скачать книгу бесплатно
“Whether the task seems trivial or not doesn’t seem to matter. Pushing a peanut down the Sixteenth Street Mall with my nose raised $612,000 for medical research. Stadium-sitting raised nearly eight hundred thousand. Parachuting onto the pitcher’s mound made a couple of hundred thousand for medical bills for a leukemia patient. We can’t begin to underestimate the generosity of our community. I’m sure this will light a fire for giving.”
Nikki managed to subdue her shock at the total of Colin’s efforts, though she instinctively glanced in his direction.
The director of publicity interjected more astounding and unbelievable facts. “Colin’s stunts raised nearly two million dollars in the aggregate. It may not make any sense to all of us, but that isn’t the point. We need something to garner more attention for the newspaper and the radio station while raising money for those in need. We should set an example for the community to follow.”
Nikki’s attention wandered to the man across from her. Colin didn’t even have the decency to argue the embellishment. How could anyone have raised that much money if there wasn’t something in it for him?
“I believe Colin can help us meet that goal, as well as raise money for the homeless shelter at the same time.”
Something in the conversation finally provoked a reaction from Colin. His dark brows furrowed, accentuating his receding hairline. “Homeless shelter?”
“Yes, Good Sam Shelter. Didn’t I tell you that?”
Leaning his elbows on the mahogany table, Colin matched fingertips on both hands and shrugged slightly. “I’m sure you did. I must have missed the details, I guess.” He seemed irritated by the information.
“That isn’t a problem, is it?” Nikki asked, to the surprise of everyone there, including herself. The words were out of her mouth before she realized it.
Colin’s tan looked considerably paler than it had ten minutes ago. Despite the odd expression, he shook his head. “No. I can’t think of a more worthy cause.”
Nikki determined then and there that she was going to find out the truth behind Colin’s reaction.
Chapter Two
Colin couldn’t help but wonder if his past had finally caught up with the media. He wanted out.
Out of the room and out of this commitment. Now, before Miss I-Know-You-Have-a-Secret Post plastered her suspicions across the front page of the paper. He inhaled slowly, carefully freezing his face in a confident smile.
She hadn’t actually rolled her eyes at the ideas posed during the discussion, but she had yawned more than once. Still, her smile seemed to brighten with his slip of the tongue. Maybe it was her eyes. Did eyes smile and taunt, like heartless children making fun of little boys when their lives fell apart?
Don’t be ridiculous, Colin. She’s just an intern, not a reporter.
Nothing had stopped him from helping others before. No one had ever questioned why he’d agreed to participate in any of the previous fund-raisers. He glanced back at Miss Post, feeling like her next meal. She had barely taken her eyes off him the entire meeting.
Journalists need to get a life of their own, he thought. Suddenly he had braces again and Molly with the big brown eyes and curly blond pigtails was staring at him, and he had the strongest urge to make a face, just like he had in fifth grade, when he decided girls were the worst invention God had ever made.
He looked back at Nicole, realizing how innocently right his thinking had been. God had created Eve as a helpmate, but she’d turned out to be a temptress, responsible for Adam’s fall. How many times would it take before he learned—beauty is only skin-deep?
When would the Lord introduce him to a woman whose heart led her life? One who didn’t care if he ended up in a homeless shelter, as long as they were together. Not that he ever planned to let his life get so far out of control, but still, every day the unexpected happened to those who least expected it. Did such a woman even exist?
Colin smiled and waited for Nicole to glance his way again. It was the closest he could manage to making faces. Especially at this woman. Her broken-down car and a little grime did little to disguise her graceful poise and flippant attitude. He could feel his expression moving toward an unflattering scowl when Colin heard his name.
“Personally, I don’t think we should take time for a contest to choose the events for a stunt. If the shelter is overcrowded now, surely we can come up with something Colin is willing to do. What if Colin walks across the state?” Mrs. Franklin asked in her shaky voice.
“Every organization sponsors walks.” Chapman’s smile disappeared as he leaned back in the leather chair and tossed out other stunt ideas, none of which impressed Colin.
“Pocketbooks are a lot thinner these days. And face it, Colin, the public expects more from you. The more outrageous the better.”
