Jessica Parker was a local celebrity. She spent her mornings on "City Life", a local morning news show she co-hosted with James Rawlings. Women watched the show to learn about the Hollywood updates and men watched to learn about her. She knew that sixty percent of the viewers that tuned in every morning were there to see her in her tight miniskirts and low-cut sweaters. Jessie was almost certain her looks were the only thing keeping her from being replaced by a more knowledgeable journalist.
"What the hell?" Jessie whined as she turned the hot water dial completely on. Why wasn't the water warming up? She sighed angrily and shut it off, turning to the bathroom sink to try the warm water there. When it didn't work, she realized the water heater was out and immediately she slammed her hand down onto the tiled counter in anger. "I pay twelve hundred a month for this hole in the ground?" she complained, glaring at the rose-tinted Whirlpool bath before giving up and going to the shower again to rush through a cold water cleaning.
After dressing and applying her make-up, Jessie went to the kitchen for her usual cup of coffee to discover she had forgotten to buy another bag of beans from Starbucks the night before. She searched through the cupboards, slamming the doors shut when she couldn't find the coffee grounds she'd had in there for months before she switched to beans. "What a day!" she shouted, turning to grab her keys and leave without breakfast.
The morning traffic was its usual aggravating experience for Jessie as her fingers gripped the leather steering wheel of her Z3 and her foot slammed on the breaks for the second time already. She glared at the Tahoe in front of her, her teeth clenched with annoyance. Michelle Branch sang through her speakers and she shut her eyes for a moment to regain composure. Just one more block. She could make it.
But, as she flipped her right blinker on, a Neon sped up and cut her off from turning into the parking lot, making her slam on the breaks once again.
"Damn it!" she shouted at the woman behind the wheel. The woman's windows were lowered and she turned back to glare at Jessie while speeding up. Jessie shook her head and turned into the parking lot, zipping around the two corners she had to turn to get to her parking space.
Jim was just getting out of his Trailblazer as she pulled up beside him and turned the ignition off. She opened the door and stepped out, her open-toed heels crunching the gravel beneath her feet. Jim walked around her car to meet her as she stood up and slammed the door.
"Rough morning?" he asked her, amusement playing at the corners of his mouth. Jessie rolled her eyes and nodded, clicking the lock button her key ring.
"Couldn't be rougher," she whined. Jim leaned to hug her politely and kiss her cheek before they turned to head to the set together.
"I doubt that," he muttered quietly, but kept it from her ears in fear of setting her off again. Since Jessie had been hired to co-host with him after Leah's retirement, he felt like he was stepping on eggshells around her every morning. She seemed delightful to the viewers, but as soon as the cameras were off, she was whining about something again. Every morning was the worst morning for her.
"Which low-life are we going to interview about some non-important junk today?" Jessie asked him as he held the door open for her to step in first. Jim shook his head slowly before following her in and letting the door swing shut behind him.
"Amy Weathers. She was announced dead but revived at the community hospital last summer," Jim told her. He heard her grunt in front of him as he followed her down the hallway to their set.
"Let me guess, she thinks she saw a glimpse of Heaven and wants to tell us what we can expect?" Jessie asked sarcastically.
"No," Jim told her, his voice sharp. "She had been baby-sitting and the toddler she had been watching fell into the canal. She rescued him and saved his life before she was rushed away by the under-current and was found an hour later, her shirt caught on a bridge."
"And we're going to ask her questions about that? What should we say? 'Was the water cold?' Or, maybe we should ask her why she hadn't been keeping an eye on the kid before he fell into the damn canal," Jessie complained before opening the door to the set and walking in, not holding it for Jim. He growled under his breath before following the priss onto the set.
The background of the set was something different every morning. Today, it was a picture of the canal with the old oak bridge in the background. On the set, there were the usual two burgundy over-stuffed chairs for Jessie and himself to sit on, and adjacent to those, was a small white couch with burgundy trimming. There was a table between the chairs and couch with a basket of flowers on them. Jessie was already standing by the refreshment table, a Styrofoam cup of coffee in her hands.
"I've never seen you drink coffee at work," he commented as he made himself a cup, adding two packets of sweetener. She flipped her long blonde ringlets over her shoulder and turned to look at him, her dark black mini-dress hugging her size four frame perfectly.
"I remember why now. This stuff tastes like shit," she complained, slamming the cup on the table and turning away. Jim looked at the spilled coffee from her slamming the cup down and shook his head as he grabbed a napkin and wiped it up. He grabbed another napkin and walked over to her so she could wipe up the hot liquid that had spilled onto her fingers. She cleaned her hand.
"So, why's this day been so rough on you?" he asked, knowing she wouldn't answer. She never did. She had been stuck-up and full of the idea that she was better than everybody else since she was in school, which wasn't anymore than three years ago. Jim had known Jessie as she grew up, being his niece hung around with her in junior high. By the time she reached high school, Jessie had dropped Jim's niece as a friend because she felt she was too good to hang around with someone from the volleyball team. Girls should cheerlead, not play sports, she thought.
"Don't play chatty-Chuck on me," Jessie warned as she turned around and went to the set. One of the make-up artists came over to her and fixed her hair into a flip above her head as she sat in her leather chair, the one furthest from the couch. Jim finished his coffee and joined her, sitting in his spot.
"One minute!" Ray, the producer and director of the show called out as he pointed to a cameraman. Jessie stretched and straightened her posture as Jim set his right ankle on his left knee casually. "And, we're on in five, four, three..."
"Good morning and thank you for watching City Life," Jim started with his usual phrase. "I'm James Rawlings," he said as he looked over at Jessie, her face beautiful with her shining smile. All fake, but beautiful.
"And, I'm Jessica Parker," she said beautifully, her voice the sound of an angel singing. Her beautifully rounded legs were crossed elegantly and her hands rested in her lap. Jim's face had a warm smile as he turned back to the camera and read from the cards.
"We have a great show planned for you this morning with the local news, and another look into Hollywood as we join our old friend Chris with the latest tabloid news," he said with a smile.
