Brooklyn Monroe Wants It All by Karen Booth

Chapter Ten

Whenever Lela madean appearance on Good Day USA, Alec made a point of complimenting her work after taping. “Great segment on lipliner, Lela,” he said as he ran into her in the hall outside his dressing room. She was a fresh and fun presence on the show. They needed as much of that as they could get.

She came to a halt. “Thanks?” Peering up at him, her skepticism was plain. “Wait. You don’t honestly think I believe you care about that.”

“Let me put it another way then. I appreciate what you do. It’s nice to have you on the show. You’re always so upbeat. And you keep your hands to yourself.”

Lela arched both eyebrows at him. “Tilly Ann? Again?”

He shook his head. “Thankfully, no. But I’m always on guard.”

“Maybe you should talk to someone at the network about it.”

Alec had considered that once or twice, but he’d feared the fallout. Would he get laughed out of the room? After all, there was no imbalance of power between himself and Tilly Ann, and the gender issue was messy—there was an unspoken rule in network culture that men didn’t complain about women. “What do you think would happen if I talked to her directly about it?”

Lela stepped aside as a stagehand rushed past them. “If it was me, I would be horrified by my actions, and embarrassed that we had to talk about it, but it would definitely make me stop.”

Alec suspected Tilly Ann would have a similar response, and he dreaded being the one to prompt it. Despite his issues with Tilly Ann, he genuinely liked her. He didn’t want to make her feel bad about her actions. But… it was still an issue. It bothered him. “I guess that means I need to find the right time to bring it up.”

“If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”

“So, did you and Brooklyn ever end up getting lunch?” Alec asked, eager to change the subject.

“We did.” Lela nodded and smiled. “Yesterday, in fact. Man, that woman has a lot on her plate. I don’t know how she does it. And then you add in everything that’s happened since she was on the show and it’s like, wow. I’m surprised she gets any sleep at all.”

“Everything that’s happened since then? I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“Thirty-seven guys is now over six hundred. It’s unbelievable. I guess men just walk up to her on the street now. She got some young hottie of an intern because of it.”

Alec got that feeling again—unsettled stomach, bile threatening to climb up his throat, his entire body restless. “Wow. I didn’t know. I guess I’m just not plugged in when it comes to gossip.”

“I’m not either. I only know what she told me.”

Alec’s phone rang, interrupting their conversation. He fished it out of his pocket and saw Georgia Carle’s name on the Caller ID. “Oh. Shoot.”

“Everything okay?” Apparently, Alec was wearing his concern quite plainly on his face.

“Yeah. Sorry. I need to take this. I’ll see you later.” Alec waved goodbye to Lela and ducked into his dressing room, closing the door behind him. “Georgia, hi. How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you. Do you have a few minutes? I wanted to give you an update on your interview with Brooklyn Monroe.”

Georgia was about as subtle as a migraine, but she’d used a leading tone that made Alec wonder if something had gone wrong. “Update?”

“We’re seeing some incredible numbers.”

At this point in his career, Alec was quite practiced at dissecting the ratings, and he knew for a fact that the numbers were not incredible. They were fine, just like everything with the show. “Did you see something I didn’t? Audience looked to be in line with our usual numbers.”

“I’m talking about online and social media. We got a report from marketing this morning and they’re not only fantastic, they’re still growing. That’s what has everyone really excited. We’ve had tens of thousands of new visitors to the website, and the replay of the interview is still getting traffic. Some days, it’s more than twenty times what the show gets on even the most high-profile segments. The discussion boards have blown up. And we’ve been experimenting with snippets of the replay on social media. They’re going over big.”

Alec sat in his makeup chair, turning it so he didn’t have to see his own reflection. He always looked like hell after the show. “That’s great news.” He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to take credit. He knew that much of the attention was because of Brooklyn and her very relatable problem, rather than Alec setting the world on fire with his interview skills.

“That’s a lot of clicks. A lot of ad revenue.”

“Happy to hear it.” He really wished she would just get to the point of all of this.

