Accept This Dandelion (5 page)

It would be hard to keep the news from everyone at work, especially Janice. The taping certainly hadn’t gone as Renee had expected, but she was through for another week so she met her initial goal. She went about her daily business and took requests on the air. The hardest part was avoiding Janice’s questions.

“What’s he like? Are you in love? What did he say? What did you answer?”

Her inquisition was constant, but Renee smiled and shrugged, or nodded and ducked out of the room. She couldn’t tell Janice anything or everyone would know, and she had a non-disclosure contract. The show played on the air in less than a week. They could all wait and see what happened on TV.

Since Janice failed at getting the scoop from Renee, she put her efforts into organizing a viewing party. Everyone from the station would gather at her house and view
Accept this Dandelion
when it aired Monday night. The following day, Renee would go on the morning show and talk about the experience. The only problem being, Renee first had to get through the broadcast. She knew one thing for sure…there would be plenty of laughter at her expense.

When Monday finally rolled around, Renee had nervous energy to the hilt. She couldn’t do anything right all day long. She took a request for one song, but played another. She pushed the on button for the wrong microphone, making it sound like she was in a box across the room. She even let songs run out, leaving plenty of dead air for the listeners to enjoy.

The entire station buzzed the whole day, but Renee figured it was because she walked the halls, leaving her nerves here and there.

“You excited for tonight?” Janice asked. She’d finally stopped probing for details when she realized Renee wasn’t going to give any.

“I’m not sure,” Renee answered. She was definitely more nervous than excited. She wanted a shot at the morning show, and
Accept this Dandelion
was the center of the opportunity, but she didn’t know how the editing went, and how she would come off on the show.

“Well, I’m excited.” Janice whooped. “I’m making the popcorn with the old-fashioned popper. We can put real butter on it…salt that puppy up, the whole bit.”

Renee laughed. Leave it to Janice to take some of the tension out of the viewing by describing her homemade popcorn-making abilities.

Janice smiled and put her hand on Renee’s shoulder as the two left the station together. “Really, though, Renee,” she said softly, “no matter how it goes, you are who you are.”

Renee nodded. One of the things she loved about Janice was her ability to see people for who they were and to accept them as such. Janice loved everyone that came through the studio doors. She had a knack for pulling the good sides out of guests and shoving the bad away. Renee hoped a little of Janice would rub off on the entire city that night…just in case she came off as silly as she suspected.

A few hours later, Renee sat on Janice’s plush pleather couch, waiting for the endless commercials to come to a close. It was the one time when she didn’t mind advertisements taking up her time. She had Chuck, the morning show guy, on one side and Al, a salesman, on the other. Janice stood behind her with the large bowl of popcorn, and the others sat in chairs around the room, waiting for Renee’s big debut.

When the soft, dramatic music began, the voiceover announcer spoke about the city’s most eligible bachelor. Renee tensed.
Here goes nothing
.

The show began harmlessly by showcasing Ben and shots of him around the city. They made it sound like he was all alone in the world and nothing would complete his life except a woman. Renee rolled her eyes. From what she understood about Ben’s dates, he wasn’t lonely. Much less the hopeless bachelor they were making him out to be. But the shots of the city were nice, and the camera crew did a good job.

The voiceover announcer got to the grit of the matter. “Over the next few weeks, twelve women will compete to win Ben’s heart. In the end, he can only have one, but in the meantime, they will all be dandelions in the field of love.”

Renee snorted, and Chuck glanced in her direction.
Dandelions in the field of love? They may as well call them cheese on a pizza.

The first commercial break gave Renee a chance to decompress. Her shoulders were wound tighter than ever, and she needed to relax or she would spring across the room against her will. She munched on some popcorn in an effort to appear calm and collected. She really should have viewed the show alone. Not only would the others present be able to watch her antics on screen, but they could also see her reaction to those moments.

When the program resumed, the announcer briefly talked about each woman, showing headshots of them all. The room erupted in cheers when Renee’s face appeared on the screen, and she tried to enjoy the last moment of pride she would likely have throughout the viewing.

