She's The One

by Bronwyn Stuart

  Rather than standing around arguing, she went up to her room and filled her roommate in on the day’s plans. Amelia seemed vapid on the surface but Eliza had seen her audition tape. Her IQ was off the charts. She was a knockout and a smarty-pants.

  ‘A few of the girls have been talking,’ Amelia started. ‘They think it’s unfair you’re here.’ Before Eliza could say anything in her own defence, her roommate raised a hand to stop her. ‘I didn’t say I thought it was unfair, but you should probably smooth it over with an explanation sooner rather than later.’

  God, an explanation. They’d thought about this and come up with a vague answer, she and Malcolm, but Eliza wondered how it would go down with the ladies. Like a lead balloon probably. ‘There’s not much to tell. We had another bachelorette lined up but she broke her leg in a roller derby comp. The producers wouldn’t budge on the even numbers and there was no time for a last minute fill-in so I was roped in.’

  ‘Sounds like you don’t want to be here,’ Amelia observed as she tied a dark sarong around her waist, taking the time to get the knot just right rather than making eye contact.

  Eliza sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. ‘I didn’t at first.’ Not a lie. ‘But why shouldn’t I have the chance to find love? I’m single. I’m getting older with every second the same as every other lady here. There is no big plan other than filling the heels of a contestant. At the end of the day Banjo will choose the woman he gets along with, maybe falls in love with. That’s it.’ Big. Fat. Liar. Maybe. It was Eliza’s hope to help guide Banjo away from her and into the arms of someone he could really fall for. Then they were all fulfilling the terms of the stupid contracts and everyone was happy. Win-win.

  Amelia thought about it for a second and then nodded. Speaking slowly, she said, ‘I guess you’re right. I’ll try to help make it a bit easier, if you want?’

  ‘I’d really appreciate that, thank you.’ What she didn’t want was to make friends with someone she might have to stab in the back. Not literally but it might feel like that if Eliza was the last lady standing and they’d all gone home in tears. How the hell Malcolm thought he could get away with any of it, she didn’t know and was beginning to care less and less about.

  Grabbing up her own sarong to match her barely there bathing suit, Eliza followed Amelia down the stairs, through the living areas and out onto the pool deck. The house they were using for the show was privately owned but it was enormous. It had three different buildings, all two-storey with amazing views of the ocean on one side and lush greenery on the other. It felt secluded and private and had been chosen particularly because it was off the beaten track a little. Not close to any of the big resorts. Malcolm didn’t want the location of the house to be discovered for at least a few weeks even though Port Douglas was a small place. The locals would know exactly where they were and since the rose ceremony happened live every Sunday night, they’d had to hire a security firm to guard the gates.

  Eliza didn’t have a problem with that except for the fact she’d wanted to sneak out and buy some clothes that actually fit! Once again she felt that if she jiggled just so, her boobs would fall out. Settling into a banana chair by the pool, she noticed she wasn’t the only one with an insane amount of skin on show. Several belly buttons glittered with piercings small and sparkly. She gulped. She wanted to leave her sarong on but, looking at the crystal blue water of the pool, she wanted to swim more than stay covered. At least the water would hide a bit, she supposed.

  She was also the only lady to bring a book to the pool along with a towel to dry off. In fact, the more she looked at the other girls, the more she wondered if anyone was actually going to swim. Hair was set perfectly, makeup was once again trowelled on with only a few exceptions preferring their natural beauty.

  When all twelve bachelorettes were accounted for, Amanda and the film crew made some final adjustments to lights and cameras. The sun was hot and the humidity was quickly making Eliza’s afro even bigger.

  ‘We’ve got some tanning oils for you to use on the table there,’ Amanda told them all with a pointed finger. ‘We’ll let you know when the cameras are rolling and get some footage in before Banjo is due. Just act natural, have some fun and we’ll see where the afternoon takes us.’

  Eliza nearly rolled her eyes. They had an advertising contract with the company that supplied the oils, same as the contract they had with the cola company and wine distributor. Every product in anyone’s hand at any given time had been paid for in blood, almost, but Eliza wasn’t going to oil her body up and glisten like some of the others would. She needed sunscreen otherwise she’d fry in the sun.

