Chapter 15
LUKE
The next day, I was looking out the window of my office, wishing I were one floor up.
Clara was up on the fortieth floor with Kerri and a whole team of decorators, readying the place for the big network Christmas party.
It was a huge annual event with a specific theme every year—some excessively formal while others were casual—and it was a family affair, at least at the beginning.
Clara and I had ridden to the office together, which had been surprisingly enjoyable. She had been bouncing with excitement. Kerri had been in constant contact with her, trading ideas and sending final designs to the folks who were going to put all together.
She wouldn’t show me her designs for the party, wanting to surprise me.
She wouldn’t even tell me this year’s theme.
I didn’t push her to show me, even though I was burning up with curiosity.
If she thought it would be better for me to wait and see it once things were set up, I would trust her and be patient.
Life so rarely offered good surprises. It was nice to have something to look forward to. Clara had told me to come find her after I was done with my shows for the day.
I had to be in the makeup chair soon. Otherwise I might have snuck upstairs for a quick peek anyway. Not so much to see the decorations, but to see her.
Our day in the park yesterday had been shockingly fun. Shopping at a Christmas market was not the sort of thing I would ever choose to do on my own. Looking for handmade gifts for the family was even less my thing. I usually just bought them something expensive and they seemed happy enough.
I sure as shit didn’t join in random snowball fights with strangers.
Maybe the change of pace had been exactly what I needed because I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so hard or felt so free.
With Clara, I didn’t worry about looking foolish.
It was like she opened my heart up to joy I couldn’t feel when I was alone.
The cider had tasted sweeter. The winter air had smelled crisper. The Christmas songs weren’t as annoying. Her red hair burned like flames against the snow, keeping me warm all day.
No matter what ended up happening between Clara and me, I was definitely reconsidering my eternal bachelor status. Maybe life was better when you had someone to share it with. Being alone spared me from drama, but it also kept me from truly connecting with anyone.
All people saw of me was my TV persona, which wasn’t the real me.
Not all of me, anyway. Speaking of which, I would be on air for a good chunk of the day.
Sunday was when everyone rested except athletes and analysts like me.
It was my longest gig of the week. I had two games to cover, which would keep me in the studio for around seven hours.
On Sundays, the job felt like work. But it was still just sitting around talking about sports. I would do that for free, if I had any friends to watch a game with. I wondered if Clara was into football, or if not, if she would be willing to watch with me anyway.
We could cuddle up on the couch while I explained things to her, maybe bet on the winner.
Someone knocked hard on my door, and I jumped. “Luke!” Bonnie called. “Get it in gear. It’s almost showtime.”
I had zoned out thinking about Clara. It had been happening a lot lately. Ever since that fake kiss in front of the camera, I’d been daydreaming about a real kiss away from the spotlights.
Every time she held my arm or bumped my side when we browsed the market, my heart took flight and I had trouble breathing. I felt guilty for enjoying it. The whole thing was a show. Sure, we were having fun, but it wasn’t real and it couldn’t be real.
Bro code meant sisters were off limits. That was non-negotiable. Nic would never forgive me. I needed to get my head back on straight.
“I’m coming,” I told my producer.
In the makeup chair, Delphine powdered me up in a flash, and then Bonnie shoved me into my seat at the desk for the pregame show. My co-hosts were present and ready, every inch the professional I used to be. Clara had me zombie-walking through the day.
The show got started and we went over our predictions and showed highlight clips from earlier games in the season. I did my part, adding my opinions and comments, but my thoughts were still divided.
When my co-host Rob lobbed me an unscripted question, he caught me off guard. “Luke, what’s highlight of the weekend so far?” he asked.
Without thinking, I said, “The Christmas market was a lot of fun.”
My co-hosts glanced at each other and laughed. “I meant football highlight,” Rob said. “But I guess being in love has turned you into a big softie.”
Ironically, instead of soft, Clara often had the opposite effect on me, but I couldn’t announce that to the world on air.
“All I can say is she’s an amazing woman,” I said, looking straight into the camera. “But back to the games.”
I managed to get through the rest of the broadcast day without slipping again. But as soon as I was finished, I stripped off my microphone and took the stairs one flight up. The smell of pine hit me before I left the stairwell, and I suspected it was Clara’s doing.
I stepped into a winter wonderland. The theme of the party was immediately obvious. I should have known she would go for a Nutcracker motif. Her recently cancelled play had been The Nutcracker, so it was something she was familiar with.
Giant toy soldiers were stationed around the office, their hats almost brushing the ceiling.
Clusters of giant candy canes were bundled to look like trees, making a red and white peppermint forest in one section.
