Fiance for Keeps

by Gail Chianese

“Excuse me, Brody. Mind if I steal Denise away?” asked Roan.

  He hadn’t seen the guy walk up. He kept his gaze on the woman of the hour, never looking away as he answered.

  “Sure, be my guest.”

  Brody walked over to the coolers he’d avoided all day while most of the guys hit up on the free beer like it was water. He’d made his play; put the possibility out there. Whether she took him up on it or not remained to be seen, but he watched the war being waged in those green depths before she walked away with another man. If Roan hadn’t interrupted them, he wasn’t sure what his answer would have been. When was the last time he and Denise had been a good idea? When had he ever had any other option? She’d been the one for him from the first day of their sophomore year in high school.

  The quiet girl with the big green eyes who slouched down in her chair in the back row, hoping no one would notice her. Well, he’d noticed her and couldn’t keep her out of his head. He’d even bribed some other guy to switch lab partners with him so he could get to know her. What he’d found behind the shy smile was a sharp mind—which got him through science—a soft heart, and a friend who never looked down on him because of his home life.

  Back then, he hadn’t thought about the future. Surviving each day was his goal. With Denise in his life, that goal got easier and easier, until he could start thinking a week ahead, a month, and a year, and every time he looked, he always saw Denise there with him.

  Until she wasn’t.

  Did he want her back? Why? She’d walked away from him. So what had changed? Work kept him content, filled his hours and gave him a sense of satisfaction. When the occasional need for female company hit, finding a willing partner didn’t come hard. So why the urge to stick around?

  Denise was independent, intelligent, and too damn stubborn. She could take care of herself and didn’t need his protection.

  Was it because for the first time in five years there was a real threat to her moving on and finding someone else? Their moms talked, which was how he knew there had been no one serious in her life. Or was it finally their time to make it work? To get past all that had happened and build a future together?

  Guess he’d find out soon enough.

  The sun had slipped beyond the horizon when the producers started rounding up the guys, giving them instructions for the ceremony. Those not selected would be escorted back to the hotel and on planes home in the morning. The guys took their places in the semicircle and waited. Five minutes or five hours. They stood there for an eternity until Denise joined them again.

  She looked around and let out a little breath before smiling. “Before we start, I’d like to thank all of you for coming out today and giving me a chance. It took a lot to leave your homes, jobs, and families to meet some woman you’d never laid eyes on before. You’re a fabulous group of guys, which makes this one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”

  She picked up the first key from the heart-shaped box and looked around.

  “Josh.”

  He walked forward until there was no more than an inch or two between them.

  “Josh, will you accept this key and the possibilities it brings with it, the chance to unlock my heart and be mine forever?”

  No pressure there. Brody half-expected the majority of the guys to jackrabbit out of there at that point.

  “Yes, of course.” Josh took the key and wrapped Denise in a hug.

  Roan shoulder bumped him and nodded toward the lovebirds. Looked like Brody wasn’t the only one disappointed.

  The guy strutted back to his spot in the front and Denise pulled the next key, repeating the same pattern for Max, Aaron, Jerry, William, and Kyle.

  No big surprise there after their little PDA session earlier. Kyle, like Josh, was a hugger. Not a quick thank-you embrace either. No, he hugged Denise like he hadn’t seen her for years or maybe his very life depended on her touch.

  The ceremony dragged on, with the producers calling cut after every few guys to rearrange everyone for lighting and some other technical crap.

  Denise called Daniel, Dillon, Zach, Blake, and Roan.

  His new friend gave him a fist bump as he returned and mouthed your turn soon. Too bad Brody didn’t share his enthusiasm. There were only three more keys and eight men, including him. Denise took the next key, held it to her heart, and searched through the crowd of men. Her eyes landed on someone behind and to the left of Brody and lit up.

  “Jordan.”

  He should have known she’d connect with the scientist. He’d actually been one of the few guys Brody had talked to who he could see being Denise’s type. Crap, he was going home.

