“All done. I saw you sneak off toward the water and came to make sure you weren’t breaking the rules.”
“I’m not a rulebreaker by nature.”
“That’s too bad. Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.”
“When it comes to me and water, you will find me following all the rules ever.”
“Something happen there?” Roman came to stand by her, not touching, but she could feel the heat of his nearness.
“Nothing that I care to discuss.”
“Listen, I’m sorry if I’m putting you on edge. It’s really not my goal to argue with you or make you uncomfortable. In fact, I’m supposed to make you feel more comfortable so you’re willing to open up to me. I’m not sure why we’re butting heads so much, but I hope you know that you can trust me.”
“That’s a tricky one, though, isn’t it?” Avery turned to look at him once more, little flames of the bonfire reflected in his eyes. “Maybe I can trust you, but you still hold power over me. You can edit this show any way you see fit. You can make me look as fragile or bitchy as you’d like. And I couldn’t blame you for it, because your first loyalty has to be to producing a great show.”
“Is that what you think? Your first loyalty has to be to your job?”
“To your commitments, I’d say, but yes.” Avery dug a toe in the sand, turning back to look out at the pale light of the moon dancing across the ripple of water.
“I admire that characteristic. Not everyone follows their ethics so closely.” Roman rocked back on his heels, pausing before looking at her once more. “How about this? If you trust me, I promise to portray you fairly on the show. If you go hog-wild and dive over the bonfire and start pulling some girl’s hair, well, there isn’t much I’ll be able to do to conceal that from the cameras. But I promise not to edit you unfairly or intentionally misrepresent the meaning behind your words.”
“Do you do that? Is that how you make shows so enticing?”
“I try to stay away from that practice. Mainly because I think, in these situations, there’s already enough drama to keep viewers interested without manufacturing more. Plus, it doesn’t really sit well with me to play with people’s words to the point where they say the sky is blue and I make it seem like they think the sky is red. It feels just a touch too slimy for me.”
“Awww, you do have a heart.” Avery tossed him a smile, softening her words.
“I do, at that. But, if it’s any reassurance to you, I like you, Avery. I’d like to see you stick around, for many reasons.”
“And those would be?” Avery brushed away a strand of hair that blew across her face, and tried to ignore the warmth that rushed through her at his words.
“I think you’re smart, you’re spunky, and you’ll be a palate cleanser after all the other women on the show. For reality television, it’s important that people stand out, have a personality, and aren’t all the same. And from a personal standpoint, I enjoy my conversations with you, and I think you’re interesting to interview. It’s a refreshing change of pace.”
“So I’m a good contrast for all those beautiful women who are dying to be on television?”
“You’re equally if not more beautiful,” Roman said, and Avery was stunned to realize she’d been fishing for compliments. What kind of woman did that make her? Sighing, she went to push her glasses up her nose, then remembered they were back in her room next to the note from Ruby reminding her not to wear them on camera.
“I’m sorry, that was ridiculous of me. I think I was fishing for a compliment.” Avery laughed at herself. “I guess I do feel very much like a fish out of water here. And when I feel uncomfortable, I have a tendency to pick everything apart or be critical of it.”
“I understand; a lot of people do the same. But not all of them would be self-aware enough to acknowledge it and apologize. That’s why I like you, Avery.”
“Thank you, Roman. I appreciate your kindness. I’ll… well, I’ll do my best not to make your life hell. And I promise you won’t find me going into the water.”
“You’ll have to tell me about your water thing at some point.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything that I don’t want to tell you. I may have signed papers, but that doesn’t mean I owe the viewers anything I don’t want to share.”
“Do your best to remember that. Viewers will think they know you and everything about you. Reporters will dig. If there’s something you don’t want found out, I suggest you never reference it here – ever.”
“It’s not that serious,” Avery sighed, then looked over her shoulder as Jolie and Mirra approached. “Hi ladies.”
