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.I’d have to figure out something before Blake arrived or I’d be wearing my baseball cap for the entire shoot."Only because Jill wouldn’t let you plug in your hairdryer!""Since when did you become Ms.Wilderness America? As I recall, you used to like electricity too.""That doesn’t mean I can’t hammer a nail.""Well, I’m sorry if I’m not as good a volunteer as the rest of you.My coming here wasn’t my idea and if I could leave this stupid island right now I would.But I can’t.So just get over it already and tell me what you want for dinner."By the time we finished the meal—ziti arrabiatta with sauce from a jar, canned green beans, and garlic toast—I’d stopped worrying about Brie and her overactive imagination.I had better things to worry about.Like how I was going to survive on the island for three and a half more weeks without getting fired by my boss in L.A.It took most of the night, but I was finally able to access all of my e-mails.I responded to the ones that couldn’t wait and managed to send a few new ones too.The first was to Charlotte.I apologized for the mix-up with CW, and told her how I’d asked my colleague Lindsay to fill in for me while I was out of town and how glad I was that she was able to help.Then I gave Charlotte my sat phone number and told her to call me any time, day or night (the calls always seemed to go straight to voice mail anyway), and if she couldn’t reach me to leave a message and I’d call her as soon as I was able to.I added Charlotte’s agent, Charlotte’s lawyer, Rick, and Lindsay to the cc list and hit send.That ought to get me out of hot water with Rick and piss off Lindsay.A win-win.Next I typed an e-mail to my entire client list letting them know I was in Alaska working on a monumentally important project for the Save the Walrus Foundation.I also told them to contact me if they or anyone they knew were interested in getting involved in this or any other cause.Rick hadn’t signed off on the new practice group yet, but I knew if I could prove to him there was money in it, he would.I’d convinced myself once Blake started promoting the documentary, it would go viral, and new clients would come pouring in.Someone would have to represent them, so why not me?I stopped fantasizing long enough to read the e-mail over again, fix the typos, add Rick’s name to the cc list, and hit send.My last e-mail was directly to Rick.I wrote him an effusive apology stating for the record that he was right, I was wrong, and I was taking steps to make sure something like this never happened again.Then I told him how amazing Wilde Island was (I lied), how much Blake was looking forward to coming (I assumed), how grateful Blake was we could make this happen for him (he better be!), and how I just knew this whole thing was going to turn out great for all of us (I prayed).And at four in the morning I went to bed.And at six Jake crawled into my tent and woke me up."Blake’s on the phone for you.""What?" I answered sleepily.He repeated his statement, louder this time.I didn’t bother getting dressed.I just yanked on my boots and ran up to the cabin in my pajamas, pulling on my coat and scarf on the way."Sorry," Jill said, as I dashed into the office."I lost the signal.""How could you lose the signal?""You know how temperamental these things are," she said, holding the phone out to me."Just call him back."I grabbed the phone and ran back outside.I ignored the drizzle and punched in Blake’s cell number.My call went straight to his voicemail, but I continued to stand outside holding the phone in front of me with the antenna pointing at the sky hoping he would call me back.I waited until the drizzle turned into a downpour before I finally gave up.I found Jill in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove."You want some oatmeal?" she asked.It was warm and I was freezing, so I said yes."How did you even know he was on the phone?" I asked, joining Jake at the table.She looked at me as if I’d lost my mind."He told me who he was when I answered it.""You mean this thing actually rings?" I said, grabbing the phone off the table."Yes, but it’s rare.The antenna has to be locked onto a signal, but you can’t be talking on the phone.It was just dumb luck he happened to call as I was taking it off the charger."That made me feel a little bit better."How did he sound?""To be honest, a little drunk."I smiled.No denying Blake liked to party.She glanced at Jake before she whispered, "Don’t you think it’s a little early in the day for him to be drinking?""Not for him," I said, then quickly added, "he’s not in L.A." so she knew what I meant.I did the math in my head."It’s midnight in Australia so he’s probably out bar hopping."Jill nodded and poured the oatmeal into three bowls.I was surprised Jake ate it so willingly.It looked like gruel, and tasted like paste.I’d take Pop Tarts over oatmeal any day."Do you have any fruit?" I asked, hoping to liven it up.Jill shook her head."Not until the end of the week.""What happens at the end of the week?""That’s when Captain Bailey drops off our supplies."So that’s how the food got here.I’d been wondering.After last night’s meal, we were dangerously low on pasta.I never thought I’d feel this way, but I was actually craving salad, or at least vegetables that didn’t come from a can.After breakfast Jill helped me order the supplies I needed before Blake arrived and told me since I’d done such a great job monitoring the radio the day before, I could do that from now on.I think the truth was she’d heard my argument with Brie (it would’ve been hard for her not to), and despite her insistence that we work it out, she was making an effort to keep us apart.I wasn’t going to object.Now that my only job on the island was monitoring the radio, I no longer needed Hillary to talk to Jill, but I still hadn’t received the script she’d been promising me since before I left L.A.As soon as I could get a signal on the sat phone, I dialed Hillary’s number at the Save the Walrus Foundation, but my call went straight to voicemail, and I couldn’t leave a message because her mailbox was full.I hung up and tried the main number."Oh, Hillary no longer works here," the perky receptionist said."Since when?""A few days ago," the receptionist replied."I just talked to her last week.Don’t you think she would’ve told me if she was planning on leaving?""I’m sorry, what did you say your name was again?"I repeated it twice and even spelled it before I realized I’d lost the connection
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