with this idea and went to almost every studio in town with it. Eventually Bravo said yes, but they needed it done quick. Since Roger’s stuck in the Sudan right now on another documentary, I just had to pick up the reins and run with it.”
“I thought I saw Matt Duval in the lobby,” Heath said. “Is he part of this show?”
It took me a moment to place the name, but eventually I remembered that Matt Duval had been the spunky teenager on a popular TV family sitcom back when I was in high school. And if memory served me correctly, tabloid reports had had him in and out of rehab ever since the canceling of that show.
Gopher leaned back in his chair and smiled. “He is,” he said. “Matt and I go way back. We were college roomies at Berkeley. He’s actually doing me a favor by hosting this show. He’s got some real irons in the fire that he’s put on hold just to come out here this weekend.”
Somehow I doubted that, but I kept my thoughts to myself, and eventually our little party broke up and we left the restaurant to head back to the hotel.
Throughout dinner I’d become more and more impressed with Heath, and I discreetly asked him to join us for a cocktail in the lobby area of the hotel. He smiled shyly and trailed after us as we found a couch to settle down on and have a nightcap.
Steven played waiter. “What would everyone like?” he asked, reaching for his wallet, and again I was struck by how much I liked him for always being quick to take care of any company he found himself in—especially Gilley and me.
After he’d gone to the bar to fetch our drinks I turned to Heath and said, “So tell me about yourself.”
“Well,” he began, and I could tell that like many of us legitimate psychics, he was a bit shy. “I was born in New Mexico and raised in Santa Fe. My mom is Native American, and we lived on one of the reservations until I was nine, when she married my stepdad and we moved to one of the nicer suburbs.”
“What was it like living on a reservation?” asked Gilley.
Heath thought for a minute before answering. “It was really awesome and terrible at the same time,” he explained. “Like, I loved learning about my heritage and culture, but it was also very confining. The atmosphere of the reservation was pretty antiestablishment, and none of the leaders wanted us to mix with any of the white kids in the area, so we stuck to ourselves and kept our heads down, and because there weren’t a lot of kids my own age on the reservation it was pretty lonely.
“I think that’s why I developed my skills as a medium. I was starving for people to talk to, and the only people I could find were some of the spirits that walked the land.”
“Who did you end up talking to?” I asked, fascinated by Heath’s history.
“What are we talking about?” Steven interrupted as he came back with our drinks and took a seat next to me.
“Heath was just telling us about how he grew up on an American Indian reservation, and that he used to talk to spirits on the land.”
“Like who?” Steven asked.
“Billy the Kid for one,” he said. “And Kit Carson for another. He was hated by my people, but in actuality I really liked his spirit, if you’ll pardon the pun.”
“That is so cool,” I said with appreciation. “I’m a direct relative of Doc Holliday.”
“No way!” he said.
“Way.” I smiled. “He was my great-great-uncle.”
“That is so awesome!” Heath said.
“My grandfather was the mayor of Valdosta,” Gilley piped in proudly.
Heath nodded, as if he already knew that. “His name was Abner, right?”
Gilley’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow!” he said. “You’re good!”
Heath blushed, then turned to me. “M.J., can I pass along a message for you?”
I felt my heart quicken, and before he even said another word I knew who was likely knocking on Heath’s energy. “Sure,” I said, my voice cracking.
“Your mom has been all over me since we first sat down to dinner,”
“I thought I saw Matt Duval in the lobby,” Heath said. “Is he part of this show?”
It took me a moment to place the name, but eventually I remembered that Matt Duval had been the spunky teenager on a popular TV family sitcom back when I was in high school. And if memory served me correctly, tabloid reports had had him in and out of rehab ever since the canceling of that show.
Gopher leaned back in his chair and smiled. “He is,” he said. “Matt and I go way back. We were college roomies at Berkeley. He’s actually doing me a favor by hosting this show. He’s got some real irons in the fire that he’s put on hold just to come out here this weekend.”
Somehow I doubted that, but I kept my thoughts to myself, and eventually our little party broke up and we left the restaurant to head back to the hotel.
Throughout dinner I’d become more and more impressed with Heath, and I discreetly asked him to join us for a cocktail in the lobby area of the hotel. He smiled shyly and trailed after us as we found a couch to settle down on and have a nightcap.
Steven played waiter. “What would everyone like?” he asked, reaching for his wallet, and again I was struck by how much I liked him for always being quick to take care of any company he found himself in—especially Gilley and me.
After he’d gone to the bar to fetch our drinks I turned to Heath and said, “So tell me about yourself.”
“Well,” he began, and I could tell that like many of us legitimate psychics, he was a bit shy. “I was born in New Mexico and raised in Santa Fe. My mom is Native American, and we lived on one of the reservations until I was nine, when she married my stepdad and we moved to one of the nicer suburbs.”
“What was it like living on a reservation?” asked Gilley.
Heath thought for a minute before answering. “It was really awesome and terrible at the same time,” he explained. “Like, I loved learning about my heritage and culture, but it was also very confining. The atmosphere of the reservation was pretty antiestablishment, and none of the leaders wanted us to mix with any of the white kids in the area, so we stuck to ourselves and kept our heads down, and because there weren’t a lot of kids my own age on the reservation it was pretty lonely.
“I think that’s why I developed my skills as a medium. I was starving for people to talk to, and the only people I could find were some of the spirits that walked the land.”
“Who did you end up talking to?” I asked, fascinated by Heath’s history.
“What are we talking about?” Steven interrupted as he came back with our drinks and took a seat next to me.
“Heath was just telling us about how he grew up on an American Indian reservation, and that he used to talk to spirits on the land.”
“Like who?” Steven asked.
“Billy the Kid for one,” he said. “And Kit Carson for another. He was hated by my people, but in actuality I really liked his spirit, if you’ll pardon the pun.”
“That is so cool,” I said with appreciation. “I’m a direct relative of Doc Holliday.”
“No way!” he said.
“Way.” I smiled. “He was my great-great-uncle.”
“That is so awesome!” Heath said.
“My grandfather was the mayor of Valdosta,” Gilley piped in proudly.
Heath nodded, as if he already knew that. “His name was Abner, right?”
Gilley’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow!” he said. “You’re good!”
Heath blushed, then turned to me. “M.J., can I pass along a message for you?”
I felt my heart quicken, and before he even said another word I knew who was likely knocking on Heath’s energy. “Sure,” I said, my voice cracking.
“Your mom has been all over me since we first sat down to dinner,”
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