“Hello, you two. We just came over to bust up your makeout session,” Jolie said, flipping her wild curls over her shoulder.
“What! We weren’t –” Avery sputtered, and Jolie hooted out a laugh, her mini dress shimmering in the moonlight.
“Jolie, stop it. They obviously weren’t making out. We could see them from the party,” Mirra murmured, patting Avery lightly on the arm.
“More’s the pity. There’s nothing like stealing away from a party for a good makeout session.” Jolie shrugged and then narrowed her eyes. “If no sexy fun times, then what are you two talking about?”
“We’re calling a truce,” Avery said, smiling as Roman’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He would learn quickly enough that Avery was a straightforward girl.
“Smart. You’ll want him on your side,” Mirra decided.
“I’m not the enemy here,” Roman declared, his handsome face rippling with annoyance.
“No, you’re not. But you are the one in control, which puts things at a power imbalance,” Jolie said.
“You three are among the most stunning and intelligent women I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting,” Roman said, his eyes landing on Avery again before darting away, leaving a little singe of heat on her skin. “I highly doubt I’m the one in power.”
“He’s good,” Jolie decided.
“Nailed it,” Mirra agreed.
“Strong answer,” Avery said.
Roman threw up his hands. “I’ll leave you three to figure out your world domination,” he said with a smile, and trudged back up the beach.
“I like him,” Mirra said, her blond braids blowing in the breeze.
“So do I. But he isn’t for us.”
“No… that’s for certain.”
“Why not?” Avery asked, genuinely curious. “I think he’d be lucky to get either of you, but still – why wouldn’t you consider him?”
“Oh, I’d snatch him up in an instant; he’s one of the good ones. But no, not for me. I can feel it here,” Jolie said, touching her gut.
“How do you know that’s the right feeling to trust? What if it’s just nerves?” Avery asked, curious about how casually they trusted their instincts.
“Don’t you follow your gut?” Mirra wondered.
“I don’t. Not always. Well, sometimes.” Avery sighed and pinched her nose. “I don’t know. My brain is so active and practical that it constantly questions what I feel in my gut. If I’m not busy talking myself out of something, my sister is busy talking me into something else. And, despite myself, I can get railroaded pretty easily.”
“Really? That surprises me.” Jolie cast a look at her as if to say, I thought I’d judged you better.
“Well, where most people are concerned, I have a really solid backbone. Except my sister – I swear I just bend over backwards for her. I think it’s really because I know she has my best interests at heart and that she loves me. I can’t say that for everyone.”
“I can see where that would lead to some confusion on trusting your inner wisdom. I can help, if you’d like,” Mirra offered, her voice as melodic as the waves that moved closer to their feet.
“Help… what? Help me learn to trust my instincts? How?”
“Well, since we’re your mentors on these challenges and what not, I can help you learn when it’s your gut telling you someth
ing that’s for your own good and when your brain’s telling you something different.”
“Won’t that interfere with filming?”
“Does it matter?” Jolie laughed. “They film so much and cut it all down to one-hour increments. Most of the footage will end up deleted.”
“I hope so,” Avery said and the women laughed.
“You are a very reluctant participant.”
“I feel like that’s been my motto in life lately,” Avery admitted, kicking at the water when a wave inched up the beach and touched her toe.
“Are you going to change that?” Mirra asked, reaching out to squeeze Avery’s hand gently.
“I… you know what? I really should. That’s a horrible thing to be – a reluctant participant. I mean, here I am on this beautiful island, having an experience that most won’t ever get in their lives. Why am I picking it apart? I should embrace this.”
“You should,” Jolie said.
“I should,” Avery agreed.
“You will,” Mirra changed their language gently.
“Even better, Mirra. With your guidance, I will embrace this. Thanks for the pep talk, ladies. I have a lot to think about, but for now I think I’m going to sneak off to bed. I want a clear mind for the morning.”
