Chapter Twenty-Seven
You texted him?!” I whisper-shout to Blue because I don’t want Andrew, the contestants, or any of the half-dozen hot-air balloon operators to hear me.
“I was just hoping he’d help me convince you to do it,” he whispers back.
Andrew stops in front of us, and I look up at him in confusion. “Are you even allowed to go with me?”
“Absolutely not,” he says with a shake of his head.
“But they can shoot around him, so he won’t be on camera. And it’ll still look like you’re alone. Right?” Blue says to Bruce, the camera operator.
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Bruce replies without looking up from his phone.
This still isn’t making sense to me. “But why . . . I thought you were mad at me?”
“Can we talk about this in the air?” he replies, and I can’t read his expression.
“It depends. Are you going to push me out of the basket?”
He rolls his eyes like he can’t help it. “Aren’t you scared enough without making things worse in your head?”
All I can manage to say is, “Yes.” I look over to where the crew is making everyone else stand, safely away from the balloon.
Madison looks delightfully in shock over Andrew’s gesture, while Ciara gives me an encouraging nod.
When I turn back, my eyes lock on Andrew’s steady brown ones.
I find myself calming down, grounded by his quiet confidence.
“Fine, but if we crash and I’m paralyzed for life, I’m suing the show. ”
“You can’t. You signed the liability paperwork,” Andrew says, with his patented grin.
I roll my eyes and try not to let him see me smile. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Exactly what a guy wants to hear before a first date,” he says low enough so only I can hear.
My stomach immediately gets that fluttery-queasy feeling. Wait, is this a date? No, of course not. I’m a contestant, he’s not allowed to date me. He’s not even allowed to be here right now. And why is he here after I basically called him corporate scum?
Before my nerves spontaneously combust, Blue shoves a pair of fake glasses onto my face and pushes me toward the hot-air balloon. “Have fun, kids!”
Andrew offers me his hand to climb into the basket, and even though I’m sure my palms are sweaty, I don’t let go once we get in. For some reason, being in physical contact with him settles me. He doesn’t say anything as I continue grasping onto him like a lunatic.
We’re squeezed in toward the middle of the basket, as far away from the edges as possible. But even with some distance, I quickly learn that looking out over the rim is a bad idea. I turn to find Andrew’s warm brown eyes instead and I instantly feel better.
“I’m going to stare at you instead of where I can fall off and die.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
As the balloon pilot fires the burner and we slowly start to ascend, I hear a voice yell from behind us, “What the hell is going on here?”
I’m still holding Andrew’s hand, but I turn my head enough to see Kristina and Brett getting out of a golf cart. Kristina yells up to us, “Andrew, get off that damn balloon!”
“Oh shit,” I hear Ciara say from the sidelines. My thoughts exactly.
Andrew shakes his head. “Too late, Kristina.”
“You’re already on probation!” Kristina screams, looking more unhinged than I’ve ever seen her.
Andrew shrugs and yells back, “Do what you have to do.”
I look at him in shock. “What? No! Don’t get fired because of me!” Then I turn to the pilot. “Can you bring us back down please?”
“Do not bring us back down,” Andrew tells him.
I hear the shocked reactions from the rest of the contestants as the pilot nods at Andrew. Suddenly, there’s a loud rush as the burner shoots flames into the balloon and it rises higher. I shriek and pull Andrew’s entire arm around me.
Kristina yells, “You signed the nonfraternization agreement!”
Andrew looks at me and smiles before yelling back, “So sue me.”
There’s a communal gasp at his audacity, but none louder than mine.
And then when I see that we’re now hovering at least twenty feet in the air, I gasp again.
Down below us, I see Blue trying to talk Kristina down.
I can tell by his hand motions that he’s explaining that Bruce, the camera operator, will still get the footage she needs.
But Kristina is gesturing wildly back at him and doesn’t look happy.
Madison is giving me a thumbs-up. Then, as the ground gets farther away, I start to get dizzy.
I feel like I might throw up. I shut my eyes and hold my breath.
“Breathe,” Andrew says gently as he rubs my arm. But I’m currently too freaked out to focus on how nice and tingly the contact feels.
I open my eyes and look into his. “I think you just got fired.” He nods. “But why? Why get fired for me after everything I said to you this morning?”