“I agree, but I’m not pushing a peanut across the state. If we only do a ten mile walk, the event will be out of the public’s mind in a matter of an hour or two,” Colin said adamantly. “The focus of this should be on the needs of the homeless. Many of them live in their cars, or sell them for money to put food on the table forcing them to take alternative methods of transportation. I like the border-to-border idea.”
Mr. Chapman’s assistant handed the publisher and each board member a packet on homeless families, suggesting everyone take time to peruse the statistics and send Mr. Chapman ideas. Colin felt memories return as he glanced at the pictures in the brochure. He felt perspiration on his forehead.
“Do you really think this is a good time for this?” Colin asked.
Ellis rubbed his hand over his clean-shaven chin. “Trust me,” Ellis said with emphasis, “this issue is a magnet right now. Anything you do in the name of this proposed shelter will draw attention.”
More ideas crossed the table before the meeting officially closed. Colin and Mr. Chapman walked back toward his office. “I’m sure we can come up with something creative,” Chapman stated.
Colin paused at the assistant’s desk, expecting to schedule another meeting. “This promotion is a great idea, and I’m glad to be part of it.” Colin could feel God’s hand taking control of the project even as they spoke. Even in the crevices of his memories, going through with this didn’t seem quite as frightening as it had an hour ago with Nicole Post staring him down like a head-hunting pitcher.
Chapman motioned Colin to his office. “Unless you have someplace else to be, why don’t we continue the discussion now?”
“Now is fine,” Colin said, knowing better than to tell his boss no. Unless he were meeting with the President of the United States, nothing had better be more important than hearing what his boss had to say.
“Let’s consider how to go about this. As you said, homeless people often sell everything, even their cars, to get by. What if you don’t use any motorized vehicle during the journey? What if you make the trip on a pogo stick, or a scooter?” Ellis jotted notes, then shook his head. “Wait. Are those the contraptions with those obnoxiously loud motors?”
“I believe so,” Colin said.
“That’s out then.” He scribbled a note, then looked at Colin again.
He could almost see Ellis’s brain working to come up with a preposterous mode of transportation to keep public interest. “I may as well get my neighbor’s son’s tricycle to make the trip.”
Mr. Chapman’s eyes lit. “Now you’re thinking!”
“I beg your pardon, Mr. Chapman. I was joking.”
“Call me Ellis. And I’m not. Look at the attention you’d get if every day of the journey you use a different mode of transportation. One day a nonmotorized scooter—I bought one of those for each of my grandchildren one Christmas.” He laughed, obviously recalling something about the holiday.
“My sister broke her wrist using hers.”
“Maybe we should reconsider. We don’t want any injuries.”
“I don’t think we have anything to worry about. She won’t be joining us, and I had no problem with mine.”
“Good. Another day you could take roller skates. We need something to really catch the eye.”
Colin scratched his chin. Ellis had a point. “I’m not trying to be difficult, but are we talking from the east to west borders of the state? I’m game for a few different methods of getting there, to a limit, but I don’t think anything except bicycles are allowed on I-70 through the majority of the mountains.”
“We’ll have to work with the Department of Transportation on that.” He pressed his intercom and asked his secretary to connect him with someone in that government agency. A few minutes later he finished a discussion with the man and turned back to Colin. “Colorado Department of Transportation won’t even consider it on I-70, but they felt we could work something out going south to north. Not all of it could be on the interstate, but there are several sections where foot traffic and bicycles are allowed. If we contact this guy once we have a plan, he’ll push the permission through.”
Colin was impressed. They discussed the personnel needs for the project, how quickly they could pull it all together, and how soon to start publicizing. A lightbulb flashed on. “How about naming it the ‘Back on Track Relay’?”
“Relay? Oh, I see, not a relay where the people change with each leg, but one where the ‘event’ itself would change. I love it!” Mr. Chapman slapped Colin on the back.
“I think this is going to be my best moneymaker yet,” Colin enthused.
“Why don’t we guarantee it? How about if I double the pledges if you finish the trip without any motorized vehicle in a week?”
Double? He held out his right hand. “Deal.”
“Not so quickly. We need to iron out a few more details.”
Colin pulled his hand slowly to his body. “Such as?”
“I’d like my own crew, from the paper, to report every step of the way.”
