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and towards the elevator. He stopped at a desk and passed Drew a phone.
    “You’d better make that call.”
    Drew started to dial his boss. He dialed slowly. He rarely felt regret, but it filled his body now. Climbing on that roof had been one hellova bad idea.

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    Drew was standing on top of a boatshed, yelling into the microphone. It was a fabulous shot. Behind him Hurricane Hilda roared towards the mainland. The ocean rocked under a black sky. Drew looked handsome and wild.
    “As you can see, it’s already volatile here. But this is nothing compared to what it’ll be like later today. This part of the coast is experiencing king high tides, which will result in massive storm surges when Hilda hits. My advice is to stay indoors and don’t do anything stupid.”
    Suddenly there was a loud crack and the roof fell in. The last word from Drew was a terrified, “Shiiiiit!”
    Mac Robert’s switched the TV off and turned to Jess.
    ‘Ouch, that hurt,” she said. “Excellent shot though. We could use that as a promo for tonight’s news.”
    Mac glared at her. He sat back behind his desk and scratched his head. What to do? “We’ve just lost our guaranteed number one spot,” he said.
    Jess stared at the wall above her boss and pretended to be thinking of a solution. All she could think of was Eva running her claws down Drew’s back. Mac had already updated her on Drew’s surgery. He’d also made it clear that he was furious to be left without his star weatherman. Worst of all, as far as Mac was concerned, it was all Jess’ fault.
    His voice was measured. “Any ideas for a replacement?”
    Jess steadied her voice. “Eva is down there. She’ll fill in for Drew at that end, and we already have Ray Wilson on for the long weekend.”
    “Excellent,” snarled Mac. “That’s three days covered.”
    “Can’t we keep Ray on?”
    “Nope, he’s committed to that program on global dimming. What about John Price? Women like him.”
    “Lobotomized women,” Jess said. “He’s got the presence of a house brick.”
    “Jennifer Kelly’s already on her summer break. So is Delice Robinson.” Mac looked stressed. “Jesus, it’s July. We’re already working without most of our big names.”
    “Bill and Tina are on most of the summer, so we can afford to replace Drew with someone fresh.”
    “We could bring Eva back, She’s got a solid fan base and has proved herself on weekends.”
    Jess gritted her teeth. “I don’t think she’s strong enough. Plus, the stats show the female audience hasn’t really warmed to her.”
    Mac looked amazed. “Really? I’ve always thought she was cute.”
    “You would, you’re male. Besides, cute is for puppies. We need someone special.”
    Mac was worried. “We need a goddamn miracle.”
    They sat quietly, desperately searching for a solution. Mac mindlessly played with the snow globe on his desk. He’d picked it up on a trip to Cairo. He liked shaking it and watching snow fall on the pyramids.
    Jess glanced at her fingernails. She needed a manicure. She thought about Eva. Eva always had perfect nails. She was also the obvious choice to replace Drew, but Jess wouldn’t let that happen. Not now.
    Suddenly a crack of thunder broke the silence and they both jumped.
    “Holy shit,” cried Mac. “Where’d that come from?”
    Jess stood and walked to the window. It was raining. Pouring. Absolutely bucketing down.
    “Did anyone predict that?” asked Mac.
    Jess stared out the window and thought of the beautiful redhead she’d seen this morning. “Yes, actually, someone did.” She turned to Mac, excited. “Mac, I have a brilliant idea.”
    “It’d want to be better than the last one you had.”
    Jess ignored his dig. “We need someone different to replace Drew. Someone who won’t steal Drew’s thunder, but will create a bit of her own.”
    “Her?” Mac asked, warily.
    “Yes, her. There’s this woman … it’s a bit of a gimmick, but I think it