Dandelions on the Road

by Brooke Williams

  But he was happy to learn more about Eva during the drive. Apparently, her father was a factory worker in Guatemala as a teen and had immigrated to the United States with his family. It would be interesting to hear how her father met her mother and what their relationship was like. Brian hoped to ask her another time.

  The group climbed from the vehicles at the Radisson Hotel and Mike led everyone into a small conference room on the ground floor.

  “This is where we’ll be staying tonight,” Mike began. “Since half the day is already gone, we’re going to send a few of you out on a shorter date tonight. Eva will choose three men to accompany her to a local comedy club. Then tomorrow, three of you will go to Adventureland Amusement Park with our bachelorette. That evening, Eva will take the remaining two gentlemen out on a surprise date. I have room keys for all of you. You’re separated into groups of two, except our bachelorette, of course.”

  Because of his host status, Brian had a single room too. He wondered where the men were lodged in relation to Eva.

  “We’ll give Eva a chance to choose three men for tonight’s date, then grab your bags from the van and head to your rooms. Everyone can freshen up and the men chosen for tonight will need to meet us back down here in an hour. Brian?”

  Brian took his cue, stood tall and put on his hosting face. “Welcome to Des Moines, Iowa. This process is fast, but Eva truly believes she can find what she wants in one of you. There will be three dates available on this leg of the journey. We’ll reveal the details to you in due time. But for now, Eva, please select the men for tonight’s comedy club date.”

  Eva glanced in his direction and sighed. “This is so hard. I want to spend time with all of you and it’s tough to make these decisions, but I have to pick Steve for tonight’s date. I don’t think anyone here would enjoy a comedy club as much as he would.”

  Steve leaped into the air and pumped his fist. “Yahoo!”

  Eva chuckled. “I’d also love to have Mitch along on tonight’s excursion.”

  “Why thank you, little lady,” Mitch drawled.

  “And the last man I’d like to invite is…Carlos.”

  “It’d be my pleasure.”

  Mike clapped his hands together. “All right, it’s settled. Go to your rooms and relax a while. Carlos, Steve, Mitch, meet us back here in an hour. Brian, you too.”

  Brian felt his face fall as the group dispersed. Carlos. He had no reason to feel anything toward any of the men, but something about Carlos rubbed him the wrong way.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  STEVE KEPT EVA, Carlos, Mitch and even the crew members laughing all the way to the comedy club. Once inside, Eva took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. The dimly lit room smelled of peanuts, but the atmosphere was somewhat romantic.

  A small stage sat at the front of the room with neon lights behind it and a lone microphone in the center. Tables and chairs were scattered across the room, but the establishment was empty.

  “Tonight, you’ll have the club to yourself. There will be several comics as well as a few other entertainers. Between acts, order some meals, get some drinks and have a good time.” Brian gestured into the room, inviting them in. “I will be around to do interviews on the side.” He glanced at Eva and gave her a wink. She understood his intention. He was there to help her out.

  “Eva, keep in mind there is a dandelion available to hand out on this date if you feel so led. Have a good time, everyone.”

  Eva grabbed Brian’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze on her way by. She and the men chose seats near the front of the club. They chatted and ordered drinks when the waiter appeared.

  The first act was a local comic who told jokes about Iowa and the Midwest in general. Since Eva and the men all lived in the area, they laughed heartily. When the comic stepped down, Eva saw Brian appear at the side of the group and pull Mitch away for an interview.

  The next act was a juggler and the group was amazed at the items the man balanced and threw around, including three chairs from the club.

  The third act was not quite as awesome. “My name’s Jimmy and I tell jokes,” he said by way of introduction. “Do you know what you get when you turn a hot dog inside out? A hallow wiener. Get it?” Jimmy guffawed.

  Eva giggled politely.

  “Do you know what the orange said to the banana at breakfast? Orange you glad you’re not me? This lady likes juice.”

  Steve shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. Eva laughed with him all morning and she knew he could do a better job than the comic on stage.

  “Where’d they find this guy?” she whispered to Steve.

