The Contest Page 10

  Murphy wagged his tail slightly and let out a little squeak as he yawned. “Awww, who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?”

  Murphy got up and licked Jake in the face as his tail whipped his arms. “Alright, let’s get up.” Jake reached over and grabbed his phone. Six texts: two from Ang, one from Trey, two from Caleb and one from this girl Stephanie to whom Jake had stupidly given his number in a moment of weakness. Nothing from Madi. Did he want a text from her? He was surprised how much he enjoyed their little text interaction yesterday. He cut it short when he realized he was getting too flirty. He hadn’t meant to let it go there, but damn she was fun. He loved how she called him out on his “issues”. He liked flirting with her. He imagined her blush and the feisty look she got on her face when she was determined. He chuckled as he pet Murphy. “I wonder what Kendra had to say to her Murph? I wonder if you’d like her.”

  Jake had introduced Murphy to many people and he found it fascinating that Murphy could easily spot the people who could be trusted from the ones who couldn’t. One time, Jake had invited a girl over that he met at a charity event. She was nice enough, but what he really liked about her was her cleavage. Thinking he might explore that area, he asked her over for a drink. She made a cringing face when Murphy came around the corner and Jake thought he actually saw Murphy cringe at her as well. That was his first sign and he should have paid attention. The minute he went to the kitchen to get glasses for the wine he had just opened, she was looking at his phone, sign number two.

  “Whoa,” he said. “What are you doing?”

  “I thought I heard it ring,” she said, surprised to be discovered.

  “So you thought you’d answer it for me?”

  She put it down and sauntered over to him as if her slutty walk would make him forget. He saw Murphy huddled in the corner. Murphy let out a huge sigh and that was his third and final clue. Jake asked her to leave. She was offended, but he didn’t care. He never heard from her again, thankfully. From that moment on, If Murphy didn’t like someone, then Jake was leery of them as well. Jake truly believed that Murphy was a better judge of character than time, money or a background check. He trusted his opinion. A wagging tail and a belly open for rubbing was proof positive that Jake had a person of character in front of him. What would Murphy think of Madi? He laughed to himself as he pulled on a pair of track pants and grabbed Murphy’s leash for a walk.

  Jake looked at himself in the mirror. He was still in pretty good shape. His muscles were still visible even without flexing, but he really needed to lift some weights. It had been four days since his last workout.

  “How about we run today, Murph?”

  *****

  Murphy and Jake came through the door both panting. Jake poured Murphy a fresh bowl of water which Murphy proceeded to inhale before plopping himself down on the cool hardwood floor. Jake took off his shirt in the kitchen and threw it on the floor. Next his shoes, socks, pants and boxer briefs, all as he walked to the shower. The cool water felt good on his hot skin. As he adjusted to the temperature, he increased the heat of the water until it was soothingly warm. He let the water spray on his face while he washed his hair. He could hear his phone ringing and he sighed. After he got dressed, he gazed at the phone and smiled. He immediately dialed the number back.

  “Hey beautiful, where have you been? I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me,” he said.

  “Hi yourself, you filthy rich, handsome man. Don’t you think it’s time you spent some time with me? I’m feeling very neglected. I think you should take me shopping,” she said with a laugh.

  “Anything you want, Gina. You know I’d do anything for you.”

  Chapter 12

  Madi

  Tuesday classes were slow moving. The last two days had gone by at a snail’s pace. Madi had thought about texting Jake, but she didn’t want to text him until she had some news. She was going home tonight to talk to her parents. She’d convinced Kendra to come as back up. Madi’s dad thought Kendra was funny and he loved teasing her. Kendra could never tell when Madi’s dad was being serious or sarcastic and it usually got her all riled up. Kendra would end up in a tizzy and Madi’s dad would laugh. Then Kendra would laugh too. Kendra always said that being around Madi’s dad prepared her to deal with men’s sarcasm. She figured if she could master his personality she could figure out anyone.

  Madi had rehearsed her speech to her parents several times with Kendra saying, “No, don’t say that,” or “Ooh, that was a good point.” Madi’s mom knew something was up. When she called to ask if they could come to dinner, she asked Madi straight out if she was pregnant. Madi laughed as she shouted no and her mom blew out a sigh of relief. She figured that if her mom thought she was pregnant, then saying she just wanted to go to California for the summer would seem like nothing at all.

  Not talking to Jake was bothering her. At lunchtime, she started to wonder if he had found someone else for the job. She thought maybe telling him she was seeing her parents was news, so she broke down and sent him a message.

  Madi: Dinner tonight with the parents. Wish me luck?

  She waited for ten, twenty, then thirty minutes and nothing. She put her phone down and tried to focus on her microwave mac and cheese. She should have gone to the grill and just got a chicken salad to go. Her phone buzzed.

  Jake: Thanks for the update. What time should I be there?

