Piper
I took a deep breath as I pushed my shoulders back and elongated my spine. I was wearing my favorite plum-colored suit with the cream mock turtleneck under it. Action News wouldn’t know what hit it when I walked in the door. I swiped my card at the door and it audibly unlocked for me to push through. The grin that crossed my lips could not be helped as I inhaled the scent of a mid-afternoon newsroom.
The room was bustling with activity as I walked in, my plum pumps soundless on the worn carpet. I had thought maybe someone would greet me at the door, but nobody raised an eyebrow. I tightened my grip on my briefcase—more professional than a backpack—and strode to the desk that I would now occupy.
Already a nameplate was on the corner with my name displayed. I moved behind the desk and put my case in the chair. I pulled out a potted succulent and a picture of my cat Taco and placed them behind the nameplate. That made the desk more inviting. A small cut-glass tray for hard candies would complete the space.
“Piper, good to see you. I was just going to get your laptop. Want to walk with me?” Tyrell picked up the picture of Taco and chuckled. “Love the cat.”
“That’s Taco. It’s a palindrome. Taco Cat.” It was a strange name for a cat, but I couldn’t help it when I adopted him from the shelter.
“Right.” Tyrell put the photo back and looked at me expectantly.
“Oh. Sure, I’ll walk with you. I’d love to meet a few more people. Is Mr. AO here?” I tucked my case under the desk and joined Tyrell.
“He’ll be here by the time we get that laptop.” Then Tyrell winked at me. I glanced around, trying to figure out if I had missed an inside joke.
Laptop in hand, Tyrell helped me set it up on my desk. I was turned around when he announced that my producer was approaching us. I turned, expecting to find...well, anything other than what I saw.
My throat went dry and my stomach dropped. Surely Tyrell was wrong. This was not the man I would be working with. It couldn’t be. “Alonso.” I finally croaked out his name. My mouth was drier than the Sahara.
He was older, of course. His hair curled wildly around his face and he wore a few days’ stubble on his cheeks and chin, just as he had last week at the gym. Alonso’s expression was hard to read, a forced smile and squinted eyes. His hands were jammed into the pockets of his khakis, the muscles of his forearm flexing on his tanned arms. He was even more handsome than he was in college, but that was beside the point.
“Piper Campbell. Welcome back to Action News.” His voice was soft and quiet. He didn’t try to shake my hand, which was probably a good thing. I might have tried to bite it off.
Tyrell tried to act oblivious to the tension that erupted between us. “I hear you both used to intern here.”
Turning to him, I held my hand up. “I’m sorry. Are you telling me that AO is Alonso Ortiz and this is my producer?”
His dark eyes got wide. “Yes, I am.”
Before I could respond, Alonso interjected. “Yes, isn’t that something? I’ve already talked with the higher-ups about it and we’re very fortunate to get to work together. Again.”
Sensing the need to vacate the area, Tyrell excused himself and left me staring warily at Alonso.
“What? How?” I sat in my chair and put my head in my hands. The calming breathing exercises I did for yoga were not helping. He was going to ruin me and this job had to work out. I couldn’t go back to Virginia.
His voice grew closer. “I’m sorry, Piper. You’re stuck with me. When I found out it was you, I knew you wouldn’t want to work with me and I asked about pairing you with someone else. That was a no-go.”
I looked up to see him in a chair across from me. His elbows rested on the opposite side of the desk. A cursory glance around showed that nobody was eyeing us, thankfully.
“You were Ms. Marcingill’s cameraman?”
“For five years, yes. Before that, I worked with a small company in the city.” His jaw flexed and his eyes sought mine. “I know this might not be ideal, Piper, but I am not the same stupid kid I was back when you knew me. Actually, it was your words that helped kick my butt into gear.”
My eyes narrowed as I stared at him, but no words came to me.
There was agony in his eyes. I could see the pain in the dark recesses. “I hurt you, and I’m sorry. I started going to therapy, I got a diagnosis and I’ve been working on being more professional. Much more professional. You turned my life around and I’m going to try not to screw yours up.”
I wiped my hands on my thighs and his eyes followed the movement. “Maybe I can talk to someone. There are other producers here, right?” I stood, wondering who the right person would be to talk to.
“I’ve asked. I’ve asked the bosses and the other producers. If we’re both working here, we’re together.” He sat up and looked at me, his wild hair all over the place, matching my feelings perfectly.
Nodding, I forced a pained but pleasant expression to my face. “Right. I guess it is what it is. Don’t expect me to make this easy for you. One bad move and I’ll have you out of here within minutes.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you’ll be taking notes on my every move.”
Not a bad idea. I pulled out a notepad and pen. “I’m ready.”
“There’s a budget meeting in a few minutes they want you at. Jump in with both feet.” He stood and rubbed his hands together. I really tried not to notice that there was not a ring on his left hand.
I followed him into a boardroom full of people, including anchors and reporters, Tyrell, and a few others I had met the previous week. There was one chair left, and a guy I had met before offered it to me. I nodded as I took it and put my notebook and pen on the table.
