by Dover, L. P.
All the other contestants in the room start heading toward the door. Taking a deep breath, I nod and follow Erin and the other women out. The resort lobby is wide open to where you can feel the breeze blowing through. We walk out the back to the pool area and then over to a large courtyard that’s surrounded by twinkling lights in the palm trees and tiki torches in the sand. A stage is in the middle of it all and surrounding it is the camera crew. Off to the side of the stage is a table with all the eggs on it.
“Here we go,” I mumble.
Erin bumps me with her shoulder. “You’ll do great. All you have to do is breathe. Once you meet your match, it’ll be easy sailing from there.”
Yeah, right. There’s a man by the egg table, directing the women to pick up their eggs. I’m at the back of the line, but I watch each woman as they pick theirs up. Some glitter and sparkle, and I have to admit, they are kind of cute. They look like normal Easter eggs, but much larger. I used to love dying and decorating them with my sister when we were younger. By the time I get to the table, there’s only one egg left with my name on a small tag in front of it. I pick it up and it shimmers in the firelight of the tiki torches. The egg is aqua colored with glittery flowers painted all over it. I look over at Erin and she smiles. She knows I love gardens and flowers. She motions for me to turn the egg over and when I do, that’s when I see the small medical pharmacy symbol on the bottom, painted in bright green and blue glitter paint.
Erin winks at me before I’m directed to stand on the stage while holding my egg. She comes down to the stage and says a few things to the show host who I’ve seen on numerous other reality TV shows. His name is Ryan Cruise, a former NFL quarterback who got hurt and turned to television because he definitely has a face for the TV with his devilish smile. By looking at the way the other women are staring at him, I’m starting to think the bachelors should be worried about their matches running off with the former athlete.
All in all, I’m in awe of my sister. She gets to meet all these famous people. Once she’s done talking to Ryan, she waves at all of us and points to the cameras. “You ready, ladies?”
Everyone screams yes, except for me and the woman standing to my right. When she picked up her egg, the name tag in her spot said her name is Makayla. She’s a beautiful woman with dark red hair and bright green eyes. The people in wardrobe put her in a sleek green dress that looks amazing with her skin tone. She tilts her head toward me. “Am I the only one who’s nervous?”
That makes me smile. “No. I’m terrified.”
She snickers. “Good. We should stick together then. I’m Makayla.”
“Allison,” I whisper back. “But you can call me Allie.”
The camera lights flash on and Ryan takes his place in front of them. The time has come. He introduces himself and my cheeks are already hurting from smiling so much. I know the cameras are on us and I don’t want to look like I’m miserable. I feel silly.
When it comes time for me to be introduced, I smile at the camera. The other ladies had such amazing introductions. Several of them have traveled the world, been in movies, know how to speak ten languages, and so forth. All mine is going to be is my name, where I live, what I do for a living, and that my interests are gardening when I have the time. Basically, anything outdoors is what I love to do. There are plenty of other things, but I didn’t want to bore the viewers. I’m pretty sure I will now that my life doesn’t sound as spectacular as all the other women. To my surprise, that’s not the case at all. There’s a mention of how adventurous I am, and how I love bridge and rock jumping. I almost forgot about that time in my life. Seems so long ago. Not that I did crazy things all the time, but I had my moments. In Vermont, I jumped off a covered bridge into the river below. And in Mexico, I jumped off a cliff into the ocean. The only person to know that stuff about me is Erin. I should’ve known she’d hype up my introduction somehow.
Once Ryan’s done with my introduction, he motions for us to leave the stage. It’s time to hide our eggs. All the other ladies take off in the courtyard, searching around for the perfect spot. Makayla waits for me to get off the stage. “Want to be hiding buddies?” she asks.
It’s actually a relief to have someone with me. Maybe then I won’t feel so stupid. Nodding, I stop right beside her. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go.”
