Love on Call (Heartwood)

CHAPTER ONE

Ally

“Ally, you look like you’re going to be sick,” Lucia shouts over the buzz of people around us. She covers the microphone in front of her mouth so she doesn’t deafen whoever is on the other end. Truth be told, I feel like I’m going to be sick. I let out a slow exhale to stop my stomach from churning. “What’s that saying? You can dress her up, but you can’t take her out? You’re the epitome of it. Try to fix your face before the camera rolls, okay?”

I’m standing behind a set of tall double doors while two women I’ve never met fluff my face with makeup brushes. Lucia Delgado is the producer of Stolen Love , and she’s irritatingly blunt when it comes to giving me feedback about how I read on camera. She hastily checks the clipboard she has balanced on her arm. She’s a perfectionist to the point of being neurotic, but her attention to detail makes the network a lot of money, so everyone puts up with it. Today, Lucia wears a comfortable outfit consisting of black jeans and a black T-shirt. Her long dark hair is slicked back into a functional low ponytail. No one cares what Lucia looks like as long as she does her job and the production value is high.

I attempt to shape the corners of my mouth into something that resembles a smile, but the bile rising in the back of my throat is making it appear more like a grimace than anything else. The weight of my anxiety has been suffocating me in anticipation of this day. Fidgeting in place, I smooth out my white satin shift dress and rub a finger across my front teeth to make sure the newly applied lip gloss hasn’t stained them. My dress clings to my back. I’m already sweating and the main event hasn’t even started yet.This is not how I would have imagined my engagement party. Over-the-top weddings are not my jam. I had always envisioned an understated affair; a few close friends and family members in the loft of my favourite restaurant in Vancouver. But judging by the magnitude of our engagement party, this wedding will be anything but understated.

I glance over at my fiancé standing beside me. Nate Winslow is conventionally handsome. His build is tall and slender, and his suit is tailored to show it off. His cropped dirty-blond hair is gelled, and his striking blue eyes stand out against the teal colour of his tie. He is everything I could ever want in a husband, looks-wise at least. But we only met eight months ago on Stolen Love, and I wonder for a moment if I’m crazy for agreeing to marry a man that I hardly even know.

The room is spinning around me. Waiting for the towering double doors to open into a ballroom full of people gathered for my televised engagement party is enough to make me pass out.

It’s one night, I remind myself. Just one night and we can go back to our normal lives once some of this hype dies down. I’ve been clear with Lucia, or as clear as I could manage. The engagement party would be my last official commitment to the show. She had already roped me into more events beyond what my contract had outlined, and I’d been kicking myself for not saying no sooner. But when Lucia mentioned how much our audience loved seeing Nate and me together, the thought of disappointing millions of viewers was enough to get me to agree to it.

“Places everyone!” Lucia shouts into the room instead of into her mic, forgetting to cover it this time, and I watch the entire room recoil as her voice comes over our headsets. The hair and makeup team back away from me, finally. I usually put my strawberry blond hair up in a ponytail, apply concealer to hide the night shift bags under my eyes, and wear my favourite tinted lip balm. My everyday appearance wasn’t enough for the network, so they put together an entire team of professionals so that I’m primed, powdered, and glossed to where I am virtually unrecognizable.

Lucia starts a silent countdown to the doors opening, holding her hand in the air and counting down on her fingers. I glance at Nate again who is busy adjusting his tie. He’s so calm and collected, like he does this every day. He looks down at me and winks an icy blue eye.

Lucia starts to back away from the doors, pulling one side open while her assistant pulls the other.My eyes struggle to adjust to the glaring lights as the doors open and the massive ballroom comes into view. The organizers have arranged tables around a spacious dance floor, adorning it with oversized floral arrangements in varying shades of pink. Everything around me glitters with the reflections cast from the chandeliers overhead. It’s more lavish than I ever could have imagined.

The whole evening is like some kind of fever dream. Not even a year ago, I stood amidst a bustling labour and delivery unit, straightening out my baby pink scrubs instead of a white satin dress. Being a nurse was my dream job, a title that I was proud to have. I never intended to apply to the show, let alone get a call back from casting. Appearing on reality television was never a part of my five-year plan. As a general rule, I tend to avoid having too much attention on myself. But Spencer, my best friend since the eighth grade, saw an ad on Facebook that they were casting for it and suggested we apply. She had meant it as a joke, I think, and we both filled out the application forms one random Friday night, howling with laughter the whole time. We pulled out our most extravagant outfits and set up a camera on a tripod to film our audition tapes. I hadn’t realized Spencer actually submitted them. My audition tape was never to see the light of day, and now here I am, the top contestant and some sort of overnight celebrity. The reality of it all makes my head spin.

