Chapter 15

Evie

The thing I always seem to forget about a Vinaigrettes group chat is that they can go on for a very long time. That"s why it"s best to start them early. Because if you text late in the evening, you"re almost guaranteed to get to bed way past your normal bedtime.

But the chats are always fun, and I"m in LA and I need to remind everyone to tune in and watch my big segment tomorrow.

We"ve already been talking for a while when Amiel brings up an interesting question.

Amiel: So, ladies, I have to ask…The Vinaigrettes. Where on EARTH did that name come from? It"s been driving me crazy not knowing.

Hannah: Over to you, Evie. It"s your story.

Evie: It was the fourth of July weekend a few years ago. I was in college and had just started dating a guy (we went on, like, three dates). He came back with me to Comfort Bay for the fireworks and a party on the beach.

Summer: That guy was a jerk. No offense, Evie.

Evie: None taken. I agree. He was. (Date number four never happened.)

Evie: Anyway, I"d told him how I wanted to wait, and he seemed fine with it.

Evie: Until he had a few too many beers.

Evie: He comes over to me by the bonfire and makes it clear he wants to do stuff. I tell him no. So then, in front of everyone, he yells, "Why do you want to be a vinaigrette for the rest of your life?"

Evie: He meant to say virgin, but he was so hammered, he got his words mixed up.

Evie: It was hilarious, and I started laughing. Hannah, Beth, and Summer came over and joined in, and we"ve claimed it as our secret name ever since.

Amiel: I LOOOOVE that story.

Beth: Me, too. It"s empowering.

Summer: As it should be. It"s our decision to wait, and we should celebrate that.

Beth: Here, here.

Hannah: Don"t suppose it"s come up with you and Fraser yet?

Evie: No. We have been talking a lot but never about that.

Beth: What have you been talking about?

Evie: Everything and nothing. We laugh and have so much fun together. It"s awesome. Fraser"s opening up. It reminds me of how things were back in the day.

Amiel: Back in the day?

Hannah: Fraser used to come over for late-night chats and food and malasadas when Evie was a sophomore in high school. They used to be next-door neighbors.

Amiel: Okay, cool. Thanks for explaining to the newbie. Also, how great are malasadas?

Beth: THE. BEST!

Summer: That"s a minor miracle about Fraser opening up to you again, Evie, given how closed-off he normally is.

Evie: I know, right?

Beth: Let"s circle back to the vinaigrettes issue for a moment—are you nervous about bringing it up?

Evie: A little, yeah. I"m not sure if it"s the right time to mention it.

Hannah: Why not?

Evie: Well, we agreed to keep going with this fake dating thing, which is good.

Hannah: That is good.

Beth: Very good.

Summer: Very, very good.

Amiel: Adding this so I"m not left out: Very, very, very good. smiley face emoji>

I giggle to myself, loving how very, very, very goofy my besties can be.

Evie: But we"re not officially dating, so I"m thinking maybe I should wait and see what happens before I come out with it.

Hannah: Not that there"s anything to feel ashamed or embarrassed about, right, Evie?

Evie: Of course not. It"s not shame or embarrassment, I promise. It"s more that I"m trying not to get too carried away.

Summer: Why not? All the signs are pointing to this having a happily ever after. Right, Beth?

Beth: Oh, totally. You guys have all the hallmarks of a fake dating, best friend"s brother, hockey player romcom. love heart emojis x3>

Evie: I hope so. I"d love a happily ever after with Fraser. It"s just, well, there are a few things standing in our way.

Hannah: Such as?

Evie: He doesn"t want to live in a small town.

Hannah: He said that years ago. He could have changed his mind since then.

Evie: True. He"s away for most of the year.

Summer: Long-distance is manageable. You"re making it work now.

Evie: Also true.

Iblow out a breath and tap out the biggest reason of all, the thing that"s holding me back from getting swept up in how great things are between Fraser and me.

Evie: He left once before. He could do it again.

A few seconds pass before the next message comes through.

Beth: That is a possibility. It"s good to be prepared for the worst.

Hannah: I agree that it"s good to be ready for any outcome. Don"t close yourself off to the possibility of having a future with him based on what happened in the past.

Summer: Exactly. Things are different now. You"ve both grown a lot.

I want to believe what Hannah and Summer are saying, but my heart is battling with my head.

While I know Fraser would never do anything to hurt me intentionally, I still have to be careful and not get involved with someone who doesn"t want the same things I do, like live in a small town or wait until marriage.

Been there, done that—and trust me, it"s no fun.

