by Kiki Abbott
The remaining men were the cream of the crop: Pierce the sculptor, Colton the cowboy Dad, Sam the sweet restaurateur, Lance the actor, Ben the lawyer, Keith the landscaper, Blake the water-skier, Tony the personal trainer and Grant the Microsoft programmer. They were all handsome, which she had to admit, was important to her. If she was going to spend sixty years with someone, they’d better be nice to stare at. And Funny. And a Good Father, Husband, Provider. She could probably pick any of these men and end up with a good life, except maybe Lance. She had to figure out now who liked her in return. Who might fall in love with her? Was she anyone’s type? And which man was ready to get married at the end of this thing?
Her cabana on the Wailea Maui beach was luxurious, overlooking the wide expanse of Pacific Ocean and Kat was in love with her new digs. As she unpacked her bags, she thought about the group of men who’d caught a later flight and would be in the air now. The producers had asked her to pick someone for the one on one date tomorrow and she’d offered Colton’s name. Knowing his little girl came first, she wanted to get to the heart of who he was--see if there was room for her.
She liked the idea of having a daughter. Jaxie was so ecstatically happy with Crane and his two little girls, Kat couldn’t help but think Colton and his daughter might be a wonderful instant family. But deep down, she wondered if she was excited about this prospect because she liked to help people. She’d always rescued pets from the shelter, took on friends others didn’t want, and might even be rescuing a father and daughter from Arkansas. If that was her motive, she had some soul searching to do on Maui. Tomorrow she and Colton would snorkel off a catamaran and have a private luau on the beach at Lanai, the pineapple island.
The men would land that night at seven pm and wouldn’t get the date card until morning. As she stretched her legs on the lounger outside her pristine white cabana, soaking up the last rays of the day, Kat wondered if anyone was thinking of her on the flight. Gathering her thoughts about the remaining men, she made a list of what she wanted to accomplish on Maui. Getting to know each man individually would be difficult, but she hoped to learn enough about Blake, Colton and Sam to have an idea of what kind of husband they’d make. And, she wanted to see if Pierce could fit into the husband idea she had. Already, she imagined them surrounded by a life of art with highly creative little children, going to art gallery openings, building a studio on their property for his work, taking the children to the museums on weekends. But could Pierce see them together? That was a big question.
The one on one date was upon her faster than she had time to prepare. “Come with me to the sea, and we’ll see about you and me.” The date card was corny and elusive but it did the job. When she went upstairs to the huge suite, the men were gathered on the couch, like all they did was sit around waiting. Luckily for them, the room had its own pool and they’d have some recreation between waiting for dates cards.
The drive from Kihei to Lahaina with Colton did not disappoint. He was cute, and fun and they talked a lot about her art and life in San Francisco. Colton had never been in the ocean before, which surprised her, although she tried to hide it when he declared himself a virgin snorkeler at the age of thirty-one.
When they got to the pineapple island and anchored, she said, “Let’s just fix that virginity right now.” The catamaran’s ladder was lowered into the water. The instructor gave them gear and managed to stay off camera to make it look like the two adventurers were going off in the ocean completely alone with no supervision.
Kat had been to the Caribbean several times with her family, growing up, but hadn’t snorkeled in years and felt a little rusty as she fixed a mask on her face and grabbed the fins that fit her long feet. She was medium height, 5’7”, but had very long feet and had always been self-conscious of her size tens. Colton teased her when she told him this.
“You don’t need fins, your feet are long enough.” He poked her side and laughed.
She flashed him a reproachful look.
Later, when they were drying off, she asked him about his daughter, Bug.
“She’s curious, feminine, stubborn as a mule and very protective of me.”
“She sounds perfect.”
“She is. Just like her Mama.”
Kat’s heart sank a bit, to hear him say that on their romantic date, although she wouldn’t have expected less. He’d been married and his wife died suddenly in a train accident. There was a lot of room for sympathy here. “You must miss her terribly.”
