Chapter 8
Eight
“This little guy is known as the greenback cutthroat trout.” Chris held up the fish for the cameraman. “He’s the Colorado state fish and currently classified as threatened for the state and federal listings.”
Chris let the fish go, then stood to his full height, the camera blinking red as it recorded.
“The greenback territory historically ranged all the way from southern Wyoming and down the Front Range Mountains into Colorado. Now their territory is mostly restricted to the Colorado Springs area, which is our current source of conservation efforts. Follow me as we discuss ways to help our animals thrive in the wild and coexist with humanity. This ... is Colorado.”
“Cut.”
Chris blew out a sigh as David called for an end of the taping. They’d been filming since sunup. That had been two coffees and a full stainless-steel bottle ago, so Chris headed for the portable toilet near the trailers.
“Chris, a moment.” David tapped his clipboard.
When filming for the series finally completed, Chris would hunt that clipboard down and break it in two right in front of David’s face. The immense satisfaction would overcome any guilt that might come from the action. The director tapped the clipboard to insinuate he was in control of the project instead of Chris, despite the fact the production company would be capitalizing on Chris’s brand for the docuseries. Is this how famous actors develop egos?
He cleared his throat. “Can it wait? I need to use the restroom.”
“It’ll only be a sec.”
Chris arched a brow.
“Any updates on the additional sites you’ve been working on getting us access to?”
Chris bit back a sigh. “Yes, but sharing that info will take longer than a second, and I really need to use the restroom.” He pointed behind him. “Give me a moment.”
“Fine.”
He wanted to roll his eyes at the younger man, but that would make Chris just as petulant as PathLight’s director. David was in his late twenties but sometimes acted much younger. Besides, what he truly wanted to know was if they’d be allowed to film the gray wolf reintroduction. That would be a boon to the director, but the last thing Chris wanted was to ruin the reintroduction.
Could he actually trust the PathLight team to keep a respectful distance when needed? They probably had cameras that would allow them to zoom in and still capture the majesty of the wolves, but they also had a lot of outlying staff members who were always in the way. Or at least being crowded was a feeling Chris dealt with each time they were on set. If you could call the great outdoors a set.
After cleaning his hands, Chris pulled out his phone to check his notifications. He made a couple of comments on social media, saw one of his YouTube shorts had gone viral, then opened his text messages.
Erykah
How’s Charlie?
Chris
The gang is watching him today while I’m out filming. Want me to check in with them?
Erykah
No. I’ll find out when I pick him up. Hope filming is going well.
Chris
About as well as removing ticks from animals.
Erykah
Erykah
Hang in there!
He slid his phone into his back pocket. Chris wanted to be happy that Erykah texted him, but the message was merely for her new friend, as she referred to Charlie. Though Chris had admitted to Lamont and Tuck he wanted a relationship, he still felt hesitant when it came to acknowledging any sort of romantic interest in Erykah. If he did, would she give him the cold shoulder like she’d done at the governor’s mansion? Or would she be willing to go on a date and see what could happen between them? The fact that he didn’t know kept him quiet.
“Chris! You got a moment now?” David stared him down.
“Uh, yeah.” He blinked, trying to remember the last email update he’d gotten on the wildlife they were actively tracking. He paired that information with areas where they could see animals roaming freely. “We can go to Mueller State Park and see the bears. They’re packing on their calories to get ready for the winter season.”
David nodded. “Good. Good. And the wolves?”
There it is. “Still waiting on a reply.”
“ Can you nudge them?”
Chris thought about it. “I don’t know. Their schedule is usually packed, so if I bug them again it might just get deleted versus being seen as an urgent request.”
“Fine. If there’s no response by Friday, email or call them. We need to get the rest of the schedule fleshed out.”
“Understood.”
“And you’re good for the hike tomorrow?”
They’d already done Crowe Gulch, but the director had a few more trails he wanted to get to. Good thing Chris did this for a living. “I’ll be ready.”
The guy turned, and Chris watched him walk away. Relief flooded him. It wasn’t that he didn’t like David, but the director put him on edge. Every day Chris woke up wanting to be a good steward because he believed that was what God wanted. But since he’d been working for PathLight, he’d gotten nothing but headache after headache, along with the increased workload. Something had to give, or he’d reach burnout before he knew it.