I blow out a heavy breath, letting my thoughts swirl in my head. After a few moments of wallowing, I decide to lighten the mood a bit.

Evie: At least when we fake break up, I know Fraser will be a gentleman about it.

Summer: Don"t joke like that. It"s not funny.

Hannah: I second that.

Amiel: Third that.

Beth: Fourth that.

Evie: Nice of you all to be ganging up on me.

Hannah: It"s always from a place of love. We just want you guys to work out.

Evie: I do, too.

Believe me, I do, too.

Summer: Hate to say this, ladies, but it"s waaay past my bedtime. I need to get some rest.

Amiel: Same. I need to be up and baking in a few hours.

Beth: Oh, any last-minute clue you want to share with your besties about your segment, Evie?

Evie: Nope. Like I told Fraser, you"ll have to tune in tomorrow to find out!

"Evie, are you sure you want to do this?" Margo"s voice comes through loudly in my earpiece. "It"s not too late to change your mind, hon. We have a backup segment we can use instead."

"Not an option," I whisper back, smoothing down the front of my jumpsuit. "It"s fine. I"m fine."

I am not fine.

I am the thing that"s the complete opposite of fine. Inside.

But outside, I"m doing everything I can to project an image of calmness and strength.

I need to do this.

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. I came across it while brainstorming ideas for segments. In my research, I learned that it focuses on raising awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all areas of community life, as well as highlighting barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face.

This is it.

My big story.

Because I"m going to present it in a way no one would expect—by BASE jumping off a building.

It"s a risk, sure. But the payoff could be big, and I don"t just mean in terms of numbers. I"ve been working on this story for a while now, and it means so much to me. It"s an important message and such a great cause. I hope people tune in.

I know a few people will. The Fast-Talking Four-slash-Five—now that Amiel"s joined us—and Fraser.

I suck in a few deep breaths.

It"s a beautiful morning, the sun is shining, and there"s not a single cloud in the sky. I"m standing on the roof of the Wilshire Grand Center building in downtown LA with a group of four people of varying physical and mental abilities.

What am I trying to achieve?

I want to show viewers that a physical or intellectual disability doesn"t have to be a barrier to living a full life. That people of all abilities can and should have the same access to opportunities as everyone else.

I would love it if there was a way to make that point without resorting to jeopardizing my life, but there isn"t.

If I went down the more traditional, expected path of interviewing a few people or highlighting some local organizations that do great work in this area, who would watch that?

No one. It"s unfortunate but true.

Evie"s lovely but her segments are so boring, we usually leave the room to get ready for the day when she comes on.

That"s a direct quote from a viewer in the last round of testing.

I need to do something, and it needs to be BIG.

And it doesn"t get any bigger than me jumping off the tallest building in LA and potentially plummeting to my death, does it?

But my possible death is beside the point.

The point is, I can turn my numbers around with this story while raising some much-needed awareness.

And I"m doing it without having to rope Fraser into it.

I stand by my decision not to raise the interview idea with him. In all the time we"ve spent together, he hasn"t once said or done anything to indicate he"d be open to it. He"s as anti-press and pro-privacy as he"s always been.

So, no. It"s this. It has to be this.

Since there"s no building tall enough to meet the height requirement in Comfort Bay, I"ve had to come down to LA. A bonus is that my segment will be syndicated throughout the state. Another good thing for numbers.

Who knows, I might even go viral again. So long, Breakup Sneeze Girl, may you come back…never.

"We"ve got five minutes," Margo"s thick Australian accent booms in my head. "I only need one word from you to make the segment switch. Your call."

"Thanks, but I"m all set," I tell her.

There"s no way I"m backing out of this now.

"How are you feeling?" I ask, walking up to Gemma.

She"s in her early twenties. She has an intellectual disability that affects her cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior. I met her at the local day program she attends where she engages in vocational training that"s been tailored to her interests and capabilities.

"Scared. But I"m excited. You?"

"Mainly just the first part."

"You"ll do great."

"Thanks. You will, too."

"Don"t look so petrified," Jared says, approaching me with a sympathetic smile. He"s a thirty-six-year-old veteran who lost his left leg. He was involved with the UCLA research team who developed a prosthetic limb designed for extreme sports.

"I thought I was managing to hide it."

"Just keep breathing."

"I"ll do that," I say. "This is your fourth jump, right?"

"That"s right. You"ll be fine. There"s nothing to worry about."

"Thanks."

I look around the group, inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth, and think about all the additional hurdles they face in their lives. My determination sets, harder than ever. I can do this.

