He handed over his driver’s license.
She typed in the details and slid it back to him. “Now, Lori will be your assistant for the show. Here’s a packet of information she left for you.” Gia handed him a bright orange letter-sized envelope with his name and room number on it. “If you’ll just dial 18622 in the morning after eleven, she’ll come over and get you all squared away.”
“Thank you, Gia.”
“Elevators to your left. Eighteenth floor.”
He turned to leave.
“Oh,” she said. “Good luck.”
When he got to his room, he dropped his bag and turned in a circle. “Holy cow. Mom would die if she saw this.” He opened the curtain. The suite overlooked the hustle and bustle of the streets below. “I’m in New York City.” With a fist pump, he spun around. “Amazing.”
He unpacked his clothes and put all his things away. No sense acting like he was a temporary around here. He’d learned a long time ago that if he acted as if he’d already succeeded, he would. “I’ve got this.”
The bed looked so inviting with the piles of stark-white linens. He took a quick shower and then climbed between the crisp sheets.
When he woke up, it was almost noon. He ripped back the blackout curtains to huge snowflakes falling, but they didn’t seem to slow the traffic below.
He got dressed and dialed 18622. “Good morning, Lori. This is Andrew.”
“Hello, Andrew. I’m so glad you made it in okay. I’ve got the adjoining room. Can I come over?”
“Absolutely.”
He hung up the phone and met a blonde about his age at his door. “Come on in.” He stepped out of the way and let the door close as he followed her into the sitting room of the suite.
“Not sure you’ve had time to really look around yet, but you’ll notice a couple of things missing. No phone. No regular television. There’s a long list of On Demand you can watch, though.”
“I hadn’t even noticed. No television? I’m here for a television show. What’s that all about?”
“Just part of the sequestering process. I don’t make the rules. I just make sure you follow them. It’s just a few days. No one usually minds.”
Lori’s accent was southern, but more like Texas than the coast. “I’m fine with it. Just wondering. So this sequester thing, I thought that was hype for the show.”
“Oh, it’s the real deal. Hand over your cell phone.” She put out her hand.
“But I might need to take a call.”
“That’s where this comes in handy.” She took a form out of her leather portfolio. “Fill this out. Anything you deem as possibly critical should be noted here. Phone calls, or any other social media or messaging that might come through, like your parents, a girlfriend, boss, whatever, just list the important ones.”
“I don’t know the phone numbers. They’re in the phone I just handed you.”
“List them as they’ll come up on the phone. I’ll have it on me at all times.”
He cut his eyes in her direction. “I’m not sure I like this.”
“It’s only a few days. Seriously, it’s not that big of a deal. If any of those calls or texts come through, I’ll help you screen through them and respond.”
She was bossy for a little thing. “This is crazy,” he said as he wrote down Francois Dumont on the list.
“It was spelled out in the contract you signed.”
He wasn’t really expecting a call from his parents or sister, but he added them to the list for good measure. “I didn’t read the contract that close.”
“I bet you cashed that first check with no problem.”
That was true. He’d deposited it without a second thought. Since he was using his stacked-up vacation time, his time away was like getting a bonus with the stipend the show offered. He’d come out ahead—win or lose. “What else did I sign up for?”
“Guess you’ll know when it happens,” she said with a playful wink. “Don’t worry. I’ll have your back every step of the way.”
“I’m all yours,” he said, flirting a little more than was probably appropriate.
“Yeah, and strictly business. I’m here to help you stay on time, follow the rules, and hopefully win. Got that?”
He stifled a laugh. She was way too mouthy for him anyway. “Yes, ma’am.” He playfully saluted her.
“We don’t have to go to set until tomorrow, but if you’d like to check out the kitchen, I can arrange to take you over.”
“I’d like that very much.”
“I thought you might.” She made a call to the producer. “Hi, yes, it’s Lori. I’d like a time slot to bring Andrew over to see his kitchen on the Four Square set. Great, we’ll be right over.” She put her phone in her purse. “I’m just going to grab a couple of things, and I’ll meet you in the hall in ten minutes?”
She left, and he rubbed his hands together. “Here we go.”
He changed into a fresh shirt and went searching for his phone, almost in a panic until he remembered he’d had to hand it over. That was going to take some getting used to.
When he stepped out into the hall, Lori was already waiting for him. He liked people who were punctual. They went downstairs, and the doorman tipped his hat. “Miss Lori. Good to see you again. Your car is here.”
“Thanks.” She must’ve caught the look on his face, because she said, “I’m here all the time for the show.”
The limousine was very nice. It still had that new leather smell. He could get used to this. A DVD of the Four Square Cooking Show ran on the flat-screen television. Someday somebody else would be riding in this limo, watching him on that show. His mouth pulled into a grin.
