“How do you afford your rent?” Again, she regretted her words. Why was she unable to filter her mouth today?
He shrugged. “My parents don’t charge rent.”
Oh, boy. She couldn’t believe who they’d picked to try to woo her away from Adam. Luc, with his slobbery kisses and never-ending comments about her beauty, Kyle, who had walked off the show, and Anthony, a guy living in his mother’s basement. Great.
She swallowed all the words stuck in her throat and simply smiled.
“But any day now the band will break out, and we’ll make something of ourselves.” He kicked a rock off the stone path. “I mean, this is a start, right?” He glanced at the camera.
How could she tell him his dream needed to die? That he’d never be a famous singer? She couldn’t crush him like that. Instead, she changed the subject. “What do your parents think?”
His shoulders slumped. “My dad wants me to go into the family business. