Thrill Me (20 page)

Maya flipped through the stack of papers they'd brought with them. It had taken nearly two days, but they'd come up with the questionnaire. The format of their class was going to be simple. The students would watch different clips from various videos and answer the questionnaire, then participate in a question-and-answer session.

The drama teacher, a tall, thin woman in her thirties, introduced him and Maya and explained why they were there. When she had finished, he walked to the front of the class. Starting was always tough. He'd come up with various opening lines, then figured out one that accomplished what he wanted.

“How many of you can read?” he asked. “Show of hands.”

The students glanced at each other, then at him. Slowly they all raised their hands.

He grinned at the teacher. “Good to know,” he said with a chuckle. “Because in ancient Rome only about 2 percent of the population could read. Today there are over 774 million people over the age of fifteen who can't read. Fifty-two percent of them live in South and West Asia. Twenty-two percent of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. If you can't read, you can't know what's in an instruction manual or a textbook or understand the label on a bottle of medicine.”

He paused. “Who here knows the country with the most college degrees?”

“The US,” someone called out.

One of the female students rolled her eyes. “By percentage or actual numbers?”

“Good question. By percentage.”

“Sweden,” she said smugly. “Higher education is free there.”

“I've heard that. Any other guesses?”

“Australia.”

“China.”

“America, dude. The answer is always America.”

“Not this time,” Del told him. “The answer is Russia. Fifty-four percent of their adult population has a college level degree.”

“Whoa. No way,” one of the guys in the back said.

“Way.” Del settled on a corner of the instructor's desk. He was feeling more relaxed now. These students were older, but not all that different than those he usually talked to. The trick was to engage them.

“I'm here because I want to create a series of videos showing what life is like for kids living all over the world. What do you and they have in common? What's different and in what ways? You're going to watch clips from videos I made before I knew what I was doing. Then I want your feedback. The more honest, the better. What do you like? What don't you like? When did you start wishing you could be doing something else?”

A few students laughed at that.

One of the girls raised her hand. “Later, will you come back and show us what you've done with our feedback?”

“I promise.”

* * *

M
AYA
HIT
THE
pause button on the computer. She waited while the students wrote down their comments. Del paced along the side of the room. She would guess he was trying not to look nervous, but she could see the tension in his body.

So far the feedback had been excellent. They'd prepared several short clips, varying the content but not the length. Some had him doing the voice-over, some had her. They'd added music, written notes and suggested questions for discussion. They were getting a lot of good information from the students. She had pages of notes and was sure Del had the same. The potential was there.

When the last student finished writing, Del walked to the front of the room.

“If you'll pass your papers forward, Maya and I will look them over later. But for now, let's talk about what you think.”

“The videos were good,” a guy said. “Interesting, you know. I didn't like the music.”

“Me, either,” one of the girls added. “It made it too... I don't know. Commercial, I guess. Just let us hear what's happening. Like the bells on the cows. That's better than music.”

Several students nodded.

“The discussion questions were good,” another girl said. “But you know that means teachers are going to use them to make us write an essay or something.”

Del held up both hands. “I can't be responsible for that.”

“The questions were good,” someone else said. “They're things for us to think about. We're lucky here, in Fool's Gold. We need to know this stuff.”

Maya could see the value of that and made a note to talk to Del about some kind of study guide or teacher's guide. Suggested test questions or maybe even some book recommendations for further study. That might be helpful. Or could they come up with a companion book? One with facts and still pictures. Maybe transcripts of interviews. Because they would have way more film than they could ever use. The longer conversations could be summarized. Something to think about.

“What about the voice-over?” Del asked.

One of the girls wrinkled her nose. “You're really good on camera, Del, but it's better when Maya does the voice-over. I don't know why. You both sound okay.”

“She's got the Mom voice,” the guy next to her blurted. “But sexy.” He flushed and squirmed in his seat.

Maya blinked in surprise. She had a sexy voice?

Del nodded. “My man, you have that exactly right. Maya's voice is appealing. How many think she did the better voice-over?”

Nearly everyone raised their hand.

The teacher stepped forward. “I agree, Del. Maya, you have a natural ability. There's a warmth in your tone. Maybe it's that teachers have been traditionally female so we respond to a woman's voice. I'm not sure. Also, getting back to the questions and discussion points, I would very much like a companion book. A series like this could send us in many directions. We can talk politics, history, world studies, even economics. Well done.”

