Page 6 of Rootbound
She picks up after two rings.
“Taitum.”
“Gemma, I am so sorry I missed your calls. I—I was out with my sister today and left my phone at home.” I decide the lie is easier than explaining that I chose to dedicate my attention elsewhere.
“All’s forgiven—that is, assuming you accept the assignment?”
“Oh, ummm. I’m not exactly decided yet. I’m sure it will work out, but I just need to iron out the details.”
I’m met with utter silence. Deeply regretting not going through those voicemails or texts, I decide to gamble… After all, I very much owe my comfortable life to Gemma Nola. I’ve been sent to all of my favorite places at her behest; Scotland, Spain, New Zealand, Switzerland… I’ve seen places that look as if they couldn’t be real, like they should only exist as screensavers. She could have kept her moment of inspiration to herself all those years ago and not chosen to even acknowledge my photograph, or my blog. The poem aside, she had her story inspiration and could’ve ran with it. The books would have been equally successful, I’m sure. I could still be doing all freelance work, or not traveling at all and simply doing family photography.
And, as sad as it is, my job is all that I have at this point. It’s allowed me travel to places beyond my imagination, where I have met fascinating people, and I’ve experiencedan inordinate amount of fun. These experiences are everything I have—they’re what has built me back up to my whole self. Or this version of myself, at least. Having a career that I’m passionate about is the only piece of me that I tended and grew on myown.
Aside from that, this kind of assignment and entity of my job is my favorite—research with a focus on imagery. I’m suddenly gripped with the need to get away, to throw myself into work so that I don’t lose this, too.
Peter the Prime guy and his Pontiac rebuild progress, be damned! He, and the other two (Jose and Ted), might miss me, but they’ll still be here when I get back!
At that very real thought—and the cold-water reality that washes over me with it—I suddenly know what choice I need to make. Unlike almost all the other assignments over the last two years, IknowI need to do this.
“You know what, I’ve got everything covered. I would love to dig into it for you.”
She laughs loudly, a bit harsh and phony, but the one I know as her normal laugh.
“Oh Taitum, I havesucha juicy story brewing and it’s absolutely PARAMOUNT that it revolves around this place. This—this family legacy of a ranch that continues to fight for its own existence. And I know you must think every angle has been seen with that show’s infamy—Lord,that hot extra and all. Anyway, I know you and your keen vision will capture so much more than what has already been exposed to the masses. I need that inside view.”
I feel the blood beginning to rush to my head again, that all-too-familiar sensation that makes it sound like words arecoming from a distance. I instinctively know the place she’s referring to, but decide to hold out hope that I’m wrong.…
“Uh… remind me the name of the place again, Gemma?”
“Logan Range, that marvelous ranch right outside of Sun Valley where they film that show,Dollar Mountain.”
Fuck.
My father’s ranch.
Three
Tait
Imanage half-hearted responses and wrap up the call as quickly as I can, missing every other itinerary detail I’m sure she was attempting to share, but desperately needing to get my bearings.
So. Maybe my confirmation on this particular job was just atadpremature.
Shaking myself out of my stupor, I quickly decide to act.
Gratitude aside, the anxiety over the would-be awkwardness of exploring my stranger-for-a-dad’s ranch is far more potent than my pride. After quickly brainstorming my approach, I decide that I better just go directly to Fletcher to explain why I’ll need to withdraw, and flat-out admit the blunder. I’m sure I could share it with Gemma, but it seems like the more efficient option to come clean to the people who write the checks, first.
Gemma couldn’t have known about my ties to the ranch since she only knows me by my pen name—Tait Leigh. Frankly, Taitum isn’t even my name, I just don’t correct her.Besides, even if she’d known my last name, Logan is common enough.
Starting off in the blog world, being young(er), jaded, and self-important enough to think that my name needed to be catchy to be recognized, I decided a pen name was for me.
Also, my last name at the time was Van Rijckevorsel. So—yeah, there’s that.
Obviously, I will owe them an explanation on my flip-flopping, and since the further I let this go, the more details I’ll have to give. I decide to call Fletcher when it occurs to me that it is, in fact, 12:30A.M.and no one will be in their office until nine. I don’t think it wise to blow up his cell phone at this hour, either.
Panic continues to percolate, though, and I eventually give up any hope of falling back asleep. Instead, I attempt to pick up a book, do some yoga, look online at dog shelters for a dog that my laptop and I both know I won’t end up committing to, and even complete an eleven-step skincare routine that consists of rubbing every sample I have amassed onto my face, before I finally concede to do some reconnaissance.…
Dollar Mountainis the newest hit show to take over the nation. It would’ve been impossible to avoid it being on the fringes of my awareness with the various billboards, memes, and quotable one-liners constantly being shared or talked about—even without having a regularly active social media account. It isthehighest rated television show out there after two seasons. Ava confirmed that it was Logan Range after the first commercial for the pilot featured the samestone barn from our childhood. The barn looks like something that belongs on an old English estate rather than a working cattle ranch, but, slightly behind and perpendicular to that is a sprawling white ranch house with a wraparound porch—all Americana.