Before long, the women walked one by one into the studio to meet Ben McConnell. Janice stood nearby making comments. An overdone blonde walked up to Ben. “She’s so fake. And look at that dress.” Her only remark regarding Eva was a quick one. “Cute.”

The room went from active and loud to quiet when Renee’s voice permeated the screen, asking Ben to close his eyes. Renee stole a glance at Janice, whose eyebrows shot into the air. When Renee walked into view, the room erupted into cheers yet again.

“Shhh,” Janice commanded. “I’ve got to see this.”

Renee approached Ben and began methodically wiping the makeup off after jerking the handkerchief from his pocket. She gave her little speech about honesty and then turned and brushed past him, leaving Ben with a look of confusion and awe.

“Oh no, you didn’t.” Janice slapped her hand down on Renee’s shoulder.

Renee laughed. Her co-workers reacted well to her introduction. She came off as a girl who knew what she wanted…and one who was honest, upfront, and true to herself. So far, things weren’t going half bad.

Renee watched as the other women met Ben, and she tried to judge his reaction to them as they paraded their one-liners…and their long legs… in front of him. She couldn’t tell what he thought, but his eyes definitely sparkled when Eva first appeared. He seemed intrigued by Tracy too, but otherwise, his expression was the same every time someone new came out.

Renee wasn’t one to judge. After all, she just met the man herself. She certainly couldn’t know his tastes. She only hoped she could fit in enough to stick around a while longer. Though she was certain she and Ben wouldn’t be a match, she needed to finish putting her name out there in order to secure the morning show job she longed for. Knowing Ben had a crop of beauties from which to choose alleviated her guilt over being there for her own personal reasons.

Renee was so lost in her thoughts that she almost tuned the broadcast out entirely. When the room erupted into a fit of laughter, she placed her focus back on the big screen TV. A very large version of herself jumped around in her fancy dress, and squealed with the skirt lifted to her knees. The other women greeted Ben in the background. So they’d caught her little faux pas after all. Renee supposed what she said on camera later made no difference since everyone witnessed her dance firsthand.

Janice grooved behind the couch, and Renee slumped father down into the seat. Being there with her co-workers had not been a good idea. She should have taken the weeks off completely to hide. And possibly never come out again.

The women met with Ben alone on screen while Renee’s co-workers commented. She almost couldn’t stand the agony of waiting for her turn, but at the same time, the last thing she wanted was to see the candle incident. When the next commercial aired, she knew she would be next, so she excused herself and took an extra-long time in the bathroom down the hall.

She could tell by the gasps and laughter leaking through the door that she had avoided her big TV moment. However, her problem was the restroom had no windows. She couldn’t crawl out and return to her car. She had to face the crowd.

Renee took a deep breath as she washed her hands and studied her face in the mirror. She was used to radio, and she liked that world. She sat in a studio by herself all day, talking to a bunch of people who didn’t talk back. She wasn’t accustomed to having everyone stare at her, and it was hard to think that her experience would be cemented into TV history.

She dried her hands on the small towel. It was now or never. She slowly opened the bathroom door and walked back down the hall, knowing she had no other choice.

“Renee, Renee, Renee,” her co-workers chanted. Renee turned to the TV in time to see her interview where she danced yet another jig. The chanting grew louder.

Renee could rush off in embarrassment, but she had played a part on the TV show, and she had to face it. The best thing to do was to own it. Instead of lowering her head and plopping onto the couch in shame, she simply raised a pretend skirt and began dancing.

Her co-workers laughed and clapped and settled in to see the rest of the show. The women discussed their meetings with Ben on camera, and Renee thought her eyes would roll out of her head. They all described him like eye candy and many said the meeting had gone so well they would surely be his woman at the end. Renee wasn’t sure what bothered her more, the women’s descriptions of Ben or their overconfidence.

When the screen cut to Ben’s face, Renee sucked in another breath and leaned forward. This she wanted to hear.

“I’m really lucky to be dating all of these lovely women at once.” Ben gave a cocky grin. “Any man in the city would give anything to take my place right now. I mean, I’ve got twelve women throwing themselves at me.” He chuckled. “One even lit herself on fire. Can you believe it?”