Maya recognized the wrap-up and glanced at the clock. She was shocked to see that nearly two hours had passed. The students would have to head to their next class. She scrambled to her feet.

Del thanked the students and they applauded. They were excused from class. When they were gone, Maya and Del spent a couple of minutes getting more feedback from the instructor, then collected their equipment and headed to the parking lot.

“That was so great,” Del said when they walked outside. “The kids enjoyed the videos.”

“I know. The questions they asked were so smart. I can't wait to go through their comments. We're going to get a ton of feedback.”

They walked to his truck. He put the box with all the questionnaires behind his seat, then reached for her computer bag.

“I hadn't thought about high schools as a place for the videos,” he admitted. “I wonder if we could take the same material and change the accompanying lesson plan to match the grades. So simpler questions for younger kids and so on.”

“That would be easy. Also, depending on how much raw footage we had at any given point, we could edit the videos differently. Show a grittier version to older kids. We'll have to figure that out, but it's doable.” She paused, nearly overwhelmed by possibilities.

“This is going to take some funding,” she went on. “I know a couple of people who've been able to get grants. I want to get in touch with them to find out what's involved. You have to do this, Del. It's a wonderful project.”

He hugged her. “You're a big part of it,” he told her.

She wanted to be, she realized. His idea had become important to her. For so long she'd held back, sticking to what was safe. Going after the familiar, like the network job. What had been up with that? She didn't belong on-screen, and she didn't need to be loved by a faceless audience to feel special. She wasn't that scared little girl anymore. There was no worry about being rescued or even having to rescue herself. She was a successful, competent adult. She could take care of herself.

Coming back to Fool's Gold had allowed her to figure out what she really wanted. She wanted to be a part of Del's video project. She wanted to travel with him and love him and be loved by him.

He was the one. Maybe he always had been, maybe they'd had bad timing before. Whatever it was, she knew that it was time for her to tell him how she felt. But before she could do that, she had to come clean about a secret she'd been keeping. And that meant talking to Elaine first.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Y
OU
'
VE
GOT
A
few crumbs right there,” Maya said, pointing. Not that it made any difference. Sophie didn't much care about the telltale evidence of her recent foraging in the kitchen. She was more interested in stretching out in the sun and getting a nice tummy rub.

“It's a good thing your mom loves you so much,” Maya continued, stroking the beagle. “Because you're kind of a scamp.”

“She is,” Elaine said fondly as she handed Maya a glass of lemonade.

Maya took it and studied her friend. Elaine still looked tired. There was a dullness to her skin and the darkness under her eyes had deepened.

“Only a couple more days of radiation, right?” she asked.

Elaine sat on the sofa and sighed. “Yes. I've been warned that it will take a while for the fatigue to go away. It didn't come on immediately, so I guess that's to be expected. Still, I'm looking forward to being my old self again.”

Maya shifted so she was facing Elaine. “I need you to tell them.”

Elaine's expression tightened. “We've been over this. It's my decision and I don't want to. You have to let it go.”

“I can't. This is really important to me. I'm lying to Del every day. It's horrible.”

“He'll survive and so will you.”

Maya was surprised by her friend's harsh tone. She'd hoped Elaine would simply agree.

“It's not just that,” she said quietly. “Things with Del have gotten complicated. He's...” Maya wasn't sure how to explain, then realized the truth was generally the right answer. “I've fallen in love with him and I can't tell him while I'm keeping your secret from him.”

Elaine had been hinting how much she wanted Maya and Del to get together, and Maya was expecting a happy reaction. Smiles. Maybe laughter. She didn't think her friend would cover her face with her hands and start to cry.

“What?” Maya asked, moving next to her and hugging her. “Are you angry? I'm sorry if I upset you.”

“You didn't. It's not that. I just don't have anything more in me. I'm so tired and I never meant to hurt anyone.”

“You didn't. We're all fine.”

Elaine straightened and sniffed. She wiped her face with her fingers. “You've been keeping this from him because of me. I'm sorry.”

“It's okay.” Maya studied her. “Are you sure you're all right? You haven't heard anything bad from the doctor, have you?”

“It's not that. Just everything seems like so much. Ceallach's birthday party, having all the boys back in town. It was wonderful to see them. I wish the twins would move back, but they seem to like where they are.”

Maya eased back a little. “Kids leave home. Most parents want that to happen.”

