Setting Her Sights on Love

by Jill Ferraro

  “Hello?”

  “You better get changed, you have a date to go on, buddy.”

  Peter’s jaw dropped. “But I thought I could leave. I thought I was going home.”

  “Well, maybe she’s changed her mind about you. You did come here to find a wife, didn’t you?”

  “Well…yes.”

  “You better not leave her waiting.” Mark hung up the phone and Peter faced the rest of the guys in the room.

  “I got a date,” he announced.

  Everyone stopped what they were doing in surprise. Asher spoke first.

  “Great job man!”

  “Go get changed!” Brandon added.

  Peter dug out a button-up shirt from his bag and ran down the hall to change. He was going on a date, with Brielle, the woman who agreed they had nothing in common.

  Why?

  Chapter Seven

  Brielle

  Shea: I feel like I’ve been slacking a little bit and I’m sorry

  Shea: What’s your perfect date?

  Brielle: Hmm…

  ◆◆◆

  Brielle pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a lacy top. She hadn’t bought many outfit options for a date and didn’t anticipate going on one as a friend. She felt underdressed but didn’t think Peter would mind.

  Mark called to let her know their rooftop dinner was ready at 7 PM. Abigail came to retrieve her from the apartment at 6:55. They walked to the elevator in silence. The doors closed and Abigail finally spoke.

  “We’re cutting everything about the guys being able to see you. The audience will have no idea. So don’t mention it on the date.”

  Brielle felt hot rage rising in her chest. “What? You can’t do that!”

  Abigail laughed. “We can do whatever we want. It wouldn’t be good for ratings, seems too sneaky. So we’re cutting it.”

  “It’ll come out eventually.”

  A sick smile spread across her face. “A threat, Brielle?”

  “Time will tell, Abigail.”

  The doors opened and Brielle stepped out onto the rooftop. Abigail remained in the elevator. Laura and James were set up by a hightop table straight out of a movie scene.

  It was surrounded with fairy lights and elegantly set. The sun was mostly set and the city lights were shining in the distance. There was champagne and music was playing quietly in the background. She couldn’t have set up a better date location in her wildest dreams. It was beautiful and intimate and perfect.

  “Wow,” Brielle said aloud to no one in particular.

  “We need you over here for when Peter arrives.” James motioned for her to stand in front of the table. Brielle followed the directive and waited.

  She was a bit nervous, meeting Peter. He seemed great via message but she wasn’t sure if maybe she was deceived by the ease of the screen. She hoped she was right in sending him home. If she second-guessed her decision, she would lose confidence in every decision she had to make for the rest of her time filming, including which man would be her future husband.

  The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Peter stepped out. He was on the shorter side, and slender, though he carried himself well. Brielle had to admit he was attractive, although she was sure all of the men chosen were. His brown hair was turning grey in some spots and was cropped close to his head. His face was angular but his smile was warm.

  Brielle was suddenly very aware of her body. She didn’t know where to place her hands, how to stand, how to smile. She was frozen and completely overwhelmed.

  Luckily, Laura sensed her crippling anxiety and whispered “Walk towards him, slowly. Give him a hug. Smile.”

  Brielle did as she was told and Peter returned her smile, the skin around his eyes crinkled. They embraced, he gave a great hug but there were no sparks. She breathed a sigh of relief and was grateful they didn’t have physical chemistry.

  “Hi! I’m Brielle.” She laughed as she stuck out her hand to formally meet Peter.

  “Peter. So excited to finally meet you.”

  “Likewise!”

  Brielle led Peter to the high top table. He opened the bottle of champagne and poured them each a glass. The elevator doors opened again and a waiter brought a charcuterie board for them to enjoy. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Peter spoke.

  “So...I was kind of surprised you wanted a date.”

  “Were you?”

  “Yeah. We kind of agreed there was no chemistry there.”

  “And now that you’ve met me?” Brielle caught Peter’s eye and held his gaze for so long it was uncomfortable. He looked away after a few seconds but it felt like hours.

  “You’re great and super pretty and I’m having a good time but there isn’t anything here.”

  She was impressed with how blunt he was. “I agree with you. 100%.”

  “So why the date?” He was confused.

  “A few reasons. I wanted to meet you to confirm we didn’t have a strong connection. To make sure my instincts were correct. I was getting a little stir crazy, to be honest. And I also wanted to hear more about life on the other side from someone living it.”

  Peter smiled. “Well, I guess those are pretty good reasons.” He took a bite of cheese. “So tell me about the wedding planning so far.”

  Brielle talked his ear off for a half-hour about the planning process. She felt bad, Peter probably wasn’t interested, but it was nice to have a sympathetic ear willing to listen to her for a while. They chatted about their lives through dinner and by dessert, Brielle was ready to get down to business.

  “So, tell me about the other guys in the apartment.”

  Peter hesitated. “I don’t want to get into too many details because I do think you should make the decision on your own.”

  “But…?”

  “But I can tell you a little bit. Matthew and Shea spend most of the day playing video games. They seem cool, I didn’t spend much time with them.”

  “Who did you spend time with?” Brielle was curious. She liked Peter. He was a good guy and she thought who he chose to spend his time with would be telling.

