Unfinished Ex (Calloway Brothers, #2)(6)

She and I are complete opposites in every way. We couldn’t look more different either. She’s blonde and petite. I’m a statuesque brunette who towers over a good portion of the male population.

Opposites in every way. Maybe that’s exactly why he chose her.

The doorbell rings. Thankful for the distraction, I answer it.

It’s Marty. He walks in with a huge smile on his face, the kind that crinkles his eyes and shows all his teeth. “You’re about to kiss me.”

I take a step back. I love Marty. He’s been a great friend and my biggest supporter here, but I’d never cross that line with him. Not to mention I’m not the least bit inclined to.

He laughs at my reaction. “Let me rephrase that. I’ve brought you an early Christmas present.”

I look in his empty arms and then behind him. “What is it?”

“Get ready for your life to change.”

My heartbeat speeds up incrementally. This is my producer here. He usually finds out about things before I do. “Spit it out, Marty.”

“Makenna Kendall from The Weekend Show on XTN—”

“The pregnant one?”

“That’s her. She went into early labor and will be out for two to three months.” His smile gets even bigger, if that’s possible “They want you, Nicole.”

My legs almost give out from under me. I get light-headed. I’m not sure I heard him correctly.

“Me?”

“Those stunts you pull—the ones you think will end up getting you fired—they actually get you noticed. People like it. You bring a human side to weather reporting that no one else does.”

I pull out a barstool and sit, absorbing his words. I may as well be chasing a tornado across a grassy plain with how fast my heart is pounding. “They really asked for me?”

“They want you out there tomorrow. You’ll go on air on Saturday.”

“Tomorrow?” I look around my apartment. “But—”

“But nothing. This isn’t the kind of offer you say no to.”

“I don’t even know the offer.”

“Does it matter? And just so you know, it’s a good one.” He gets out his phone. “I’ve forwarded it to you. They need an answer by the end of the day.”

“You’ll go with me?”

He sits at the bar and absentmindedly sifts through my mail.

“That’s not part of the deal. There’s a reason I’m forty-three years old and still producing at a small-time station. This is where I’ve always been. It’s where I’ll always be. That’s simply the way some things are.”

“You sell yourself short. You should be in a larger market. I think you’re comfortable here.

Either way, I’ll be back in two to three months, and everything will be back to normal.”

“No you won’t.” He picks up my lease renewal papers and tears them up. “Don’t sign this.”

“What do you mean?”

“After being the weekend broadcast meteorologist at XTN, I promise you won’t be coming back to this Podunk station. You’ll have offers from all over the country, Nicole. You’ll be able to write your own ticket. Don’t you realize what’s just happened? You’ve won the lottery.”

I sit and stare at the still-sealed envelope that signifies the end of my marriage. My euphoria morphs into trepidation. “XTN is in New York City. It’s only thirty miles from Calloway Creek.”

“You’re not seriously thinking about turning them down, are you?”

I hold up the envelope. “My divorce papers came today.”

“Well, that’s untimely. But it’s no reason to give up this opportunity. You’d be a fool not to take it.”

“I am a fool, Marty.” I slap the envelope on the counter. “This proves it.”

“Still. You’re going to say yes, right?”

I close my eyes and breathe. Finally, the wariness loses ground to the longing, the determination, the hunger to achieve the goals I set for myself when I was a little girl.

“Nicole?”

I nod. “Yes.”

“Yeehaw!”

I laugh. Only in Oklahoma do people actually say that.

He pulls a second wineglass from my cabinet and pours himself a cup. “We’re celebrating.”

I take a drink, and then anxiety takes hold. “They want me there tomorrow?”

He doesn’t answer as he taps on his phone. “Done. I told them you accept. They’ll send over the details of your flight directly to your email. I’ve taken you as far as I can. This is where I get off the train. The rest is all up to you.”

“What if I can’t do it? What if I’m not good enough?”

“Nicole, I knew from your very first broadcast that you were too good for WRKT.”

I let it sink in. “Oh my god. XTN. It’s a dream come true.”

“A well-deserved dream. Now let’s kill this bottle and get you packed. Josh is already on his way over to help.”

“You called Josh? What if I had said no?”

“Josh and I would have strapped you to the roof of my car and driven you there against your will. Nicole, you need to realize something. You’re going to be a legend. A decade from now, you’ll be talked about in the same circles as Stephanie Abrams, Jim Cantore, and Al Roker.”