Karen Kingsbury - Fifteen Minutes

His eyes were open now.

One way or another he was headed back home to start rebuilding what he’d lost. He walked slowly down the hallway, and as he struggled to grasp which way was up, he remembered something. Chandra was praying for him. Chandra and his parents and his siblings, the kids back home at church. Even Reese. Reese, who would leave for London tomorrow. She was praying because that’s the sort of girl she was. No matter how he’d hurt her, she would pray for him. And with all those prayers, he could hope for only one thing.

That his trip back home might come sooner than any of them expected.

THE EPISODE WAS mercifully over. Reese felt like she could breathe for the first time in an hour.

Grandpa Dan turned off the TV. “I don’t recognize him.” He leaned on his cane and looked at Reese. “I have no words.”

None of them did. “It’s okay.” Reese couldn’t think of anything else to say. “It was my choice to be here tonight.”

She had to watch the show with them this one last time. Her flight to London was scheduled to leave tomorrow night. Once she landed, she would stay in an apartment at the horse facility and spend a few weeks getting to know the instructors and students. Then she’d begin teaching. In her spare time she would tour the city and get familiar with the underground. Her life ahead gave her hope in the darkest hours. God wasn’t finished with her.

But she couldn’t leave life here without this night. All day she had prayed for God to show her if she was wrong. If leaving Zack wasn’t part of the Lord’s plans, then she needed to know now. Before her plane took off. She imagined Zack singing something with a faith message and admitting to America that he’d made mistakes leading up to this point. She even wondered if maybe he would talk about missing her and his home back in Kentucky.

Instead . . . well, instead Zack’s performances had only shredded what was left of her heart. The guy singing on the TV screen wasn’t remotely like the one she’d kissed good-bye three months ago. He acted different and looked different and dressed different. And when he and Zoey sang their love song, Zack’s dad nearly turned off the TV in the middle of the performance.

Reese’s shock had held off her tears. But now she could feel the dam in her heart breaking. She needed to leave, needed to get home and finish packing. So she could cry in private. She stood. “I need to go.”

“I’m sorry.” Dara came to her and the two hugged. “Please . . . keep praying for him.” She looked deep into Reese’s eyes. “This isn’t him. You know that.”

Reese nodded. Of course it wasn’t him. The fame, the overnight success, had done to Zack what it did to nearly everyone in his position. It had changed him. No matter what promises Zack had made back at the beginning. She smiled at Zack’s mother. “I’ll miss you.” Tears stung her eyes. She wanted one thing—to feel the plane lifting off the ground, taking her to a new life far from this one.

Reese hugged Zack’s dad and Duke and AJ. The girl was sick again. She struggled to make it down the stairs, let alone to the stable. “You get better, okay?”

“Okay.” AJ took a step back. “We’ll go riding again when you get back.”

“We will.” This was the hardest part. Reese never imagined she’d say good-bye to these people. They were like her own family. “I’ll see you next year.”

AJ nodded and moved across the room to her mom. The two of them held on to each other, the sadness like a wave pulling them under the surface of all that once was.

Reese said good-bye to Grandpa Dan last. Here was the man who had promised Grandma Lucy that he’d take care of her. The man who had prayed for her and been certain when Zack brought her home that God had meant them for each other. Not anymore. He took her in his arms and held her the way her own father might. When they drew back, Reese saw tears on his cheeks. “I’ll pray for you. Every day.” His voice was scratchy beneath the obvious weight of his sorrow. “I promised your grandmother, and I’ll keep my promise.” He kissed her forehead. “God has good plans for you, Reese. Go find your life.” He stopped, gathering his composure. “Don’t forget us.”

She could hardly see through her own tears. “I won’t.” Once more she hugged him, and then she picked up her purse and said a final good-bye. She left without looking back. Zack Dylan and his world were behind her now. Every step put distance between them, the sort of distance she needed if she were going to find a new life apart from him. Her heart ached, because this wasn’t what she had wanted. She was leaving, but she still missed him. She climbed into her car and covered her face with her hands. The tears washed over her, tears for her shattered dreams and tears for the guy she loved. The one who no longer existed. Only one thought brought her comfort as she dried her face and started her car.

Tomorrow night at this time she would be boarding a plane to London.

The one o’clock meeting was for brass only. Samuel Meier kept the details hushed and invited only Gaines and the three judges. Chandra arrived at the same time as Kelly, and they swapped a look. Whatever was going on, it was serious. Only Samuel remained standing as they took seats around a small table.

Without any fanfare, the producer got started. “As you know, the ratings this season have been the best yet.” He had a number of documents in front of him and he sorted through them now. “Our ad rates have nearly doubled and everyone at the network is thrilled. We all know the reason—Zack Dylan and Zoey Davis have the talent and they give viewers a story they can’t resist.” He sighed. “We counted on both of them making it to the final. We were sure about it.” He stopped and stared at them, the lines on his face deeper than before. “Until last night.”

Chandra felt something strange in her heart, adrenaline maybe, or something almost divine. She held her breath while Samuel struggled with whatever he needed to say.

“Don’t tell me he got kicked off.” Cullen leaned his forearms on the table. “That’s insane. It was his best night.”

Samuel nodded, his lips locked in a frown. “I asked the accounting firm to do an audit. The results were the same. He’ll go tonight.”

Heaviness hung over the table. Chandra stared at her hands, trying to contain her joy. Zack had been kicked off? The idea was outlandish, impossible. But the truth remained. She had prayed for Zack, that he would make it out alive. And America had voted him off.

Kelly had to feel the same way—happy about this latest development. Not for the show but for Zack. Cullen was going on about how there had to be a mistake. “America will turn off their TV sets for good if the bloke gets kicked off.”

“Which is why”—Samuel dropped to his chair, picked up a small stack of papers, and handed them out—“this is our newest policy. Other shows do it. But tonight will be the first time it’s been done on Fifteen Minutes .”

“Ahhh, a judges’ save.” Cullen relaxed into his chair. “Perfect. I love it.”

“Yes.” Samuel smiled, fully in control. “We need Zack on this show. Ideally it’s him and Zoey Davis in the final. We could ride those ratings for another three seasons.”

Chandra couldn’t believe it. Why have a voting system if it came down to this sort of manipulation? “So we’ll vote tonight, is that how it’ll work?”

“Yes.” Samuel leveled his gaze at her, his eyes intense. The unspoken message was crystal-clear. “All of us are shocked about this. Cullen will lead with the announcement of a save. Zack will sing for his life. Then we’ll break for a commercial and the three of you will vote to keep him.” He shifted his attention to Kelly. “We’ll come back from the break and you’ll tell America the good news—Zack is safe for one more week.”