“The show is inviting Ms. Monroe to return for another segment early next week. So she can give America an update and we can continue to capitalize on the attention she’s receiving.”

“Oh.” Capitalize. His heart sank. So that was what this was really about. This was Georgia’s “thanks, you’re so fabulous and amazing, but sorry” call. He’d been on the receiving end of these a few too many times in his career. And he frankly had very little patience for it anymore. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be involved with anything else having to do with the show and Ms. Monroe. It wasn’t a great idea for me to commingle my personal and professional lives in the first place.”

“I couldn’t agree more. And that’s not anything you need to worry about. I’m calling because you pulled in a big win for us. I think that earns you a real shot at moving into news, if that’s what you want.”

Just that morning, Alec had done an in-depth story about the embarrassment of toenail fungus, so the answer was easy. “Yes. I really want to move into news.” He hoped he didn’t sound too desperate, but he also didn’t want to downplay his enthusiasm. “More than anything.”

“Okay, then. I have an interview for you. With Barry Millner.”

“The Wall Street pyramid scheme guy?” Alec had imagined his big break unfolding in many ways, via a possible array of interviewees—disgraced politicians, or athletes who’d overcome impossible odds, or perhaps foreign leaders with colorful reputations. But he hadn’t considered white collar criminals, and now he was kicking himself because this was exactly the sort of story he wanted. Barry Millner was a true scumbag, and it would be a pleasure to ask him hard questions. Alec relished the thought of taking him to task.

“He’s in a federal prison Upstate. Robin Ortiz is the segment producer. She’s been communicating with him and has secured the interview, but it’ll be your job to get him to talk. He hasn’t gone on the record about anything since he began serving his sentence, but he’s not getting any younger. And we think Mr. Millner might be ready to spill his guts if that happens.”

Alec’s mind was racing like crazy. He couldn’t wait to dive in. “Yeah. Of course. I’d love to take a crack at it.”

“Perfect. Robin will be in touch with particulars. You’ll need to conduct the interview in the prison. I think viewers will really want to see him in the orange jumpsuit.”

The mental image of the scene popped right into Alec’s head, sitting in a cold and austere room with the light shining hard on old Barry Millner while Alec grilled the hell out of him. Maybe they’d even shoot some B-roll of Alec and Barry walking around the prison yard. The whole thing had the potential to be incredibly exciting. “He did cheat thousands of people out of their retirement funds.”

“And caused the collapse of two major pension funds. You asked for meaty, this is a meaty story.”

“I can’t wait. Thank you so much for the opportunity.” The thought thrilled Alec to no end. Finally, something substantial. And it would help to keep his mind off the craziness surrounding Brooklyn.

“I’m not sure of the exact schedule, but it’ll likely be after you attend the Lavaman premiere next Friday, so no worries about a conflict.”

Alec had completely forgotten. “Wait. How do you know about Jason Adams inviting me?”

“All on-air talent is strongly encouraged to attend.”

Of course this was happening. The network and film studio were owned by the same massive media conglomerate. Alec had to swallow the sheer agony climbing its way up into his throat. He despised the red carpet, standing there in a tuxedo, trying to suck in his gut and remember the most flattering angles. “No. I did not know that.” So much for substantial. Why did it always have to be one step forward, one step back when it came to his job? This career Cha-Cha was a nightmare.

“There was a memo.”

I never read the memos.“If I do this strongly encouraged thing, can I get out of the Thanksgiving Day parade?”

“Oh, no. The network will never take you off of that. You’re too good at enthusiastically describing the balloons. But don’t worry about Lavaman. It’ll be fun. It’s actually a fan event. People wear costumes. You’ll enjoy yourself.”

“No tuxedoes?”

“Not unless you’re dying to wear one.”

For a moment, he considered continuing with his protest, but ultimately decided it was best if he continued to play nice. He really didn’t want to mess up his chance at the news division. “Okay, great. Sounds good.”

“Thank you, Alec. The network is excited about these next steps. Now we just need you to dazzle us.”

Dazzle? He didn’t dazzle. “I’ll do my absolute best. Thank you for the chance.”

