Scoop

  “No. In fact, Gilda didn’t show up for work yesterday.” He waited for one of them to ask what amazing thing he did about it. Both focused on their food. “Didn’t call, just didn’t show up.”

  Jane looked up. “That’s strange.”

  “Yeah. And by some astronomical string of bad luck, there were no other female anchors available.”

  “Channel 10 sometimes has a male anchor by himself,” Kaylin said.

  “You watch Channel 10?”

  “Just sometimes.” Kaylin looked sheepishly at her food. “What? Patrick Buckley’s hot.”

  Hugo sighed and grabbed a forkful of bacon. “Anyway, I had to find a female anchor. But there were none available. So you won’t believe what I did.”

  Several moments of silence passed before either of them looked up, realizing he actually wanted them to ask. Jane pushed her food to one side of her mouth. “What did you do?”

  “I used my assistant.”

  Jane nodded like she was doing her best to pay attention. Kaylin was examining her sticky bun.

  “I used my assistant,” Hugo said again, this time with a particular emphasis that indicated this was something out of the ordinary.

  “Judith?”

  “Honey, remember? Judith is on maternity leave.”

  “Oh.”

  “Hayden Hazard.” Hugo laughed, thinking of how absurd it was. “I mean, no experience. Hardly able to talk without mentioning God. I took this amazing gamble, and it paid off! Everyone loved her.”

  “That’s nice,” Jane said. “Listen, I’m going to need you to go to the store today.”

  Hugo’s revelry faded. “The grocery store?”

  “Yes, Hugo, the grocery store.” Jane looked annoyed. “If you want to eat this week.”

  He stabbed at his eggs with his fork. “I’m exhausted. I don’t want to go to the store.”

  “You don’t think I’m tired too?” Jane said, her eyes fiery. Hugo looked at Kaylin, who averted her eyes. “I work, too, if you haven’t noticed. Kaylin has practice, and I’m in charge of bringing brownies. Would you like to stay home and bake brownies instead?”

  “Are they instant?”

  “Funny. As a matter of fact, they’re boxed. You have to add eggs and water and oil. You wanna try it?”

  “No,” Hugo said. He rose from the table. He’d suddenly lost his appetite.

  “Where are you going?” Jane asked.

  “To get dressed.”

  “Fine.” She gestured toward the table. “But remember. You cook, you clean.”

  By 5:30 p.m. Ray had nearly worked himself into a frenzy. He changed his mind every two or three minutes about whether or not he should meet Trent and Hayden for dinner. First of all, what would Trent think when Ray showed up on his date? Second, how pathetic would that be to show up on someone else’s date? Third, why would she invite him on her date with Trent? Fourth, why did he care so much about what Trent thought? Fifth, did she really invite two men on one date? Sixth, if he didn’t go, would he miss his only opportunity to make a good impression on Hayden? Maybe this was how they did it wherever she was raised. Maybe this was how they did it in the olden days…a suitor sort of thing. That would be awkward.

  Not that things weren’t already headed that direction.

  Seventh, who exactly would be paying for the meal? Did dutch apply, except he and Trent would split Haydn’s meal? Eighth, truth be told, Hayden’s brand of evangelism, or whatever it was, made him uncomfortable. Ninth, why in the world was he considering this? He had his dignity, and he wasn’t about to share a woman.

  But tenth, what was he afraid of? A little competition? He could hold his own against Trent.

  Ray spun to begin another pacing stretch across his apartment. But then he stopped.

  “Duffey, make a decision.”

  For a solid five minutes, Ray stood in the middle of the apartment and did the only thing that seemed appropriate for his current circumstance. He prayed for wisdom while he doused himself in cologne.

  Chapter 21

  At Hattie’s Seafood Grill, disco music greeted Ray when he opened the door. To the right, he could see a deck with colorful umbrellas overlooking a parking lot. In the middle of the room, a line of waiters and waitresses did a little dance that they all looked like they loathed.

  He was still wrestling with his thoughts. Eleventh, he wasn’t a big seafood fan. But he would manage. There was always salad. Or chicken. The menu was the least of his concerns.