  The thought of Jake sitting at the kitchen table eating a roast with her parents made her giggle.

  Madi: 6 p.m. sharp. LOL

  He wrote back immediately.

  Jake: Shall I wear a tie? Maybe a suit of armor?

  Madi laughed. It was so good to hear from him.

  Madi: A bullet-proof vest might be a good idea.

  He responded:

  Jake: Phew, and I thought my critics were tough. What’s the address again? 733 Windsor?

  How did he know her address? Madi’s eyes almost popped out of her head. She immediately started replaying conversations. “I know you make $9.75 an hour.

  You don’t have a passport, so we would need to expedite that.” How in the hell did he know so much about her? Wait, was he serious? Was he actually planning on coming to dinner tonight? In a panic she wrote:

  Madi: Are you in Chicago? Are you here?

  Why was it taking so long for him to respond? Madi started to pace. What was she going to wear? What would her parents say? Buzz…

  Jake: Relax! LOL! I’m in the studio in LA. I’m just messing with you.

  She huffed out loud.

  Madi: You’re an ass.

  Her phone buzzed right back.

  Jake: LOL! No seriously though, let me know if you need me to talk to them. I do wish I could be there. I know how convincing you can be so I’m sure you won’t have any problems.

  Back to charming. She forgave him.

  Madi: Hey, one question. How do you know so much about me? Are you stalking me you pervert?

  A long pause and then…

  Jake: That’s two questions. I know so much about you because I had to do a background check before I offered you a job. AND, I’m only considered a pervert in certain circles.

  Madi pondered what he said for a moment and shrugged. She could understand the need for a background check but she wished he had mentioned that to her before he did it.

  Madi: Anything in that background check I should be worried about?

  The phone buzzed back.

  Jake: Not at all, but you really shouldn’t stand in front of open windows when you’re undressing.

  Gasp! Madi immediately ran to her window and glared out. She was on the third floor. She usually kept her blinds closed. Had someone taken nude photos of her without her knowing? Were they on the internet? Had Jake seen her naked? What could she do? Could she write Google and ask them to be removed? Would she ever be able to get a job? Her phone buzzed again.

  Jake: I’m sorry, I was just joking! No nude photos, I promise. Only a driver’s licen
se photo and a school ID picture both of which were quite lovely. I could tell from the long pause that your mind went into panic mode. I could see you pacing in my mind. Forgive me?

  For the love of Pete! She sat down on her bed and wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. How did he know she was pacing? How could he have known her so well in such a short time? She had to respond.

  Madi: I wasn’t panicking. I was merely trying to think which pictures of me you’d seen. If it was in the red lingerie or if it was the college photo shoot contest I had done last year where I posed naked with three men. I do love a good contest!

  No response. Had she gone too far? Oh to know what he was thinking!

  Jake: Sorry it took so long for me to respond. I just fired my investigator for not doing a thorough job and then googled Madison Ryan – hot co-ed.

  Madi laughed out loud. Did he say she was hot?

  Madi: Any luck? LOL

  Buzz...

  Jake: Nope

  He... was… adorable!

  Madi: What are you doing today?

  He responded quickly.

  Jake: After I take a cold shower, I’m going to wrap up some last minute details here and head to an interview for a magazine.

  Madi sighed.

  Madi: Wish I was there.

  He responded:

  Jake: Well get over to your parent’s house. Bring Kendra. Something tells me she’s on my side.

  How did he know?

  Madi: How did you know that? I am bringing her. She’s planning a trip to visit me, though. IF I take the job, I mean.

  A pause and then,

  Jake: I’m not only a musician but also a fortune teller. I’ve consulted my crystal ball and it told me Kendra was going with you. It also told me that your parents would be thrilled that you were offered a job by someone as charming as myself and that WHEN, not IF you tell me you accept the job, Kendra will be happy as well. BTW, Ang has already started planning work for you. You don’t want to let Ang down, now do you?

  He was preying on her heart now. He was good. She had to give him that. Bringing up poor Ang was genius.

  Madi: Well, tell Ang that if I accept the job, it will be solely because I adore her and not because you are ridiculously charming.

  Jake: I’ll do that! Good luck tonight. GTG TTYL.

  And with that he was gone. Why did she keep letting him have the last text? He was always the one to say he had to go! She needed to remember to look busier the next time she texted him. After all, he didn’t need to know she was bored and eating mac and cheese out of a plastic dish while she sat on the floor in her dorm. She needed to be the first to say goodbye the next time. The next time I talk to Jake, she thought. If someone had told her a week ago that she would be in this position she would have laughed in their face. Now she just had to get her parents to back her up. She was afraid they would think it was a bad idea. She had been teeter-tottering on it as it was. Whenever she heard from Jake, she was a hundred percent positive it was the right move. But when she was alone in her bed at night, she started to question everything.

