9781631050183CrossingBoundariesValiereNC (2 page)

“I’m sorry I won’t get to hear you girls on an ongoing basis. This show has promise. But Topeka calls. It may not be the
big time
, but it’s bigger than Indian Springs.”

“What isn’t?” said Ginger with a laugh,

“Who’s your replacement?” Cassie asked.

“They hired some guy named Todd, Todd Corwyn. I haven’t met him. Okay, we’re coming back in twenty seconds, and you’ve got callers on lines one and two—are you ready?”

The rest of the show went fine. The fact that they had callers assured Ginger and Cassie that they really did have an audience. The two hours zoomed by. It seemed they had barely introduced themselves when Jack’s voice in their ears warned, “Two minutes. Wrap up.”

“We’ll be back tomorrow—and every day Monday through Friday—at the same time,” Ginger chirped. “Don’t miss us.”

“We’ll be waiting for you—right here on WAAA-AM,” Cassie added. “Till tomorrow!”

Jack signaled that they were off the air. Both girls removed their headphones. “Good show!” he told them enthusiastically. “I’m sorry I won’t be around to hear your shows from now on. But Topeka is waiting for me with open arms.”

“Good luck with your new job,” both Cassie and Ginger chorused.

“Good luck with your show,” Jack responded.

“We did it! Our first show! We’re not virgins anymore,” Ginger said to Cassie.

Cassie winked at her. “I haven’t been a virgin since that night after the football game in my senior year.”

“
Broadcast
virgins, smartass!” Ginger playfully smacked her friend’s butt. They stood up, stretched, and gathered up their notes. “Want to go celebrate? Hot fudge sundaes at Taylor’s Treats? It’s on me.”

“Sounds tempting, but I have a date tonight, and I’m cooking dinner for him. I need to get home to my kitchen.”

“I really should get back to my real estate work,” Ginger said, her voice tinged with regret. “Who’s your date with?”

“Donté.” Her voice carried no enthusiasm.

“He’s a nice guy. What’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t know. Nothing, I guess. There’s no spark, though. We’ve seen each other four times now, and I just don’t feel anything.”

“Is he a dud in bed?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve barely let him kiss me. I think if tonight is more of the same, that’ll be our last date. What’s the point?”

“Are you sure you’ve given him a fair chance?”

“Yes, and it just isn’t there. He’s a nice guy, but—he’s just not special.”

“Well…you know best.”

“Yes, I do!” Cassie said with a firm voice.

The next day, Ginger arrived at the radio station before Cassie, who hurried into the studio to find her broadcasting partner already at the not-yet-live mike and an unfamiliar face in the engineer’s booth. Cassie slipped her earphones on and heard, “Hi. You must be Cassie. I’ve already made the acquaintance of your partner.”

“And you must be Todd,” Cassie replied.

“Guilty as charged,” Todd said with a wink through the glass partition.

“So, how did last night go?” Ginger asked Cassie. “Did you give Donté another chance after all?”

“Nope. He’s out the door.”

“I hope you served him dinner first?”

“Of course.”

“What did you cook?”

“Chicken marsala, scalloped potatoes, and a salad. And my regrets for dessert.”

“Sounds like somebody got dumped last night,” observed Todd.

“You win the grand prize!” Cassie answered with a laugh.

“What was his offense?” Todd asked.

“No offense. He’s a nice enough guy. There just wasn’t any spark. When it’s not right, what’s the point?”

“I hear you,” Todd said, nodding his head vigorously till his blond hair became disarrayed. “But it sounds like you cooked for him before the big send-off. Do you always treat your victims that kindly? Or was there a slow-acting poison in his portion?” He chuckled.

“No poison. He’s one of the good guys. He’s just not my Mr. Right.”

“Describe your Mr. Right,” Ginger said.

“I’ll know him when I meet him,” Cassie answered.

“Ten minutes to go,” Todd said from the booth.

“So, how do you like it here? Are you new to Indian Springs?” Cassie asked him.

“Just new to the job, not to the area. I live right over in Millersville.”

“Practically a neighbor,” Ginger said.

“So, you like to cook, Cassie?” Todd asked.

“Very much,” she answered.

“What’s your specialty?”