We only have fifteen minutes to hide our eggs, so we don’t have much time to converse. There really aren’t many hiding places in the courtyard. All we have are palm trees, several bushes by the walkways, and tons of sand. It was written in the agenda that if we hide our eggs in the sand, we have to mark the spot. The resort doesn’t want their beach all dug up which I fully understand.
Makayla looks over at me and smiles. Out of all the other women, she had an introduction just like mine. She’s an elementary school teacher who loves the mountains and white-water rafting. From what I can tell, she’s down to earth.
“What do you think the guys will be like?” she asks. We continue to look around for good hiding spots, but they’re all getting taken by the others.
I shrug. “No clue. I have a strange feeling I’ll be a huge disappointment to the guy who picks me. I’m not like the other women.” For a second, I forgot about the cameras.
Makayla snickers. “Honestly, same here. I’m no super model like these other women. On the weekends, I like to sit on the couch and binge watch shows on Netflix.”
“Same,” I laugh, loving how easy it is to talk to her. I look down at our eggs and sigh. “Time’s running out, Makayla. We should probably hide our eggs.”
She nods. “Want to help each other?”
I nod back. “Sounds great to me.” We walk around the courtyard and there ends up being a large crack in one of the palm tree trunks. It’s big enough for her to slide her egg in.
“This is perfect,” she says excitedly. She glances down at my egg and scans the courtyard. “We need to find a good spot for you.”
Time is running out. There’s a rock and cactus garden just at the edge of the courtyard with Wanglo flowers intermingled throughout. Their bright yellow petals are even shining in the waning sun. All the other women stayed away from the garden. I guess for fear of getting pricked. I look at Makayla and smile. She shakes her head and laughs. “Seriously? You’re going to make some poor guy reach in with all those thorns?”
“Hey,” I say with a shrug, “someone has to do it. I’m curious to see which guy will go for it.”
I walk over to the rock garden and carefully place my egg as far in between the cactus as I can get. The viewers on TV are either going to love or hate me for that. Honestly, I think it’s awesome. I look over at my sister and she gives me the thumbs up. Maybe it’ll work to my advantage and none of the guys will be brave enough to reach for it.
The time has come for us to leave the courtyard and wait in the meeting room while the men are introduced and find our eggs. This is our chance to see them for the first time. There will be TV monitors in the room for us to watch them. Makayla grips onto my arm as we walk back into the resort.
“I am so nervous,” she says, shivering.
So am I. Once in the meeting room, we sit down in front of the monitors. All of the people who were in the room before are no longer around. It’s just us and a couple of people I recognize from my sister’s work. There’s a table in the corner with drinks and snacks. I’m tempted to grab me something, but I jump when one of the girls squeals so loud it makes my ears hurt.
“Oh my God, there they are!”
Makayla squeezes my arm. “This is it.”
The men line up on the stage just like we did. My nerves have me nauseous and the last thing I need is to throw up when I’m introduced to my bachelor. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slow and stand. Makayla’s eyes go wide. “What are you doing? Are you not going to watch?”
I hold up a hand. “I’ll be right back. I need a ginger ale and some crackers.” And some peace and quiet. The other women act as if they’ve n
ever seen men before. It’s not like they’re going to meet their soulmates. The chances of that are slim to none. Slowly, I drink the ginger ale and let it settle in my stomach along with the peanut butter crackers. I was too nervous to eat earlier and now it’s biting me in the ass.
When I make it back to Makayla, all the men have been introduced. “You missed it,” she says, shaking her head. “Now you’re not going to know who everyone is.”
I laugh. “I’m sure they’re all the same anyway.”
She shakes her head. “Sorry to disappoint you, but no. I’m not going to lie, there’s one guy I hope finds my egg.”
Sitting down beside her, I focus on the screen. The guys are in the courtyard with the cameras following them around. A couple of them have already found eggs and are back on the stage. Most of the guys don’t even pay attention to the rock and cactus garden. They walk by it without a single notice.
I smile and sit back in my chair. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s going to find mine. Maybe that means I’ll be spending this vacation alone.”
