Chapter 30
lovelillibet Do you ever have those days when it feels like you want to be alone because you’re too grumpy for company but then you realize what you need is a friendly voice and maybe you shouldn’t have gone dark and shut off your phone? It’s like opposite day, with a side of self-sabotage.
Sincerely, Libby
Image: An overgrown trail with a rockslide blocking the way forward.
#snapoutofit #getoveryourself #pickupthephone
Hildy started the call by complaining about the fact that it was a call.
“This is so inefficient. You come from a dark time, JJ.”
“You know how it is out here in the Wild West. It was this or a telegram. What can I do for you, Hildy?”
“I’d like to lodge a formal complaint. Where the hell have you been? I thought you might be ghosting me, but then I was like, Be reasonable, Hildy. You’re practically his best friend in the world right now.”
There was a hopeful pause, which Jefferson filled with the expected noise of assent.
“So were you on a silent retreat? Sacked out on your couch eating ice cream straight from the container while binging K-dramas? Sitting in the dark crying?”
“Those are excellent guesses, but I was on assignment. As I told you I was going to be.”
“Yeah, but I assumed you’d have your phone. What were you photographing, the eighteenth century?”
It could have been the past, given the near-total absence of civilization. “I was deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Not a lot of cell towers.”
“You must have had satellite phones?”
“Yes, but people were using them to play Candy Crush.”
“Haha.”
Even if he’d wanted to call Hildy—or anyone else—it wouldn’t have been an appropriate use of resources. And there wasn’t a lot of privacy at camp. Certainly not enough for the kind of conversation he wanted to have.
Jefferson had wondered more than once if Libby would try to call while he was away. It seemed important that she be the one to contact him, so he’d know he meant more to her than a temporary distraction. The problem with this approach—well, one of them—was that she didn’t have his number.
He probably should have asked Hildy for advice. It would almost have been worth the I-told-you-so’s.
“What if it was an emergency and I needed to get ahold of you? Did you think about that?”
She was softening him up for something; he could tell that much over the phone.
“You’re a resourceful person, Hildegarde. I’m sure you would have figured it out.”
“Damn straight. Which brings us back to the reason I’m calling. Remember when you had to save me from my own poor choices, because of the blizzard and all?”
“It rings a bell.”
“Well, now it’s my turn. You’re welcome.”
He had a hunch she wasn’t talking about surviving a night outdoors. “Could you be more specific?”
“I have your next job lined up.”
“You’re giving out assignments?” Jefferson tried to phrase it delicately. As far as he knew, Hildy was headed back to college in the fall, dreams of launching a magazine temporarily on hold.
“Work experience, babe. I set it up with my adviser. I’m finishing my last year off-campus so I can do what I want and still get enough credits to graduate. Technically I’m assisting the features editor at our Chicago paper, but that’s a side hustle while I firm up the business proposal for my magazine. And then, look out world! It’s Hildy time.”
“Good for you. I’m impressed.” Although it was a little deflating to learn that Hildy had fixed her life in a matter of weeks, while he was treading water, never getting closer to shore.
“Thanks, Reluctant Father Figure. That means a lot, coming from you. So, about this assignment?”
Despite his better judgment, Jefferson was curious. And his calendar wasn’t exactly jam-packed. “What is it?”
“That’s complicated.”
He felt the first stirring of alarm. “Does it involve wildlife?”
“Not as such. Although, when you think about it, we’re all part of the animal kingdom, aren’t we?”
The sigh stayed on the inside. It was his own fault for getting his hopes up. “Then I don’t see how I can help you.”
“Come on, JJ,” she whined. “Just say yes. Do this one little thing for me. I promise you won’t regret it.”
“So it’s a favor for you.” That made a lot more sense.
“Let’s call it a mutually beneficial arrangement. What if I told you someone was trying to steal something precious from me? Would you or would you not rush to my aid?”
“Hildy. Surely you know the story about the girl who cried wolf?”
“I’m one hundred percent serious! I have turf to protect. Help me, Jefferson Jones. You’re my only hope.”
“I’ll put some gas in the Millennium Falcon.”
“I knew you’d come around. Okay, here’s the deal. Are you ready?”
“Hard to say.”
“Well, hold on to your pantaloons, because our girl Libby sent me a story.”
Jefferson’s throat went dry. A month of distance had done absolutely nothing if the thought of someone else getting an email from Libby kicked his pulse into the red zone.
“She did?” There. That sounded calm. If you overlooked the epic pause.
“More or less. We got there eventually. Technically our verbal agreement still applies, which obviously gives me first dibs.”
“In your expert legal opinion as an employment attorney?”
“Sarcasm is not becoming in a person of your age, JJ. Now pay attention. She wrote something I want, and I need the visuals to go with. Which—if you’re playing along at home—is where you come in. With your camera.”
He paused to let the dust of that speech settle. “Is this another elaborate scheme?”
“What?” Hildy made a series of theatrical splutters and huffs. “You’ve gotten paranoid living out there in the woods alone. Why would you say that?”
“Because there are other photographers, and I’m guessing this alleged assignment is not in Wyoming. Am I getting warmer?”
“You would be. If you knew what was good for you.”
Jefferson recognized that resistance was futile. Not that he’d been trying very hard to escape Hildy’s machinations. “What’s the story?”
“I take it you haven’t been keeping up with her posts?”
“She’s still doing that?” He wasn’t sure why the thought bothered him; it was none of his business how Libby chose to represent herself online. Maybe he wanted to think her whole life had been turned upside down, the same as his, instead of going back to the status quo with barely a ripple.
“Just check it out, JJ. It’s called Sincerely, Libby now. Unless you don’t want the gig?”
“I want it.” The words flew out before he had a chance to second-guess the decision.
“You mean you want her,” Hildy translated. “I have to say, you might think it would get old, always being two steps ahead, but no. I’m still enjoying the ride. If you had a phone capable of FaceTiming, you’d be able to see me patting myself on the back right now.”
“My loss.” Though it would be nice to see her face. “You’re not mad anymore?”
“I’m trying to mature into a more forgiving human being. Except with a very small subset of people who will be my sworn enemies until death, but there’s only one person on that list so far. I’m willing to give Libby another chance, for your sake. And because the story is fantastic, which totally validates my initial instinct about her. Go, me.”
“You’re patting yourself on the back again, aren’t you?”
“Hair toss, actually. Listen, between you and me, Lillibet was a teensy bit annoying. Trying to hit that love-to-hate, beautiful-monster niche is always a gamble, so this is a much safer bet, branding-wise. All the warmth, none of the smugness.”
The Libby he knew was warm, with all the drowsy heat of a summer day, and just as golden. He’d doubted her at first, or at least his understanding of who she was, but it hadn’t taken long for the fog to clear. Whatever story she’d been selling, the Libby he’d met that first day on the beach had stayed the same person all along.
“How soon can you fly out?” The clacking of a keyboard underscored her words. “I’ll have my people make the arrangements.”
“I’ll buy my own ticket, Hildy.” He wondered if she could hear the smile starting to break free. “But thanks.”