  Once Jordan had walked back, she took the next key and called Caden. Another good guy. Caden accepted the key and walked back to the stands as Chris Morrison, the host, joined them.

  “Gentlemen, the last key.” The guy was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

  Sweat slipped down Brody’s back, his throat dried up, and he waited for her to call Ryan or Adam’s name. At least then he could head to his hotel room, down a couple of aspirin, and forget his crazy scheme.

  Denise took the key, held it up, and scanned the group. Minutes ticked by as she looked every man in the face.

  “Brody.”

  He let out a breath of air, Roan nudged him forward, and Brody walked to stand in front of his fate.

  “Brody, will you accept this key and the possibilities it brings with it, the chance to unlock my heart and be mine forever?”

  “I do.”

  Chapter Eight

  Her first one-on-one date and she was ready to call it quits and go home. If only it were that easy. Being in San Francisco for the first time, she wanted to see it all. Ride a cable car, visit Alcatraz, eat clam chowder out of a sourdough bread bowl, go down the crookedest street, and, of course, visit her favorite chocolate company.

  She’d picked Daniel, the quiet personal trainer from Tucson. During the picnic he’d been reserved and polite, serious, but with a hint of a sense of humor peeking out from behind his midnight black eyes. Not everyone shone in a crowd. She got that and thought perhaps getting him away from the other men he’d be able to relax and they could talk in depth.

  Uh-huh.

  He liked the walk down Lombard Street. Who wouldn’t, with its hairpin curves and the beautiful gardens? Perhaps laughing when he suggested they walk up it backward hadn’t been the best response. How was she to know he was serious? Sheesh, it was a date to get to know each other, not to see who could burn the most calories.

  The GoCar tour from Lombard to Ghirardelli Square had been a blast, in her opinion. A cute, open-top little two-seater with a talking GPS that told you the history of the city—what’s not to love? Right?

  Wrong.

  According to Daniel, this was exactly what was wrong with Americans; they never wanted to do anything unless they were sitting down. If they had walked to the Square they would have strengthened their legs and core muscles, improved their heart rate, and on and on he went. As if she—a doctor—didn’t know the value of exercise and the effects it had on one’s health.

  Still, she held out hope that they’d connect. First-date jitters and all that. He held open car doors, laughed at her lame jokes, and his passion for his job shone like the midday sun. Blinding, bright, all consuming.

  Her hope began to wither away a few hours later. The show had arranged a private tour and tasting at the chocolate factory. Really, every woman’s dream come true. She knew exactly how Charlie and his grandpa felt. It was like finding the golden ticket and Mr. Wonka declaring you the winner. Except her companion refused to sample any of the delectable treats offered.

  Fine. He didn’t like chocolate. To each his own. More for her. Except for the look on Daniel’s face—curled lips, clenched jaw, and, with every bite of chocolate she took, a pained look passed over his features.

  “Are you allergic to chocolate?”

  “No,” he responded
.

  “Just don’t like it?” she asked, trying to get to the bottom of his reaction.

  “Not particularly.”

  Okay, she could live with his response; after all, it meant she didn’t have to share or hide her supply for fear he’d eat it all, like her sisters had done growing up.

  By the time they left the chocolate shop, where she’d purchased copious amounts for her mom and sisters and arranged for shipment home, they were split up for interviews and to change for the evening portion of their date. She selected a private dinner overlooking the Bay with views of both bridges. There would be candlelight, music—although not a live band, as she’d feared the audience would hinder their progress and privacy, with multiple cameras placed throughout the room but not in their faces. The night screamed of romance.

  For the daytime portion of their date, Denise had selected Capri jeans with a breezy cotton top with painted Keds to keep it fun, easy, and relaxed. That night she wanted to show Daniel a different side of her—serious, soft, and romantic—and went with an embroidered lace cocktail dress in midnight blue. With modest V cuts in the front and back, it came across as sexy but not slutty. Or that was the goal.