“I do, but I’ve learned to move on. She’d want that, and for Bug’s sake, I have to.” Colton told her that he dated here and there but his was a small town with little opportunity to meet someone new and it had actually been his in laws who suggested he go on the show. This new information stirred an emotion in Kat she couldn’t name.
The luau on the beach at Lanai was beautifully done, but the cameras had to stop and start a lot and they only got a few good shots before the beach was dark and it was time to go back to Maui. Kat felt like their beach date was more of an observance of how a TV show is made, than an actual date. Momentum had been lost. It had been impossible to have a good conversation with Colton as they were continually interrupted to change angles, seats and backgrounds. Making the show was a lot about visual and not as much about the relationship on screen, and by the time they motored back into the Lahaina harbor, Colton had fallen asleep in the hammock on deck.
Later, the opportunity arose to film Kat’s interview on how the day went and she regretted saying on camera that it was a lovely day and that Colton was good company. Words like exciting, adventurous and magical should have been used, but the fact remained that it was simply a good day. No big sparks had ignited between Kat and the cowboy, and if he remained asleep, she figured they wouldn’t.
The following day Kat was awakened before dawn by a production assistant for the group date. “They’re waking the men now. Get up, get dressed.”
She knew the plan was to drive up the volcano Haleakala, and bike down at sunrise. She’d been excited the night before. Not just at the prospect of the adventure but seeing Ben, Tony, Blake and Sam again would be heaven after last night’s date with Colton, the sleeper. Everyone on that day’s date held some big interest for Kat, but with only three roses to give out, someone would have to be eliminated at the end of the day. Ben was a sweet guy, a great kisser, and they laughed well together. Tony was like a sexy wolf waiting to get her alone. Blake was a handsome athlete with a great job, lived a good life in Florida and made her laugh. And then there was Sam. He was different. Seemed older, more mature than the other guys, more worldly. She’d bet her money that Sam had been to Maui many times in the past.
In the dark van, they were served coffee and sticky sweet pastries for the three hour drive to the summit of Haleakala before the sun rose. They’d all had a half a night’s sleep and looked bleary-eyed. Ben hugged her and said she could sleep against his shoulder, if she liked. The offer was filled with too much excitement for her to imagine falling asleep beside Ben. He smelled good for someone who’d been woken and ushered out the door quickly. Everyone stayed awake, talking on the twisty drive up the side of Maui’s volcano to the National Park at the top. Blake joked that Sam must be a night owl with a restaurant that served dinner and drinks and might skip the bicycling, and Sam agreed that the last time he’d been up this early, he was still getting home from work.
At the top, they sorted out their respective bikes and put on the yellow coats supplied by the biking business. It was cold at the summit as the sky lightened and promised a warm day. The day was clear and “it will be a fantastic sunrise,” the guide said. Shivering in their coats and hats at 13,000 feet above the sea, they watched a big orange ball peek over the edge of the world and slowly reveal its whole self.
“Amazing,” Ben said, hugging her to him. Ben was a hugger, she was learning. Very affectionate. She relished his warmth, and the feel of his body against hers. She could hear Tony’s conversation wit
h the guide off to the side. He was concerned he get a fast bike.
When they took off down the road, Kat’s bike brakes got a good workout as she coasted along. She’d purposely chosen to ride near the back, so as not to hold anyone up on her leisurely adventure. Sam hung back with her and one of the female producers who’d wanted to experience biking down a volcano. And behind the procession, was the van to block traffic from behind and warn any sunrise drivers on their way down, that there was a long line of bicyclists on the narrow road. The air was cool and refreshing and Kat whooped and yelled several times out of sheer joy. Everyone seemed to be hell bent on getting to Kula as fast as possible, except Kat, Sam, and Mary the producer, who vowed they were enjoying the surrounding countryside.
Eventually even Sam went on ahead to catch up to the leader and Tony, who appeared to be in a race. When they arrived in Kula, breakfast was served on a beautifully laden table in a stand of eucalyptus trees on a farm. Cows grazed in the background and behind that, the island of Maui was laid out below. Kat thought it was one of the prettiest things she’d ever seen.
