“Okay, everyone,” Mason takes over. “Let’s go. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Everyone disperses, but Mason hangs back for a minute longer. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he tells me. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. As long as you don’t try to take over, everyone will accept you in time.”
“Thanks.”
He heads into the living room, and I let out a shaky breath. I never planned on taking so much of a leading role anyway.
But I’m going to do whatever I can to make this situation work.
***
Our executive producer remains absent for the rest of the day, which I can’t help notice results in a more relaxed environment. It makes me wonder what it’s normally like. I mean, I’ve watched UnREAL. I’m actually amazed that they’re not even exaggerating—at least where this show is concerned. I have no problem believing that Ariel would offer cash incentives to producers to make contestants cry or push them to the edge of their emotional limits.
But today, without trying too hard, the cameramen get some great footage of the cast bonding over a game of Twister that one of the other producers suggested, and it turns out to be one of the most natural and fun scenes I think I’ve ever seen on the show. We also catch an adorable moment where Tracey and Grant wrap their pinkie fingers together and share a little smile when they both land on right hand red. If we can keep this up, Patrick will have to keep the show on air.
The producers seem happy, and finally include me properly in their discussions. Mason even gives me a secret thumbs-up as we both leave for the day.
Finn arrives home the same time as me. “Hey, we have to stop meeting like this,” he jokes.
“Oh, hey. Yeah, that was good timing. You want to get takeaway tonight? I have a craving for Thai food.”
“Sounds good. I had a crazy day.”
“You and me both.”
I phone up for some Pad Thai and a green curry. I’m thankful Finn isn’t one of those guys who has to prove his masculinity by having all his food volcanically spicy.
I get us both a beer from the fridge and we sit down in the living room to wait for the delivery.
“So how was your day crazy?” I ask.
“Oh, just lots of clients. My wrists are a little sore.”
“Do you like what you do?”
“I do. I love seeing people who are almost unable to walk leave the practice after a couple of months with dramatically increased mobility.”
“How long have you been doing it?”
“Pretty much since I was old enough. I was born in Norway, but moved to Australia after high school. I did my university study here in Sydney and went straight into a practice after I was qualified.”
I stare at him. “How did I not know you were from Norway? You don’t even have an accent.”
“I had an Australian nanny when I was younger, so I suppose she rubbed off on me.”
I laugh. “Wow, Jules was right. It’s almost weird that we’ve been living together for this long and I hardly know anything about you.”
He frowns. “Bloody Jules.”
“Have you spoken to him since the other night?” I ask.
“Yeah. He texted a couple of days ago to apologise.”
“Do you forgive him?”
“I do. He just meddles too much.”
“I know. But his heart is in the right place.” I try to turn the conversation to something else, before he remembers too much about what Jules was trying to do.
“What’s your life like when Emma is here? I’m assuming you’d normally have pretty good work schedules that allow you to spend a lot of time together?”
His face darkens slightly. “Mostly. She does do longer hours than me. As an engineer, she often has to work on bids that result in late nights. Sometimes all-nighters.”
“At least they’re only temporary.”
“I guess. She works too hard, though. I think they take advantage of her.”
“Your trip to Melbourne must be coming up?” I say in one last attempt to get him smiling.
“Yeah. Next Friday. I can’t wait to see her. Two whole weeks! I mean, she’ll be working for part of that time, but she promised to finish early on weekdays if possible, and she might even be able to take both Fridays off while I’m there so we can have a couple of long weekends together.”
“That sounds nice.”
I feel a pang of sadness at not having someone that excited to see me. Especially someone as nice as Finn.
I can see why Jules thinks we’d be a good match. He’s definitely my type, looks-wise. Although, I’m not sure if that’s just because he resembles Jef Holm. But he seems really sweet, and genuine too. I hope Emma isn’t one of those women who plays mind games. Finn deserves better than that.
“When did she move in? I hope you don’t mind me saying, but the décor isn’t very girly.”
He laughs. “Yeah, Emma’s not a very girly girl. I was already renting this place when we met, and she was still living with her parents. She split her time between both places for ages. It was only about six months before she went to Melbourne when she started living here full time. And she never showed any interest in changing anything.”
Hmm. I guess that could be taken two ways. One: she thinks everything is fine as it is. Or two: she doesn’t see their relationship as a long term one.
Lauren, stop that. You don’t know the girl. You can’t guess what she’s thinking.
The doorbell rings. I hurry to answer it and pay for the food. Finn tries to give me some cash.
“No, no. This is my treat. And I just got my first consultancy pay cheque, which is way more than I’ve earnt in a while. You can pay next time.”
He chuckles. “Okay then. More Brooklyn Nine Nine?”
“Sounds great.”
I grab a couple of forks and we sit at the coffee table, eating straight from the containers, swapping back and forth.
