Page 57 of Just a Client

My attention returned to the crowd. I’d performed in front of bigger audiences, but they’d been strangers. The mass of humans over there was anything but. Out front, next to Melvin, stood my first-grade teacher, Mrs. Potts. Further down the row, clutching small Texas flags and a pair of chihuahuas, were Danny and Ron from the Elmer dog rescue. We’d gone to high school together. Most of the ladies Grandma played bunco with were watching too. There must have been a Facebook post I’d missed inviting the whole freaking town.

I swallowed hard. It wasn’t just the crowd; it was the way things were between Wilson and me. A bad feeling settled over me. The last time I felt like this, I’d puked in a fellow pageant contestant’s tuba before going on stage.

That had been a mess. And I didn’t have high hopes for this interview.

Kate wrapped up her talk, and I could tell she’d known neither Wilson nor I were listening. I widened my already ridiculous million-watt fake smile and gripped my life preserver, the 3x5 cards, tight.

Kate backpedaled out of the frame and to her place behind the cameras. “And action!”

“Welcome to Elmer’s historic town square.” I paused as the crowd cheered and clapped, my amplified voice reverberating off the courthouse. “Today on Vacation Dream Homes, we’ll recap the first two properties that Wilson Phillips has toured and get a bit of perspective on the house hunt so far. Those were some very different homes, Wilson. One, a pure vacation home. The other a working ranch.” I paused, my face hurting from smiling. He met my eyes for a split second, then looked away to inspect his nails. The tense silence lingered, growing awkward.

“Is there a question for me in there?” He bounced the booted foot that rested over his knee.

“Ah, yes. How about house one, the Aerie house? What do you think?”

“Too small.” He crossed his arms over his chest. Flipping his middle finger at the camera would not have been any more effective of a fuck you.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, trying to decide how to proceed. I felt like an attorney on a courtroom drama interviewing a hostile witness.

He bolted on Saturday without saying goodbye. I didn’t deserve this shabby treatment, this humiliation, in front of my whole town. I looked to Kate. Her expression and stance mimicked Wilson’s.

Time to soldier on, because that was what I did.

Clearing my throat, I lifted the 3x5 cards in front of me like a shield. I’d go through the scripted questions, keep my cool, and impress the folks that were watching, then get the hell out of here.

Conquering awkward tasks was one of my superpowers. I delivered all the iterations of the birds and the bees talk to Bailey over the years without a blush, even the one after she read Fifty Shades of Gray. This couldn’t be worse.

“How have you been enjoying your extended stay in Elmer?”

He shrugged.

I flipped to my next card.

“Is the Hill Country scenery what you’d hoped?”

“Sure.”

I took a calming breath and paused before turning to the next card. The crowd shuffled and whispered to one another, the low hum an unpleasant backing track to the interview.

“How’s the fishing going?” I’d ad-libbed the question, hoping to get a positive reaction.

“Meh.”

Okay, forget I asked.

“Do you still like the town now that you’re getting to know it better?” Somehow, I kept my growing annoyance out of my voice as I read the scripted question.

“It’s charming.” Could he be more condescending?

A murmur swept the crowd of spectators. Texans knew a backhand compliment when they heard one.

My brittle smile threatened to crack. I flipped aggressively to the next card, read the friendly question, and dismissed it. I wasn’t feeling friendly. I dropped the cards to the ground. My town was riled up, and so was I.

“It’s charming, but what?” I challenged.

“Underutilized.” He looked at the spilled cards on the ground, then at me. One eyebrow lifted, and he gestured like a duke or something, giving permission for me to clean up my mess.

I sputtered, raging mad.

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