“I keep thinking I need to pull out my camera,” Ben said to her as he poured a frosty mug of orange juice, “And then I remember that we’re not allowed any camera’s or phones.”
“We’ll see it all on TV in three months.” She took the mug when he offered it.
“Not all of it. The things I want to remember won’t be what they show on TV.” He clinked mugs and went off to the buffet.
Sam sat down by her, quietly apologizing for leaving her at the back of the line.
“That’s fine. I wasn’t in a hurry.” Kat didn’t care. The bike ride had been a wonderful experience, solitary and peaceful.
The group ate and joked about getting back on the bikes, but they were done with their ride. The rest of road down to sea level was too busy for a line of meandering bikes. “Now, we are going to a wildlife sanctuary where they rescue and rehabilitate injured animals.” Kat had chosen this place, wanting to draw attention to a good cause on Maui.
Everyone piled in the van, thankful to be off the small bike seats, and drove along the volcano’s side, through Makawao, eventually coming to a locked gate. ‘The Ohana Sanctuary for Maui’s Wildlife’ the sign read.
Once inside the gates and out of the van, the group was toured through a facility that cared for injured mongooses, a baby boar, two wild goats, several small deer, squirrels, and two one legged birds as well as an assortment of other birds and small animals. Kat had heard they were going to have to close if they didn’t get more funding. Tony seemed disappointed he wasn’t able to pet something until the caretaker informed him that they tried to keep the animals lives as wild as they could.
“What’s it matter if you don’t think you’ll ever release them again. With one foot or injuries too bad to survive in the wild why not make a pet out of some of them?”
“It’s not our policy,” she said.
Kat smiled sympathetically at the woman as Tony shrugged.
After an hour of taped interviews, Kat took each man aside for a private talk about how they were doing. Of course Tony played hurt that he hadn’t had alone time with her before now and pulled her in for a kiss. When she turned away, she wondered why she didn’t just kiss the man.
“You want to kiss me,” he said. “I know you do, the way you stare at my mouth,” he smirked.
“Maybe I want it to be my idea.” Kat stared hard into those dark eyes. She imagined there would be many battles for supremacy with Tony. Not a lot of budging in a lifetime of arguments. They were just so different, so why couldn’t she just ignore her attraction to him?
“Well, make it your idea because someone is going to interrupt us any minute.” He lowered his chin and gave her a look that made a jolt of electricity shock her core. Wow. This guy was really something. There was no going back now. She leaned forward and kissed his lovely lips lightly. There was no participation on his end, his eyes remained open and when she pulled back, she smirked at him. “You don’t like it when I lead?”
“No.” He put a finger under her chin, tipped her head up and claimed her mouth in a red hot, steamy, sexy kiss. His tongue dove for hers.
When they came up for air, Kat absently glanced at the camera, a big no no, and took a deep breath.
“See?” Tony said. “It’s better when I lead.” He stood, grabbed his jacket and moved off, leaving her breathless and discombobulated.
That night there was a knock on her cabana door, and thinking it was a production assistant, she opened the door wearing an tight tank top and shorts. Before her stood Tony and Sam, hands in pockets, looking like they had a secret. “Hi, Guys, Whats’up?”
“Can we talk for a minute?” Tony asked, and motioned inside the room.
A cameraman followed them in as Sam and Tony moved to the couch area where they all sat. “What’s going on?”
Sam looked at Tony and nodded. “We wanted to warn you that not everyone here has an honest motive. Not everyone is here to find love.”
Tony sat forward. “Sam and I don’t think it’s fair for you to not know what’s going on, but we don’t feel it’s our place to tell you exactly what’s happening.” Tony looked convinced that was all he’d say.
“What makes you think someone isn’t here for the right reason?” She knew who she hoped it wasn’t. There were three or four men she’d hate to think were only on the show for exposure on national TV.
“He says stuff around us.” Sam looked like it pained him to say this. “Not nice stuff. He might even have a girlfriend.” The two men exchanged a glance and Kat stood to look at the producer. Then back to Sam. “Who is it?”