Alec said goodbye and hung up, then placed his phone on the counter in front of the mirror. He raised his head and forced a smile—a small one, so as not to make the crinkles around his eyes too pronounced. Georgia’s call was his best-case scenario. He was finally getting the opportunity he’d chased for years.

But this hadn’t been entirely his doing. A big chunk of credit had to go to Brooklyn. She’d made this possible, at a time when she’d had every reason in the world to say no. He’d messed up royally at the end of their date, too caught up in his own head about expectations, the past, the future, and fate.

He reached out for his phone, sliding it across the counter, and pulling up her number on speed dial. Each unanswered ring made him more paranoid. Was she busy falling in love? Getting pregnant? Fending off men with a stick?

“Alec,” Brooklyn gasped. “What’s up?” she strained to ask, huffing and puffing.

Oh, God. Why is she answering the phone? She really is getting pregnant.“Bad time?”

“No. It’s fine.” She was still struggling to get the words out. “The elevator at work broke and I had to run downstairs to the mail room because a vendor sent twenty cases of eye cream and the tubes all exploded. I’m on my way back up to my office. What’s up?”

He breathed a small sigh of relief. “I wanted to call and say thank you for coming on the show. It’s paying big dividends for me at work. The network is in love with you, but somehow I get the credit. They’ve given me a major assignment. The sort of thing I’ve been trying for years to get. So, thank you.”

“That’s so wonderful. Congratulations. I’m really proud of you.”

“It’s really all your doing. If you hadn’t said yes to being on the show, we might not be having this conversation right now.” Or talking at all. There was so much happenstance at play here, it made Alec’s head spin. If any of this was meant to be, he had to wonder where it was all going. Nowhere. That’s where. She wants a baby. And you’re not sure.

“Speaking of being on the show, they’ve invited me to come back next Tuesday. Lela and I are doing a segment together. We’re doing makeovers for new moms.”

Capitalize, straight out of Georgia’s mouth moments ago, sprang to mind. The thought of the network taking advantage of Brooklyn made him sick to his stomach, but this was what they did. They took a commodity and blew it up. “I heard rumblings about it. I hope you know that you are in no way obligated to say yes. You can say no if you want to.”

“Do you not want me to be there?”

“No, no, no. That’s not it at all. I’m just trying to look out for your best interests.”

“Okay. Because it sounded like you don’t want me to come on the show.”

How was he bungling this so quickly? “I talked to Lela and she said that the whole situation with the emails has gotten out of control. I worry you’ll only get more unwanted attention if you’re on again. Do you want that?”

“It’s not all unwanted. I actually heard from a fertility doctor today. Someone in his office showed him a replay of my segment with you, but then he figured out that we know each other in a roundabout way. He’s friends with Virginia’s husband.”

“He called to help you find a sperm donor?”

“No. He asked me out.”

“Oh. Didn’t see that coming. Did you say yes?”

“Wouldn’t it be funny if I ended up falling in love with a fertility doctor? He could help me get pregnant two ways.”

“I hope you can appreciate the awkward turn this conversation has just taken.”

Brooklyn laughed. “Yeah. Sorry. You know I get carried away. But to answer your question, I’m not sure if I’m going to go out with him. We had a nice enough conversation, but there’s no spark there. And as much as I’m interested in learning about what he does, he’s pretty dull otherwise.”

No spark.He and Brooklyn had a spark sometimes. Other times, it got snuffed out.

“I’m still hoping one perfect guy will turn up and rise above everyone else,” Brooklyn continued. “Like a phoenix rising out of the ashes.”

One perfect guy. Alec had once thought of himself for the position, but he wasn’t a phoenix. Or, at least, he didn’t see himself that way. “And nobody has filled that bill yet?”

“Not exactly, but you know me. I’m not a quitter.”

“Keep me posted.” He sucked in a deep breath, needing to return to the original reason for the call. “I’m serious about what I said earlier, Brooklyn. My break with news wouldn’t have happened without you. And after the way things ended when we went out to eat, you had a dozen reasons to tell me to go to hell when I asked you to do the interview. But you didn’t. And I want you to know how much I appreciate it.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I wasn’t exactly on my best behavior that night, either. I should have done a better job of listening. Extreme horniness does that to a woman. Also, a lack of sex.”