  “I mostly hung out with Asher. Occasionally Brandon. Asher’s a great guy. He likes you a lot.”

  Brielle felt a blush spreading up her neck to her cheeks. “He’s definitely high up there on my list.” She took a sip of champagne to compose herself. “And what about Carl?”

  Peter scowled for a moment before catching himself. He tried to force a smile. “Carl is…Carl. He’s a typical guy. Kind of keeps to himself. I didn’t really get to know him well.”

  “You don’t like him.” Brielle’s heart sank.

  Peter shook his head. “I didn’t say that. I don’t think we’d be friends in real life. But,” he added, “it doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.”

  Brielle nodded. Peter changed the subject. She was a bit disappointed she couldn’t learn more about the other men but Peter was right. The decision was ultimately up to her. They finished their dessert and she walked Peter to the elevator.

  “Well, thanks for coming. Good luck with...everything.” She reached up and gave Peter a kiss on the cheek.

  He smiled and said goodbye.

  Brielle watched as the elevator doors shut. Three down, five more to go.

  Chapter Eight

  Shea

  Brielle: Why the sudden change in message frequency?

  Shea: I wanted to give you a chance to settle in. You can miss things in a crowd and I didn’t want you to miss me. So I waited until it thinned a bit.

  ◆◆◆

  Shea filled out his application for Sight Unseen the day before his brother’s wedding. He was the last of his siblings to get married and he’d been in five weddings that year. His ex-girlfriend had cheated on him and he’d been on a dozen terrible dates with no end in sight.

  There was a myth out there that men didn’t want to be married or tied down and had to be forced into a family. Shea never felt that way. He’d wanted a family of his own ever since h
e was a kid. His parents were happily married and had been for over 30 years. They were an inspiration to him and he wanted what they had.

  But Shea’s dating life hit bump after bump before coming to a screeching halt. He saw the advertisement for a reality marriage show and didn’t have anything to lose by applying. Six months later and he was in an apartment with a handful of other men vying for a chance to marry Brielle. Not quite a fairy tale but would make a great story for the grandkids nonetheless.

  Shea was wasting the days away and had barely talked to Brielle. The first morning, when the eight potential spouses were herded into the elevator lobby to begin filming, he knew right away Damien and Jason would be gone quickly. He thought Carl may follow but he was doing something right and seemed to be sticking around longer than expected.

  Peter’s departure was his wakeup call. Shea had barely scratched Brielle’s surface. He didn’t know her favorite food much less how many kids she wanted to have. He’d been too busy playing video games with Matthew and almost missed his shot. Jason and Damien brought a lot of noise, for sure, but he was sure Brielle noticed he hadn’t been messaging her as much as he should.

  If Shea was going to get his fairytale ending, he needed a plan to win Brielle over. After Peter left for his date, Shea told Matthew he was turning in early and sat at the desk in his room to make a plan. There was a legal pad in one of the drawers and he got to work.

  Shea made a list of all the things important to him and traditions he hoped to start with his new bride. He brainstormed a series of questions to ask Brielle to get to know her better. He wrote everything down.

  After an hour, he had filled multiple pages of the legal pad with conversation starters. He picked up his device and sent his first message.

  Shea: So I have some questions for you…

  Brielle: Do you?

  Shea: I want to get to know you better. REALLY get to know you.

  Brielle: Well that’s good I suppose, what’s question number one?

  Shea fired off questions and Brielle seemed excited to answer them. It was a little awkward, basically interviewing his wife, but he got over that quickly as he learned more about Brielle. He learned her favorite food, her goals for her business, and her favorite memories from childhood. He was happy, they were compatible and Brielle had similar values. As great as it was, he was frustrated with himself for not initiating deeper conversations earlier in the week.

  It was getting late but Shea wasn’t tired. He wanted to stay up all night talking to Brielle, he hoped she’d agree. He walked into the kitchen to have a beer. Then, he sat on the couch and turned on the TV. The lights in other bedrooms were still on but no one was in the living room.

  Brielle kept responding and Shea sat on the couch, ignoring the reruns playing on the television and drinking his beer. He couldn’t help but have a dumb grin on his face.

  “Dude...what are you doing?” He didn’t notice Carl slink into the living room.

  Shea jumped when he heard Carl’s voice. He was backlit by the light in the hallway. His large frame looked slightly menacing and Shea couldn’t tell what he was thinking by his tone.

  “Oh...uh hey, Carl. Just chatting with Brielle.”

  “Why bother? She’s going to marry me.”

  Carl was either trying to just intimidate him or he was trying to start a fight. Shea didn’t have time for fights and scrambled to defuse the situation. “I mean...we’re all here for that, man. But if you end up being the right guy for her, so be it. That’s totally cool.”

  Carl stared him down. Shea was uncomfortable but didn’t break eye contact. Carl may have bullied Damien and Jason but he wasn’t about to jeopardize Shea’s chance at love.

  He pounded his fist on the wall and walked across the room. “Whatever, man. I’m going for a walk.”

