Talking About Booth
Chapter 5

"Change of plans," announced Maggie. "McLean's doing a special run of interviews out of LA." She planted one hip on my desk and swiveled to check my reaction.

"No." A trip to the west coast always involved more than she let on. I signed off on a facial recreation and handed the paperwork back to Angela who stood waiting. "We need this set up within the hour."

Angela sank into the chair opposite me instead. "No problem."

"Within the hour," I emphasized.

"Right." Her gaze flicked to Maggie, to me, then back again.

"Angela." I didn't need an audience.

"Brennan." She didn't budge.

"LA," Maggie repeated. "Some producers have a few ideas to kick around with you." She twisted one of the skulls on my desk. "I've scheduled in a few meetings with them. A TV show would be great exposure for your books. Look at what movies have done for Rowling."

"Who?" I moved the skull out of her reach.

"Author of a series of children's novels," explained Angela. "A film per novel. All wildly successful. She's rich beyond imagination."

"Which is where you need to be," said Maggie. She looked around my office. "Temp, honey, you need a decorator to redo this place. It's too depressing. All these bones."

"Rich for me or rich for you?" I respected my publicist's ambitions but preferred not to let them rule my own. "I'm comfortable with what I've got. And isn't this short notice?"

"LA?" Maggie laughed. "Honey, ratings rule everything on TV. McLean's no different from the rest. He can't do serious work without pandering to the network from time to time. Viewers tune in for the juicy tidbits. Or the gory ones, in your case. If they say LA, then that's where he has to go. Believe me, he's not happy about it." She handed me an envelope. "Same deal as for New York. Two of everything for you and Booth."

I suppressed a sigh. "Maggie..."

"I know, I know." Her hand waved in exaggerated circles. Amber polish this time. "Whether or not he does the interview, it's up to him. But you never know. And while you're there, have fun. You'll have some down time." She glanced at Angela. "She does know how to have fun, right?"

"As in beach and shopping?" Angela's face crinkled in doubt. "Her last vacation involved a mass grave site in a politically unstable country."

Their combined scrutiny made me want to squirm. "Booth's not coming with me," I said instead.

Maggie rose with studied indifference. "Okay, then," she said. "But I made all those restaurant reservations for two. All the in places. Had to call in a lot of favors to get you past the lines. You telling me I did all that for nothing?"

Her departures always left me disoriented.

"Booth's agreed to do an interview with you?" Angela's eyes were bright with curiosity. "Really?"

I busied myself at my computer. "No, he's not." I heard her take Maggie's place on the edge of my desk. "Angela, I need to see that composite in 3D."

"It'll be ready. So he's going with you."

"No."

"But he told me he was." Angela gave me a knowing look.

"That was New York."

"LA, New York. I don't see what difference that'll make. If Booth said he'll go to one, he'll go to the other. Brennan, you've got to pack something sexy."

I made a face. "It's not that kind of a trip. Besides, we travel lots together. What's the big deal about this one?"

"Because," she said with emphasis. "This one's not about dead bodies. It's about live ones." Her grin worried me. "You and Booth, Brennan. That's hot."

"You've been hanging around Hodgins too long."

"He's hot too." She waggled her eyebrows at me. "We did it an hour ago."

I couldn't help laughing. "Thanks for that." I shook my head. "I wish Maggie would stop with the guilt trips."

"Maggie's growing on me," she said.

"I thought you said she was overbearing and too in your face."

Angela tapped the envelope. "She's done something I've never been able to. Get you two together somewhere that doesn't involve murder, mayhem or gore."

"You're a hopeless romantic."

"I admit the romantic part. Come on, Brennan. It's okay to say you're attracted to Booth. I mean, who wouldn't be? He's sexy as hell. Why can't you say that?"

"Because he's my partner."

"You're not FBI."

"Because he's Booth," I heard myself confess. We stared at one another.

A knock came at the doorway. "Am I interrupting something?" I caught the flash of Booth's red tie before I turned back to my computer.

"Oh, no," said Angela, her tone breezy. She stood and looked down at me. "It's okay to have fun, sweetie. Go lie on the beach. Swim in the ocean. Relax. Enjoy." She paused beside Booth on her way out. "She's not FBI, you know."

He watched her go. "What was that about?"

"Nothing." No new messages. "What do you want?"

He dropped into the chair. "Hello to you too, Bones. No coffee this morning?"

"Trying to get some work done."

"Let me guess. Maggie was here."

"Good guess."

"That's why they pay me the big bucks. You going on vacation?" His voice was casual.

"Vacation?"

"You know, Bones. Beach, ocean? Whatever Angela was talking about."

"Oh, that." I hesitated. "The interview's been switched to LA."

"LA?" He blew a breath out between his lips. "Ratings. Must drive McLean nuts."

"You don't have to come."

His eyes narrowed. "I said I would."

"To New York."

"To wherever. I said I would and I will. Besides, this time I get to drive the rental. You owe me."

"What do you mean? If anything, you owe me. You never let me drive."

"Yeah, I do."

"Okay, usually you don't let me drive," I amended.

"You can't think and drive at the same time."

"You do." I didn't know whether to be outraged or amused.

"I posit a situation," he said. "That's different. You, you're the brains of this operation. You do the major thinking."

"And you don't? Never?"

"Bones, you know what I mean."

"No, I don't."

"Stop," he said.

"Stop what?"

"That." He held up a finger to ward off further discussion. "Bones..."

I counted silently and slowly to ten. "Booth, I'm trying to work. Unless there's a reason..."

"There's a body." He stood. "Coming?"

I locked my computer. "Of course, I am. But you knew that. Otherwise, why bother showing up?"

He let me lead the way out. "I'm going to LA with you Bones."

"To do the interview?" Angela's words had left me uncertain.

"Boss says it's a go," he said. "And I've got a few days owing to me."

Angela leaned over the railing as we passed the examination platform. "Don't forget to take a bikini, sweetie."

"It's an interview, Ange," I called back over my shoulder.

"Beach," she yelled as the glass doors slid shut behind us.

"Good advice," Booth said.

"But I hate the beach."

"What are you, the anti-fun patrol?"

"I don't see the point of lying on sand, exposing yourself to harmful radiation and doing absolutely nothing."

"But that is the point, Bones. Doing nothing."

I gave the matter some thought. "I suppose I could catch up on my reading," I said finally as we emerged onto the front steps.

"That's the spirit," he said as he led the way to where he was parked. "A trashy novel, a good mystery, something easy on the brain."

"Actually, I was thinking of a few journal articles I needed to read."

He groaned. "We're going to have to work on your concept of fun."

"I have fun," I protested as we got to his SUV.

He put on his sunglasses. "Bones, I swear to God that one day..."

"You always say that."

"God, Bones. Do you know how irritating you can be?"

"Then why are we still partners?"

He sighed. "Get in the car, Bones."

So I did.