I’m aware of the cameras to my left and right, the crowd of people in front of me beckoning us into the room with their cheers. Their faces become clearer as my eyes adjust to the lights, and I realize that I don’t even recognize half of them. Amongst the throng of other reality stars and celebrities, I spot the familiar flash of Spencer’s fiery red hair and breathe a sigh of relief. Spencer and I met in homeroom, each looking like a deer in headlights as we walked into our first day of high school. I remember the day so vividly that I can almost smell my Lip Smackers lip balm. She had been wearing a One Direction T-shirt and we had instantly bonded over our obsession with Harry Styles. The obsession held up, too. Although, we had both fully planned on marrying him, so it’s ironic that now we’re here celebrating my engagement to another man. I make a mental note to find my best friend once all the commotion dies down. She always helps to ground me.

“Hold Nate’s hand,” Lucia says into the tiny earpiece that I was told to wear. This entire party is being televised live, the TV network wanting to leverage the way fans adore Nate and me on the show. I reach down for Nate’s hand but my arm is stiff, and I’m aware of how robotic I look as I wrap my hand around his. “Pretend you like him, Ally.”

Nate tugs on my hand, causing me to spin back towards him, and he leans down and plants a kiss right on my mouth. I don’t even have time to close my eyes and lean into it. The room erupts in applause and cheering. Nate is completely unfazed by all of this, a showman by nature. He is used to putting on an act for other people, I realize.

Once we have satisfied Lucia’s demand for a grand entrance, she leaves us alone to mingle with the guests. I don’t recognize any of the people around me, including most of the people congratulating me on our ‘fairy-tale’ engagement.

About halfway through the night, Nate deserts me to schmooze with strangers, whom he no doubt thinks will help him advance his career. I glance around the room, scanning the crowd to find him. I am counting down the seconds until Lucia comes back on my headset to tell me to stand next to him. An engagement party for a couple who seemingly lack enthusiasm for one another doesn’t make for compelling television.

That’s the thing; I’m not even sure we’re actually in love. Sure, Nate and I had some fun while we were filming the show. Of course we did; there were high-stakes games and strategies, and I have to admit that we complemented each other well. Out in the real world is another story. In real life, Nate Winslow is not the same kind, caring friend and partner I knew on set. I’m still trying to understand his strategy, although I have some ideas.

I spot Nate above the crowd and make my way towards him. He smiles his flashy grin as he sees me approaching and the sight of it makes me feel on edge. Something about his smile seems fake, like it doesn’t quite reach his mischievous blue eyes.

“Hey, baby!” Nate greets me. I make a quick mental note to tell him later that he is never to call me baby. “We were just talking about you.”

“All positive things, I hope.” I try, and fail, to hide the hesitation in my voice. It shakes despite my best efforts.

“Of course.” Nate gives me a play along look and places a hand on the small of my back. I try not to physically recoil. “Like how we’re the ultimate power couple, and that’s all down to how devastatingly hot you are.” My laugh is nervous as I look around at the women in the conversation who are swooning at the comment.

“Hey lovebirds,”—Lucia’s voice crackles in our earpieces—“it’s time for the big speech.”

Right. The speech. Where I have to stand in front of hundreds of people and make my smile somewhat believable. At least I don’t have to say anything. The network wants to capitalize on the way the audience obsesses over how Nate ‘worships’ me. If only they could be a fly on the wall in our apartment where he rarely pays me any attention.

Nate doesn’t hesitate before lifting his glass with one hand and tapping it with the spoon he was carrying in the other. A hush falls over the room, and all eyes turn to where Nate and I stand.

“Evening, everyone,” Nate begins, that smarmy smile creeping over his face again, “thank you all so much for being here tonight. It means the world to us to have our closest friends and family in one room to celebrate our engagement.”

Our closest friends? Where? The network didn’t even invite my parents. They hired actors instead; my parents were too middle-class, I guess, and it ruined the illusion of the power couple they wanted. There’s more than a good chance that my parents would have disregarded the invite, anyway.