A watchdog, Colin thought. That shouldn’t have surprised him, either, but it did irritate him. He felt certain God would provide for this project, he couldn’t start doubting His plan already. “Don’t forget, we do have some issues to iron out with the Department of Transportation, and I’m sure that the larger the procession the more problems we’re going to run into getting clearance,” Colin said.
“I’ll keep it small. One or two people, max,” Ellis said with a smile. “In the meantime, you’d better start training again. Who knows how long it will take CDOT to approve the highway permissions. I know they’ll move as fast as they can, but we need to be ready when it comes through. And, as you know, it would be wise for you to spend some time at the shelter to get to know the full scope of the project.” Ellis walked around his desk and offered a hand.
Colin stood, sensing their meeting was over. “I’ll be sure to make arrangements to do that,” he said, confident that he wouldn’t learn anything about the situation that he didn’t already know by heart.
Chapter Three
Pushing a peanut down Denver’s Sixteenth Street Mall was a far cry from walking across the state from New Mexico to Wyoming. Colin wanted to be prepared for anything.
“You’ve been on that cycle for almost an hour now. What’s the scoop?” His bodybuilder buddy eyed Colin suspiciously. “You’re not up to another of your harebrained stunts, are you?”
Colin rubbed the soft stubble on his scalp and laughed. He’d spent two weeks trying to figure out how to break the news to his best friend. Another week and he would find out about it, along with the public, and Colin would never hear the end of it. He may as well get it over with now. “Harebrained—no. Fund-raiser—yes.”
“I thought sitting in fifty-five thousand stadium seats had brought you to your senses,” Jared said, sitting on the stationary cycle next to Colin’s.
“My quads seem to have forgotten about that. And right now isn’t a good time to remind me. I’m already committed to the fund-raiser. It’s not even an option to back out.”
Jared laughed. “Right, like you would if you could. No offense meant, but you never walk if you can run. Never drive if you can ride…”
“Point made already.” He didn’t need to hear a full listing of the childhood pranks they’d pulled, not to mention the publicity stunts he was so well-known for. God hadn’t wired him to sit still, especially when there was something to be done.
Jared crossed his arms over his chest and groaned. “Seriously, Colin. I haven’t seen you here in a long time. You don’t want to overdo it.”
“I play roller hockey every week with no problems. Don’t worry, I’m feeling great.”
“So, how long do we have to get you ready?”
“I’m not sure. I’d like to wait until the temperatures are out of the hundreds, at least. September would be just about right.”
Jared looked at the readout on the cycle and shrugged. “Not a bad time for someone who hasn’t been to the gym in over a year. And what’s the cause this time?”
Colin hesitated, but knew he had to get ready to face the public with his support. “A new homeless shelter.”
Jared’s eyes opened wide.
“The existing downtown shelter has been over-booked for two years,” Colin said before Jared could expound on his reaction.
“Whose idea was the shelter?”
“Chapman Communications’s board. What could I say? He’s my boss.”
Jared’s almost silent click of the tongue confirmed that he knew Colin had really jumped at the opportunity. “You’re kinda between a rock and a hard place with the boss then, aren’t you? And I don’t suppose you considered…”
Colin ignored his friend’s dubious expression. “I’ll work through it. I’m hoping you’ll come along to keep me going.”
“Keep you going?” Jared said in surprise. “Just how far is it this time?”
He hadn’t added the mileage up completely, he hated to admit. “We’re still working on permission from the Colorado Department of Transportation, so I don’t have an exact figure yet…”
“The Department of Transportation!” Jared whacked him on the shoulder. “What are you thinking?”
“Suffice it to say, it’s a lot more than ten miles. I estimate roughly three hundred and twenty-five miles, depending on how much we can travel on the interstate and how much we have to take side roads.”
Jared barely let him get the sentence out. “Have you forgotten the reason your baseball career really ended? The one you kept quiet? Asthma is nothing to ignore.”
At least Jared had the decency to lower his voice so there was no chance anyone else could hear. “I haven’t had any recurrences in four years.” Colin looked around the gym when Jared stood, noticing that the patrons were clearing out as the workday started. “The doctor never even confirmed it was an asthma attack. If I wasn’t willing to endanger my life for baseball, you know I wouldn’t risk it for anything else. Look, I’m having no problems.” Colin took a deep breath and forced it out without any problems. “See, I’m cured.”