  He was purposely five minutes late because he didn’t want to be standing around waiting to see how this would all unfold.

  As soon as he turned to his right, he saw Hayden. She noticed him too and smiled and waved. Ray waved back and immediately noticed Trent, who stood nearby, slumping, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He saw Ray and gave a little nod. At least he didn’t look surprised. He did look terribly uncomfortable, however.

  “Hey,” Ray said, trying to play it cool, like there was nothing abnormal going on.

  “Hey,” Trent replied.

  “Ray, I’m so glad you came.” Hayden touched his arm. “We’re just waiting to be seated.”

  “Ah.” Ray couldn’t help but look at Trent, but Trent was staring at a lobster hanging from the ceiling.

  Ray really wanted to stuff his hands in his own pockets, but then he and Trent would probably look nearly identical, and the whole point of this, he assumed, was to stand out in the crowd. Trent seemed to be ignoring the ordeal all together, so Ray decided he could take advantage of the opportunity.

  “I can’t tell you how well you did last night,” he said.

  “That’s nice of you to say, Ray. I did the best I could, and God blessed the effort.”

  Trent sighed heavily, and both Ray and Hayden glanced at him.

  Hayden continued. “I learned some things. All those questions the anchors throw at the reporters after their segments are almost always scripted. I guess I really jarred Jill when I asked her a couple of questions after her segment!” Hayden laughed. Ray looked at Trent again. He wasn’t laughing.

  “What did you think of the newscast last night, Trent?” he asked.

  Trent looked at them both. “Yeah, it was good. Hayden, you were really great.” He looked like he could hardly muster a smile.

  “So how long is the wait?” Ray asked.

  “We should be seated pretty soon. But more time to talk, right?”

  “Right,” Ray smiled. And then he noticed a woman walking toward them from inside the restaurant, maneuvering around chairs. She looked remarkably like Hayden. In fact, she could’ve been Hayden’s twin, except her hair was cut a little shorter and pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers.

  And to Ray’s surprise, she walked right up to them.

  “Ray, I want you to meet my sister, Mackenzie. We call her Mack.”

  Mack smiled at Ray and extended her hand. She then shook Ray’s with the might of an arm wrestler. “Pleased to meet you, Ray.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Ray said. He felt like he was drowning in a sea of confusion.

  “She’s in from Las Vegas, where she works,” Hayden said.

  “Oh,” Ray said, trying to keep up the pleasantries. “What do you do?”

  “I’m a police officer.”

  “Oh. Good.”

  “My sister had quite a night last night, from what I hear,” Mack said. “Doesn’t surprise me, though. I always knew she would do great things.”

  Hayden laughed, hugging her. “Mack has always believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.”

  “How nice,” Ray said. “Excuse me. I need to use the rest room.”

  “Back there,” Mack pointed. “But be careful. They just mopped the floors.”

  He made his way around the tables to the men’s room, where all he did was stand inside the stall, buying himself time to figure it all out. So this wasn’t a date? Just a get-together

  Ray wasn’t sure how
much time had passed, but he knew he had to get back out there. His deodorant, the one that advertised maximum effectiveness on big, sweaty men, was no match for an awkward dating experience. He stuck two paper towels into his pits, squeezed his arms down to his side, then dropped them out, and threw them in the trash.

  “Just roll with it, Duffey,” Ray whispered. He walked out and could see that they were already seated. Trent sat next to…Mack. And the seat next to Hayden was empty.

  Ray joined them just in time to hear Hayden say, “And Trent, Mack loves movies too! We weren’t allowed to see them when we were children, and we’re still pretty picky about what we see now, but you will find Mack at the theater every Saturday!”

  “It’s true,” Mack said with a smile and a shrug.

  “Great,” Trent said, but the word seemed aimed at the fact that Ray was back.

  “They really have a lot in common,” Hayden said to Ray, gesturing across the table where they sat. “That’s one reason I thought they’d hit it off.”