  She waited for Daniel in the entranceway, and if his dropped jaw followed by a slow smile was any indication then she looked as fabulous as she’d hoped. He, on the other hand, could have burned the place up. Dressed all in black—suit, silk shirt—with his black hair slicked back, she thought of Zorro come to steal her heart.

  “You look beautiful,” he said as he offered her his arm.

  Together they walked up the curved staircase of the hotel and into the private dining room. With the lights dimmed and candles lit throughout the room, the San Francisco skyline immediately drew her attention.

  “Isn’t this city beautiful?” she asked.

  “I guess.” Daniel stood next to her, looking out the wide window. “It’s too cold here for me.”

  “I imagine Arizona is warmer. Although coming from Providence, where we still had snow on the ground a week ago, I’m not going to complain about sixty and sunny. Besides, this is my first time away from New England. I’ve always wanted to travel, but school and then my internship and residency got in the way.”

  “If something is important to you, you’ll make time. That’s the problem with people today. They’re always making excuses. They’re too busy for relationships, too busy to explore, too busy to work out. Before they know it, they’re too old to do anything they wanted to do and sick because they never took care of themselves.”

  Did he just slam her for putting work first?

  “Well, my work is important to me. Now that I’m past the breaking-in years, I can focus on other areas of my life.” She turned away from the window and motioned to the table that had been set for them. She took the chair he held out for her. “Have you traveled much?”

  “A little. Nevada, New Mexico, a trip to Disneyland with my sister and her family. I prefer to stick close to home.” His voice held a note of firm determination.

  Okay, note to self: vacations alone or with the girlfriends if I pick this guy.

  “Do you only have the one sister or are there more siblings?”

  “I come from a big family. There are six of us altogether, with three sisters and two brothers.”

  “I’ve got two sisters myself, but I always wanted a brother.” Daniel didn’t respond; instead, he pushed his food around with his fork, not really eating anything. Maybe his family didn’t get along so that was a touchy subject. She racked her brain, trying to think of what might get him excited, and the only thing she could come up with was his job.

  “How long have you been a personal trainer?” She took a bite of the Dungeness crab cakes, savoring each morsel.

  “Six years.”

  Just shut up and eat, Denise, she thought. Maybe his blood sugar was low.

  For the rest of the meal she ate in silence, enjoying the bay shrimp alfredo and looked forward to the limone torte. Originally, the menu had had chocolate mousse, but after the trip to the Square and Daniel’s reaction, she’d asked if they could replace the decadent dessert with something else. Throughout the main course Daniel remained silent. He ate a few bites of his meal. One server cleared away their dishes while another placed the torte in front of them, with the key on the other side of the table. All of this was done in utter silence.

  Denise was sure there was more noise in a houseful of Trappist monks.

  “You didn’t care for dinner? I can ask the kitchen to make something else for you.”

  “I don’t eat carbs unless they’re from natural foods like vegetables and an occasional piece of fruit. You should watch your intake too. I noticed today you eat more carbs and sugars than you should.”

  She could only imagine the look on his face if she were to list her usual food staples: Pop-Tarts, chips dipped in Nutella, and frozen pizza. Clearly, there wasn’t a future for her with Daniel. Nice guy, but she could never live with a food Nazi, and if he was going to tell a woman on the first date that she ate too much, it could only go downhill from there.

  “Thanks for the advice. I’ll work on it.” Not going to happen. “As you probably noticed, there’s a key on tonight’s date. While I think you’re a really great guy, I just don’t feel there’s any chemistry between us, or that we share enough common interests to help build a connection.”

  He mumbled a few platitudes, shook her hand, and left before she could say anything else.

  “One down, twelve to go,” she said to no one. She grabbed a fork and the plate in front of her with a sigh. “No sense letting perfectly good tortes go to waste.”

  The twelve men picked for the group date gathered around the covered picnic tables waiting for the girl of their dreams. The card read: Who will be the last man standing?