The producer shrugged and Kat turned to Sam again. “Please tell me if you know anything.”
“That’s just it. We think he might still have someone back home but we aren’t 100% sure.”
“Well if you’re not sure, then tell me, and I can ask him.” She needed to know.
Tony stepped forward and touched her arm. “Just be careful and don’t keep anyone around unless you feel genuine feelings from them, Sweetie.”
If Tony hadn’t been telling her this, she’d guess it was him but now he seemed more intimate, approachable. Real. “This is strange, to have you come here to tell me someone isn’t being honest with me, but you can’t tell me who.” Another camera had arrived and both were rolling.
“Just choose wisely,” Sam said.
That was all they’d say. Kat saw them out and closed the door behind them. What the heck? She looked at the producer but Mary and the director were already setting up the shot for Kat’s reaction to her visit from Sam and Tony, with an excited gleam in their eyes. These people didn’t care about Kat or if she ever ended up with the love of her life.
She tossed and turned in bed all night but rose with a new attitude. She’d go with the flow of the day. Whoever it was that Tony and Sam were talking about, would be flushed out soon enough. Kat’s best friends from San Francisco would fly in that night and interview the remaining men the next day. Jackie and Elizabeth would see through anyone’s bullshit on her behalf.
And today she had a one on one date with Pierce. She’d asked for him specifically to tour the Lahaina art galleries. Afterwards there’d be a picnic lunch up in the pineapple fields of Kapalua.
By the time she finished breakfast in her room, Pierce would’ve read the date card and know they were going to spend the day together. Hopefully he’d be as excited as her. She could hardly wait to stare at him all day, get to know him better and see if the fantasy she had of them living in New York after this could be a reality.
The date started off with the anticipation of a fantastic day. Pierce and Kat set off on their tour, arm in arm, joking that one whole section had been closed on Lahaina’s busiest main street to accommodate their date. “It’s like we’re spoiled royalty,” Pierce said, kissing the back of her hand.
By the last gallery, Kat was astounded with Pierce’s
perception and knowledge of art. He had a fine arts degree, he said, and sounded like a man who’d studied for years. “Do you miss creating, being here on the show, without any way to sculpt?”
He smiled, looking off at the ocean to their left. “I do. But I brought a sketch pad and I’m working, which I think is actually very symbiotic to my clay work. I’m loving the sketching. Do you draw?”
“Yes, I have a sketch pad in my room and filled one already since the show started.” Talking art with Pierce made her feel like someone shared the most important part of her life and by the time they reached the pineapple field in Kapalua for the picturesque picnic, Kat was wondering why Pierce hadn’t kissed her yet. They’d certainly spent enough time together, getting to know one another. She wanted him to but all he seemed to do was hold her hand or kiss her hand after she said something funny. She considered pulling her hand to her face at the last minute to substitute the object of his affection.
They sat on a pretty picnic blanket, in the postcard-perfect area of Kapalua, with Ponderosa pines towering over them, and fed each other fresh pineapple, mango and papaya. When Kat giggled that she was dribbling pineapple juice all over her chin, Pierce leaned in. She thought he was going for the kiss, but then stopped himself after he rubbed noses with her.
“You know you can kiss me, Pierce.”
“Not with cameras,” he whispered away from the cameras. “I want our first kiss to be private. Special.”
She’d barely heard him, but the look on his face made her want to drool all over again. Maybe she had something stuck in her teeth and he couldn’t kiss her. Or maybe he wasn’t into her, like she was into him. Pierce hadn’t had the ‘strolling the streets of NY’ fantasy like her. “If we end up together, what do you see our lives like?” It was the big question, but Pierce didn’t flinch.
“Fun, crazy-filled days like this. Too intimate for anyone else to understand, but free, and confined at the same time. Confined to each other. We’ll hole up in my place for about a year and not come out until we can let another person into our circle.” His expression was so intense, Kat almost gasped even though he’d hardly said anything she understood.