  Finally letting her sarong drop, she took three steps towards the pool but was stopped by a strong grip to her arm, long fingernails digging in a little. Eliza was kind of shocked that anyone would dare touch her with no warning but when she looked over her shoulder, she nearly groaned.

  Amanda looked like she wanted to hiss and spit but settled for an angry whisper. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I’m going to have a swim.’

  ‘That’s not what the pool is there for.’

  Eliza laughed at first but then stopped. ‘Are you actually serious? If I want to take a swim, I’m going to take swim. You said act natural.’

  ‘You’re being difficult. I knew you would be.’

  Shaking off the other woman’s grip, Eliza put her hands on her hips. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’ Then she realised they had quite an audience. Amanda had always been cold to her but never hostile. Was she still jealous? Eliza wanted to scream at her that she would rather be producing than bloody parading but she bit down on her tongue. ‘Don’t touch me again, Amanda. And stop trying to control every move. It’s reality TV so it should reflect some reality.’

  ‘Whatever,’ was Amanda’s only reply before she stomped away towards the house.

  A couple of the camera crew chuckled and a few muttered their relief. They probably thought there would be a cat fight. She might even have to make some calls if Amanda kept it up. It didn’t exactly help the story that she was a fill-in if one of the show’s producers was going to be bitchy every time the cameras were turned off.

  Eliza slipped into the pool, the breath catching in her throat at the initial cold. She dived under the surface and when she came back up, a smile stretched her lips.

  ‘How’s the water?’ someone asked her from the steps at the other end.

  ‘Perfect,’ she called back with a laugh. She loved the water, loved to swim in the middle of summer on a day where half the road melted. In her high-school days, she’d starred on the swim team, getting up before dawn to train. But then her mum had been diagnosed with cancer and every dream she’d ever had for her life had been shattered and replaced with chemo and sickness. Four long years her mum had fought but it had already been too late on day one.

  Her memories disappeared as another of the girls, Kirsty, joined her with a splash. She knew this one was Kirsty. A female firefighter with a body like a champion boxer. Where Eliza was toned and trim, Kirsty was buff and big from carrying equipment and holding onto fire hoses. She’d been chosen for her huge personality and carefree nature. Matched to fit some of Banjo’s traits.

  ‘I love the tattoo on your back,’ Kirsty said, casually swimming a little closer.

  ‘Thanks.’ Eliza smiled. In her younger years she’d snuck into a tattoo parlour and lied about her age to get the obligatory tramp stamp all her friends had been getting. At the time it had seemed tasteful and oh so cool but years later, as it faded, she’d begun to hate it. When she’d had enough money, she’d had it covered with a peacock dragging his vibrant tail feathers behind. She’d loved it from the second the artist had finished up. She had never told anyone the significance of the piece, that it had been the picture from her mother’s dressing table jewellery box. Her pride and joy and the most sentimental item her mother owned. She hadn’t been an emotional woman but the box had been in the same spot forever,
her mother always running her fingers over the inlay.

  ‘It must have hurt like a bitch.’

  Eliza shook her head to dispel the dark mood taking over. ‘It wasn’t that bad,’ she admitted. ‘The one on my foot hurt so much more.’

  She spent a bit of time chatting to Kirsty before Molly, Erika and Amelia joined them in the pool. Only a couple of girls had gone for the tanning oil and had stayed dry. Amanda glared daggers at the back of Eliza’s head but she ignored her, surprisingly enjoying herself. But it was short lived. Tension took over the pool deck before fake smiles were slipped on and all eyes turned to the patio doors.

  The bachelor had arrived.

  Chapter 5

  It wasn’t fair. Truly, it wasn’t fair. How could one male handle so many females? Banjo’s mates had clapped him on the back and offered up crude suggestions when he’d revealed he was this season’s bachelor. Or sucker, as he’d put it at the time.

