MultiDate

by Kirsty McManus

  “You make that sound like a bad thing.”

  “It’s not, trust me. It’s a very good thing. And I’m pretty sure you will go on to have a successful career in whatever field you set your heart on.”

  “Thank you. That’s something coming from you. So, do you think can continue working under someone who tried to undermine you?”

  “Honey, it’s show business. Everyone is trying to undermine everyone. And Patrick knows he owes me big time. I will use that leverage to maximum advantage.”

  “Well, you’re a braver woman than me.”

  “Not braver. Maybe crazier. If you don’t stay on with us, what do you think you’ll do instead?”

  “I don’t know yet. I only really stopped wallowing in self-pity a few minutes ago.”

  She chuckles. “I’m glad. This is no time for self-pity.” She holds up her drink to toast me. “Here’s to new beginnings for both of us.”

  I tap my chai against her cup. “To new beginnings.”

  THIRTY-THREE

  I officially hand in my notice the next day, and Ariel accepts it.

  “I still want you to stay with me, but I understand,” she says. “I hope you find something that makes you happy.”

  “Thanks. I hope so too.”

  “I talked to Patrick last night. He really is impressed with how the new season is shaping up. He said he’ll talk to the board and see if they’re interested in extending it another season.”

  “That’s good. Did you negotiate a bonus to compensate for the professional trauma you endured as a result of the book?”

  “Of course I did.”

  I laugh. “Excellent.”

  I go off in search of Jules to break the news. He’s sitting at reception next to the girl who replaced me.

  “I’m quitting the studio,” I tell him.

  “You’re not!”

  “I am.”

  “For professional or personal reasons?”

  “Both.”

  “Ah. Right. So what’s next?”

  “I’m not sure yet. But I’ll keep you posted.”

  “You do that. Listen, I have a ton of work to do this morning, but we need to catch up and have a proper chat sometime soon.”

  “About anything in particular?”

  “No. Well, actually, there is one thing, but we won’t go into it now.”

  “Oh, come on. You can’t leave me hanging like that.”

  “All in good time, honey.” His phone rings and he winks. “It’s all going to get better from here on out.”

  ***

  When Josh texts me to invite me over for dinner that night, I jump at the chance. It will be a nice change from locking myself in my bedroom or only hanging out in the living room when Finn is out.

  I head straight to his house after work, and wonder if he’d reconsider letting me move back in for a while. I could walk into the studio for the rest of my notice period.

  His front door is unlocked, so I let myself in. “Hello?”

  “We’re in the kitchen!” Josh calls out.

  We?

  I cautiously walk down the hall and freeze in the doorway.

  Apparently we is my mum and Katie.

  They both turn with almost identical sheepish smiles. Josh hurries over and shoves a glass of sparkling wine into my hand. “Here.”

  I take a large gulp before saying anything. “So…what brings you two to Sydney?”

  My mum takes the lead. She looks older and more fragile than I remember. Definitely not the go-getting real estate agent I remember from a year ago.

  “You know how we talked about me visiting? I thought I’d surprise you, so I drove down to Brisbane, only to find that you were no longer living with Katie. We had a bit of a chat and Katie mentioned she felt bad about the last time you two were together, so she agreed to come down too so we could both apologise.”

  “Where’s Bree?” I ask Katie.

  “With my mum. Which is probably where she’ll stay for a while, even after I get back. It was too much, Lauren. I thought I could handle her, but I couldn’t. And to also lose you at the same time…” She trails off and starts sniffling.

  “You haven’t lost me, you silly-billy. But things could have gone down a little differently.” I’m feeling quite generous after all these people in my life have admitted to hurting me, so I’m not going to hold a grudge.

  Katie closes the gap between us and wraps me in a huge bear hug, almost making me spill my wine. “I don’t suppose you want to come back to Brisbane anytime soon?” she asks hopefully.

  “I’m not sure yet,” I say gently. “I’ve just handed in my notice at the studio, but I kind of like Sydney.” I don’t want to go into the awkwardness with Finn right now, so I don’t mention I’m thinking of moving out of there.

  “Oh, Katie told me you were working for that MultiDate show,” Mum says. “You know I don’t watch reality TV, but I’ve heard it’s quite popular.”

  “It is. The ratings were down the last couple of years, but I think this season will do well. I’m not cut out for working behind the scenes of a dating show, though.”

  Or being employed by a traitorous backstabber.

  “What about real estate?” she asks. “If you come back, I promise there won’t be any competition with your father.”

  “Thanks, Mum. I know you’re trying, but I don’t think I can do real estate either. I’m sure I’ll recognise the right opportunity for me when it shows up.”

  Josh puts a large casserole dish on the dining table. “Dinner is served.”

  I sit next to Katie and we smile at each other.

  “Oh, I’ve been meaning to say, I love that candle you bought me,” Katie says. “I burn it all the time, and it makes me think of you. And tropical holidays. We should go away sometime!”

  I wrap my arm around her and kiss her cheek. “I would really like that.”

  My phone beeps with a message from Ariel.