  Looking around at the large boulders, with strategically placed black plastic pipes, it was clear to all of them what today would entail: paintball. The question on everyone’s mind was what the winner got. In the past, from what Brody had heard, the losers went home after the game and one lone survivor got alone time with the girl.

  If it meant not going back to the house and staring at the same four walls while he listened to some of the guys brag about past conquests, losses, and their feelings, he’d do everything in his power to win today.

  Yesterday the cameras had been in their faces nonstop as the staff urged them to talk about how Daniel’s departure affected them, how it made them feel and whether they thought they had a connection with Denise at this point. When it was his turn, he’d been instructed to keep their past relationship under wraps; they weren’t ready to lob that bomb at the other guys yet.

  If they knew he was Denise’s ex-fiancé, he was pretty sure all guns would be aimed at him.

  Denise walked up in skintight yoga pants, a black hoodie, and gloves. He had to hold in his laughter at some of the guys’ responses. If they were looking for a frilly girl to sit on the sidelines and cheer them on, they might as well pack it in now; Denise wasn’t their type.

  “Hey, how’s everyone doing today?” She made her way around the table, giving each guy a hug . . . lingering a little longer with some—Josh and Kyle—and not so much with others—him.

  “Everyone ready to get a little down and dirty?”

  The group responded with a resounding “hell yeah” and headed off to the changing tent the show had provided. They all ribbed one another good-naturedly as they dressed in protective clothes and gear.

  “You know there’s a key on today’s date right? I plan to win, so the rest of you better plan on going down,” Aaron boasted.

  “Dream on.” “Yeah, right.” “Drugs, dude. Bad for you.” These were just a few of the responses thrown back at him. Brody stayed out of the conversation; he already had his first target in mind: Sir Hugs-a-Lot Kyle.

  “Hey, you okay? You’ve been pretty quiet all day.” He and Roan exited the tent and headed toward the picnic ta
bles together.

  “Yeah, just enjoying the fresh air and freedom.”

  “I say we take out Gamer Boy and then Mr. Loud Mouth back there first,” Roan suggested.

  “Read my mind.” The two fist bumped and took up their spots around Denise.

  “Okay, so the rules are there are no rules. Last man standing’s team wins.” She handed out red and blue pennies, dividing up the men into two teams. “To keep it fair, I’m going to play on the blue team first, and then halfway through I’ll switch to red.”

  Brody leaned into his friend. “How did you get all the cool kids on your team?”

  “Luck, my friend, pure luck. I’ll take care of our friends as planned. Win or lose, they have to go.”

  “As does pretty boy Dillon. Good luck.” They pounded fists and walked off. Brody liked Roan—he was one of the few guys who appeared to have his head on straight—but when it came right down to it, he’d take him out in a heartbeat. Brody had no plans to head back early and listen to Aaron, Josh, and Kyle whine.

  They had five minutes to get under cover. When the whistle blew, the men scattered. Denise was on his team for now and took cover behind a huge boulder. Brody peered around the black-ribbed piping in front of him. Roan’s red hair stuck out from under his hoodie, working like a red flag in front of a bull. Brody continued his survey, spotting his quarry—a tall, thin dude with a red shirt: Dillon.

  The second whistle blew, indicating the start of the game. Brody dropped to one knee, twisted around, and fired. Dillon’s curse had the rest laughing before more shots were fired. Brody had gotten his target dead center. One down, five to go. He wasn’t going home early.

  A crack to his left had him spinning, only to see Denise shift to fire. Out of nowhere a man flew through the air and landed in front of her with a red splotch of paint to the head. “I would give my life to save yours, my lady.” Blake fell back to the ground, fully performing the death scene.

  “Max, you idiot. You just shot one of ours,” Caden yelled from across the complex.

  Brody looked up at Denise, who smiled at the fallen man, shook his head, and moved to another pipe for cover. No way was she falling for that heroic bullshit. He might have a savior complex but he wasn’t stupid.