I will do this.

We"re gathered at Spire 73, which, on a normal day, is the tallest open-air bar in America. It"s closed this morning while we do our stunt. I mean story.

Okay, yes, it"s totally a stunt. I know that. But I need a unique angle to hook viewers. Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is a great cause, but I"m competing for attention with wars, sports, politics, and whatever thin sliver of material Miley Cyrus calls a dress and wears to an awards show.

"How ya doing, Evie?" Mason asks with a friendly smile.

He"s the safety coordinator for the company that organized this jump and got all the required permits and clearances needed for jumping off one of the tallest buildings in the country in one of the busiest cities during rush hour. I have no idea how they managed to pull it off.

"Ask me in ten minutes…assuming I"m still alive."

"It"s normal to feel nervous," he says warmly. "Everything has been triple-checked to ensure safety. The equipment is top-notch and designed to keep you secure. The team here is professional and has an excellent safety record. You"re in good hands."

"Thanks. How many times have you recited that speech?"

"About ten thousand."

"Okay. That"s reassuring. I"m assuming everyone has survived?"

He grins. "They have. Hey, listen. Once you"re back on solid ground, I don"t suppose I could bug you for an autograph?"

"You want my autograph?"

He grimaces. "Sorry. I wasn"t clear. I, uh, meant Fraser"s autograph."

"Ah. That makes much more sense."

"It"s just that my niece worships the guy. She"s obsessed with hockey. You should see her. She even scribbles down notes during a game, and then reads them out to us once it"s over."

I can"t help but smile. "Reminds me of someone I know. The autograph will be no problem. I"ll get your details after. And by after, I mean after the jump, not in the afterlife."

"Awesome. Thank you."

He"s about to check on the others when I ask him, "Does your niece play?"

"No. She lives in Starlight Cove." That"s a few towns over from Comfort Bay. "There aren"t any teams for girls in that area."

Of course there aren"t.

"Look. I should check on the others. Keep breathing and try to relax. Once you jump, the exhilaration is unmatched. You"re about to experience something truly amazing."

"Thanks, Mason."

As he attends to the others, I slip away to the edge of the rooftop. The view is spectacular, offering a panoramic vista of the entire Los Angeles basin. The western horizon stretches out to the Pacific Ocean. To the north and east, the peaks of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains offer a stunning contrast to the skyscrapers of Downtown LA. Looking north, the iconic Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory are visible, nestled in the Hollywood Hills.

And looking down.

Whoa. Not a good idea.

I pull back sharply from the ledge, my heart pounding in my throat.

This is really high.

Knowingthat the rooftop is eleven hundred feet above the ground and seeing it from up here are entirely different things.

A cold shiver rattles through my body, but I have to do it.

I need this.

My career needs this.

"Sixty seconds," Margo says, and I walk over to where we"re set up to shoot.

Mark Merril, the anchor, will cross to me from the studio after the short segment I recorded about Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month runs. We"ll chitchat for a bit, and then, without warning, I"ll hurl myself off the building. The others will follow shortly after me. They"re all lined up and in position, spaced safe distances apart from each other across the length of the rooftop. Several drones and a helicopter are circling overhead to capture the aerial shots.

"Ten seconds…"

"You can do it, Evie," I say to myself, gripping my microphone so tight my knuckles turn white.

I close my eyes and picture Fraser watching me from the other side of the country. A surge of warmth spreads inside me. It"s almost as if I can feel him here with me.

"Three, two, and…"

"Good morning, Mark. As you can see, I"ve left Comfort Bay for something a little different this morning. I"m coming to you live from the tallest building in Los Angeles."

"We hear you have a big surprise in store for us," Mark says.

"That"s right, I do." I begin walking, the camera following me. "I"m joined by some of the folks you met in the segment that just aired. And I figured it"s all well and good to talk about everyone having the same access to opportunities, but I wanted to show you that it really is possible."

"I"m only on my second cup of joe, and you"re being very cryptic this morning, Evie."

I smile. "I know I am. But this is a message to everyone watching at home who might be going through something tough in their lives and may be feeling like there"s no easy path forward. I hope what you"re about to see will show you that there really are no limits. If you change how you think about something, you can change your whole life."

And with that little nugget of Insta-worthy life inspo delivered, I stare down the barrel of the camera, do a theatrical mic drop because it"ll look good on TikTok, lift myself onto the ledge of the building, and wave to the camera behind me.

With my nerves buzzing with energy, I step over the edge…and then I"m free-falling.