Mr. Andrews clapped his hand together as a few stragglers came in. “Before we start, everyone meet and welcome Piper Campbell. She’s a Savannah native, but she’s been in Richmond for the past few years. We’re happy to have you, Piper.” He did not offer me the chance to speak, so I simply nodded toward him.
I tried to look alert and attentive, but inside I was seething to have Alonso behind me. Over one hundred thousand people in Savannah and I ended up with him as a partner. How was it possible that he managed to hold down a good job at a great station like this for five years? Surely he had zero ethics or drive. Even with his speech to me about getting his act together, I couldn’t see him being a responsible adult.
“Piper, ready to get your feet wet?” A laugh escaped Mr. Andrew’s mouth and it took him a minute to recover. I wondered what was so funny about my news story.
I grabbed my pen and looked to Mr. Andrews as he calmed. “Of course.”
“We got a call about some kudzu over a telephone pole that looks like the outstretched arms of Jesus. Apparently. And it’s a blessedly s-l-o-w news day. So you and AO will head out there and see it, talk to the people who live around there. Supposedly there’s a church a stone’s throw away who claims it’s a miracle.”
A kudzu Jesus? Really? Mr. Andrews moved on to a school board meeting, drama over a restaurant, and of course, politics. The story was fluff, but I suppose it is my first day and maybe they were trying me out. Perhaps this was a sort of new girl initiation. The meeting wrapped and I followed Alonso out of the room.
We loaded into a white SUV with Action News emblazoned across the sides in bold red letters along with a graphic of lightning and the face of anchor Sam Greenfield.
The car was silent as we set out and I tried to think of what to ask people about an invasive plant that looked like a deity. Not much came to mind.
“So what have you been up to the past few years?” Alonso tried to smile as he drove.
It would serve him right if I gave him a cold shoulder, but it wouldn’t be professional. “I have been in Richmond, Virginia since I graduated, working for an affiliate up there.”
“That’s nice. Virginia is nice.”
Closing my eyes, I reciprocated the question. “You’ve only been here five years, Tyrell said. Where were you before that?” I held back from asking if he had been incarcerated.
The corners of his mouth raised and his cheeks pinked. “I had some family stuff to deal with, but I worked at SCAD in the media department.”
“I don’t recall seeing you.” My eyebrows knit together. I would have seen him if he had been on campus, especially if he was in the same buildings I was in.
“I was there.” He didn’t offer me any more insights and I didn’t ask. Alonso’s life was his, and I certainly didn’t care.
I needed to run through my vocal exercises, but I didn’t want to do it in front of the enemy. At the location of the so-called kudzu Jesus, I got out of the car and quietly started going through my exercises. For years I had recited “She sells seashells by the seashore” and “Peter Piper” to warm my voice up and help with my enunciation. It was silly, but it worked.
“Did you say something?” Alonso’s eye narrowed as he looked at me.
Heat rose on my cheeks. Had I been that loud? “No. Just doing my warm-ups. Set up wherever, I’ll go find someone to interview.” My voice was harsh and rough, but I didn’t care. I just wanted this day over with.
Alonso set up his camera and I knocked on the office door of the church across the street. The secretary was all too happy to come out and tell me about the miracle that looked over their building. As passers-by slowed, we asked for their take on the scene, and many were happy to oblige us. After about thirty minutes we had everything we needed for a quick package and loaded back up in the car.
“Want to stop for a bite?” Alonso rubbed his stomach for effect.
It wasn’t quite time to eat in my book, but we approached a deli and I thought it sounded better than anything else. “Three Alarm Subs?”
“You read my mind.” He laughed as he pulled into their drive-through. One bacon swiss club for him and a turkey avocado wrap for me and we were back at the studio. I held the bag of food and glared at the floorboards as he drove.
I sat at my desk and ate, then freshened up my face. My official Action News introduction would be live on the five o’clock in just a few minutes. Tyrell had me follow him and he set me up in a chair next to Karry Draper.
Cameras were rolling and the intro began. Sam and Karry were all smiles as they told the cameras what was coming this hour. Then Karry stopped and turned to me. “But first, we have a new member of the Actions News family to introduce. Piper Campbell is our newest reporter and she’s a Savannah native. Piper, welcome.”
Sam tossed in his welcome before I spoke and I spotted Alonso standing to the right of the camera. His beaming grin almost made me falter and I had to look away from him. “Thank you so much, Karry. I grew up watching Action News and I interned here in college, so this is a dream come true for me. I’m happy to be back home.” I smiled at the camera, looking past it, but Alonso had disappeared. I held my pose until we were given the signal and Sam began talking about school budget cuts.
That was it. I was excused from the studio and made my way out as quietly as possible. I didn’t see Alonso as I gave Tyrell my mic and tiptoed through the door. The giddy feeling in the pit of my stomach from knowing he was watching me didn’t sit well, though. My head argued with the rest of me and reminded me that Alonso Ortiz was the enemy.