  Thought you might want to see some of the footage we’re going to put in our final wrap-up show.

  A link to a Dropbox file follows.

  “Hey, guys,” I address everyone. “Would you like to watch part of the show I helped create?”

  Katie squeals. “Yes!”

  Mum and Josh don’t look quite as excited, but they pretend to be interested. “Sure.”

  “I just have to get you to promise you won’t tell anyone what you see, or the show will sue me.”

  Josh rolls his eyes. “Who are we going to tell?”

  “I don’t know. The tabloids? They pay a lot of money for spoilers.”

  “We promise we won’t tell anyone anything,” Josh says.

  Mum and Katie nod in agreement. “Cross my heart,” Katie says, drawing two lines across her chest.

  I locate Josh’s iPad and prop it up on the table so we can watch it while we eat.

  A sequence of short scenes unfold, showing the six couples on their first day at the villa. These are interspersed with footage from the interviews done at the studio. I laugh when I see Tracey and Grant staring at opposite walls, because they were too shy to chat to each other.

  “Aw, they’re so cute,” Katie says when the Twister scene follows, showing them linking pinkie fingers. “Please tell me they’re still together.”

  “Actually, no,” I say regretfully. “Grant ended up with Chelsea. But three of the other couples ended up together as well.”

  “Oh, tell us who! And who were the official winners?”

  “I can’t say. Sorry. I shouldn’t even have told you as much as I did.”

  I really want to tell them about the final episode, where Jill and Blake are the last two standing, and he actually proposes, but I know that would be sharing just a little too much.

  Josh smiles. “Actually, I can kind of see why you like it so much.”

  “Thanks, Josh. I know that pains you to say.”

  “It’s still not as good as Survivor, though,” he adds.

  �
�That’s fine. You can have your opinions, and I’ll have mine.”

  I turn off the iPad and we continue eating dinner.

  Well, both my professional and love lives are a mess, but at least I have my friends and (at least part of) my family back.

  And I’ve decided that’s more important than anything else.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  I go into the studio a little earlier than usual for my last week. Part of me wants to change my mind and see what Ariel and I could achieve together, but I know leaving is the right decision.

  My notice period was easy to serve out, since it included the Christmas and New Year holidays. But I almost wish I’d been required to go in, so I didn’t have to see Finn. I ended up spending a few days with Josh, and told Jules to celebrate Christmas with Finn so he wouldn’t be alone.

  Finn hasn’t mentioned Emma, so I have no idea where their relationship stands—but I know she must be due back soon. I guess there’s a chance they sorted everything out and he’s trying to avoid having any awkward conversations with me.

  I’ve been given the use of a temporary office since filming wrapped. It’s next door to Ariel’s, and she’ll occasionally come in to have a quick chat or vent about the state of things. Since I handed in my notice, I would almost go as far as to say we’re friends. Time will tell if we still see each other once I’m no longer in the building—but for now, we share the occasional lunch, and she loves to complain about Patrick. I derive a strange sense of pleasure from that.

  For now, Ariel is operating under the impression that the show will continue next year, so I’m in the middle of browsing the internet for possible future date destinations when my mobile rings.

  “Hello, Lauren speaking.”

  “Oh, hi, Lauren. It’s Gemma Stiles. From Network Gossip?”

  “Hey! It’s great to hear from you. How’s everything going?”

  “Good. How about you?”

  “Well, the show is going well, but I’ve decided that the environment is a little too intense. I’ve put in my notice.”

  “Oh. Actually, I’m not sorry at all to hear that, because I hope it means you might be interested in what I have to say.”

  “Which is?”

  “My friend Jo works for TBA Studios and they’re about to start production on a new home show. I’m not completely sure how it works yet, but I think it involves the hosts helping a family find the bones of their dream home, and then making it over before they move in. I’m sure there’s some point of difference to all those other interior design shows out there, but I forgot to ask. Anyway, Jo asked me if I knew anyone who might want to help produce. They’re having a hard time finding good staff.”

  “And you think I would be suitable?”

  “For sure! You have a real estate background, and you’ve already proved yourself with MultiDate. You also seem like a very easy person to work with.”

  “Wow. I don’t know what to say. Thank you for thinking of me. It sounds promising. Can you put me in touch with Jo?”

  “Of course. I just thought I’d call first and see if you were interested. I’ll email through her details. Keep me posted on what you decide.”

  “I will. And thanks again.”

  “No problem.”

  I hang up the phone feeling cautiously optimistic. I have to admit, I did like certain aspects of producing MultiDate. I just didn’t like the manipulation side of things. An interior design show would be completely different. And as Gemma said, I already have a real estate background, so I can use that to my advantage.

  I make a note to do a little research later and see what I’m letting myself in for. This could be exactly what I need.

  ***

  I didn’t think I’d feel as sad as I do on my last day at NBS. I haven’t worked here for very long, but it was certainly a full-on few months. This job was like the relationships on MultiDate—condensed and intensified because of the environment.

  I start to tear up when Ariel calls me into her office mid-morning. All the producers are already there. Ariel gives me a card signed by everybody and does a little speech about how I’ll be missed, and how I changed the show for the better.

