Chapter 23

© Copyright 2011 by Elizabeth Delayne





“Welcome to the Alamo,” there host Bryson Lee thundered for the camera with his arms spread wide. The two teams stood in a semi circle in the tiny yard in front of the Alamo. It was all theatrics and felt a little more like a production in her grandmother’s small town, than at any professional theatre in Chicago.

Jamie resisted turning around and looking at the back of the resteraunt directly behind her.

San Antonio had built up around the Alamo, almost to the proverbial front door. Behind her was a fast food restaurants, dozens of them on the strip. She stood where she was placed, between Thessa and Cameron, more because of their contrasting height than anything else.

“Each of your teams has an experienced member with today’s task,” Alani added. “You’ll get their help five minutes every hour and you might find they have another interesting use. For the rest of the time, however, you’re on your own.”

“But,” Bryson continued, “it’s all for a good cause. Today we’re assembling your product for different youth organizations around the great state of Texas.”

He waved a hand and the side of a Mac truck lifted up and over, exposing plastic tubs, stacked on on top of the other, blue on one side, black on the other.

“So Cameron and Steve,” Alani offered holding out packets to both teams, “Why don’t you step up and tell find out what’s in store for your team. Give them any advice you can. You have ten minutes ... starting now.”

Jamie watched as Cameron sprinted forward with Steve, listened briefly to whatever Alani and Bryson had to say, then headed over to the truck. He hopped with ease and immediately opened several crates, reached in and pulled out a handful of objects. He looked across at Steve, who had opened another crate. They looked at each other and laughed.

“We should be worried,” Thessa murmured. “That’s Cameron finding it funny.”

Jamie sighed. “I’m worried.”

Cameron ran over to the packets Alani held out, and opened it up as he ran back over to them. He glanced at the papers briefly as the team gathered around him, the camera men circling.

“Bike parts,” he said. “They’ve separated all the pieces and put all the like pieces together.”

“You’ve put together your own bike?” Felcity asked.

“Baby, I’ve built my own bike,” he said with a grin. He handed Tyler the packet. “These are the directions. We have to go in, wait about thirty minutes, then come out and see your progress. We’ll be able to help while we’re out here—and have a little more than five minutes each time. It’s for kids after all.”

“So what’s the goal?”

“Who finishes building all their bikes, with the least parts left over, and can ride them around the place they’ll take us to,” he reached out, took one of the papers he’d handed over to Tyler. “Listen, these are basic. My best advice, I suppose, would be to familiarize yourself with the look of each part before you settle into something. Work in three and twos. You’ll need an extra hand. And ... our extra job is going to be water boys. So if you get stuck, look a little overheated and they’ll send us out. You know that’s what Zeke’s team will do. We’ll only get to do it when we’re in between groups.”

“Groups of what?” Thessa asked.

He held out his arms. “Meet one of two newest Alamo tour guides. I’m about to go get trained in a little history.”

At his grimace, they laughed. Moments later, Cameron and Steve were called in to wait inside the Alamo. The teams were set to run for their supplies, to carry them to their marked places on foam platforms laid out over the grass. They arranged the tubs methodically, openning them to put like parts together. Chains, screws, handles, peddles, horns, and what not.

As Tyler and Thessa ran back for the last two crates, Felicity turned to Jamie. “You should partner with Tyler.”

“What?”

“You guys have a working tandem. Don’t fight against that when it’s in best interest of the group.”

“I agree,” George said. “I’ve put together a few bikes for my girls. Bought them cheap, so it was a necessity. Haven’t built one for scratch though. I’ll take Felicity and Thessa. You go with Tyler. You guys have a way of communicating that makes things go faster.”

“And Tyler knows how to put together a bike?” Jamie asked quizzically. “I certainly don’t.”

“He’s prepared for all kinds of things,” George responded. “You game?”

“I have no problem working with Tyler.”

“Good.”

When Tyler made it back over, they took his crate, opened it, and set it with other parts. When he looked ready to give instructions, Jamie stepped over. “I’ve been assigned to you.”

“Assigned huh?” he asked as George took over with Thessa and Felicity behind them.

“Apparently we have a good working relationship.” She lifted her eyebrows. “Is that a problem?”



He grinned. “Not at all.”

“Then let’s get started.”

George and Felicity had called it right. Tyler had a smooth order to things, knew what to ask for and when. It was almost like the operating room, following the directions of the surgeon, picking up on the flow of a surgery. Some surgeons she loved working with—it just seemed things were easier.

It was the same with Tyler.

She liked watching his hands. She didn’t have a lot of time to do so, but when she did, when she held something for him to tighten, she liked to just watched them. They were strong, calloused, as she had noticed before.

Good hand holding hands, she thought, and wondered how hard it would be to resist now.

Still as capable as they were as a team, it was nice for Cameron to come out, take over, give advice as he worked their bike to make it better. As he went over to George, Jamie sighed.

“I hope you got that,” she said, feeling like she had just been given a crash course in engineering.

“Trust me,” he said.

She looked up, surprised at the depth of his voice. There was more there, she realized, a hidden message, a depth of meaning. She smiled and mean it. “I’m trying.”

“Good.”

* * *

Tyler leaned back in the RV as it pulled away from the Alamo. They’d won by a bike and a half. They still had to stop, film them riding their bikes, prove their worth, but they’d already tested them all out.

Cameron of course, would have to bust a few dangerous moves on a few of them, but that was part of the excitement of the show. They’d put together close to thirty bikes, had worked all day, for clips that would probably amount to less that thirty minutes of a television show. Now they would deliver the bikes to where ever it had been arranged. Dallas was one of the stops, he’d learned from Jessica. The teams were splitting up. Zeke was heading toward Houston and Corpus Christi.

The further away the better.

Cameron had called Zeke’s action right. The other team had a few overheated moments at first to get Steve out there more often, bringing out water for whatever team member had needed it. That might have cost them the victory.

But Tyler liked to think they’d won simply because of his team. Because they worked together so well.

Because he and Jamie did have a an ease and a flow to their work.

He looked across at the other sofa where she had dropped off to sleep, already stretched out on the cushions. She’d worked tiresly, her concentration on the project between them literally surgical. He’d gotten a clue as to how good a nurse she was in the OR.

For just a few moments he let himself look. Allowed himself the moment to simply look at her. Meeting for coffee—he called it a date, even if she didn’t—had been ... peaceful, easy going, simple. They’d talked in the way that had just always been between them. Even when they weren’t talking at all. They could just ... be.

So he had the vote of his team, he thought. And it only made him smile as he leaned back himself and slipped off into sleep.


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