At one point, our fingers brush against each other and Finn jumps back as if zapped by lightning. In an alternate universe, that could be him sensing the energy between us, and not him overcompensating because he feels guilty about touching another woman.
I look down at the food in front of us. This is the kind of thing I’d like to do with my future boyfriend.
And if he could be a little bit like Finn, I’d be a very happy woman.
TWENTY-THREE
The next ten days go surprisingly well. Ariel returns, but she’s strangely amiable. I’m assuming she’s spoken to Patrick again and he’s finally given in to some of her demands. She’s back in charge, but actually seems to be listening to my earlier suggestions, and doesn’t mind continuing to implement my other initiatives, like leaving at a decent time each day. Once I start trying to see her more as a colleague and not the enemy, I notice she’s good at what she does. But I still think she makes some not-great decisions—like when she decided it was a good idea to leave a copy of a tabloid magazine in the villa that had a feature on one of the current male contestants claiming he had a girlfriend on the outside. It isn’t until I walk past the living room mid morning and see the magazine on the coffee table that I put two and two together.
I pull the contestant aside, who happens to be vegan activist Blake, and ask him about it.
“It’s a lie!” he protests as soon as we sit down. “I broke up with Kayla over a year ago!”
“And she definitely knew that?” I ask gently.
“Of course she did! She was sleeping with my best friend! It was very obvious our relationship had ended. I can’t believe she even participated in that interview, since it’s her fault we broke up!”
“It’s possible she was paid for it.”
“Yeah, that would be right,” he says, defeated. “Trying to make me look bad when I can’t fight back. She’s going to ruin any chance I have for happiness in here too!”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll talk to the cast, and I’ll also h
ave a word with Ariel.”
“That would be great.”
“So, I see you’re finally getting along with Brittany?” I prod.
“Oh, sort of. She and I are kind of mates now. But I could never settle down with someone whose ideals are so different.”
“Who are you interested in?” I ask curiously.
He looks up at the ever present cameraman standing in the corner. “Is this all going to be part of the show?”
“Not all of it. But we do have to keep filming.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry, Blake. I know this isn’t exactly an ideal situation. But you are on a reality show.”
He sighs. “I know. But it’s impossible to understand exactly what you’re signing up for until it’s too late.”
“Do you want to leave?”
He rubs his hand across his face. “Nah. It’s okay. I’ll stay for a while longer.”
“Did you want to tell me who you have your eye on? I could talk to Ariel about getting her on the next date with you.”
He smiles. “Jill is sweet.”
I nod knowingly. “She is. But she also seems to have a connection with Ken.”
“Yeah. That’s why I haven’t talked to her much yet.”
“Well, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.” He then seems to look at me properly. “You’re nicer than the other staff here.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You don’t seem to want to stir things up.”
“I like to think enough stirring will happen if we leave you guys to your own devices. But also, the whole aim of the show is for you to find love. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we had most of you paired off in happy relationships once the season ended?”
He laughs. “Highly unlikely, but it’s a nice idea.”
“All right. Off you go. I’ll sort out the magazine stuff and keep you posted. Don’t stress too much about it.”
“Thanks, Lauren.”
When I ask Ariel, she just shrugs. “Whatever you want. I was just trying to add some excitement to this snooze-fest.”
“You don’t think the show is interesting enough?”
“Are you kidding?”
“What about the fact that so far, four of our couples have hit it off?”
“I don’t care. It’s boring.”
“Well how about you send Blake on a date with Jill? That should create a bit of a stir, since she’s already involved with Ken.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Are you turning to the dark side?”
“I never said I wanted one hundred percent smooth sailing. I have made it clear multiple times that we should just let the drama unfold organically.”
“Okay. So Blake’s into Jill, is he?”
“Apparently. If you could ditch the magazine angle, I think you’ll have enough to work with between the three of them.”
She waves a hand in the air. “All right. I’m tired. Let’s just do it.”
“Great. Thanks, Ariel.”
She frowns. I think she’s finding it weird we’re on the same page. To be honest, I am too.
***
Finn leaves on Friday and I already find myself missing him by Saturday night. I try to put it down to the fact that I only know a few people outside of work, and I’ve become used to having someone in the house with me. But there was also a moment right before he walked out the door where he gave me a look that I swear contained something close to wistfulness. But I was probably just imagining things.
When I was on the Sunshine Coast before moving in with Katie, I rented a granny flat on Mum and Dad’s property—so while I was technically on my own, I spent half my time inside the main house. It just made things easy for us to all be together. We could organise weekend house inspections over dinner and talk about whatever was going on in the market.
A tear rolls down my face. I’m so mad at Dad for ruining everything. And to know he’d been seeing Cecily for so long before we found out made the betrayal so much harder to take. All that time he was playing happy families—the entire time I worked at the agency—he was having an affair.
Maybe I’m better off on my own. No one can hurt me then.
I text Jules. I feel like we haven’t spoken properly in ages.
