Page 120 of The Way We Collide

“I guess she doesn’t realize how bad that makes her sound.” Star leans in beside me. “He wouldn’t fight for her.”

“Lawrence O’Halloran has it right—she’s definitely average,” the woman continues. “She’s aweather girlat KCLA? Who even watches KCLA?”

“Easy, bitch,” Star laughs, turning wide eyes on me. “Now she’s going after us!”

“Weather girls were actually enormous stars in themid-1950s.” Wilt steps up to join the conversation, completely serious. “There was a time when Ms. Monitor was the most recognizable female voice in the country.”

“I’ve never heard of her,” I say.

“It’s where the American Meteorological Society seal of approval comes from.” He pulls out his wallet and produces a card showing his. “Weather girls weren’t really about the weather. They sold sex and vacuum cleaners. The AMS did not approve, but it launched the careers of several stars like Gilda Radner, Diane Sawyer…”

“We should do a special segment about them!” Star clasps her hands, and I see the wheels turning. “You could host it, Raven, talk about how times have changed.”

“I’m all for reclaiming another slur in my lifetime.” I slide the phone into my pocket for real this time, done with the noise for the day. “I’m just glad it doesn’t seem to be hurting Hendrix’s standing in the league.”

I would be devastated if all of this led to him being suspended from playing in the Super Bowl. He might love me more than football, but he still loves football.

“He didn’t hit the guy, which I think shows a lot of restraint.” Wilt walks around the traffic computer, crossing his arms. “If it were truly a roid rage, he’d have beat the shit out of that guy. Personally, I don’t know what I’d have done if some man said those things about my wife.”

“Wilt?” Tilting my head, I slant my eyes at him. “Are you saying Larry was wrong?”

“Of course, he was wrong.” Wilt straightens like anyone would agree. “I can attest there is nothing average or lazy about you, Mrs. Bradford. I’ve worked with you too long.”

My chest squeezes, and I step forward to put my hand on his arm. “Thank you, Wilt. That means a lot to me.”

Clearing his throat, he turns to the screen. “Now, about these Santa Anas. They’re not as strong this year as last, but it’s early. Last year, we clocked winds up to sixty miles per hour.”

My eyes widen. “That’s as strong as a Cat-1 hurricane.”

“And with less warning.” Wilt casts me a glance. “Perhaps the weather here isn’t as boring as you thought?”

“Perhaps.”

Before we left for the wedding, he caught me on the phone with Amelia, complaining how my life in LA was a blur of activity everywhere but at work, where it was slow, slow, slow.

I know how to get everywhere in LA at any time of day and during any major event. I know more random meteorological facts than the encyclopedia Britannica…

Until now.

“We’ll keep an eye on things. This time of year, we work closely with the fire department to try and help them get where they need to be.” His jaw is tight. “We just got this special software that can help us locate within a mile of where an incident occurs.”

“Are you telling me traffic saves lives?”

“You’d better believe it.” He points a finger. “Now let me show you what’s happening out there.”

For the rest of the day, we take a break from social media while I learn how to read the warning signs of high winds and learn the Rapid Response system we use to help emergency workers in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

“Tellus your thoughts heading into the playoffs.” Logan’s smooth broadcaster voice comes from the speakers on Hendrix’s desktop when I enter the house.

He’s recording his guest appearance onLightning & Thunder,Logan and Zane’s sports radio show based in Newhope. It’s not strictly radio anymore, though. Now the guys also post a video recording of the interviews on their YouTube channel.

Hendrix has a small camera mounted on the top of hiscomputer, and on his screen, I see Logan, Jack, Garrett, and Zane all sitting around a long, brown conference table wearing headphones with black mics in front of them.

Hendrix is on a large flatscreen television behind them, and they all face each other as they chat about the week’s football news and the last round of games leading up to the final one of the season in New Orleans.

The Tigers are heavily favored to go all the way, but they have a few more games to win first.

“We’re going to stay focused and play the way we’ve played all season.” Hendrix has a great voice for radio, and he looks really hot on screen, too. “Tyler and I’ve worked out the kinks, our D-line is strong, and we’re ready to take it all the way.”

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