Cassie had to stop and think. Finally she said, “I do a lot of chicken dishes, but I don’t know that I could single out one.”

“What does a person have to do to get invited to your house for dinner?” Todd asked. “Would offering to cook a dinner for you first do it? I make a great chicken and rice casserole, with bacon and spinach and spices and tons of garlic. Do you like garlic? Or should I think of a different dish?”

“Are you inviting me to dinner?” Cassie asked with an amused smile.

“That’s the general idea,” Todd said. “And then, if the first date works out, I’m inviting myself to dinner at your house the next time.”

“Presumptuous, aren’t you?” Cassie said, but she smiled as she said it. “And an optimist, too, assuming we’ll both want a second date.”

“Hey, a woman who breaks up with her guys by cooking them dinner? That’s my kind of gal. A real humanitarian.”

Ginger spoke up. “A humanitarian? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?”

Todd groaned. Cassie said, “That’s an old joke. I hope you don’t plan to recycle old material like that on the show.”

“Speaking of the show—two minutes,” Todd warned.

Line one was already lit. Two minutes later, after welcoming listeners to today’s edition of
Chocolate and Vanilla,
Cassie went right to the phones. “Good afternoon. You’re on
Chocolate and Vanilla
. Welcome. Whom am I talking with?”

“This is Sheila Shaughnessy. I live in Millersville and I happen to know you have a new engineer starting on the show today, my neighbor Todd. I’m calling to wish him good luck.”

“Todd, sounds like you have the beginnings of a fan club,” Ginger said. “Sheila, will you be part of our fan club too? Cassie and I need all the publicity we can get.”

“Sure,” said Sheila congenially. “But tell me, how’s Todd doing so far?”

“He moves fast,” Cassie answered. “He’s already asked me on a date. Actually
two
dates.”

“He’s an enterprising fellow,” Sheila agreed. “And he has good taste, so you must be someone special.”

“Thank you,” Cassie said.

“Well, that’s all I wanted—to wish Todd good luck,” Sheila said.

“Thank you, Sheila,” Ginger said. “I see we also have a caller on line two. Let’s see who it is. Hello, you’re on
Chocolate and Vanilla
with Ginger Clanahan and Cassie Danton. What’s on your mind this afternoon, and who are we talking with?”

“This is Bill Smith from right here in Indian Springs, and I want to talk about global warming. I have a plan.”

There was hardly a lull in callers through the two hours that they were on, but when there was no one on the line, Cassie and Ginger filled the airwaves with lively chatter. The show was over faster than a small child finishes a candy bar. As soon as Ginger and Cassie had signed off, Todd waved a piece of paper at Cassie. “I’ve written down the address of my lair…er, uh, my apartment,” he said with a wink. He stepped out of the booth and into the studio.

Cassie took the paper from him and read—

ADMIT ONE. Good for dinner this Thursday (but only if the bearer is Cassie Danton) at 6 PM sharp (no “fashionably late” bullsh*t) for drinks before dinner at 702 Crestview Avenue, Apt. 304.

“So, what’s your preference in cocktails, and what are your food hates and allergies?” Todd asked.

“I drink scotch. I have no allergies, but I’m not fond of crabmeat or scallops or sweet potatoes or really bland foods.”

Todd made a checkmark in the air with his right forefinger. “Duly noted,” he said. “No crabmeat or scallops or sweet potatoes or really bland foods, on pain of excommunication. And the lady drinks scotch. That one’s easy. I’m a scotch-drinker too. I already have plenty. How about a chicken curry with mango salsa, baked herbed rice, and a salad with Thai-style peanut dressing?”

“Careful. I’m drooling on the microphone. I might short it out.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’ Is six o’clock an okay time for you?”

“Fine.”

“And when are you having me over in return?”

“Whoa, buster. Not so fast. Let’s see how this date works out first.”

“I think it’s going to be just great.”

“I think I’m the fifth wheel here,” Ginger said, gathering her things and slipping out of the studio.

“Bye,” Todd said as the door started closing behind her.

“See you tomorrow,” Cassie added.

Just before the door closed, Ginger turned, winked at Cassie, and gave her a thumbs-up.

