Second Time Around by Nancy Moser Read Free Book Online Page B

still had the phone in her hand.
    “Sol!” She got him back on the line and vaguely heard him talking to someone else in the background. “Sol!”
    “Whoa, Lane. Take it down a notch. I’m here.”
    Lane watched as the TV showed pandemonium in the auditorium. Some people were standing, some cheering, and some looked appalled. She pitied the two people on stage who were unsuccessfully trying to calm the crowd. “Sorry, Sol, but I… I…”
    Suddenly Lane realized that the chaos in the Time Lottery auditorium was not merely a celebration for the winners, but the public’s reaction to her name being called.
    She let the network announcer’s voice interrupt her thoughts: “We can tell by the audience’s reaction that not everyone is pleased Lane Holloway’s name was called. Already I’m hearing rumblings: How can a woman who has the world in her hands win this chance? How can that be fair? We’ll put a call in to Ms. Holloway and get her reaction.”
    Lane snapped to attention. How could they be so mean? “Sol? I’ll call you later.”
    As soon as she hung up, the phone rang. She tossed it on the couch as if it were poison. The sounds from the television were an affront and she flipped it off, letting the remote keep the phone company.
    She looked around her living room. The colors, the lights seemed more intense than before. Nothing seemed real. It was as if this moment were happening to someone else, as if she were acting in a movie and this was a set and the scene that had just played out was carefully staged.
    She waited for the director to yell, “Cut!”
    But the moment continued. And it scared her to death. She sank onto the couch and wrapped an afghan close.

    Kansas City
    Mac left the stage with Cheryl at his heels. As soon as he was out of the sight line of the audience, he raised his hands and looked heavenward. “Why? Why?”
    Cheryl put a hand on his shoulder and leaned close. “Mac. Shh. It will be fine.”
    He swung toward her, his eyes wild. “It will not be fine!”
    Her glance around them made him aware of other ears. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go in the greenroom so you can collect your thoughts.”
    He nodded and led the way. Once inside, with the door closed, he paced in front of the seating area. “This is a disaster. We can’t have a movie star win.”
    “Why not? If she bought a ticket like everyone else, then she has a right to win.”
    He stopped pacing. “Of course she has a right, but the media is going to go crazy, even more crazy than usual.”
    “Calm down. With your Hollywood Image-Maker background, with all the experience you had pre-Time Lottery, working the media to obtain the results you wanted for your clients… this will be old hat for you.”
    Suddenly, the door opened and Wriggens appeared. Not who they needed to see.
    “Well, Mac,” he said, closing the door. “I’d say congratulations are in order.”
    Mac wasn’t sure if he was serious or not.
    Wriggens crossed the room and took hold of Mac’s upper arms. “You are either the most brilliant man in the world, or the luckiest.” He shook his head incredulously. “Lane Holloway? It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
    Mac stepped back. And away.
    For the first time, Wriggens seemed to notice he wasn’t pleased. “Why the glum face? We have ourselves a movie star! Talk about marketing. And media attention? It’s a gold mine of free publicity. I couldn’t have planned it better myself.”
    Mac had a bad feeling. “John, you didn’t—”
    “No, no. I didn’t rig anything. I wouldn’t do that.”
    And yet, according to his actions during the last lottery, he would take , a bribe. If Mac hadn’t caught him…
    Wriggens suddenly seemed eager to leave. He put his hand on the doorknob. “We don’t have time for your lofty reservations about someone of Lane Holloway’s stature winning the lottery. The fact is, she did. And the other fact is, you have to deal with it. Now. The media is waiting