  Ray looked at Trent, who was scouring the menu. So this is a double date? Ray laughed, causing everyone to look up. He tried to play it off by pointing to a dancing crab on the far wall, but he couldn’t begin to express his relief. That’s why Hayden had asked Trent out—she was setting him up with her sister, who was going to be in town. And then she’d decided to bring Ray along as her date. He laughed again.

  Mack grinned. “You’re right, Hayden. He does have a peculiar laugh.”

  Trent finally smiled.

  Halfway through dinner, Ray realized how much he was enjoying himself. Mack and Hayden were cute together, and it was evident they were best friends. Ray sat and listened to them tell amusing stories of their youth, which included a lot of work with their parents’ clown business. As entertaining as these two were, he had a hard time picturing either of them in clown makeup.

  “I’m terrified of clowns,” Hayden said, laughing. “Finally my parents let me work as the office manager.”

  “I still don’t know what’s so scary about clowns,” Mack said. “They’re fun and bright and cheerful.”

  “With weird-looking smiles and eyes,” Hayden interjected.

  “We tried everything to get her over it. We prayed for her, laid hands on her, took her to our pastor. Nothing worked.”

  “Finally my dad said it didn’t have anything to do with the devil, it was just how I was made.” Ray watched Hayden laugh at the memory, her nostrils flaring in just the right way to make his heart flutter.

  “God made you unique, that’s for sure!” Mack said as the laughter died down.

  “So Mack,” Ray said, “how long have you been a police officer?”

  “Five years,” she said, “I’ve been approached about doing undercover work.”

  Hayden frowned. “You have?”

  “I told you that.”

  “Yes, but I thought we agreed it was too dangerous.”

  “No, you worried it was too dangerous, and I told you that God would bring me home when He was ready.”

  “Well, you don’t have to help him out any, you know.”

  Mack looked at Ray. “Anyway, I’ve always wanted to do it. I’ve dropped hints here and there to my superiors. You don’t really apply to get in. If they see potential, they’ll approach you. We’ll see how it all plays out.”

  “Good for you. Sounds like an interesting career.”

  “I like helping people. And I like to see justice served.”

  As they talked, Ray saw that Mack had always been the protective older sister, and though they looked very similar, with bright blue eyes, white blonde hair, and tan skin, Mack had more of an edge to her. She seemed more athletic, the tomboy type. They’d mentioned there were five other Hazard siblings. Ray couldn’t imagine what the rest of them were like.

  Yet even tough-as-nails Mack had a certain ingénue sense to her, and Ray was having a hard time seeing her in the middle of the grit and grime of the crime world. But at this point, he couldn’t say he would be surprised by too much from them. Their “other world” sensibilities hadn’t failed them yet, it seemed.

  “You girls should go take a look from the deck,” Trent said suddenly. “The view.”

  “Really?” Hayden asked.

  Ray glanced out to the deck. What view?

  “I heard there’s a family of ducks out there. With little baby ones.”

  “Awww!” both girls said, clutching their chests.

  “Come on!” Hayden said, and they stood.

  Ray stood too, but Trent whispered, “Sit!”

  He watched the girls walk off then looked at Trent. “What?”

  “I’ve got to get out of here!”

  “What? Why?”

  “Are you kidding me? Sorry, man, but Mack isn’t really my type. Hayden mentioned her sister was coming to town, and I dropped a billion hints that she should set us up on a blind date.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Well, Hayden’s really hot, but a little…you know…religious. So I thought maybe her sister was hot and not so religious. It was probably a rebound decision.”

  “Rebound? Didn’t you break up with your girlfriend a year ago?”

  “I’m about to go crazy sitting here.”

  “You can’t make it through dinner?”

  “Look, I’ve been on some weird dates before, but not once have I prayed on a date, and as far as I can remember, I’ve never talked about the devil before.”

  Ray winced. Earlier, after they’d ordered, Mack talked about how she’d believed the devil’s lies about why she couldn’t get dates. Along with their fondness for religion, the Hazard girls also didn’t seem to have an earnest sensor. And “prayed on a date” referred to blessing their food.

  “Trent, look, just give her a chance. You might like her the more you get to know her.”

