by Cora Seton
But it had only been a show.
Now she was wearing a Regency gown. She’d been in the manor. Seen the bison. Chatted with all the cast members.
Knew exactly how much this place meant to everyone.
What if she destroyed it all?
She’d stumbled into this silly show as a joke—hostage to Felicity’s sick sense of humor. She never would have messed with people’s futures the way she was now if she’d known the show was real.
Addison slipped away as soon as she could without arousing suspicion, made her way to one of the composting toilets set up around the camp in discreet positions and shut the door, yanking her phone from her pocket. Avery had informed her all the women shared a phone to cut down on distractions, but she hadn’t put hers away yet.
Pick up, pick up, pick up, she willed at Felicity when she punched in her number. When her sister finally did, she launched right into her without a greeting.
“Felicity, it’s real. It’s all real, and if I don’t marry Kai, the show is going to end. These people are going to lose their homes. What do I do?”
“Slow down, sis. I didn’t catch any of that,” her sister said, and Addison sucked in a breath. Felicity sounded strange. Her words were slurred. When she heard voices in the background, Addison realized Felicity had to be out with Evan. At a restaurant, maybe? Or a club.
And she was drinking.
Felicity never drank.
She wasn’t like the models who managed their weight with prescription drugs; Felicity kept her figure through hard work and strict attention to caloric intake. She didn’t like to waste her calories on alcohol, which was good. She didn’t handle it well.
“Felicity? Are you all right?”
“Sure,” Felicity said, although she sounded anything but. “Mom stopped by,” she added. “Wanted to see why I kept turning down jobs. She noticed I was packing.”
Uh-oh. Addison could just bet how that had gone.
“Once she stopped screaming, she told me I was smart to run away. No one would want to know me once I stopped working.”
“She said that?” Addison was furious. “What is her problem?”
“I’m her problem,” Felicity said. “I’m being an ungrateful daughter. She made me a supermodel. She shouldn’t have wasted her time. That’s what she said, anyway.”
Addison’s eyes filled with tears at the pain in her sister’s voice. “You know that’s not true.”
“It is true! I was five when I started all this. I wasn’t the one shopping my photo around.”
“Maybe she helped. That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t have made it without her. Honey, where’s Evan?”
Right on cue, she heard a masculine voice in the background.
“I’m fine,” she heard Felicity tell Evan. “I just don’t know why you even want to be with me.”
This was worse than Addison had thought. Felicity was losing it.
Evan came on the line. “Hey, Addison. Can Felicity call you back later?”
“Of course. Evan, take care of her, okay? She seems really upset.”
“You know your mother.” He sighed. “This is why we’re going to Rome. You know that, right? Felicity is going to miss you like crazy. You’d better come visit.”
“I will.”
“I’m sure she’ll call you back tomorrow. I’m going to get her home and put her to bed.”
“Okay.” Addison cut the call and put her phone away, wishing there was more she could do for Felicity. There wasn’t much she could do from Base Camp, though. She was grateful Evan had come into Felicity’s life. He was a constant her sister could depend on, someone who truly believed in her.
Addison used the composting toilet, pulled herself together, washed her hands in the little sink set up outside equipped with cold water and natural soap, and returned to the fire pit. She was on her own; Felicity wasn’t going to come to her rescue, so she’d have to sort this out herself. Fulsom was gone. Everyone else was talking amiably as the fire burned down. Kai must be in the kitchen, cleaning up from the meal.
Addison dithered as long as she could, but in the end she joined him there, grabbing a dish towel and drying the dishes as he washed them. For once, no camera crew was in there with him.
“You honestly didn’t think any of this was real?” Kai asked after they’d worked in silence for several minutes.
“I did—but I didn’t,” she tried to explain, desperately wishing she hadn’t said anything. She could have found out what she needed to know far more discreetly than blurting out her question. Now he’d be suspicious of everything she said and did. Which would make it hard for her to figure out a plan. “I thought you were doing everything I saw on television, but I thought it was scripted. That’s what people told me about reality television.”
“That’s what who told you?”
“My sister. She’s a model,” Addison tried to explain. “She has friends who do film stuff.”
“That might be the way some shows are run, but not this one. There’s enough drama going on all the time without it,” he pointed out. “They kind of set it up that way.”
“I guess so.”
“So, you thought there’d be someone to tell you what to do?”
Suddenly Addison was exhausted. She wished she could climb into her tent and go to sleep—and wake up in the morning with a script in hand she could follow so she knew she was doing it all right.
She didn’t want to think what this meant about her and Kai. Had he really invited her here to marry him? Was there a chance she could spend a lifetime with this man who took her breath away every time she went near him?
She couldn’t believe that could be true. Didn’t know what she’d do if it was. In the short time she’d been here, he’d already swept her off her feet, but that was when she’d been treating it like a fantasy.
Now it was… real.
“Yes.”
“Today must have been quite a shock then.”
“You could say that.”
“What are you going to do now?” Kai kept scrubbing the dishes.