  “Probably Canada,” Steve answered.

  Eva choked and covered her mouth as the comic glared in her direction.

  “I know why the chicken crossed the road.” Jimmy began another joke. “Because he knows how much the people on his side of the road like chicken for dinner.”

  “Enough of this.”

  Eva heard Steve’s mutter, but wasn’t sure what he meant until he leapt to his feet and charged the stage.

  “Hey there, Jimmy is it? Do you mind if I cut in? You see, I’m on a date with this girl. See her down there? Her name’s Eva and I really want to impress her. Do you think I could try a few jokes?”

  “Good luck, man.” The deflated Jimmy shrugged. “It’s harder than it looks.”

  Eva sat up and leaned forward. She didn’t want to miss a minute of Steve’s act.

  “Have you ever played around with the emoticons on your phone?” Steve asked as he grasped the microphone and took charge. Mitch and Carlos nodded. “I got to wondering the other day, what do people use some of those for? I mean, the smiley face, the winking face, the laughing face, those are all great. They give another layer to the whole text-messaging world, right? But I noticed a diamond ring emoticon among the options in my phone. A diamond ring,” Steve paused for dramatic effect. “I promise you, Eva, if I ever propose to you, it will not be via text message.”

  Eva bit her lip and let out a loud laugh.

  “There’s an emoticon that looks like an alien too. You get that one in your inbox and you run, right? The aliens have landed! My text message says the world is coming to an end!” Steve hid behind the microphone and shielded himself.

  Carlos erupted into a fit of laughter. Eva liked to watch the men laugh. She enjoyed having fun and she wanted someone who could let loose.

  “There’s also a whole bunch of hand signals. It looks like sign language or something. Are you telling me it’s politically correct to send text messages in sign language if you have a friend who is hard of hearing? What if I say something wrong? What if I tell a guy I’m in love with his cooking on accident instead of asking him if he wants to grab a bite? Talk about embarrassing!”

  Eva applauded and stood. Mitch whistled using two fingers.

  “Thank you, thank you.” Steve did his signature dramatic bow. “I’ll be here all night, I hope. But I guess that’s up to you now, isn’t it?” He gave Eva a telltale look and she laughed again.

  Steve hopped down from the stage and the dejected Jimmy took the hint and climbed down the stairs on the side.

  “Steve, that was amazing. You’ve missed your calling.” Eva pictured the alien emoticon. If their relationship progressed to text messages to each other, that alien would become an inside joke between them.

  “I don’t want to interrupt, but Steve, could I steal you for an interview?” Brian interjected. Eva wanted to talk to him further as well, but she understood Brian needed to get him on camera while he was pumped from his performance.

  Eva turned to the other men. “Mitch, do you mind stepping away for a moment?”

  “Not at all.” Mitch took her extended hand.

  “We’ll be right back, Carlos.”

  Eva led Mitch to the bar area in the back of the club. “Are you having fun?” she asked.

  “Most fun I’ve had since I won that line dancing competition.”

  “You
line dance…competitively?” she asked.

  “Wouldn’t brag on it if I didn’t.” Mitch jumped from the stool he occupied and gave Eva an example of his skills.

  Eva watched in awe. Mitch wasn’t the type she normally went for, but something about a man in tight jeans and a cowboy hat doing a line dance made her swoon.

  “That’s impressive,” she said once he re-joined her on the stools.

  “I’d be happy to teach you sometime.”

  “I’d like that.” She smiled. Mitch had warm, genuine eyes. As he would probably say…he was good people.

  Eva chatted with Mitch for another ten minutes and then returned to the center of the club. Steve was back and he was on a roll telling Carlos a story. The waiter interrupted and they ordered chicken wings, nachos and a few other appetizers and snacks.

  Next, the group enjoyed the ventriloquist and his puppet. Before the food arrived, Eva wanted to spend a few minutes alone with Carlos. She’d gotten to talk to Steve quite a bit already that day, so it was only fair. Plus, she wanted to be alone with him.

  “Carlos, do you want to go chat?”