“Sweet dreams, Avery. We’re excited to watch you bloom,” Mirra called as Avery walked away. Turning, she shot them a wave and smile and forced herself to walk cheerfully through the party, nodding and smiling at everyone before finding her way to her bedroom.
A reluctant participant, Avery thought. What a horrible epitaph that would be.
Chapter 11
“Remember, you’re on camera.”
Avery blinked her eyes open, her head fuzzy from the champagne the night before, and stared at the white planks that lined the ceiling of the room she was in. It took a moment for her brain to register just where exactly she was. Careful to keep the sheet pulled up to her shoulders lest a breast pop out of her loose sleep tank, Avery rolled to her side and looked across the room at Cherylynn.
“Thank you. I probably would have stretched and shown the world all my goods if you hadn’t reminded me,” Avery admitted.
“Don’t I know it, girl. I swear I’d sleep in a sleeping bag with all those cameras watching us if it wasn’t so dang hot here.”
“At least we have air conditioning.”
“That’s a blessing, for sure,” Cherylynn agreed.
“How was the rest of your night?” Avery asked, pushing a tangle of curls out of her face and studying her friend, who didn’t look any worse for wear.
“Honey, where did you disappear off to? I swear we had so much fun, dancing until the middle of the night. Savannah fell over and sloshed red wine all over Mindy’s dress, and they almost had a straight-out cat fight. I thought I’d be wading into the mix and pulling women out by their hair.”
“Huh. Can I say I’m not sorry I missed that?” Avery shifted on the bed. Fighting made her uncomfortable, even though she’d learned over the years how to stand her ground if she needed to. But she found most arguments to be tiresome and unnecessary.
“Sure, but you’ll have to learn to view this stuff as one of two things – it’s either entertainment or it’s knowledge.”
“How so?”
“Well, as the games begin, it’s smart to know who’s not in each other’s good graces.”
“Ah, strategy. I guess it would help if I had any clue who Mindy or Savannah are.”
“Those are details that help in trying to win a game, yes.” Cherylynn shook her blond hair out and laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you the Cliff Notes version over breakfast. Suffice to say, alliances are being formed.”
“But how does that even matter? I mean, doesn’t Beckett vote? What will an alliance do?”
“Remember, for the first two challenges, the group can vote to bring someone back. So you want to make sure people like you, just in case you get voted off. A vote back could be a save for you.”
“Okay, got it. Do you want the bathroom first?”
“If you don’t mind?”
“No problem, go ahead.” Avery wanted time to digest what Cherylynn had just told her. Since she’d arrived on the island, she had been largely resistant to this experience. But with her newfound decision to embrace it all, that would mean learning the rules of the game. She’d always excelled at board games as a child – well, at least those with very precise rules, like Monopoly. Here it would seem the rules were straightforward, and yet the strategy behind it all was much more subtle. Not only would she have to manage the relationships and emotions of the women in the group, but also work to gain Beckett’s admiration. Since Avery had never been particularly good at flirting, she decided to stick to something she could do – managing people. Silently thanking her project manager role at work, Avery smiled when Cherylynn bounded out of the bathroom in her towel.
“I’m sorry I left early last night. I promise I’ll be better today. It was just the whole day of travel catching up with me; sometimes I need a moment to catch my bearings.”
“I understand. I can’t believe they filmed us the first day. They should know we’d all be exhausted from traveling. I think today will be fun though!”
“Did they tell you what was on the agenda?”
“The first challenge is today. They said we’ll be on the beach, so be sure to prepare to be in the sun, sand, and water.”
“Okay. Loads of sunscreen. Let me check my notebook…” Avery pulled the little notebook from the bag by her bed and flipped through until she found an outfit labeled “Beach – Active – not lounging.” Making sure her pajamas were where they were supposed to be on her body, Avery slipped from beneath the cool sheet and went to her dresser, where she’d done her best to arrange her clothes in the outfits Ruby had described. Finding her beach activewear, she pulled out a bright orange and white bikini with a full coverage bottom and a sporty tank-style top. Paired with simple denim cutoffs and a white crochet knit halter tank, it would allow Avery to move about or run, or whatever this challenge held, without feeling like all her bits and pieces were on display to the whole world.