And just as I say it, one of the cameras follows a guy who’s headed straight toward the rock garden. I can’t see what the guy looks like, but then he faces the camera and the breath whooshes out of my lungs.
“Oh. My. God.”
Makayla gasps. “What?”
I can’t take my focus off the guy on the TV, the one about to find my egg. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him, but there’s no mistaking that grin of his and those stark gray eyes.
Makayla squeezes my arm. “Allie, what’s wrong? Do you know him?”
With a heavy sigh, I look at him and huff. “Yep. I know him very well.”
“And?” she prods, nudging me with her elbow.
“And he’s an ass,” I reply, hating my life. “Just my damn luck.”
4
Hudson
I’ve battled fires. I’ve competed in obstacles courses. I’ve done the Spartan race. I’ve scaled buildings and rock formations. All done with ease and without fear. But not a single one of those moments has prepared me for this . . . finding a damn Easter egg.
I remember hunts when I was a kid. We’d line up behind a piece of rope, holding our baskets while wearing our Sunday’s best clothing. All the parents would be in front of us, out in the field where the eggs were hidden. The moms with their cameras poised, and dads bent over, clapping their hands in encouragement. Once the rope dropped, it was a free for all. It was really the first competition of my youth where the strongest and fastest kid won. You could body check a kid while running at Mach speed and all you had to do was yell out an apology even though you weren’t sorry. You wanted that golden egg, and nothing was going to stop you. I scooped eggs like it was my job. I was on a mission, crawling around on my hands and knees through the grass. I didn’t care about the thorns from the rose bushes or the bugs that found their way onto my hand.
One year, I found the golden egg. I held it up high, hooting and hollering so everyone could hear me. I even had a victory speech planned. My friends and foes came over, they jumped up and down even though they hadn’t been victorious. I will never forget the moment I took the most sought-after egg to the booth and waited to see what I won. The young woman behind the counter congratulated me, took down all my information, and handed me a brown paper bag not even big enough to hold my lunch in. My friends told me to open it, right then and there. I did, and I cried. All my hard work, strategic planning, and determination yielded a ten-cent rubber ball. I had a bedroom full of them already. That was the last year I participated. From that point forward, I thought egg hunts were stupid. Probably still are, but being in Aruba, surrounded by beautiful women, is giving a whole new meaning to the concept.
This time, I’m guaranteed to be victorious.
Ten of us step onto the stage. We’re dressed in cream colored linen pants, each with a different colored shirt on. We stand in a row, listening to Ryan Cruise, tell us about the game. Of course, we already know the rules because the gopher has drilled everything into our heads.
“Don’t swear.”
“Don’t pick your ass.”
“Don’t grab your crotch.”
“Smile.”
“Never look directly at the camera.”
“Always watch Ryan when he’s talking.”
“Don’t go past the rope.”
“Stay within the yellow boundary.”
“Don’t return to the stage unless you have an egg.”
The list goes on and on. So, I stand here on stage, wishing I could block the bright ass light from shining in my face, all while trying to stare at the former NFL quarterback. You’d think he’d be a big dude, but he’s not. No wonder he had to retire because of injuries.
We’re finally released and the ten of us wander off. One guy immediately goes toward the opposite direction. Clearly, he flunked the listening to directions part of his education. I stuff my hands in my pockets and veer off on one of the paths. If I wasn’t here for a reality show, I’d totally want to take a vacation down here. The ambience is great, and it turns out, I’m a new fan of tiki torches. Although, as a fireman, I find these flames to be a bit high for my liking.
A couple guys brush past me. They’re slightly bent at the waist and it’s almost as if they’re sniffing the ground, looking for prey. I chuckle. They’re taking this game too seriously. Everyone has an egg. Everyone is a winner.
“Yes!” One of the men jumps up and down. He’s holding his yellow egg out like he’s holding the numbers to this week’s lotto drawing. His friend is patting him on the back, forgetting about his own hunt.