  At 5pm, I pack away my stuff for the last time and head out to reception. Jules is waiting for me. He’s insisting we go out for drinks to celebrate—in his words—me not turning into a soulless monster.

  “I thought we’d just go to a quiet little bar nearby and get drunk,” he says.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  As we walk side by side down the street, I suddenly clutch his arm. “Promise we’ll still be friends after this.”

  He laughs. “Honey, we will always be friends. Unless you do something really mean, like try to murder me in my sleep. Or ruin my favourite shirt.”

  “Okay, I promise never to do either of those things.”

  We enter the bar and take a seat opposite each other in a booth in the back corner.

  “This is all very cosy,” I observe. “I would have thought you’d want somewhere a little more social so you could chat up some boys later.”

  “I’m not really in the mood for crazy tonight,” he says. “Yes, I will be celebrating you not turning into an Ariel clone, but I’m also mourning the fact I won’t get to see you every day in the studio.”

  “Aw, I’m going to miss that too. But for the record, Ariel isn’t that bad once you understand her.”

  “See, this is why I’m glad you’re leaving now. You were already being sucked into her vortex.” He picks up the menu and browses the cocktails. “What do you want to drink? And don’t say beer.”

  I laugh. “No, I don’t feel like beer. At least not for my first drink. How about a margarita or something?”

  “Perfect. I’ll pay for the first round. Are you going to be broke now that you don’t have a job?”

  “Actually…” I tell him about the phone call from Gemma earlier.

  “Oh my God! That sounds freaking amazing! Please tell me you accepted on the spot.”

  “I definitely said I was interested, but I haven’t talked to Jo yet. I need to find out exactly what it will entail first.”

  “Okay. I suppose that’s reasonable.” He ushers over a waiter. “Two margaritas, please. With extra salt on the rim.”

  The waiter nods and leaves.

  “Have you spoken to Finn lately?” Jules asks.

  My face falls. “Not really. It’s super awkward. I think he might be mad at me.”

  Jules looks at me in surprise. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because he tried to kiss me a while back and I turned him down. He’d just gotten in a fight with Emma on the phone and I thought he was using me to get back at her. And I sort of had that thing going on with Patrick…ugh. I can’t believe he was even a consideration now.”

  Jules pats my hand comfortingly. “It’s okay. It’s very easy to be dazzled by a hot man.”

  I smile faintly. “Anyway, I’m assuming Finn would also not want to see me because I remind him of the one time he almost cheated on his girlfriend.”

  I’m still not sure that’s completely true, but I want to test my theory on Jules.

  He wrinkles his nose. “But they broke up.”

  I stare at him. “Really?”

  “Yes! That day they argued on the phone, he called her back later to officially end things.”

  “Oh.” I sit there quietly for a moment. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

  “Uh, because he felt bad about pushing himself on you. He told me after that he wishes he could take it back. But only because he wanted to kiss you properly later when the moment was right.”

  “You’re lying!”

  “I swear I’m not. In fact, why don’t you ask him yourself?”

  My head shoots around to the door. Oh my God. He’s here. My heart starts beating a million miles a minute.

  Jules stands up. “I just remembered I left my computer on at reception. I’ll be back in five.”

  “Don
’t leave me!” I beg.

  “Trust me, it’s better this way. I’ll be back soon when you’re boyfriend and girlfriend and we’ll all toast to love.”

  I slap him on the arm. “Way to put pressure on the situation.”

  He chuckles. “See you soon, honey.”

  Jules stops at the entrance to the bar and briefly chats with Finn. They’re too far away for me to hear, but it looks serious. Finn glances at me, and then accusingly back at Jules. Did he not know this was going to happen either? I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.

  Jules disappears and Finn slowly makes his way over to the table. He sits down in Jules’s recently vacated seat.

  “Hey,” he says quietly.

  “Hi. I take it you were unaware of Jules’s plan too?”

  He lets out a deep breath. “Yes. I mean, it’s not that I didn’t want to see you, I just…”

  I notice his hands are shaking. The waiter brings over the two margaritas. I nod at the one meant for Jules. “You might as well drink that. We can order Jules another one when he comes back.”

  Finn gratefully takes a large sip and then winces. I sip mine too. Wow. Strong.

  “Well, this isn’t awkward at all,” I joke.

  He smiles. “Sorry. I…I guess first I should apologise, for you know…”

  “There’s nothing to apologise for. I thought you were upset because I turned you down. Or maybe because I reminded you of a moment of weakness…”

  “No! It was nothing like that. Emma and I are well and truly over. To be honest, I think it was over a while before that, but I was just clinging on to some idea of us. And the more time we spent apart, the more I realised she was very selfish. Even before she pulled all that ‘we’re not exclusive’ crap.”

  He pauses to take another sip of margarita and then looks me in the eye. “It wasn’t until I met you that I realised how wrong Emma and I were for each other. When you first moved in, I kept my distance from you, but it was because I was confused. And then I thought it was lust and I’d get over it eventually…”