“First off, I want to thank Nancy and Rob.” It’s Richard, actually. He could at least get their names right. “Ally’s wonderful parents for accepting me into their family and giving me the gift of my life that is Ally Wells.” Nate raises his glass and nods towards the two made-up middle-aged people smiling and waving and pretending to be my parents.

“Ally, my queen. My better half. My bride.” I should feel more of a spark than I do when Nate speaks those words, but they sound so scripted coming out of his perfectly veneered mouth. “I could not have achieved the success I have today if it wasn’t for you.”

Yeah, you’ve helped forward your predatory career by giving yourself internet clout . I have to force back a visible eye roll.

“Not to mention, you let me live out my teenage fantasy of getting with a sexy nurse.” Everyone laughs at the half-assed joke, except for me. And Spencer, I notice. Spencer and I make eye contact across the room and she raises her eyebrows, knowing how much I loathe when people reduce my career to nothing but a sex object. Nate would understand that about me, too, if he took some time to get to know me. My blood boils to the surface of my skin. I can’t hold up the smile I have plastered on my face anymore.

“I can’t do this,” I whisper under my breath. I have no idea where I’m going with this or what I’m planning to do once the words have come out of my mouth. All I can say with any confidence at this moment is that I regret giving up the life I had for this. The show promised that I would find true love, but all it gave me was this polished, fake version. I would rather be single for the rest of my life than live in this sham of a fairy tale for one more second.

Nate’s expression falls and the crowd murmurs, no doubt debating what could be going on between us.

“What?” Nate asks, his tone incredulous but harsh. He won’t let me go that easily. I’m too integral to his success. My title as a nurse is supposed to make him appear more favourable, more real, to the public and his clients. Clients may not be the correct term. The people he bamboozles into handing over their failing businesses so he can restructure them into what I’m certain are pyramid schemes is a more apt description.

“I can’t do this,” I say, louder and feigning more confidence this time.

“Oh, you’re doing this,” Nate hisses through a tight-lipped smile. “Put on a smile, Ally. We’re in love, remember?”

“I won’t. I can’t.” I can’t bring myself to say anything more. I’m pretty sure if I tried, I could puke in front of everyone. Although, that would be interesting for ratings.

Scanning the room to find Spencer, I notice her standing at the edge of the crowd, slack-jawed at the sudden outburst of courage I summoned. I have to grab Spencer and get out of here. I release Nate’s hand—which is unexpectedly difficult due to his tight grip—and manoeuvre through the crowd to reach my best friend. Spencer will come up with a plan. She always does.

“What are you doing?” Spencer asks, her voice a familiar low and raspy pitch. She doesn’t wait for my reply. “You know what? I don’t care. Explain later. Let’s go.” Spencer grabs me by the wrist and pushes through people who appear shocked and confused, but they don’t stop me. The film crew is trailing close behind, trying to capture all the drama. I don’t look back at Nate, although I can guess he is red-faced and fuming about my unexpected departure.

My vision is spinning and I can barely comprehend what just happened. Thank God for Spencer, who doesn’t hesitate to tell the film crew to “get the fuck out of her face” and asks the nearest server to direct us to the back exit of the event centre.

Spencer doesn’t stop until both she and I are standing outside in the back alley, and once she does, she doesn’t ask any questions except for one.

“Where do we need to go?”

“Can we go to your place?” It’s only eight blocks from the event centre downtown, and I know no one can find me there. It’s one perk of having a fiancé who never pays attention to anything I do. He would never guess where to search for me.

I say nothing until we are inside Spencer’s familiar apartment. This little one-bedroom has always been a safe place for me, especially since the show started filming. It’s a place where I can go under the radar and be incognito for a while. It’s close enough to downtown but still tucked away from the prying paparazzi on a quiet little street in the west end. I appreciate it more than ever tonight when all I need is to collect my thoughts and process the mess I’ve made of my life.

I don’t want to do anything except shower and scrub off the thick layer of makeup, throw on an old pair of Spencer’s sweats, and pour myself a glass of wine. Once I’ve done all that, I flop onto Spencer’s old worn couch, sitting across from her. I pull up a thick blanket around my shoulders, intertwining our legs beneath it. Spencer is looking across the couch at me, eagerly awaiting what I’m about to say, but it’s still too early for me to try and explain. I don’t know what just happened myself. I open my mouth to start, but failing to find the right words, I take another gulp of my wine instead.