Renee’s mouth gaped. Her encounter with Ben was short, but she thought he might have some substance to him. How could she be so wrong? He bragged about his conquests and made fun of her all at the same time. Renee no longer had any reason to be guilty regarding her appearance on the show. In fact, now she wanted to get as far as she could in order to give Ben what he deserved…a taste of his own medicine.

Ben watched the show alone. He didn’t have any family in town, and his friends would have shot one-liners his way the whole night. When he realized how the crew edited his comments, he nearly called the producer and backed out of the rest of the taping. He came off like a disrespectful, overconfident jerk. The only thing stopping Ben was the fact that he had indeed said the things they aired. Now, he just needed to continue to attempt to change his image and hopefully find the right woman as well.

Ben really experienced something special the night he met the women. The sensation was unlike anything he’d had before. He suspected the electric shock that sprang between him and Renee was static, but he wondered if went further. No one else had shocked him that night, and she had done so in more ways than one. First with her surprising makeup reveal and later with her fire trick. No, Ben most certainly couldn’t back out of the show now. He looked forward to what Renee would do next.

* * *

The next morning Renee rose earlier than usual to make it to work for the morning show. She was scheduled as a special co-host the day after each
Accept this Dandelion
aired for the duration of the taping. She would update the city on the behind the scenes portions of the broadcast. Renee was nervous. She played off her appearance on the show well in front of her co-workers, but she wasn’t sure how the public would react. She was about to find out.

Chuck was live on the air when Renee arrived. He gave her a little wave, and she sat down and made herself comfortable. Renee felt odd being on the other side of the studio behind a microphone atop a smooth counter. She was used to the buttons and faders that usually sat before her during her midday shift. If she happened to win the morning show job, she hoped she and Chuck could alternate duties. She didn’t want to lose her abilities at the board. Sitting by and just chiming in on occasion wouldn’t be enough for her.

“And next, we have KGBR’s very own Renee Lockhart, star of the local TV program
Accept this Dandelion,
in with us to talk about her experience on the show.” Chuck started a commercial block, turned his microphone off, and pulled his headphones from his ears. “Good morning.” His smile drove his cheeks up higher than Renee had ever see them go. “You’re going to be a hit today. I’ve already taken several calls.”

Renee forced a small smile. She hoped Chuck wasn’t just being kind. She didn’t know what would be worse…callers who wanted to ridicule her, or no callers at all. As the commercials wrapped up, Renee realized she couldn’t retreat now. She had to be a guest on the radio program…it was part of heightening her public profile to hopefully get the job in the time slot.

“100.4 KGBR with Chuck and Claudia in the morning…as you already know, Claudia is no longer with us, but we hope to soon find her replacement.” Chuck paused and started the dramatic music from
Accept this Dandelion
behind his voice. “With us today is the one and only Renee Lockhart, one of twelve women vying for the heart of the city’s bachelor, Ben McConnell. We’ll be taking your calls all morning long. Think about what questions or comments you might have for Renee, but first, I get a shot at her.” Chuck threw his head back and laid out one of his signature laughs. Renee often overheard listeners comment on Chuck’s laugh. She had to admit it was contagious and made her smile no matter how bad her day began. It would make working with him fun, as opposed to her solo gig in the afternoon.

“So, Renee…I have plenty of questions, but what I want to talk about more than anything is how in the world did you set yourself on fire? Talk about a bad first date, huh?”

Renee stared at Chuck. She figured those questions would come from the audience, but she never expected Chuck to lob a hardball in her direction. With a swallow, she opened her mouth to answer. They were live, after all, so she couldn’t pause more than a second or two or the dead air would reign and kill her rising chances at a job in the top on-air slot. “Well, Chuck.” Renee pushed her embarrassment down and summoned up all of her self-deprecation. “When you
really
want to get a man’s attention…” She laughed. “I’ve heard a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but I finally proved the theory wrong, didn’t I? No, it’s better to allow the man to be your hero instead. Let him save you. Make him believe you’d simply
die
if he weren’t around. Then, you’ll know whether or not he likes you. If he isn’t into you, he’ll just let you go up in flames.”

Renee paused and allowed Chuck to throw his head back once more. His laughter quickly caught in the pit of her own stomach, and she laughed at herself along with him.