Elaine gave her a shaky smile. “I don't want them underfoot every day, but it would be nice to have them around more.” She drew in a breath. “You're right. I need to tell them and I will. Ceallach's finishing a piece this week. He'll be done Friday. I'll call a family meeting on Saturday morning and tell them then. I promise.”

Maya felt herself relaxing. “Thank you. I appreciate it. Once you've explained what you've been through and Del has had a chance to deal with it, I can talk to him about us.” Assuming there
was
an us.

She knew he liked her, liked being with her. But how much of that was because she was convenient and how much of it was real? There was only one way to find out, she reminded herself. And that was to talk about her feelings and ask about his.

“You're really in love with him?” Elaine asked.

“I am. I don't know what's going to happen. He might not care at all.”

“He cares. He's with you constantly.”

“Some of that is because we're working together.”

“Is it? I don't think so.” Her smile faded. “They're going to be angry.”

“They're going to be concerned. This is a big deal. Even knowing you're okay now, they'll be worried about you. They're your family and they love you. What if Ceallach kept secrets from you?”

Elaine reached over and patted Sophie. “That would be difficult,” she said.

Maya studied her. There was something in her voice, she thought. Something she couldn't quite explain. Then Elaine looked up, her eyes bright with humor.

“Give me until Saturday,” she said with a laugh. “If I haven't told my family by then, you have my permission to rat me out.”

Maya winced. “Could we call it something else?”

“We can call it anything you like.” Elaine drew in a breath. “Seriously, I'll tell them Saturday morning. You'll see.”

* * *

“T
HE
SIZE
OF
the boat determines how many people at a time,” Del said as he and Aidan strapped on their harnesses. “The bigger the boat, the more can go together.”

“I'd need an experienced captain,” Aidan said, his gaze on the vivid blue of Lake Tahoe.

They'd driven to the famous lake together for an afternoon of parasailing. Aidan was considering adding it to the activities his company offered. Lake Ciara was big enough for him to offer the sport and he'd invited Del along to help him with the research.

“Are there state regulations?” Del asked.

“I'll have to check. We're not on the ocean, so we don't deal with the coast guard. But I'm sure there are things for us to keep in mind.” Aidan watched the crew guy hook up the cables that would keep them connected to the boat.

Del liked any sport that had him in the air. Parasailing offered an easy trip for those without any kind of training. Once you were in the harness, the boat, the wind and the parachute did all the work. All the rider had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.

He and Aidan sat facing the front of the boat. The parachute billowed out behind them. It was big—nearly forty feet—to support their weight. Del didn't know the specifics about requirements, but he knew that the bigger the chute, the more it could handle, be it number of riders or strength of the wind.

“Weather wouldn't be a big issue,” he said as the boat picked up speed. Seconds later they were slowly rising up in the air.

The boat seemed to get smaller and smaller. Sound faded as they were able to see more of the lake and mountains that surrounded it. Wind buffeted them and still they rose higher.

“This guy charges by how high we go, along with the length of the ride,” Aidan said.

“How do you want to do it? The longer people are out, the more you pay in terms of fuel and employee time, not to mention wear and tear on the boat.”

Aidan nodded. “But I don't want a complicated menu. Plus, I see us doing a lot of families. Maybe rides of different lengths of time.”

They reached eight hundred feet. The boat moved across the lake, leaving a wake behind. The water itself was made up of dozens of shades of blue.
Maya would like it here
, Del thought, wishing she were with him. There were plenty of nice hotels in the area. They could get lost in one of them for a few days. Stay in bed, resurface from making love to grab a meal, maybe go hiking. His idea of a good time.

She was a complication he hadn't expected. When he'd first decided to come home for the summer, he'd been uncertain about what to do next. Having resources was a good thing, but more options meant more decisions. Now he was sure about what he wanted—or at least what he didn't want.

He didn't want to fund someone else's dream. He didn't want to invent something else. What had happened to him had just been one of those things. His passion lay elsewhere. In a few weeks, he would be ready to leave Fool's Gold. The question for him was, would he also be ready to leave Maya?

The boat turned in a wide circle. Aidan and Del followed along. As the ride came to a close, they were pulled in. For the last twenty feet, they hovered right above the water. The captain had offered to let them plunge into the chilly lake, but they'd declined.

“It would be great on hot days,” Aidan yelled, the boat noise growing louder as they approached. “We could drop people into the lake. They'd love it.”

“At least the kids would.”

His brother laughed.

Del was grateful they were able to hang out like this. To talk without any misunderstandings between them. Aidan might not have been happy about having the business dumped on him, but he was obviously good at it.