“I thought the men of the world were beating down your door.”

“It has yet to translate into sex.”

That bit of intel buoyed his mood in ways that Georgia’s phone call had not. “But it might.”

“Well, I still want a baby and I’m not getting any younger, so you do the math.”

“None of us are getting younger.”

“Uh, you are. I saw you on the show this morning. Did they change the filters on the cameras or something? Looking pretty hot there, Trakas.”

His face immediately flushed with heat. “Thanks, but no. I think you have me confused with Wesley, the new meteorologist.” Indeed, the new hire was all the production assistants were talking about. In his mid-twenties and with approximately two percent body fat, he was catching eyes all over the place.

“Oh, shush. You’re way hotter than Wesley.”

“You know they put a pound of makeup on me. I look like a Muppet.”

“First off, Muppets can be hot.”

“I’m no expert, but I’m positive that was not Jim Henson’s intention.”

“What about Miss Piggy? She’s got that whole sultry-but-bossy thing down pat. Men love that.”

“You realize you just described yourself.”

Brooklyn unleashed a belly laugh. “Turns out men don’t actually love that. At least not my particular brand of sultry and bossy.”

Alec smiled to himself and sank back in his chair. “I don’t know. I fell for it at one point.”

“Careful, Alec. I mentioned the extreme horniness. That hasn’t really gone away.”

His eyes drifted shut, allowing him to conjure an image of Brooklyn—her smile, which could light an entire city block, and her bright and soulful eyes, which never failed to pull him in. He wished she was there. He wished dozens of men weren’t vying for her attention. If he was certain that he could give her what she wanted, and that she could do the same in return, he could be persuaded to try again. “I can’t help but feel like we have unfinished business.”

“We definitely do from that night.” Her voice had quieted. It was breathy, even. “But maybe we’ll always feel that way.”

Maybe.A knock came at Alec’s door. “Brooklyn, hold on one sec. Someone’s here. Don’t go anywhere, okay?” He muted his phone, hopped up out of his chair and turned the knob.

A young woman was hugging an armful of file folders. “Hi. Alec Trakas, right?”

“That’s me.”

“I thought so. My mom’s a big fan.”

Of course. “Can I help you with something?”

“I’m Sam. Robin Ortiz’s executive assistant. She asked me to deliver your copies of the research materials on Barry Millner. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with all of this.” She looked at Alec expectantly. “Can I put these somewhere?”

Alec was dumbstruck. “Yes. Of course. Sorry.” He cleared off a table for her. “Is there a summary of the folders? It’s a lot to digest on top of everything I have to do for Good Day.”

“Robin doesn’t believe in summaries. You’re going to have to read it all. And absorb it.” She cast him a look that said he was annoying her and also quite possibly an idiot. “Robin doesn’t skim the surface on anything. She’s all about the deep dive, and you’re about to do the deepest dive you’ve ever done in your life.”

“Of course.”

“You went to college, right?”

“I did.”

“When we land an interview like this, we cram.”

“Okay.”

“A guy like Barry Millner will eat you alive if you don’t know the details.”

“So I’d better learn the details.”

“See? You’re already getting the hang of it.” She strode toward the door. “Welcome to the news division.”

“Thanks.” Alec swallowed hard, then closed the door and unmuted his call with Brooklyn. “Sorry about that.” No response came. “Brooklyn? Are you there?”

That was when he saw the text from her. So sorry. Had to run. Another work emergency. See you Tuesday. xoxo

And to think that a few minutes earlier, Alec and Brooklyn had managed to have a mostly fun phone call. They’d flirted even. There was talk of horniness. And now he had the Mt. Everest of file folders to scale, an interview to prepare for, and an uncertain but hopeful opportunity before him. He and Brooklyn never quite got the timing right, and this moment was the perfect illustration of that.

It’s okay. I’m busy too. See you next week. Xo