  Even after spending the morning poring over modelling shots of all the ladies, he still couldn’t put all the names to all the faces. Except for Eliza’s. She stuck out like a juicy peach amongst dry apples. Not a great analogy but he couldn’t think of another way to put it in his mind. He was careful not to stare at her too long, or to comment on the cut of her bathing suit. Or to think about peeling away the layers to discover the woman beneath.

  Geez, he really had to stop that. Just because she was interesting did not mean he had to find out why. After being introduced to Amelia the dolphin trainer and Molly the children’s doctor, he should have been intrigued by them as well. It seemed all the women assembled were professionals with amazing careers. If he truly was looking for love, he’d been given a great variety of prospects. But that’s not what they were there for. Well, it’s not what he was there for. Overnight he’d got wind of a rumour that the board wasn’t really going to give him any kind of reprieve. They had already started the legal proceedings to stay on as trustees rather than sign any of it over to him. If they wouldn’t see this as an eye-opener, he was at least hoping the presiding judge would.

  Knowing the cameras were rolling, he had to keep the smile on his face and then interest in his eyes. Becky, a petite flight attendant from Perth, asked him to help her with her lotion. He couldn’t say no. He had to admit that this wasn’t something he was used to. If he partied, it was usually in freezing temperatures or at night by the indoor pool. He hadn’t smothered sunscreen on a woman in years. Banjo even tried to keep his touch impersonal but the feel of velvety smooth skin under his hands took his mind far from board troubles. Not surprisingly three more ladies needed help with lotion after that. By the time he lifted his gaze across the pool, Eliza had gotten out and was lying on a chair in the sun.

  ‘Need some help with your lotion?’ he asked as he sat on the sun bed next to hers.

  She didn’t need to take her sunglasses off for Banjo to know she didn’t even open her eyes before softly replying, ‘No thanks, player.’ Followed by, ‘Stop staring at my boobs.’

  He smiled and stretched out, his feet up and his hands behind his head. ‘If you didn’t want people to look, you should cover up.’

  ‘People aren’t looking, just you,’ she pointed out.

  He turned onto his stomach so the camera wouldn’t catch the words on his lips when he mumbled, ‘Half the world is looking.’

  When Eliza smiled, it was like a blow somewhere near the region of his chest. It wasn’t a full smile with two rows of pearly white teeth, it was like a secret smile, like she knew something he didn’t. There was no way it did things to him. All morning he’d wondered at his reaction to her on their run and the only solution he could come up with was the old adage: you want what you can’t have.

  She didn’t like him. She didn’t want to be there. He wanted to change her mind. Why? Because he liked a challenge. No. He loved a challenge. Charm didn’t work with her but he would find out what did.

  Brooke, a stunning brunette who worked in retail, caught his attention from the other side, making conversation about his line of snow suits and jackets. She’d done her homework. ‘Do you ski?’ he asked her. There weren’t a lot of skiers or snowboarders just lying around in Australia. There was a lot more heat than snow on the continent. It was the reason Banjo travelled so much. That and the fact he actually didn’t really like the warm weather. He was winter through and through.

  ‘It’s one of my favourite things to do. I saw you at Falls Creek a few years ago, actually.’

  Dread filled him for a few minutes. He’d hit the Victorian slopes hard that year, the first year he’d competed and hadn’t won anything. He’d hit the booze harder than ever and had a vague recollection of a mad orgy in his hotel suite. He hoped Brooke wasn’t one of his mistakes from that horror few weeks of the biggest dummy spit he’d ever staged. He’d been asked to not come back for a while.

  He hesitated longer than he should have but there was no censure in the other woman’s eyes, no warning that she was about to call him out. ‘It was a big few weeks while I was there. Family holiday?’

  She shook her head and a blush put some colour on her cheeks. ‘I was there with my boyfriend at the time.’

  His sigh of relief was huge but he drew back just in time. ‘Ex now, obviously?’

  Smiling, she launched into a story about what an arsehole he’d been and how he’d cheated on her. ‘I’m ready to open my heart again, which is why I came on the show.’

  Banjo was kind of stumped. He didn’t offer platitudes often; what was he meant to say? ‘Clearly he missed out big time.’