“Have you totally lost your mind? Your own well-being aside, raising money for a homeless shelter is a touchy issue these days. Haven’t you read all of the letters to the editor lately?”
“Of course I’ve read them. Why do you think I’m doing this? Someone has to do more than complain about the problem. It isn’t going away.”
“This isn’t like the money you raised for cancer research, Colin,” Jared stated as he handed Colin a water bottle. “Who could argue the nobility of that? Unfortunately, society doesn’t look at the homeless person in the same way as it does a sick person.”
Colin guzzled the water while Jared spouted off his objection to the project. “You don’t have to remind me of that, either. It’s a perfect opportunity to educate the public. No one is immune to this problem.”
“You aren’t worried that someone will find out that you lived in a shelter? Your dad didn’t handle it well at the time. I doubt he would appreciate you bringing it up again.”
“I don’t relish the idea of revisiting that time, but I explained it to Dad already. He’s hoping it doesn’t have to become public knowledge, either, but he understands it will help others in need, so he’s supporting me in my decision. It was twenty years ago and I was eleven, after all,” Colin said with a shrug. It was the fear of upsetting his family’s lives that worried him, but he knew it would be callous of him to let his past stand in the way of helping those in need. “This is just as important as any other epidemic. More and more families have become victims of the economy. On my first visit to the shelter I met a couple who had gone through the husband’s battle with cancer, only to be evicted from their home when he’d barely been released from the hospital. What kind of a landlord would kick a sick man’s family out?”
“We don’t know what the landlord had been through.”
Colin nodded. “I shouldn’t be so idealistic, I know. But I can’t help feeling sympathy for those families who move from place to place to put a roof over their heads. The public complains about people sleeping in the parks and on the streets, so we’ve come up with a possible solution.”
“How are we supposed to keep up with the growing need? We can’t just keep building more shelters. All around you hear about problems with people abusing the systems that are trying to help them.” Jared grabbed the spray bottle of disinfectant and the terry-cloth towel and wiped down the vacant equipment next to Colin.
“It’s not a perfect system, but we’re trying to help. Even if I can’t stop the injustices, I can’t leave people to sleep in the parks. We have to do something!”
“We?” Jared shook his head then laughed and held up his hands in defeat. “I have yet to figure out what drives you to do these crazy things, but you know I’m not about to miss the fun.”
“Glad to keep you so entertained.” The stationary cycle came to a steep hill setting and Colin stopped talking just long enough to work his muscles through the burn. A comfortable silence encompassed the room, broken only by the soft whirr of the exercise machines. Colin enjoyed today’s workout and wondered why he’d stopped coming. Had it been the injury, or was that simply an excuse? He loved the old warehouse that Jared and Sandra had renovated. The gym overlooked the South Platte River, the city’s largest amusement park and on a clear day he could even enjoy a view of the Rocky Mountains. All that, and the gym wasn’t far from Colin’s loft apartment in the newly fashionable lower downtown, or “LoDo” area. He had no good excuse for not working out more often.
“On a lighter note,” Jared interrupted Colin’s peaceful retreat. “We’re having a Fourth of July barbecue and Sandra is inviting a few friends.” He crossed his formidable arms across his chest and feigned innocence. They both knew his wife was itching to find Colin another girlfriend.
Colin inhaled deeply, preparing for the imposing hill ahead on the simulated bike trail. “I’m busy, but thanks anyway.”
“Busy, or not ready?”
“Both.” Colin knew he shouldn’t hold it against anyone else that his ex-girlfriend had expected him to spend every penny of his savings on an engagement ring. His blood pressure went up every time he thought about it. For that amount he could have furnished his entire loft and had some left for a rainy day. As painful as it was to learn they had different attitudes about what was important in life, Colin was thankful for the incident. Friends and family had warned him about her exclusive tastes and indulgences. It was his own fault that he had chosen to ignore their concern until it was nearly too late.
“It’s been almost a year,” Jared reminded him. “Besides, you-know-who’s not even invited.” Colin had tried for months to convince himself that just because she’d been a friend of Jared and Sandra’s, it didn’t mean all of their friends were the same.
“I certainly hope not,” Colin said, trying not to sound bitter. “She’s moved to where the ‘real’ money is.”