  “Of course.” He stood and placed his calloused hand inside her soft palm.

  Eva could have taken him to the bar where she and Mitch chatted, but she wanted to differentiate the conversation so she headed to the back corner of the club where a table sat alone in the shadows. Except for the cameras, they would have privacy there.

  BRIAN WAS GETTING good interviews at the comedy club. Steve was so keyed up from his performance that Brian was fairly certain he’d given the camera an even better show. And Mitch’s southern drawl and cowboy appearance put an extra twist on his unique personality. Both of the men had kind things to say about Eva and Brian couldn’t blame them. She was one of a kind.

  He squinted into the dark club. Eva laughed and her hair shook around her. She had half of it back in a barrette and the ends were slightly wavy and loose around her neck. He wondered if it felt as soft as it looked. He still needed to interview Carlos, but Eva was leading the bachelor to the corner of the club. Brian followed them with his eyes.

  He needed to get closer to judge what was going on between them. If Eva crossed her fingers and wanted out of the situation, he needed to be able to see. He edged around the wall until he was close enough to spot them in the dark corner. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but he saw enough to know she was happy where she was.

  And, unfortunately, she looked all too happy. Brian stared as Carlos and Eva eyed one another and spoke in hushed voices. At one point, Carlos reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Eva’s ear. Brian rolled his eyes when Carlos didn’t remove his hand from her shoulder, but instead placed it around the back of her neck and massaged.

  Brian hoped she wasn’t falling for Carlos’ charm. There was something off about the man. Brian didn’t know what, but he was determined to find out. It was his job to protect her…as the show’s host, of course.

  The food arrived at the group table and Brian hoped Eva and Carlos would notice and end their time together. Instead of glancing back toward the stage, they gazed into each other’s eyes. And, no…wait, yes, Carlos was leaning in.

  “Come on, Eva. Don’t bother with this fool.” Brian muttered, urging her to back away. But both of her hands were in plain view on her lap and none of her fingers were crossed.

  Brian watched their lips meet for one brief moment before turning away. He didn’t need to see this, the cameras were recording it all. If he watched the show once it aired, he’d see the details then. He knew what was happening and that was bad enough.

  “What’s up?”

  Brian jumped when Mike appeared at his shoulder. “Just waiting to get an interview with Carlos.”

  Mike looked over Brian’s shoulder. “Think he’ll kiss and tell?”

  “What?”

  “He’s certainly kissing. Do you think he’ll talk about it? He’s the first, it’d be good to get the low down. You know, what he’s feeling for her…is she a good kisser, that sort of thing.”

  “You can be a real jerk.”

  “Excuse me?” Mike frowned and held his clipboard in mid air.

  “Eva’s a lady. I won’t exploit her on TV.”

  Mike scoffed. “She signed up for it, man. Take a peek, she’s not complaining.”

  Brian glanced behind him. The corner was dark, but it was obvious the couple was enjoying one another in an up close and personal manner. “You’re right. Sorry, Mike. I’ll get the low down.”

  “What’s got your craw anyway, Schaffer? Everything okay?”

  Mike’s feigned interest almost made Brian laugh out loud. He knew the producer well enough to understand his only real concern was for the show and whether or not Brian would do a good job.

  “Everything’s fine.” Brian brushed past him and gave instructions to a camera operator taking a break on the sidelines. He was to grab Carlos when he and Eva headed back to the table. Brian would interview him then. Until that time, he needed a break.

  Brian pushed open the club door and breathed in the fresh night air. Mike was right. Something “had his craw.” What was his problem? He felt protective of Eva, sure. He was being a good host, right? And she was gorgeous so it was only natural that a few feelings were thrown into the mix. He was a man and he appreciated the woman’s beauty.

  Brian pushed his palms against the building’s brick wall and lowered his head. He was attracted to her, but she was more than just a pretty face and he knew it. He’d spent more time with her in the past few days then he had in the year he’d know her and he enjoyed every moment. He was insanely jealous of the bachelors.