“What's the verdict?” he asked when they were back in his truck.

“I gotta get me one of those.” Aidan grinned. “It was fun. I'll get my captain's license or whatever it is I need, and hire a couple of guys with the right qualifications. It's going to be a great addition to what we already offer.” His eyebrows rose. “Plus, pretty ladies in bikinis. Where's the bad?”

“You and your women.”

“Jealous?”

“Nope. I'm not into volume.”

Del would admit that Aidan's lifestyle might sound like nearly every guy's dream—endless sex and no commitment—but he couldn't get excited about it. He wanted something else. Something special. Someone special. As he drove back toward Fool's Gold, he had to wonder if he'd found her. Because there was a lot about Maya that he liked.

But what about the parts that worried him? Honesty was important to him. He'd grown up with secrets, and he was determined to make sure he didn't repeat that pattern in his own life. He told the truth and he expected it from the woman he loved. Ten years ago Maya had kept her worries and fears from him. She'd broken his heart and lied about the reasons.

They'd both been young. They'd both grown and changed. But was it enough? Could he trust her to be honest now? To not keep secrets? Because lying undermined every relationship, no matter the intentions. That he knew for sure.

* * *

“L
EAN
,” M
AYA
SAID
, motioning to the scarecrow. She studied the screen of her camera as Del leaned into the straw creature. He put his arm around it and smiled broadly.

“Perfect. Hold it...hold it.”

Just when she was going to tell him to relax, he winked.

While the part of her that was wildly in love with him, desperate to tell him and hey, maybe looking for a little Del-flavored action, sighed at the gesture, her filmmaker brain recognized pure gold when she saw it. Talk about appealing.

“Got it,” she told him and pressed the stop button, just as a toddler ran into the shot.

“Sorry,” the mother called, racing after him.

“No worries,” Maya assured her. “We're just playing here.”

Del grabbed the young boy before he could make his way into the street. The mother took him gratefully. Her husband jogged over to relieve her.

It was the Thursday of the Fall Festival long weekend and downtown was crowded with tourists and residents alike—all wanting to participate in the various activities, shop at the stores and carts, and sample delicious seasonal dishes like Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins and Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Crostini. She and Del were shooting B-roll to edit into the town videos they were doing.

A lot of today's clips would be purely devoted to the season, but they would also get shots that were simply town based and could be used at any time of the year. Later in the week, they would be filming at The Christmas Attic to simulate the end of the year. Morgan over at Morgan's Books was going to decorate one of his windows to celebrate all things spring and Easter to help them out. Maya had gone over their footage a couple of days ago. Her best guess was they were within a week of wrapping up their project. While she would still have postproduction work to do, Del's part would be finished. Leaving him free to move on.

They hadn't talked about when that would happen. She knew why she was keeping quiet, but was less sure about him. She hoped that he was trying to figure out how to ask if she wanted to go with him. In her wildest dreams, she imagined him telling her he'd always been in love with her and...

She ran the video back and made sure it was there, clear and usable. She worked automatically, leaving her brain free to admit that even in her mind, she wasn't sure what happened after the hoped-for admission of love. Did he propose? Offer to show her the world? Or simply carry her off into the sunset?

Telling herself that not only was it a fantasy, but that even if it came true, she didn't have to write his lines for him didn't make her any more comfortable with the unknown. She knew her twisting stomach nerves came from the fact that there was a shoe waiting to drop. This one in the form of Elaine coming clean with her family. And when that happened, Del was going to find out that Maya had known about the cancer all along and hadn't told him. She had a feeling that conversation wasn't going to go very well.

If only she knew how he felt about her. Asking made sense, but she couldn't. Not until she could tell him how she felt, which she couldn't until she didn't have to lie to him.

And here she was, back where she'd first started.

Del walked over. “Why are you looking so serious? That was a great shot.”

“You have no way of knowing that.”

“I could see it in your eyes.” He flashed her a grin. “I nailed it.”

“Have I mentioned how your modesty is your best quality?”

He moved close and lowered his voice. “Is that what we're calling it these days?”

He leaned in as he spoke. His warm breath teased the side of her neck and made her shiver. Or maybe it was simply being near the man himself. Del had always had the power to get to her. Time and distance hadn't changed that fact.

She stared into his eyes and wondered if what they had was enough to survive what he was about to learn. Del had a lot of great qualities, but from what she could tell, forgiveness and understanding weren't two of them.