By the time they were done filming for the day, Chris wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bed and sleep for a week. Only he couldn’t let his staff continue taking care of Charlie when he’d promised Erykah he’d be the one to help. He prided himself on being a man of his word. He knew what it was like when people went back on their promises. I refuse to be like that.
Soon he pulled up to Gamble on Nature and parked the Bronco. Just as he entered the building, his phone chimed.
Erykah
I have an emergency I have to handle. I’ll be late.
He groaned. He didn’t want to be here any longer than he had to be. But you promised. He ran a hand across his beard.
C hris
If it’s okay with you, I’ll just take him home for the night.
Erykah
Yes! Thank you so much. I owe you.
Chris
Nah. Be safe.
He slid his cell into his pocket and went searching for the pup. The little guy barked happily when he saw Chris.
“Thanks for watching him, Cam.”
“Happy to.” She smiled. “Now to convince Felix we need a pup.”
Chris smiled. “Not a bird?”
“He doesn’t like birds, but he does like dogs.”
She was going to marry a guy who didn’t like birds? How? Birds were her thing. Then again, it wasn’t his relationship. Cam’s eyes practically glowed when she talked about her fiancé. Even now, she didn’t seem fazed.
He put Charlie in his kennel. “Everything all good here?”
“Yeah. We’ll be fine. Go home.”
Thank You, Lord. “Great. See you tomorrow.”
“Night, Boss.”
Chris carried the kennel out to his vehicle. He opened up his streaming app and set the music to Anthony Brown & group therAPy. Music all set, he took the turn that would take him home to Woodland Park. After navigating through traffic, Chris turned onto his dirt driveway. He stopped the car, then leaned his head back against the headrest.
The stress of the day slowly eked out of his body in the stillness. He pushed thoughts of the day away and tried to empty his mind completely.
His stomach growled. Charlie barked.
Maybe now wasn’t the time to rest in silence. “Okay, let’s g et out of the car, bud.” Chris grabbed the kennel and headed inside.
He walked up the stone steps that led to the front door. His place was open concept, so there wasn’t a foyer. The living room immediately opened up in front of him, with stairs leading up and down situated to the left. A side table sat against the wall. He placed his keys on top and slid his backpack off, pushing it under the console table as he set the kennel down.
“Want to come out?” He unlocked the gate and watched as Charlie emerged, taking in his surroundings.
“Do you need to go?” Probably should’ve done that before they walked inside.
Chris went right back out the front door, Charlie following. They stood out there until the pup found a patch of grass to water.
“Good boy.” He’d grabbed a bag of treats from work before leaving. Once inside, he pulled one out of his backpack and gave it to him. “You’re a good boy.” He ruffled his head. “My turn for a treat, Charlie. I’m starved.”
The dog barked.
Normally it was just the walls listening to his voice. It was nice having someone else in the home. It made talking out loud more pleasurable, versus a necessity to avoid being encased in hard silence.
Chris walked past the living room and into the kitchen on the left. There was a dining area to the right with a table that held two chairs. Chris technically didn’t need the second one, but not having the extra seating would make him feel the loss of company even more.
Why do you keep thinking about your single status?
He shook off the morose feeling and opened the fridge. He’d left some trout inside to defrost before heading out t his morning. He grabbed the fish, a sweet potato, and red and yellow bell peppers. After chopping the vegetables, he made a bed with the sweet potato and peppers on top of a cedar wrap before adding the filet on top. He made two cedar wraps, ignoring the twinge in his chest. Typically, when people cooked a meal for two, it was literally for two people. His meals for two were always in prep for the next day’s lunch.
“Well, isn’t that a depressing thought.”
Charlie barked. Chris didn’t know if that meant the dog agreed with him or was embarrassed for him.
“Probably the latter,” he mumbled to himself.
He opened the back door that stood nestled between the kitchen space and dining area. There was a gas grill right outside. Soon, his meal and the ground chicken he added for Charlie were finished.
Chris didn’t have a dog bowl, so he piled Charlie’s food onto a plate. He’d just have to make sure to never eat off it again or bring the dishware into work and make it property of the Gamble on Nature animals so they could use it.
After they ate, Chris went for a walk in the wooded area behind his home. The pup needed exercise, and Chris needed to push away the thoughts of loneliness that had slowly been invading his mind day by day. Hopefully the mountain air would clear his mind and help him sleep peacefully tonight. And maybe the reason God had given Erykah an emergency to handle was so Chris didn’t have to be alone tonight.
Maybe...