  But so what? He could have asked her out dozens of times and he never did. There had to be a reason for that. Plus, he was a professional. He could break past this silly high school crush and do his job. He wasn’t going to let a man like Carlos bring him down.

  Brian dragged his hands down the wall and took another deep breath.

  “Hey, Carlos is ready.” The cameraman addressed him through the open comedy club door.

  “Okay, be right there.” Brian drew in a final gulp of Iowa air. “Hope you have some answers, Carlos. Because I certainly have some questions.”

  Brian stalked into the comedy club and approached the interview area they set up. Carlos waited while Brian situated himself next to the man.

  “Ready?” Brian avoided eye contact at all costs.

  A cell phone rang. It was muffled until Carlos pulled the phone from his pants pocket. He held up a finger, stood and took a few steps away from the cameras.

  Brian narrowed his eyes and strained his ears.

  “Hey baby,” Carlos said into the phone in a low tone. “I’ll be back in a few days.” He paused. “Yeah, you better believe I’ll call you when I get in. You’re my girl, right?”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  ON THE DRIVE back to the hotel, Eva sat next to Carlos with Steve and Mitch directly behind her. Carlos has his hand on top of hers between them in the dark seat. He stroked her fingers with his thumb. Eva listened and laughed along as Steve reenacted his comedy fame and Mitch egged him on, but Carlos was distracting.

  When they arrived at the hotel, Eva stepped out of the van and turned to the three men who had showed her such a good time on the date.

  “Tonight was one of the most fun evenings I’ve ever had, thanks to all of you.” Eva made eye contact with each of them in turn. “As you know, there’s a dandelion to hand out tonight if I choose.” Eva shifted her weight on her feet. “I feel like I made connections with all of you and it wouldn’t be fair to choose one of you over another. I wish I had three dandelions to pass out, to tell you the truth.”

  The men grinned.

  “You should all feel very confident in the time we’ve spent together and I look forward to seeing you again.” Eva stepped toward Mitch and opened her arms.

  “Thanks for a lovely evening, darlin’.” Mitch gave her a tight squeeze.<
br />
  “Looking forward to more lessons.” Eva winked and stepped to the right to hug Steve next. “I’ve never laughed so hard.”

  “I do what I can.” Steve rubbed her back as they embraced.

  Eva took another step and gazed into Carlos’ dark brown eyes. “I really enjoyed our conversation,” she said.

  “Me too.” Carlos replied as he wrapped his arms around her back. Carlos brushed his lips against her cheek as she pulled away. Eva blushed.

  Eva said good night as she entered the hotel and floated to the elevator. She could feel the camera lens on her, but she would be alone soon. She was certain the smile wouldn’t fall from her face for a very long time.

  BRIAN WANTED TO shout to Eva as she pushed the elevator button. She needed to know what he overheard when Carlos took that phone call before his interview, but Mike beckoned and Brian had obligations to meet before he could call it a night.

  “Tomorrow morning they’re going to open Adventureland Park in Altoona early just for us. We’ll have most of the day there, but we need to wrap things up at the park by four so Eva can make it over to the balloon festival in Indianola. I wanted you to have the timeline so you can get what you need interview wise. You’ll be tagging along on both dates so you can work your magic.” Mike ran his finger down a list on his clipboard. “What else,” he muttered. “Oh, your room is right next door to Eva’s. She seems comfortable with you and I wanted you nearby in case any contestant attempts funny business. We didn’t forbid them from visiting her, but cameras need to be present if they do, got it? If you see or hear anything, call one of the crew and then me, okay?”

  Brian nodded at the instructions. He wondered how the men would feel about that. If any of them tried to get extra facetime with Eva, they would hope for it to be alone. Having a camera stalk them moments later would be obvious, but Brian would do his job and follow through as asked. If he heard anything, that is. He would sleep light.

  After good night waves and small talk with the crew, Brian took his leave and pushed the elevator button. The men from the date scattered and the ones left behind were likely in their rooms resting for tomorrow. According to the information he had, those going on the amusement park date in the morning would be awakened in a surprise manner. It would be an interesting way to start the day.