Cassie looked Todd over. His blond hair was charmingly disheveled over brownish-blond eyebrows, below which he had green eyes and a snub nose. He was, in a word, cute. His personality was a winner too. Cassie wondered what she was getting herself into. She had dated a couple of other white guys but had never gotten serious about one. Was she looking for trouble by agreeing to dinner with Todd?

Well, accepting a dinner invitation, even
two
dinner invitations, was not the same as getting serious. Why not just kick back Thursday and enjoy the evening?

Chapter Two

Cassie wasn’t usually nervous before a date, so why, she wondered, had those darned butterflies invaded her stomach? As she drove to Todd’s house, she wondered what she was letting herself in for. Not only was there the issue of what would happen if she got serious about a white guy, but there was also the opposite side of the coin: What would happen if it didn’t work out, they broke up, and she still had to work with him every day? Would things be too tense for her comfort during the daily broadcasts? Was this a bad idea? Should she pull her cell phone out of her purse, call Todd, and beg off? Surely saying she had an upset stomach wouldn’t be that far from the truth.

But he certainly had dinner well underway, and it was impolite for her to cancel short of a genuine emergency. Besides, he would only reschedule the date for another night instead. No, she had better just keep driving and show up when expected.

In fact, she was five minutes early as she pulled into the parking lot of Todd’s apartment building. She took the time to check her hair and makeup in the mirror, then—still nearly four minutes early—she got out of the car and started looking for Todd’s apartment.

All she had to do was follow her nose. The smell of the chicken curry, simmering on Todd’s stove, extended its fingers out into the hallway and beckoned to Cassie from down the hall. She followed the scent to the correct door and, seeing no doorbell, knocked loudly.

Todd opened the door instantly, as if he had been waiting for her, but his body blocked the door. “What’s the password?” he asked.

Cassie thought fast, then remembered the radio station’s tagline: “WAAA all the way,” she said.

Chuckling, Todd let her in. As she walked past him, he brushed her cheek lightly with his lips. “Good evening, honored guest,” he said.

“Good evening, honorable host,” she replied.

“Let me get the other cheek. I don’t want to leave you unbalanced,” he said, bestowing a soft, quick kiss on her other cheek. “Now let me fix your drink. I know it’s scotch, but how do you take it?”

“One cube, nothing else.”

“Do you want water on the side or anything?”

“Nope. But thanks.”

“Get comfortable in the living room. I’ll be right in.” He bustled into the dining room, and Cassie heard a cabinet door close twice. Then Todd returned with two drinks in hand. Handing one to Cassie, he raised the other drink toward hers and said, “To whatever grows between us.”

Cassie raised her glass and responded with, “To a bright future.” They each took a sip. Then Todd sat down next to Cassie.

“I planned dinner for seven. That’ll give us time for a couple of drinks beforehand.” He took a sip of his drink and put it down on the coffee table. “So tell me about Cassie,” he urged.

“I’m thirty-four—”

“A lady who tells her age! Astounding!”

“—and I work in real estate with Ginger. That’s how we got to be friends. I always thought it would be neat to have a talk show, and Ginger agreed. She whomped up a presentation—she called it a ‘one sheet’—and sent it to the station manager at WAAA. He asked us to come in and meet him in person.”

“You’d never done radio before?”

“Total novice. But I’ve done modeling and other public appearances, and I once filled in for a friend who was supposed to give a seminar and got violently sick to her stomach. She gave me her notes and said, ‘Fake it till you make it,’ and somehow I got through the seminar without knowing much about the subject.”

“Which was—?”

“
Break Those Bad Habits
.”

“You’ve never broken a bad habit?”

“Well, yes, by pure self-control, but not through a whole formal five-step process.”

“Ah, marketing.” Todd took another sip of his drink. “So you got a yen to be on the radio?”

“Yes. Well, actually I’d had that desire for quite some time, but I thought it was just a pipe dream till I met Ginger and she convinced me we could make it a reality.”

“Good for Ginger!”

“How did
you
get into radio?” Cassie asked.

“I went to school for it, actually. It’s been my occupation since I got out of college. I always had a yen to be part of broadcasting, but I never aspired to be behind a microphone.”

“Where do you come from? Are you a local boy?”

“Yup. Born and raised in the area. My family still lives here. My dad’s gone. Heart attack. But my mom and my two brothers all live around here. And you?”