Andrew waits a minute, still rubbing a thumb up and down my arm reassuringly before he says, “Because you were right.” I open my mouth to apologize, but he continues.
“I became a lawyer so I could make a difference and help people. Instead, I’m helping media conglomerates not get sued by drunk influencers.
” He sighs. “So, I didn’t just get fired for you.
I got fired for me too.” I nod in understanding as he adds, “Also I saw you pick up a snake without hesitation and go toe to toe with Kristina. You’re fearless.
So when you said you were afraid of heights, I knew it had to be severe.
I couldn’t let Kristina send you up here alone. ”
I squeeze him tighter. “Thank you.” Then I look up at him sincerely. “I’m sorry for how harsh I was this morning and for not coming to you first.”
He grins. “You’ve been a headache since that first phone call. I would expect nothing less.” I smile, hoping this means he’ll forgive me.
I attempt to look out over the edge of the balloon but quickly shut my eyes. Not ready for that yet. Instead, I ask Andrew, “So if Love Shack isn’t your dream job, what is?”
Andrew puts both arms around me so we’re cuddled together and says, “When I first started law school, I wanted to be a children’s rights advocate.
I did an internship with the Department of Children and Families.
But it was harder than I thought it would be.
I was constantly dealing with all the offenses I wanted to protect kids from—child abuse, neglect, living in homes without adults who loved them and protected them. It was heartbreaking.”
“Yeah, I imagine that would weigh on you, day in and day out.”
“I wish I could’ve stuck it out, but I knew it would break me. When the studio offered me a job after graduation, I thought it would be temporary, but then I got trapped by the golden handcuffs.”
“I’m sorry you’ve felt trapped,” I say. It seems awful to have a job you don’t feel passionate about.
“I was already questioning my life choices before you called me out on it,” he says, rubbing my back.
“A few months ago, I applied to volunteer with a nonprofit that helps relocate refugees in Syria. I found out my application was accepted right before production started. But I chickened out. I went back to what was familiar—the soul-sucking corporate job that pays well.”
“Hey,” I say softly, forcing him to look at me. “We’ve all made mistakes in our careers, but I truly believe you learn something from every experience. I have no doubt you’ll find a way to help people.”
He nods and squeezes my hand. “You’re right. I just needed the reminder,” he says as he pulls me in tighter.
“The reminder could’ve been nicer, though,” I say apologetically, squished into his chest.
After a moment, Andrew admits, “I think that’s why we didn’t get along in the beginning. Because I saw the old me in you. The rabble-rouser who wanted to save the world. And it annoyed me. You reminded me of what I could’ve been.”
“Well, I’m sorry I annoyed you. Especially because there were times when I was definitely trying to.”
Andrew laughs. “That checks out.” He exhales, and I feel his warm breath in my hair. “Then, somewhere along the way, I stopped being annoyed by you and realized those were the traits I liked most about you. Like how you always look out for the underdog, despite being the underdog yourself.”
Finally I nod and acknowledge, “It’s easier to advocate for the people and animals no one else is fighting for than to advocate for myself.”
Andrew hums like this makes sense to him and he’s putting puzzle pieces in place. “Is that why you got into conservation?”
I nod. “I wanted to save innocent creatures that couldn’t save themselves. Plus, I’ve always been an animal lover. I was devastated when I found out I’d never be able to see a woolly mammoth or a dodo.”
“You didn’t care about seeing a dinosaur?” Andrew asks playfully.
“No, I was five and seeing a giant carnivorous lizard wasn’t top of my list. I’d love to see one now, though. You?”
“No way. I saw Jurassic Park when I was too young. Scarred for life. Don’t even like Jeeps.”
I laugh and we hear a throat clear. I turn to see Bruce, the camera operator, looking at us. I completely forgot he was here. And damn, I also momentarily forgot we’re perilously floating in the air. It’s like Andrew and I were in our own world.
Bruce says in a bored tone, “Can you let go of each other please? I need to get footage of her freaking out.”
“Guess he’s not beating around the bush,” I whisper to Andrew.
Andrew smiles and calmly says, “Okay, I’m going to let go of you now, but only for a minute.
I’ll be right here. You’re doing great.” His voice is so kind that I manage to nod and release my death grip on him.
I feel his steadying warmth move away, and I frantically grab onto the edge of the balloon without getting too close.
I take a quick peek. “Holy shit! When did we get this high up?!”