  Before she knew it, it was time to go. She could do this, she had to.

  Jake

  Jake rolled off of the couch and turned off his PlayStation. He’d been sitting there playing for the last hour and yawning. He needed to go wash off the make-up from the photo shoot he had after the interview. It was 1 a.m. Still nothing from Madi. He wondered how her dinner went with her parents. He tried to imagine what they might say. He thought back to when he was nineteen and going on his first tour to Europe by himself. His parents were a nervous wreck, but they knew he was mature and that he had a good head on his shoulders. He could say the same for Madi. She was probably waiting until morning to text him. He looked forward to her texts.

  He picked up his phone as he walked to the bathroom and scanned over their prior conversation. Red lingerie… he laughed. Then his mind wandered to what the lingerie might have looked like on her body. He tried to imagine the lace on her bra, if she was even wearing one. He put down the phone and splashed water on his face.

  What if her parents didn’t want her to go? What if they had convinced her it was a bad idea? What would he do then? Would he let it go? Would he let her go? After all, he did tell her it would only take him a matter of hours to find someone to take the job. Did he really want just anyone? Or did he want to walk into the studio everyday to the sound of her laughter?

  He lay down in bed and switched off the light. He felt Murphy snuggle up beside him. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

  *****

  He could hear an alarm. Was that a trumpet? Was he in a war zone? He opened his eyes slowly and realized his phone was ringing. Without even looking at it, he answered, “This is Jake.”

  “Hi sweetie, did I wake you?”

  He smiled to himself, “No, Mom. Well, yes, sort of, but it’s okay. I need to get up.” Jake sat up in his bed and stretched.

  “I’m sorry. It’s eleven so I thought you might be up. Long night?”

  “Just the normal stuff. Everything all right?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine. I was just calling because we wanted to plan a family dinner. Do you have time next month to come by? I know you need notice. We were thinking June third. It’s a Sunday.”

  “Umm, it should be fine. I’ll check and let you know if it’s not. A family dinner sounds great. I’m sorry I haven’t called. I’ve just had a lot on my mind with the tour coming up and all.” Jake walked into the kitchen and began making coffee.

  “We understand. You know we support everything you do.”

  “It means more to me than you know, Mom. How’s Dad?”

  “He’s fine. He’s actually been toying with the idea of retiring. I don’t think he will though. He still loves to teach even after all these years.”

  “He’s a good teacher, always has been. I hope you both know that you can stop working any time you want. You know I’ll always take care of everything you need.”

  “Jake, we’ve been through this before. Your father and I are so proud of you, but your money is your money. It’s sweet of you to think of us, but really, we’ve been smart. We’re in fantastic shape!”

  “I know, I know. I just wanted to put it out there anyway.”

  “Well, I won’t keep you. By the way, feel free to bring a date to dinner if you’d like. Anyone special right now?”

  “No, not really. Well, maybe… There’s this one girl, but I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

  Chapter 13

  Madi

  It was Thursday. She hadn’t texted Jake since Tuesday and she was kind of surprised he hadn’t asked her how dinner with her parents went. She didn’t have much to tell him anyway. She and Kendra had listed off all the positive things about working in LA for the summer and touring with Jake. Her parents didn’t say no, they didn’t try to talk her out of it, but they also didn’t say go for it. They weren’t convinced one way or another. Madi’s dad was pretty open, even though he pretended to be overprotective. When it came down to it, he completely trusted Madi’s judgment. He’d said it wasn’t her he questioned, it was Jake. He was older than her and had been all over the world. Madi was still pretty naïve. She was a great judge of character, but no matter what she said she couldn’t get them to be feel good about it. Her father had been quiet most of the time. Madi had left their house questioning her own points. Maybe this was a bad idea.

  Kendra had tried with all her might to be supportive when they came back to the dorms, but even she was disappointed that she hadn’t been able to get an agreement out of Madi’s father. What was she going to do? Maybe it was too late anyway. Jake had probably realized by now that it didn’t go well. He’d probably assumed from her silence that her answer was no. He’d probably already started looking for someone else.

  Madi pouted the rest of the day. In her abnormal psych class, she attributed sociopathic tendencies to herself. She started to consider the ide
a that she might have a depressive side to her personality. After class, she and Kendra walked to the grill in silence, both obviously wondering what to do. Madi decided at the last minute that she wasn’t hungry. Against Kendra’s better judgment, she went back to her room without eating. She opened her book and started making notes for her final next Friday and actually started one of her papers.

  *****

  She woke up to a buzzing noise. She had fallen asleep on her notes and the page was wet from her drool. Nice, she thought. The buzzing stopped, and then started again. She realized it was her phone. She was on duty tonight. She quickly said hello. She said hello two more times before she woke up enough to realize she was getting texts instead of phone calls. She stared at her phone. There were three texts from Jake. Her eyes popped open and she blinked to try to focus.