Do you want to come over? I have alcohol.
He texts back immediately. Sure, honey. On my way.
I’m grateful he only lives a few minutes up the road. A few minutes later, he lets himself in and immediately senses I’m not in the best headspace. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” he asks, wrapping me in a hug.
“I don’t know,” I say, letting the floodgates open. “I just don’t feel good.”
He puts me at arm’s length and studies me for a moment. “I think it’s a few things. One: you’re homesick, so you should probably phone your brother more and spend some quality time with him. Two: you’ve been working super hard in a stressful environment and you need a break. And three: you miss Finn.”
I try to protest that last bit, but I already admitted it to myself, so I can’t say it with any conviction. Instead I throw myself face down on the couch and moan into the cushions. “What do I do?”
He sits down beside me and strokes my back. “Don’t worry, I’m here. Tonight we’ll get a bit drunk and watch something fun. Please tell me you like mindless action movies.”
I glance up and laugh despite myself. “You’re into mindless action movies?”
“Um, yes. What’s not to love? Hot sweaty men with muscles and all that testosterone?”
“I guess if you put it that way…”
“And you already know I love cars. Maybe we can watch The Fast Five? I’d be pretty happy with most of the movies in that franchise, but maybe not 2 Fast 2 Furious. I like to pretend that one never happened.”
I sniff. “Okay. I can do that.”
“I’ll make us some drinks. You want to get the snacks?”
“Sure.” I drag myself upright and over to the kitchen. “Thanks for coming at short notice.”
“I wasn’t doing much tonight anyway. You’re lucky. My social calendar is normally pretty full.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“Now, do we need to break everything down into specifics? Family? Work? Finn?”
“Um, I don’t know.” I put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and set the timer. I’d already explained the whole situation with my mum and dad to Jules when we worked together on reception. “I’m not sure if I am homesick. I’m still not willing to deal with all the drama back in Queensland, but I’ll get there eventually. Your idea to go visit Josh is a good one. I’ve only seen him once since I moved in here.”
“All right. We’ve established that family can be dealt with in due course. What about work?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Work isn’t as great as I’d hoped it would be. I mean, I’m sort of making progress, but Ariel is so up and down. And it’s really hard to make a good show without resorting to bribing the producers to see if they can get one of the contestants to say something dumb. Part of me wants to give up and go back to reception with you.”
“Just say the word, honey, and I’ll make it happen. I’ve got a new girl starting next week, but I can work my magic if necessary. Still, I don’t know if you’d be satisfied in the long term.”
“You’re probably right. I just…I don’t know. I thought it would be more fun or something.”
“Like we talked about before, you were only aware of the illusion until now. You’re quickly figuring out the ‘reality’ in TV. You’ll rise to the challenge, though.”
I groan at his pun. “That was bad. But I hope you’re right. I feel like I’m sort of making a difference. And everyone is starting to trust me. Even Ariel is being unusually agreeable since she got over her little hissy fit.”
“See? It’s all going to work out fine.”
The popcorn finishes popping and I tip it into a bowl and sprinkle salt over the top. I carry it into the living
room. Jules follows with two glasses of Prosecco.
“Now, to address the elephant in the room. Your roommate.”
I shove a handful of popcorn into my mouth so I don’t have to say anything.
“Honey, you can trust me. I mean, I set this whole thing in motion, so I have a vested interest in seeing you both together in the end.”
“I can’t be thinking that way, though! He has a girlfriend! And a serious one at that. You know they’re going travelling around the world together when her project’s finished?”
“I wouldn’t take anything Finn says as gospel. He likes the idea of Emma more than the reality. I really don’t think they’re going to make it. And I’m not normally the kind of person who would wish for a relationship to break up, but I do with this one. Just wait. You’ll see.”
“I can’t just sit around and wait for them to end it. I like Finn and I want him to be happy. And if Emma makes him happy, I need to deal with that.”
“But I don’t think she does make him happy. You saw how selfish she was, going on that winery tour with a bunch of randoms when she knew Finn wanted to do it. And I can count a dozen other times she’s done that kind of thing since I’ve known her. She’s only interested in herself.”
“Either way, I’m not going to sit around and pine for him.”
“No, I agree. Go out and have some fun. You can hang with me anytime, and we’ll pick up boys together. And if you meet someone else, it will be Finn’s loss.”
I’m suddenly very much over talking about my feelings. “Come on, that’s enough of the deep and meaningful stuff. Let’s watch some hot guys in fast cars.”
He laughs. “You’re talking my language, honey. Start her up.”
TWENTY-FOUR
It’s Friday in week four of filming when disaster strikes. I head out into the living room in the morning and flick on the TV. For some reason, it defaults to one of our competitor channels every time I switch it on. Normally, I click it straight to NBS, but this morning I freeze when I hear the name MultiDate spoken by an entertainment reporter on our rival’s morning talk show.
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