposed to say?” Felicity asked, looking first to Cameron, then around at her team. They were all there.

“Nothing,” Jamie said. “Don’t worry about it, Felicity.”

“Are you kidding?” Cameron asked. “This is too good of an opportunity. We have his number. We should all bombard him with text messages.”

“So he has all our numbers?” Tyler voice was dripping dry. “Good thinking Einstein. That’s just what Zeke needs at his disposal.”

“I bet Carson has a camera phone,” Thessa walked over and took Felicity’s from Camron. “Why don’t we send them a photo. Let them know she’s part of our team.”

“And he messes with her, he messes with all of us.” Tyler smiled. “I like it.”

The picture ended up being a release for them all. They changed into their blue team t-shirts. Felicity ended up being in the middle of Tyler and Cameron, each giving her a kiss on the cheek. George was behind them, and Jamie and Thessa flanked the sides.

In the center, Felicity beamed.



They stopped in Cheyenne, Wyoming and in Denver on the way to San Antonio to explore, to be filmed, and to play bingo at several different nursing homes. It was an assignment, Tyler thought, that was natural to Jamie, but none of his team really struggled.

But they were interviewed in the video diary set about it, then were asked about what their expectations were about the upcoming challenge with the black team.

Of course, that was probably Zeke’s own label. He wanted, as he’d wanted when he’d been on Tyler’s team, to play the sinister role.

They enjoyed horseback riding in the mountains, played basketball at an innercity Denver shelter, and visited the headquarters of the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs. There they received advice and a pep talk from some of the coaches. They went through some trust building exercise. Thessa paired up with Felicity. George and Cameron rotated with Jamie and Tyler. It was natural.

They sat back and watched as first Cameron, then Thessa, were put through a series of Olympic training practices as they successfully pulled each off. Jamie, Felicty and George, weren’t so lucky.

It would make, Jamie thought, for a few good laughs for someone on the other side of the tv.

They stopped again in Amarillo and ate at theBig Texan, a restaurant where one can get a 72 ounce stake for free if they can eat it all. Cameron of course volunteered to take the plunge.

And as hard as he tried, as funny as it became, he couldn’t finish it. He even took the ribbing when they pointed out that a child had accomplished the task, her photo on the wall with the rest of them. Afterwards, they went to Palo Duro Canyon, went horseback riding down then center and later watched a musical in the outdoor amphitheater.

“It’s not the Grand Canyon,” George pointed out, as they travel up in rented cars back to their bus. “But it’s nice.”

Jamie nodded, leaning her head back against the seat, blissfully tired.

They’d paired off earlier during their horseback ride. It had not surprised her that when she’d fallen side by side with Tyler, and they’d engaged in a ribing match, the others had rode on ahead of them.

Leaving them alone, with a single cameraman.

But it had been nice to simply be, maybe even simply be with him.

After the musical, they were shipped to their hotel. Tyler followed the rest of the team off the bus, walked with them toward their rooms.

Jamie looked over at him, raised her brows, “You’re staying in the hotel tonight?”

“No,” he said and held up a hand as if to put it on her arm, to stop her, then stopped.

She stopped anyway.

“I’m just trying to work up the courage,” he said, and worked through a moment of hesitation. “I don’t want you to get ... to think more of this then it is. I just ... I miss our morning coffee.”

She let out a shaky laugh. “I thought ...”

“What?”

“You just seemed like—“ she shook her head. “Nothing.”

He simply stood there, letting her take the lead.

She reached out a hand, gently touched his arm. “I miss it too. I’m trying not to miss it to much.”

“So will you join me for coffee in the morning?” he asked.

She smiled. “I’d love to.”

He watched her walk off, then called out her name. “Jamie–“

She turned.

“We’re just taking it day by day. Friends.”

She nodded. Thank you, she mouthed.

He nodded, watched her walk off. When he turned, he found the camera on him.

He nodded toward it, then headed back to the bus. There was no point in denying that it had caught the exchange, or he thought wryly, that it was capturing his tumble into attraction—where ever it went.

He was fully aware that no one could know exactly where attraction would lead.


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