Thanks for the support as always!
Chapter Twenty-One:
Calvin was getting her usual double-shot expresso when a man stopped her.
"Gwen Calvin, right?" he said.
"Guilty as charged," she said with a smile.
"My ex-wife called the other night to say that she still cared about me and would report me missing if she ever felt like something was off after seeing your story."
"Thank you," she said.
"I'm not the only one either," he said. "I meet with a couple other guys and they say their exes have said similar things after seeing clips of that special. You did some real good with that piece."
Calvin tried not to cry.
"Thanks," she said. "I've got work to do."
"You also deserve better than that schmo who dumped you," he called out as she left.
Calvin walked to the station and saw Nick.
"How was the AM?" she asked.
"It's a week from Easter," he said. "We were discussing how to answer questions, children have about how the Easter Bunny is connected to Easter."
"Easter is about the miracle of life. Bunnies like to show how much they love each other often by making lots of baby bunnies. A human mommy has to keep a baby in her belly for much longer than a mommy bunny, so the mommy bunny is able to have more babies."
"What about Easter eggs and jelly beans?"
"This is why I'm on in the evening," she said.
Nick stuck his tongue and Calvin laughed.
Elaine followed her into her office.
"The Reid story just cracked the top ten on Youtube," she said. "You have a meeting with network execs at eleven o'clock and a lunch interview with Lila Archer. Here are your messages."
"Thanks, Elaine," she said and sat down.
Quickly, she ripped open the letter from the Mercer Institute.
Hi Gwen,
Thanks for the donuts. It's funny what you miss. I know rainbow sprinkles don't have any actual flavor, but the color spread is appealing. I think the staff liked them too.
I am actually being asked about cases again! A cipher was sent to the team and no one could crack it so they gave it to me. I solved it in five minutes. Another case involved someone staging murders from Sherlock Holmes and they invited me to look at photos and they didn't trigger me. This is all being done clandestinely, so I trust you to keep it between us.
You're writing is more assured. I think you are slowly getting over the shock of losing Chris and now you're moving on to finding what you want in life. I hope we can meet again in the future.
Spencer
He enclosed a picture of himself in khaki shorts and a red t-shirt. Reid was smiling. It would take close examination to the see the scars that were now faded.
It broke her heart to put the letter, and the photo, in the crosscutting shredder.
She sat back in her chair and wondered what the heck she was doing.
…
"You're in love with Spencer Reid," Archer said.
"What?" Calvin choked out as the techs adjusted her microphone.
"Is this thing hot?" she asked anxiously.
"Not for another two minutes."
"I'm infatuated," she said to Archer. "There's a difference."
"Not from the way you kept trying not to smile whenever you said his name on TV."
"Are you a profiler?" she asked jokingly.
"No, but I dated him," she said.
"How does the world not know about that?"
"I was deep in Uganda filming when he went missing," she said. "Otherwise I would have lent my voice to trying to find him. He's a special guy Miss. Calvin."
"I know," she said. "We don't have much time. Your directorial debut is about the life of a child in Uganda. Deep stuff."
"Have you exchanged letters?" she asked. "He's a wonderful writer."
Calvin gulped.
"Be careful with his heart Miss. Calvin," she said. "He deserves nothing but the best."
"So, tell me more about what led your career to this moment Lila," Calvin said.
"I want to start making a difference with my films," she said. "I want people to see me…"
…
As usual, it was late at night when she got home. Archer's words haunted her. She needed a confidante. Her next psychologist appointment wasn't for another month. Calvin decided to dial up her ex-husband.
"Hey, Gwen," Brian Lennox said. "Isn't it a little late on the East Coast?"
He and Calvin dated when they were in their late twenties, when he was a cameraman and she was a field reporter. Married on her thirtieth birthday, they made it last until their mid-thirties. Lennox got tired of her stalling and wanted kids when she wanted a career. He remarried two years later and had a son with a model in California. They remained on good terms over the years and agreed to keep each other's secrets.
"I'm in love with Spencer Reid," she said bluntly. "What the Hell do I do?"
"Does he like you back?"
"The guy has been in a basement for three years, Brian," she said. "He doesn't know how to process romantic feelings."
"How do you know that?" he asked.
"Because I've read books on the subject," she said. "It is easy to misinterpret expressions of kindness after only knowing cruelty."
"But you don't know him," he said.
"We've been exchanging letters," she said. "How would it even work for us? I'm a high-profile news anchor and he's known as a captivity victim. My subjectivity would be questioned. He'd be more in the spotlight than he'd ever want."
"Why don't you ask him? Maybe he isn't as traumatized as you think."
"I don't know, Brian," she said with a sigh.
"I think you do know," he said. "I think you know what you're willing to sacrifice for the relationship to work."
"I wasn't willing to have a kid with you because of my career. Why would I give it up for a guy?"
"Because he's the right guy," Brian said. "Gwen, spell it out for him. Stop hiding behind your career and just write your heart out to him."
"You sound so certain this guy is the right guy for me," she said.
"Have you seen the comments on that photo of the two of you? You are smiling like it is the happiest day of your life and Reid is looking at you like you're the most stunning thing he has seen in a long time. People are shipping you two, Gwen."
Calvin groaned.
"Gwen, this guy won't burn you. I never thought too highly of Chris anyway and you knew that. Everything I've read about Spencer Reid has indicated he's a straight-up great guy. Don't let him get away."
"This kind of romance too bombastic for a Hallmark movie," she said.
"But it's real," he said. "Stop thinking about the logistics and lead with your heart."
"Now you sound like a Hallmark movie," Calvin said.
"Admit your feelings and see how it plays out," he said.
"Okay, okay," she said. "Were you expecting this phone call?"
"In about a week," he said. "I heard you're interviewing Lila Archer about her Uganda film. I think she and Reid dated briefly."
"How did I not know about that?" she asked. "I dug through his life thoroughly over the years."
"I know the reformed paparazzo who caught them kissing in her pool while he was fully-clothed and trying to protect her. An agent ripped his film out to protect Reid."
"Wow," Calvin said.
"Just go for it, Gwen. You know how to handle rejection. He is where he can get guidance. There is nothing to lose."
"Alright. Alright," she said. "I'm digging out stationary now."
"Good and good night Gwen."
"Thanks Brian."
"Anytime Gwen."
She hung up and pulled out note paper. It was time to write like her life, love life at least, depended on it.