Addison wasn’t fooled. She read the tension in every move he made.
She put a plate away in the cupboard and came back for another one. “Wing it. I guess. Throw a Halloween ball. Try not to get in the way too much.”
He softened. “You’ll do fine.”
“Will I?” she asked. “I’m not that good at winging it.”
“Come on. Addison caps for surfers?” he reminded her.
“Yeah. Well, there’s that.” But she hadn’t even come up with that; Felicity had. Felicity should be the one here, she realized. She had no doubt Kai would fall in love her sister if he met her.
Jealousy surged through her at the thought. She didn’t want Kai to fall in love with her sister. She wanted him to want her.
As much as she wanted him.
Which meant she’d already gotten herself in a jam. Because Kai had fallen for the woman he thought she was—the woman Felicity had created, not the real Addison. She didn’t knit surf caps, or prance around in wet bikinis, or dye her hair, or any of it. What would he think if he knew the real Addison?
Would she interest him at all?
“It’s all kind of… overwhelming,” she admitted.
“I bet it is.” Kai straightened and dried his hands on a towel looped through the handle of the stove. She thought he’d lead the way out of the kitchen. But the dishes weren’t done.
Instead, he moved to box her in against the kitchen counter, bracing one hand to either side of her.
Addison’s breath caught.
“I’m sorry you’re overwhelmed,” he said. “But there’s one thing I need to know right now. Because my future—and everyone else’s here—is riding on it,” he said.
Addison needed to stop him, but she was too late. He was already asking the one question she definitely couldn’t answer.
Kai held her gaze, his face only inches from hers. “Addison, are
you going to marry me?”
She swallowed. Fought for the courage to tell him the truth. She had to say no, because she hadn’t come here to marry him, and marrying a stranger on a television show was plain crazy. And because she had dreams and aspirations that meant she needed to be in New York.
Kai waited as she fought for words, but all she could think about was the way they’d joked together while preparing lunch, the way he’d held her hand as they walked to the creek.
The way he’d kissed her.
And how badly she wanted to get to know this man better. How much she craved the touch of his hands on her skin.
She braced herself.
“Yes,” she said.
Chapter Six
‡
She’d said she’d marry him. Addison had looked him in the eye and said she’d marry him.
So why did he still feel so uncertain?
Maybe it was that despite her assertion, her earlier question still nagged at him.
That’s for the show, right? The whole thing about losing Base Camp? There isn’t really a developer, is there?”
If she’d thought the action on the show wasn’t real, why had she come? Did she simply want the experience of being on television? What other reason could there be?
What about the marriage aspect? She must have thought their weddings were fake, too.
Which meant she hadn’t come here to marry him at all.
So why had she come?
They had finished the cleanup, and now Kai led the way through the little campground as the sky darkened, turning the question over in his mind. She must have had a reason. After all, he was partially using Base Camp as a way to leapfrog over the competition to launch his cooking show. What if she had a similar plan?
A knitting show?
Kai shook his head. That didn’t seem likely.
Although who could account for taste.
“This is me,” Addison said with a little flourish as she stopped in front of one of the tents in the women’s section. He had the feeling she was eager to shake him. He wanted answers, though.
“Addison,” he began.
“How am I supposed to get this outfit off?” she blurted. Kai remembered the way she’d deflected his questions earlier at the creek, and his suspicions grew.
“What do you mean?”
“This… corset,” she leaned in to whisper with a glance at the cameras that had followed them. “You should see the way they tied it on me. I’m stuck.”
“I can help with—” Kai bit off the rest of his words as reason asserted itself. For a moment the idea of undressing Addison had kicked his doubts to the curb. But he needed to be careful. He’d been well on the way to falling for her, thinking his luck had been too good to be true, but that was just it, wasn’t it?
It had been too good to be true, and he needed to learn Addison’s real reason for being here.
“Addison? Do you need help?”
Kai turned to find Riley approaching. To his frustration, she bustled over, making further conversation impossible. “I’ll take it from here, Kai,” she said. “Addison’s had a long day. She probably needs some rest.”
Realizing he’d been dismissed, Kai thought about digging in and waiting until he and Addison were alone again, but relief was plain to see on Addison’s face. She did look tired—and the situation had to be overwhelming.
Maybe he was overthinking this. Maybe she’d come because she was attracted to him and had simply thought this would be a short-term affair. It didn’t have to be anything more sinister than that. If that was the case, maybe he could still persuade her there could be something more between them.
As it was, he could only say, “Good night, Addison.”
“Good night.”
Did she look disappointed for a moment? Had she been hoping he’d stay? Undress her? Kiss her again?
Kai’s blood, cooled by his doubts, heated again. But Addison turned to Riley. “Thanks for helping.”
Kai made his way back the bunkhouse. He’d have to wait to get his answers.
He doubted he’d sleep tonight.
Addison knew Kai had wanted to ask her a lot more questions. He’d looked so shocked when she’d asked him if all of this was real, she now knew for sure it was. She could only imagine what he thought of her. From his perspective the question must have been a doozy. If she hadn’t thought the show was true, why had she come to marry him?