In another, life-sized ballerina figures stood on rotating pedestals, striking elegant poses.
Christmas music jingled and jangled from the sound system they’d set up.
I was stunned into stillness, staying on the fringes beside a pile of giant fake presents.
Clara was in another section, hanging massive shiny ornaments from the ceiling.
She was laughing and smiling with new friends she’d already made at the office.
I wasn’t the only one who liked spending time with her.
I didn’t want to disturb her and ruin the vibe. Not yet. It looked like she was in her groove, feeling the flow and having a great afternoon. I stepped back and just looked at her like a stalker.
A strong hand clapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see Marshall. The older board member was chuckling and shaking his head at me. “The way you look at her reminds me of when I met Kerri,” Marshall said.
His wife was handing my fake girlfriend another ornament, and they were giggling about something.
“She’s something special,” I said, smiling as I watched her.
“We’ve got that gala in a couple days. You should bring her.”
“Good idea. I’d forgotten about that.”
“It’s funny,” Marshall said. “I remember all those years ago when you first limped in here, insisting we should hire you. You were still recovering from a career-ending injury but you wanted to get back to work.”
I chuckled at the memory. “I remember, too. Was I right or was I right?”
“I certainly don’t regret it,” he said with a laugh. “You were a wild young man, and I never expected you to settle down. Clara seems good for you. Why did you keep her a secret for so long? Kerri loves her.”
“Yeah, I should have said something, but it was new for me. I figured it was better to keep things under wraps until I saw where they were going.”
“Where is it going?” Marshall elbowed me. “Are you going to make it official?”
I sighed. “I want to. We just need to figure out the long-distance thing. I don’t know. She seems to fit right in with everyone. Maybe she’ll move here.”
“Let’s hope,” he said. “Because I was talking to a friend of mine the other night about Clara.”
I turned to look at him with my eyes narrowed in question. “Really? What about?”
“Well, this particular friend works with the Broadway League, and Kerri and I showed her some of Clara’s designs for the party. The other night at dinner, she mentioned she was a set designer. Anyway, my friend loved what she saw.”
“Really?” I asked, feeling hope flicker inside me like a candle flame.
Marshall nodded. “She said lots of directors she works with would be interested in someone with as much attention to detail as Clara.”
“Wow, that’s great news,” I said. “I love her stuff, but of course I’m biased.”
“I’m the same way with Kerri,” he said. “So yeah, tell her I have a friend ready to shop her around to different productions, find her a job on set. Maybe that will convince her to finally move out here. It’ll solve your long-distance problem.”
I nodded, a little dazed with excitement. Clara was going to lose her mind when I told her the good news.
It was her dream to move out here to try to break into Broadway. It felt very possible now, especially when she turned to look at me, precariously balanced on a ladder, and smiled. Because of our arrangement, it was impossible to know if it was a real smile or for show.
I wanted it to be real, even though it could never be. At the end of this, she would get her money and I would win the bet with Troy, and the charade would be over. We had two more weeks left in the city before going back to Texas for the real test.
Kerri and Clara saw Marshall and me watching them, and they said something to each other that made them both laugh. Clara began to make her way over to me.
Marhsall slapped me on the shoulder again. “I’ll let you tell her the good news. I’m going to see if Kerri is ready for dinner. I need a steak, a beer, and a nap.”
“Have a nice night, sir,” I said. “And thank you for talking to your friend about Clara. That was a really nice thing you did. I won’t forget it.”
He nodded. “Just get me free tickets to any of her shows.”
Clara said hi to Marshall as they passed each other. Then her eyes were on me, all smiles. “So what do you think?”
I looked around and nodded. “It’s amazing. I work here all the time and I don’t recognize it. I love it, and everyone else seems to be thrilled with it too.”
“Oh, stop, you’re going to give me a big head,” she said, joking, but her cheeks pinkened noticeably. “We’re still missing the lighting. It’s an eighties theme too, so there will be neon. They want it to be flashy and over-the-top.”
“That sounds like it will hit the target,” I said.
“There’s something else, and I’m not sure you’re going to like it,” Clara said, looking up at me through bashful eyes. “We’re all supposed to wear ugly sweaters.”
I chuckled. “You’re right. I don’t like it.”
“It’ll be fun and you don’t want to be the only stick in the mud not participating.”
“We’ll discuss it,” I said. “Are you ready to call it a day?”
“Yeah, I just need to say goodbye and grab my stuff and we can go.” Clara smiled. “Hopefully to dinner. I’m starving.”
I grinned back. “I was thinking the same thing. Come on. I have something I want to show you.”