Page 26 of Happy Trails & Honey Pots

AJ’s arm flew into the air again. “Can I read them?”

“Sure.” I handed him the bowl.

AJ pulled out the first paper, which was wadded up in a ball, clearly his, and unfolded it. “Yes!”

I smiled at Walter across the table.

He pulled out the next one, which was just folded in half. He took a deep breath as he unfolded it. His eyes widened as he pumped his hand in the air. “Yes! It’s a yes!”

“Okay, that’s it. Two yes votes. It looks like the movie is going to be made!”

“Yes!” AJ jumped out of his chair, hugged my neck, and then ran around the table to hug Walter.

During the rest of the dinner, all AJ could talk about was Miles Ford, how everyone at school was talking about him, and how they couldn’t believe he was going to be playing his dad. How lucky he was.

After dinner, AJ went up to his room to finish his homework, which was code for playing video games. As I was clearing the dishes, Walter took out the third piece of paper and opened it. He turned it around and showed me that it was blank.

A smile spread on my face. “You didn’t vote.” I should have known better than to think I could force him into voting.

“I wasn’t going to do anything to hurt my girl. If that movie’s gonna get made,youneed to be okay with it.”

“But you did want the movie to be made, right?” I asked. If I was wrong and he thought it was exploitative, then I would never forgive myself.

“Course, I do. I’m mighty proud of Austin. I want the whole world to know what he did and to remember him. Butnotif it hurts my girl. Nothin’s worth that.”

Tears formed in my eyes as I walked over and wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. “Thank you.”

“Nothin’ to thank me for.” He patted me on the back with one arm before heading down the hall to his room.

Yes, there was. I hadeverythingto thank him for.

12

MILES

“Okay,Miles, we’re thirty seconds out. Can you hear me?” The producer’s voice came through my AirPods, but it was a little quiet.

I adjusted the earbuds in my ear. “Yes.”

“And is the picture up?” she asked.

“Yep,” I confirmed as I stared at the screen on my computer, which changed from displaying a hold screen to the set of the Australian morning talk show.

I glanced behind me to make sure that my background was neutral. I was in my room at the boarding house. The only things that were in frame were a large painting of the Ferris Wheel at the Firefly Island Pier that looked like it was taken in the fifties and a plant in the corner.

“Okay, Miles, I’m going to switch you over to the live feed in five, four, three…”

As I turned back to face the screen, I heard a loud click a second before the host’s voice came through loud and clear. “Welcome back to G’day Mate! I’m Matilda Williams, your host, and this morning is averyspecial morning because we are joined by averyspecial guest. So would you please put yourhands together and join me in welcoming, via Skype, all the way from the US of A, your favorite Happy Trails star and mine, Miles Ford!”

Canned applause combined with live studio audience cheering came through my earbuds. I smiled widely as host Matilda Williams took a seat on her trademark tufted, cobalt blue couch that was a stark contrast to her canary yellow skirt, jet-black hair, and bright pink lipstick.

She extended her arms out to the screen that I assumed my face was being projected on. “Miles, my lovely, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you in person!”

“It has,” I agreed.

I’d been a guest on the Australian morning chat show several times to promote my long-running television seriesHappy Trails, but it had always been in person. This was the first time I was not in the studio. The landscape for doing press junkets had changed significantly post-lockdown. There were a lot more remote interviews happening, which I was grateful for.

“What have you been up to? Tell me absolutely everything!”

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