“We need to be down to breakfast in ten minutes,” Cherylynn said from where she was carefully applying her makeup in a little wicker mirror hanging over the dresser.
“Got it,” Avery said. She raced into the bathroom, where she managed a quick shower and shave, brushed her teeth, and spent a good portion of that time applying liberal amounts of her reef-safe sunscreen. Giving it time to soak into her skin, she peered at herself in the mirror. Her hair, a riot of curls around her face, couldn’t be tamed at this point, so she just ran some water on her hands and lightly bounced the curls into shape. She debated whether or not to put on some mascara, but finally decided against makeup. If they were going to be sweating on the beach and wearing sunglasses, what was the point? The last thing she needed was makeup running in her eyes and irritating them.
“You look great! All citrusy and whatnot.” Cherylynn studied her, hands on hips, when Avery emerged from the bathroom.
“Thank you. I didn’t do any makeup; think I’ll be okay?”
Cherylynn gasped and brought her hand to her heart, pretending to struggle to breathe.
“Don’t blaspheme around a Texan, Avery. You know we love our big hair and makeup.”
“I know, but I’m just going to sweat it off anyway.” Avery laughed at Cherylynn’s wide eyes.
“Please tell me you’ve heard of this invention called waterproof mascara.”
“I have. But does it matter if I have sunglasses on?”
“Yes. It matters. It always matters.”
“I guess I’ll just have to sacrifice and see what happens.” Avery found herself laughing as they left the room, Cherylynn glancing back desperately toward her makeup bag.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to just put a touch…”
“No, Cherylynn, I’m fine. We’re going to be late,” Avery
said, dragging her friend down the hallway.
“I just don’t know what to do with myself. Not wearing mascara! I can’t get over it.” Cherylynn shook her head sadly as if to say, ‘You can’t save them all.’
“Well, if I get kicked off, we’ll know why,” Avery teased.
Cherylynn gasped again. “Not yet. You can’t leave me yet. I need you here.”
“Who’s leaving? Are you leaving?” A girl with brunette pigtails and bright blue baby-doll eyes looked at Avery in shock at the base of the stairs.
“Of course I’m not leaving,” Avery quickly assured her before the rumor mill took off. “She’s just having a mild heart attack over the fact that I didn’t put mascara on this morning.”
“You… didn’t…” The woman’s mouth dropped open and she blinked vaguely at Cherylynn.
“That’s what I’m telling her, Mindy. She doesn’t get it.”
Ah, the Mindy of the cat fight the night before, Avery thought, and plastered a bright smile on her face.
“Hi, Mindy. I’m Avery. I’m sorry I missed meeting you last night.”
“That’s okay, it was a ridiculous night anyway. It was just my favorite dress, and you know how awful it is getting red wine out of white.”
“I do,” Avery said, though she wasn’t sure she would threaten to come to blows with someone over it.
“Let’s get some food before all the good stuff is picked over,” Cherylynn said. Then, zeroing in on the buffet table set up on the other side of the expansive main room, she took off.
Avery, who enjoyed food as much as the next person, beelined after her, not wanting to repeat her hangry mood from yesterday. The croissants looked extra flaky and delicious, so she added one to her plate along with a scoop of fruit salad.
“Ewww,” breathed a rail-thin woman next to her. “Carbs.”
“Um, what? What’s wrong with carbs?” Avery asked, but the woman just rolled her eyes and walked away from the food, filling up a cup of coffee from the tray at the end of the table.
“Carbs are the devil,” Cherylynn supplied helpfully.
“Apparently. I guess I’ll just eat mine in shame in the corner.”
A Good Chance (The Siren Island Series Book 3) Page 6