I come to the end of the path and spot an egg off to my right. It’s there in a cut-out of the palm tree, plain as day. Too easy. Whoever set it there wants her egg found and that means she’s not the girl for me. I want a woman who likes the challenge, who makes men earn her attention. I look to the left and something blue sparkles amid the yellow flowers. The only problem, if this is an egg, it’s nestled between cactus plants.
“Challenge accepted, sweetheart,” I say aloud as I reach in. My hand is steady, despite the spines scratching my hand. I’m pretty much blind and trying to maintain my crouched position without falling over. Cuts on my hand, I can deal with. My face, not so much.
Finally, my fingers touch the object and move enough to roll it into my palm. Once secured, I stand up and open my hand. The aqua colored egg has flowers painted all over it, with glitter highlighting the petals, and on the bottom there’s a pharmacy symbol. The egg is supposed to tell us about the woman. Obviously, she’s a pharmacist who likes the color blue and loves flowers. But what stands out for me is, she’s adventurous. None of the other things matter because with an island to explore, we’re going to have a blast.
A couple of guys brush past, congratulate me on finding my egg and continue to rush down the path. I don’t bother to tell them there is one in the tree. The object of the game is to hunt and hunt they must.
Back on stage, I stand there, holding my egg. Only a couple guys have returned. We can see others milling around, moving cords and cameras, and Ryan is getting his make-up refreshed while the rest of the contestants return.
Ryan is back in front of the camera, he talks animatedly and recounts our hunt.
“Hudson, how’s your hand?”
I look down at it and smile. “Perfect,” I tell him and the cameras.
He laughs and moves on to the next guy. Ryan goes down the line, asking each of us questions. And then the music changes and its more dramatic. Most would take this as an omen but none of us move.
“Who is ready to meet their match?”
The ten of us clap and smile.
Smile.
Smile.
Smile.
My damn cheeks are starting to hurt.
“In no random order, let’s get started,” Ryan says as he looks at the cards in his hand. One by one, Ryan tells a guy to step forward and then announces the name of the wo
man whose egg he found. We clap.
Another goes.
And then another.
I’m starting wonder if my name is ever going to be called. I was one of the first ones to return, and yet, I’m second to last. Strike that, now I’m last.
“Hudson Bryant, we like to introduce you to Allison, but you can call her Allie Wood.”
I rock back and forth on my feet, waiting for Allie Wood to step out of the shadows. When she does, I’m struck by how perfect she is. There are flowers in her blonde hair and she’s wearing a pink dress that shows off her long legs. She’s not too thin, which I can’t stand, and she’s curvy in the all the right places. I can already picture my hands on her hips while I help her scale a rock formation, can feel her thighs around my head when we play some couples water game in the pool during filming.
“Hey, Allie,” I say as she steps toward me. I hold out her egg, so she knows I’ve found her.
“Did you hurt yourself?” she asks, almost sounding disappointed because she knows I didn’t.
Her question catches me off guard. I smirk. “Totally worth it to meet you.” I can’t be for sure, but I think she rolls her eyes. There’s something familiar about them.
Allie stands next to me and looks straight ahead. Ryan gives us some instructions on what we’re supposed to do but I’m not listening. When the producer yells cut, Allie starts to walk away. I follow, like a lost puppy dog.
“Hey, so, I’m Hudson.”
“Yep, I know.”
Attitude, got it.
Allie and I walk—well I follow her because I wasn’t listening—to where we are supposed to spend some time getting to know each other. She sits down at a picnic table that has our names on it. There are two plates full of food, a bottle of wine, and twinkling lights surrounding our space. She places her napkin on her lap.
“Would you like some wine?” I ask, hoping to strike up some conversation.
She shrugs. “Sure.”
I pour us each a glass and then place my napkin in my lap. Allie won’t look at me and it bothers the hell out of me. I reach across the table and lift her chin, making eye contact with her. It’s a bold move, but I’m not a subtle type of guy. “You have beautiful green eyes,” I tell her.