Page 101 of At the Heart of It
God, he wanted her again. Maybe when this stupid show was all over?—
“We haven’t really talked beyond the first season,” he said, picking up his beer again. “You said before that the first season would be fourteen episodes, but what happens after that?”
“If the show is a success?” Kate shrugged and dunked another piece of cornbread in her bowl. “We hope for as many seasons as we can get.”
“What’s normal?”
“It’s anyone’s guess, really. But you look at shows like Survivor or The Bachelor that have been going for thirty or even fifty seasons—that’s what everyone hopes for.”
Jonah felt a sick twist in his stomach. Is that really what everyone hoped for?
Then he thought about the money. About what cash like that could buy for Jossy. Even if he only did the first season or two, maybe that would be enough.
He took another sip of beer, considering the options. “Do characters sometimes leave after a couple of seasons?”
Kate lifted one brow and chewed her cornbread. “You’re thinking of quitting before we get started?”
“Just wondering how things usually work. If characters shift around much on a reality-TV show like this.”
She studied him a moment, then nodded. “Sometimes,” she said carefully. “Are you not happy with the way things are going?”
“It’s fine,” he said, not sure how much more he should say. “You guys are great. The whole crew has been terrific to work with. It’s just—I guess I never really imagined myself on TV.”
“Is it the television aspect you don’t like, or the part about working with your ex?”
He shrugged. “Working with Viv hasn’t been that bad,” he said. “I have to admit, I’ve remembered some of the things I liked about her.”
Was it his imagination, or did something change in her expression? She covered it quickly, taking a slow sip of beer. Maybe he’d imagined it. Or maybe she was just happy to have him not bitching about Viv. He should probably do more to be a team player. To assure Kate he didn’t see his ex-wife as the antichrist.
“What sort of things?” Kate asked with such practiced casualness, he suspected it was forced.
“We had a good chemistry,” he said. “We made each other laugh. I remember this one time we went camping in Utah.”
“Utah?”
“Mesa Verde,” he said. “Viv wanted to see the Anasazi ruins, so we spent a week backpacking around the area.”
“Right, I remember. She wrote about that in On the Other Hand. The reverence she felt crawling around the prehistoric cliff dwellings. It sounded like a great trip.”
Jonah felt a flare of frustration he couldn’t explain. It wasn’t like he hadn’t consented to have his vacations, his conversations, his life turned into a self-help book.
But he’d always wanted to hold a few things back.
“It was a great trip,” he agreed. “I think my favorite part was this day it rained for like six hours. We couldn’t leave the tent at all.”
“I’m not sure I want to hear this,” Kate murmured as she took a sip of beer.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” he said. “Not exactly, anyway. We just stayed in the tent all day and made up silly games.”
“Like what?”
“Like we tried to come up with a body part for every letter of the alphabet,” he said. “Whoever came up with an answer had to kiss that part on the other person’s body. It’s not as sexy as it sounds—A for ankle, B for brain, C for collarbone—that sort of thing.”
Kate laughed, though Jonah could have sworn he saw a flash of sadness in her eyes. “Some of those must have been tough,” she said. “What did you do for X and U?”
“Viv got xiphoid process,” he said. “She took a lot of anatomy classes in college.”
“What’s that?”
