Diamonds and Dreams Read Free

suggestion.   If your idea concerns me, why didn’t you ever
stop to consider my feelings on the subject before you went rushing to tell Desi about your brainstorm?”
    “Perhaps I
should have spoken to you first,” he admitted.   “Please accept my apology.   It
wasn’t my intention to exclude you, nor did I mean to antagonize you.   The welfare of our program was my sole
purpose for introducing the subject.”
    She looked
directly at him, wanting to be certain that he understood her feelings
clearly.   “My thoughts are that we can present
a fine show without adding sexual undertones.   Besides, the audience can be our toughest critics.   They’d eventually catch on that you and I aren’t really a couple off the air.   Then we’d look like what we’d be—two
phonies.”
    “Maybe
you’re right.   I wouldn’t want to be
exposed as a fake.”
    Switching on
his mic and adjusting his headset, Brant didn’t wait
for Lindsay to introduce him on the air.   Bubbling over with confidence, he appeared as comfortable with the job
as if it were already his and she was no more than a guest on his show.   “Hello, Columbus.   I’m Brant Diamond, part of your new weekend
team.   I hope you’re all enjoying
yourselves because there’s no time like the present to leave your cares behind
while my leading lady, Lindsay, and I help you unwind by listening to your
favorite hits.   Having fun, Lindsay?”
    “Sure,” she
lied, peeved that he appeared to mock her.
    He played a
song and grinned as he turned off his microphone for a few minutes.   “What’s the matter, Lindsay?   You look like you’re ready to pull out
someone’s hair—namely mine.   Is it really
so hard for you to share your job?”
    She gritted
her teeth and pretended that it wasn’t.   “I’ll get used to it.”
    An hour
after they were on the air, Lindsay concluded that her worst fears about Brant
came true—he was good.   Too good.   His eloquence of speech and quick wit marked
him as a true professional and blended to form the hard-to-find traits of a
terrific disc jockey.   This brought mixed
emotions to her since it was imperative that both of them make a good
impression as individuals and also as a team.   However, she secretly hoped that she’d be the best, but now it was
difficult to determine which of them could add the most to the show.
    Through the
clear glass panels that divided the radio room from the outer office area, she
saw Desi waiting outside.   He flashed them the “thumbs up” signal, then
disappeared.
    After the
show, Lindsay stepped out of the broadcasting booth and extended her hand to
Brant.   Strength emanated from his smooth
palm as he shook hands with her.   “Congratulations.   You did a fine
job,” she complimented him.
    “Are you
disappointed that I did?   If I’d been
less dynamic, you could feel more secure about your position here if I
presented no competition, right?”
    “I enjoy a
challenge more than I like giving in to ugly feelings of jealousy.   Envy destroys any kind of relationship.”
    He arched
his eyebrow.   “You impress me.   Surely, I didn’t expect you to act like such
a friendly rival toward me, the person who can steal your job.”
    Lindsay met
his gaze directly.   “You won’t steal
it.   If you become WBKB’s only weekend
disc jockey, you’ll have earned the honor because I don’t intend to let you
gain the position so easily.”
    “So, this is
war?   Only without the
heat?”   He teased her, but there
was a hint of truth to his words.
    “You bet it
is!   May the best host win. ”
    A short time
later, she reached her brown brick, ranch-style house several miles east of
Columbus where office buildings and paved parking lots were replaced by
sweet-smelling meadows and fresh air.   Lindsay sat at a table in her tiny jasmine-colored kitchen that smelled
of spicy dried flower wreaths which hung on the walls and tried in vain to
banish all thoughts of