  “Ray, I realize you’re having fun here. I don’t know why I’m surprised. You’re a churchgoer and are probably familiar with the homeschool crowd. But I’m not into all this,” he said, waving his hands in the air like he was trying to reproduce magic.

  “Don’t stereotype. Sure, they were homeschooled, and they’re into their faith, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth your time.”

  “Church doesn’t bother me, okay, Ray? You go to church, and I’ve never once felt uncomfortable around you. You keep it to yourself, you know? I mean, Hayden’s always blabbing on and on about God and sin and grace. The only grace I want to hear about is the one on TV that’s attached to Will.” Trent smiled at his own pathetic joke. Then he sighed. “Why would I think her sister would be any different? All I know is that I’ve made a huge mistake and I have to get out of here.”

  Ray folded his arms together. “And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

  Trent grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and glanced toward the deck, where the two girls were still searching for the family of ducks. “By leaving.”

  “You don’t think that’s going to make for some awkward moments with Hayden at work?”

  “It can’t be any more awkward than it is now. Besides, maybe she’ll keep her distance and stop trying to get me to come to church.” He stood.

  “Trent, wait. Man, don’t do this. You’re not this kind of guy.”

  “I’m not?” Trent laughed. “Tell them what kind of guy I am.”

  “You want me to make up an excuse for you?”

  Trent took his keys out of his pocket. “Whatever. I don’t care.”

  “Hey!” Ray said. “At least pay for your dinner.”

  Trent sighed and pulled fifteen dollars out of his pocket, throwing it on the table. “What are you, some kind of newly formed saint?” Then he whizzed out of the restaurant. Ray could hear the tires screeching just as Hayden and Mack returned to the table.

  “Where’s Trent?” Mack asked.

  Ray looked down. He hadn’t had an opportunity to figure out what he was going to say. He glanced up at Mack, who was
staring at the money on the table.

  “He, um, had to leave. Suddenly.”

  Hayden and Mack exchanged glances.

  “The news business,” Ray said. “Always on call, you know. He said he was sorry and—”

  “Fifteen bucks?” Mack held up the money. “He just paid for himself. Which means…” She looked at Ray. “He bolted, didn’t he?”

  Ray glanced at Hayden, whose eyes glistened like she was about to cry. She seemed the more upset of the two. But he knew Mack was smart enough not to buy into any story he would make up. “Yeah.”

  “Mack, I’m so sorry,” Hayden said. “This whole thing was probably a big mistake. I just thought Trent seemed kind of cool, like he really wanted to meet you.”

  Mack looked embarrassed, but not devastated. “It’s because I’m a cop, isn’t it? Guys are usually threatened by that.”

  Unsure if he should spill the beans on the real reason, Ray nodded slowly. He decided to change the subject.

  “Look, let’s forget about Trent. What do you say? I’m buying everyone’s dinner tonight, and then we’ll take Trent’s lousy fifteen dollars and go get some ice cream!”

  Hayden laughed. “Ray, that sounds perfect!”

  “Who needs that loser anyway, right?” Ray asked, folding the money and putting on a cheerful face.

  Hayden touched his arm, and with the kindest expression he’d ever seen, she leaned in and whispered, “Trent’s not a loser. He’s just misguided.”

  Chapter 22

  In a large circle of twenty-four people, Ray sat quietly, holding his Bible in one hand and his cup of coffee in the other. He kept stirring it, as if he might take a drink any second. Of course, he never did and nobody ever noticed. But he kept it by his side just in case he felt the need to get up and stretch his legs. His Sunday-school class tended to run long at times, and the only acceptable reason to get up was to refill your coffee. Even grabbing another doughnut was frowned upon, mostly because everyone thought you were a pig and you should throw more than a buck into the donations basket they passed around during the praise-and-prayer time.

  Lydia, the self-proclaimed announcer for the singles class, was standing and speaking in a loud and clear voice, something she’d learned from Toastmasters. Every week she brought a new technique from that class to this class. One week, while giving details about the singles’ hay ride, she made deliberate eye contact with every person in the class. And then there was the week that she learned to project, which came across as shouting.