  It seemed to fit what she was hoping for and her smile grew.

  Daniel, the show’s host, came out onto the deck at that moment, thankfully ending the awkward silence. ‘Ladies, Banjo, now that you’ve all had some time to get to know each other, Banjo needs to go back to his house and have a think about which ladies he wants to see on his group date set for tomorrow night. I’m sure it’s going to be hard work choosing which eight of you he wants to get to know even better.’

  Hard work was an understatement. He eyed the water of the pool thinking a swim would be ideal, but more time making small talk wasn’t something he looked forward to. He said his goodbye to the whole group and tried not to be too obvious looking his fill before turning away. He had a lap pool at his villa. It wasn’t big but he needed a cold refresher before turning his brain to the next step in the show.

  ***

  Later that night, Eliza put her running gear on and slipped out of the house. It was nearly midnight and she’d told the other women she was off to bed, a huge yawn topping off her escape plan. The dolphin trainer was fast asleep, not snoring exactly, but breathing loud enough for Eliza to be sure she wouldn’t be waking up soon short of a natural disaster.

  Only, Eliza wasn’t going for a run. Not in the dark on her own. She didn’t like the dark. What she was doing was so much worse. After spending the afternoon stewing over the group date and avoiding the suspicion in the other ladies’ eyes, she knew she had to see Banjo. Tell him not to include her in the date. Tell him to back off when they were all together. They didn’t want it to appear they were already falling for each other.

  She nearly snorted as she silently opened the gate leading to the back of the bachelor pad. Falling in love was not in the contract, nor was it anywhere on her agenda. Not now and not for a long time. She had misguided teens to help, a career to launch and a relationship to build with her father before she complicated her life with a guy. A needy guy who would demand time she just didn’t have. She could picture Banjo as the needy guy. And whoever ran that particular gauntlet would have to always be on their guard with the playboy. Nope. Love was not on the cards for her at all.

  Crossing her fingers the door wasn’t locked and Banjo wasn’t in bed, she turned the door handle and let herself in, breathing a sigh of relief. Noise from the television led her through the gleaming kitchen and into a lounge area. Panting sounds made her stop and nearly run
back the way she’d come.

  ‘What the?’ came next and glued her to the spot. ‘Eliza? What are you doing here?’

  She should have averted her gaze. She should have gone to bed like she’d told the others. She should definitely not be staring at Banjo’s broad chest, slick with sweat, or his bare legs or his rock-hard abs.

  ‘I, um, I came to, um …’ When he jumped to his feet, she finally woke up and turned to go back the way she came. ‘I shouldn’t have bothered you.’

  ‘Hey, wait a sec. Wait up.’ And then his hand was on her arm, pulling her back, his gaze taking her in from head to toe. ‘I thought we were running in the morning.’

  ‘This was a really bad idea,’ she admitted, knowing it since the moment she’d stepped outside into the warm night but refusing to listen to her inner, more rational, voice.

  ‘Yeah it was a bad idea but you’re here now. Better spill the beans.’

  Spill the beans. She stared at him again, her eyes drifting lower and then lower again. ‘Are you in your jocks?’ His navy Calvin Kleins were tight and left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

  ‘I wasn’t expecting company.’ He snapped his fingers in front of her face with a huge grin on his lips. ‘My eyes are up here, player.’ Exactly the words she’d said to him the first night in that bloody dress.

  Clearing her throat and pulling her gaze back to neutral territory, she finally said, ‘I came to tell you not to invite me on the group date. I know you have to get the names in first thing so the card can be printed up but I can’t be on the list.’

  He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the back of the sofa. ‘Why not?’

  He had this springy hair on his chest that perfectly matched the shade on his arms, it trailed down over his stomach to … ‘Eliza?’

  Damn it. ‘Yep, I’m here.’

  ‘Why can’t I invite you on the group date? Won’t it look weird if I don’t?’

  Right, head back in the game. ‘The other girls are already looking at me like yesterday’s leftovers. If you put my name on that card, it’s going to make things difficult in the house and they might even suspect something is going on.’