Chuck wiped his eyes with one finger. “You are too much, Renee,” he said. “We have so many calls coming in the board is completely lit up. I’d love to hog you all morning, but I think we have to take a call before this phone sets itself on fire. Good morning, KGBR,” Chuck said as he punched a button on the board. Taking live calls was risky and not the norm. A lot of times, they would record their conversations and play them back later. But Chuck could pull the best things out of listeners live, and the station manager let him get away with real time calls. Chuck was also quick with the board buttons. If a caller got out of hand, Chuck could mute the call with a flash of his finger and move on so those listening hardly even noticed anything happening.

“Hey, Chuck,” a feisty female voice rang over the line. Her voice sounded like it came from a tunnel. She must be driving. “I wanted to call and tell Renee how awesome she did. I mean, all of the other girls were the same. Renee put some spice into it and really stood out. I think if Ben knows what’s best for him, he’ll choose you next week and leave the rest behind.”

Renee’s eyebrows rose. “Thank you.” She was surprised. Renee expected everyone to mock her, and she was glad the first response was positive.

“Thanks for calling.” Chuck quickly changed callers. “KGBR, you’re on with Chuck and Renee.”

“Morning, Chuck. Hey there, Renee.” A deep male voice rang through the headsets in the studio. Chuck tilted his head as the man continued. “I want to tell the woman who just called she’s all wrong.” Renee took a deep breath. Here it came. “Renee, you don’t belong with Ben…you should be with me.”

Renee opened her mouth in surprise and let out a nervous laugh as Chuck threw his head back. “Leave your number at our front office,” Chuck said. “We’ll keep a running list, and Renee can have her own dating show if things don’t work out with Ben.”

“Oh, no. No.” Renee threw her hands in the air. “Chuck, you don’t understand. I don’t need a whole list. I just need one.” Renee giggled and tried to put on a flirtatious air. “Sir, what did you say your name was?”

Chuck laughed again as he disconnected the call. “Not so fast there, little lady. You have a show to do. First you let Ben McConnell dump you.
Then
you can troll for men.”

“And what makes you think Mr. McConnell is going to ditch me?” Renee’s confidence grew. She was starting to enjoy herself. She would be good at the morning show gig.

“Ah, good point.” Chuck started the next song behind their voices. “Very good point. We’ll have more with Renee Lockhart about her experiences on
Accept This Dandelion
, but first another song to get your morning rolling.” Chuck slid the microphone faders down and turned them off as he yanked his headphones from his ears and placed them around his neck. Renee took hers off and laid them on the counter in front of her.

“You’re really good at this,” Chuck said. “A natural.”

Renee smiled. “I’ve been in radio for several years now,” she said sarcastically. Chuck was the type of person who appreciated someone who didn’t take any flak from people, both on and off the air. The two of them would fit as a team because she knew how to give and take.

“Indeed.” He shuffled some papers around. “You keep this up, I might put in a word for you with the higher powers.” Chuck winked.

Renee shifted in her seat. The comment excited her. Having Chuck’s support for the open morning position would be huge. With a heightened public profile from the TV slot and Chuck on her side, she almost couldn’t lose. The job would be hers for the taking.

When Renee left the studio two hours later, she walked on clouds. The rest of the morning went better than the beginning. She had dozens of supporters and only one crank call marriage proposal. That one sounded like a teenage boy who probably had too much time on his hands. The rest of the callers were genuine and enjoyed her on TV. They supported her efforts to find love. They laughed along with her, but no one teased her, and Renee’s appearance on TV had already made her public image soar. She endeared herself to the listeners instead of drawing ridicule as she’d feared.

Now Renee had to get through the day and return to the TV studio to continue her journey with Ben and the rest of the ladies. After the first taping, she dreaded going back and making a fool of herself again. But now she realized her TV character was bringing positive feedback. She could go on.

It didn’t matter what happened with Ben. He probably didn’t care about any of the women beyond their appearances and long legs. She needed to continue to show her personality so the city could see who she was. And with any luck, viewers would fall for her and demand that she become the next co-host on the KGBR’s morning show.