“That bad, eh?”

“God, Spence, where do I even start?” I shake my head and peer up at the ceiling as if I’ll find the answer written there.

“Maybe start by telling me why you ran away from your engagement party like it was your execution.”

“I don’t know. I was looking around at the extravagance of it all. Looking at all those people that I didn’t even know, that don’t even know me. Nate made his speech, and I looked to him, hoping to find familiarity and feel secure standing next to him.”

“But you didn’t,” Spencer finishes.

“No. I mean, yes, exactly. I felt the opposite.” I take another sip of my wine, cradling the glass in both hands as if it were a chalice of life-giving nectar. “He didn’t even remember my dad’s name. Not that they were even there to notice.”

“I was saving that one to bug you about later,” Spencer says with a soft chuckle. The sound eases some of the tension in my chest.

“God, he’s such an arrogant prick. Do you know what he does for work?”

“Yeah, he’s like some angel investor or something, right?”

“You could say that. He brags and brags that he’s this philanthropist angel investor or something. But really, he uses Daddy’s money to buy up the majority of failing businesses, and he strips them down and turns them into pyramid schemes—sorry, it’s called multi-level marketing.” This time, I don’t hide my eye roll.

“Oh my God, what a slimy piece of shit!”

My phone pings from beneath the blanket I pulled around me. Fumbling around for it and trying not to spill my wine, I check the screen.

“Speaking of the slimy piece of shit.” I turn the phone to show her the screen. There are messages pouring in from Nate, each one more vicious than the last.

Nate: Ally, where are you?????

Nate: For fuck’s sake, Ally. How could you humiliate me like that???

Nate: Answer your goddamned phone.

Nate: I swear to God, Ally, you made me look like a fool tonight, and you’re going to regret it if you don’t answer your phone.

Nate: Ally, baby. Whatever I did, I’m sorry. Please pick up your phone so we can talk about this.

“Yeah, not a chance,” I say after I read out the last one and throw my phone back down on the couch.

“So, what are you going to do? You can’t avoid him forever, right?” I consider Spencer’s words. I can’t avoid Nate forever. Not with the show airing soon and the last few public appearances that the network scheduled for the release.

The network. Lucia.

As if on cue, my phone pings again. It’s a voicemail. I play it out loud for Spencer to hear.

“You better have an explanation for this shit show you stirred up. I’m hoping that you and Nate had this planned as some publicity stunt or some shit. Otherwise, you bet your ass the network will be coming for you, and they will be ripping every penny they gave you for the show out of your social-climbing paws.”

I look at Spencer, wide-eyed, silently pleading for her to come up with some fantastic idea for a way out of this.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Girl, you are in deep.” Spencer shakes her head and glances into her lap, thinking.

“I think I need to get out of town for a while,” I admit.

“You think that’s a good idea? Running away from all this?”

“I mean, what other choice do I have? And I’m not running—I need to let the dust settle here for a bit. I can handle the network, but Nate is going to find some way to drag me and my reputation through the mud in the most public way possible.”

“You don’t want to say to hell with what other people think and hold your head high? You could go back to your job at the hospital, try to get back to your normal life.” Spencer is right; I should be able to hold my head high, but that’s not me. Others’ opinions matter to me. I’ve already disappointed enough people here. My parents when I quit my job and went on the show in the first place, my coworkers when I broke the news to them, and now Nate. I can’t even confront Nate about the problems in our own relationship, let alone stand up to him now. Conflict is not my strong suit and I would be a quivering mess. Frankly, running away sounds rather nice at this point. I don’t see another way.

“I can’t go back to my old job. Everyone reacted like I was some superficial, vapid person looking for fame when I told them I was leaving to go on the show. To go back now that I’ve failed … it would be humiliating.”

“You don’t owe anyone an explanation. It will all blow over.” Spencer is right.

“I can’t, Spence. I can’t face all those judgmental stares and whispers behind my back. I can’t return as the girl who abandoned everything for a reality show engagement that didn’t work out. I need to disappear for a while.”

Spencer sighs and looks at me with sympathetic eyes. “If that’s what you need to do, let’s make a plan. We’ll figure out a way for you to leave with no one knowing, at least for now.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Spence. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

It feels as if the world is against me. First my parents, and now Nate. Having Spencer in my corner makes me feel like I might be able to get through this alive.