When he’d walked her to her tent, she could see him turning the questions over in his mind, and she’d been grateful Riley had come when she did to prevent any more conversation between them. She had to talk to him about what was happening. But first she needed to figure out what she wanted to do.
She’d told him she’d marry him—which was a total lie. Which meant she needed to tell him she wouldn’t. He really did need to find a wife—or risk losing his home. She couldn’t ruin his chances—and everyone else’s—to secure Westfield for good.
But telling him meant leaving Base Camp, just when she’d gotten here. She wasn’t ready to leave yet. Everything about the place intrigued her, not least Kai Green. She wanted him to kiss her again, she admitted to herself.
She wanted a hell of a lot more than that.
Pushing those uncomfortable thoughts from her mind, she bent to unzip the tent flap, but Riley stopped her.
“Come to my house; it’ll be easier there. Boone’s not around.”
She led the way to one of the tiny houses, and Addison forgot her worries as she stepped inside and gasped.
“Oh, it’s beautiful, Riley.”
She’d seen its interior on the show, but it was better in person. All done up in wood, handcrafted to be one-of-a-kind, the small house had an organic feel, like it had grown out of the ground rather than been built. Large windows lined the southern walls, and Addison figured they’d flood the house with light during the day. Riley moved to pull the drapes.
“Stand here and I’ll get you undone,” Riley said when she was finished.
Addison did so, still entranced by the house as Riley helped her out of her gown.
“These things can be a nuisance,” Riley went on. “But they are awfully pretty.”
“I love this dress. I can’t wait for the ones Alice is bringing—”
Addison broke off, realizing she wouldn’t be getting any more dresses. Not if she confessed to Kai she had to leave.
She was unprepared for the disappointment that coursed through her. She’d never have a tiny house, would she? Her life would seem so plain after this trip. Coming to Base Camp was about the most exciting thing she’d done in years. When she went to New York she tended to be a bystander to Felicity’s life. She went to Felicity’s parties, shopped where Felicity wanted to go. Hung out with Felicity’s friends.
Here, she was taking center stage. It was a new feeling. A heady one—
But that’s why she was doing this, wasn’t it? So she could return to New York, take possession of Felicity’s penthouse and create the exciting life she’d always wanted?
“You’ll be amazed at how wonderful they’ll be,” Riley said. “When Alice makes a dress just for you, it’s magical.”
Magical.
Addison had always wanted a magical life, but if she left the show and went back to New York early, she’d lose any chance she had for that. She wouldn’t get the penthouse, would have to scrounge around for a new job—
And she wouldn’t have Kai…
“Everything okay?” Riley asked, stepping back so Addison could awkwardly pull her gown up and over her head. Riley got to work on the ties of her corset. “I know it’s really overwhelming here at first. But you’ll get used to it. Besides, there’s Kai. He makes it worth it, doesn’t he?”
“Yes,” Addison said slowly and glanced over her shoulder. “But do you think… he likes me?” She still couldn’t believe that could be true. If he didn’t care for her, it would be so much easier to leave.
Riley chuckl
ed softly. “Oh, he likes you. That’s plain to see,” she said.
Addison turned this surprising statement over in her mind. “You really think so?”
“You know what I’ve realized since I’ve been here?” Riley asked as Addison peeled off her corset and set it aside, dressed only in her shift now.
“What?”
“We make love so complicated, but it’s not. It’s actually simple. It’s just a feeling in your gut, and you either have it or not. It can take time to grow, of course, but usually it’s right there at the start, too, even if you don’t want to acknowledge it. So, don’t think; just ask your gut. Do you want Kai? Deep down? You don’t have to tell me the answer.” She smiled. “You can borrow my robe to wear back to your tent or to the bathrooms. Alice will provide one for you when she brings you the rest of your things.” When Addison was wrapped in the light garment, still wearing her shift and underthings, too, Riley escorted her to the door. “Give yourself time before you make any decisions about Kai and Base Camp,” she advised. “Do what your gut tells you, not your head.”
“Okay.” Addison hurried back to her tent, clothing in hand, swapped them for her toiletries bag, made a quick trip to the bunkhouse bathroom and soon was back zipped inside. When she’d folded her things as best she could, she slipped into her sleeping bag. The mat was thin, and the sleeping bag was warm but not nearly as comfortable as the bed she’d sold. She wondered if she’d sleep tonight.
She lay on her back, stared up at the nylon tent ceiling and thought about Riley’s question.
Okay, gut, she asked herself silently. Answer truthfully, putting all reason and caution aside. Is there any way I’d go through with this marriage?
She didn’t get an immediate answer; her mind was swamped with too many potential problems. What role could she play here? Sous chef? How did she feel about country living? Extreme country living. She was a city girl through and through.
Would she…?
This was ridiculous. Of course she couldn’t marry Kai. He was a stranger. A man with aspirations that didn’t match her own.