  Shea raised an eyebrow. “We aren’t supposed to leave the building. Or the apartment.” He realized he should have kept his mouth shut as soon as the words left his lips.

  Carl moved in, towering over Shea. “Are you going to tattle on me?”

  Shea held up his hands. “Nope. Just thinking out loud. Enjoy the fresh air.”

  Carl didn’t respond, though he did linger for a moment. Without a word, he walked out the door to the apartment. He slammed it shut and Shea worried the rest of the apartment would come out to investigate.

  No one came. He turned off the TV and made his way back to his bedroom. He didn’t want to be around when Carl got back.

  Shea wasn’t afraid of him but he really hoped Brielle wouldn’t choose Carl. He was manipulative and cruel and Shea worried about how he would treat a future wife one day. Why was he chosen to be on the show in the first place? He wasn’t a great fit with the rest of the guys that seemed to be better suited for Brielle.

  Brielle: I’m going to go to sleep soon. I’ll talk to you in the morning?

  Shea: Sweet dreams <3

  Shea brushed his teeth and got ready for bed. He fell asleep, satisfied he may finally have someone to fall asleep next to for the rest of his life.

  Chapter Nine

  Brielle

  Asher: Thanks for all the hard work you put into the wedding today. Get some sleep!

  Brandon: Sleep good beautiful

  Carl: tty in the morning

  Matthew: Nite!

  ◆◆◆

  Brielle powered down her phone for the night. She still had plenty to do but her potential husbands were heading to bed for the night.

  She was surprised by the conversation she’d had with Shea. She had written him off as disinterested or as someone she didn’t have much chemistry with but found he was actually thoughtful.

  He made the case that he wasn’t the most forceful or flashiest guy out there and that’s why he hadn’t stood out much against the rest of the group. His incessant video game playing may also have something to do with it but he was figuring out what needed to be done to win her over.

  Shea was kind and smart and valued family. Brielle hadn’t met a guy who was so open about wanting to have a strong marriage and family before. Her ex-boyfriend never wanted to talk about or plan their future. To have Shea do so without prompting was refreshing. Still, she wasn’t sure the chemistry was there. He’d make a great partner but would he make a great lover?

  The profile wall was taunting her from across the room. Asher, Carl, Shea, Brandon, and Matthew remained. She wasn’t ready to adjust their ratings yet and decided, instead, to finish her homework from Stacey.

  Before she went to sleep, she had to finish her DJ requests and decide on her hair and makeup. She’d been flipping through wedding magazines halfheartedly all evening, distracted by Shea’s fascinating questions. Now, it was time to get down to business.

  She poured another glass of wine and settled in on the couch. She asked the virtual assistant device to play wedding playlists. The songs shuffled from slow songs to group dances to class party songs and Brielle took notes on what she liked best. After a half-hour, she turned off the music and decided the list she had was as good as it was going to get.

  Next, she cleared the coffee table and stacked the pile of wedding magazines neatly at her feet. She scoured every page for hairstyles and makeup trends she liked and ripped out her favorites. She arranged them on the coffee table and took notes on what she liked best.

  It was evident the styles she liked varied based on what dress she decided to wear. She still hadn’t made a decision and wouldn’t know until the morning of the wedding. Brielle sorted her favorite looks into two piles and hoped Stacey wouldn’t be too frustrated by her lack of decision making.

  After an hour, her homework from Stacey was finished and it was time to rate the men. Brielle knew it wasn’t necessary but it had become a comforting ritual that helped her discern her true feelings about each of her suitors. She wanted to get a headstart on her decision for the next day. Peter had sacrificed himself for her, which made Day Three’s decision much easier, but she was sure that wasn
’t going to happen again.

  Now the decision of who to send home was entirely up to her. She scanned the wall. Asher was still at a five out of five, followed by Carl who was somewhere between a four and a five. Brandon moved up to tie with Carl. And then there were Shea and Matthew. She hadn’t heard much from Matthew but Shea was gaining a place in her heart. She moved him up next to Brandon and Carl.

  She frowned at her system. She had three men tied at about a four and a half out of five, it wasn’t particularly helpful. Despite his lead, Asher wasn’t a clear choice. It helped that Peter liked him and made her feel better, but Brielle wasn’t convinced Carl, Brandon, or Shea wouldn’t do something on Day Four to make one of them a clear frontrunner. And sending Matthew home the next day didn’t jump out as the best decision.

  Brandon and Shea were both great guys but up until today hadn’t stood out to her like Carl and Asher did. While learning more about them was a great thing to do when making the most important decision of her life, it also meant they had the potential for her to like them more and made everything much more confusing.

  Brielle cleaned up the living room and put her wine glass in the sink. Staying up all night thinking about which man was the best husband for her wouldn’t make anything easier. There were still four days left before she had to make her final decision. The only thing she needed to worry about now was getting a good night’s sleep. It would make the decision about which man wasn’t going to be her husband much easier. She tried to focus on that choice, it was easier to choose which man to eliminate than which one to keep at this point in the week.

  She got ready for bed and tucked herself in but sleep wouldn’t come. She reflected on her date with Peter, the whirlwind of experiences she had thus far, and how terrible Abigail was.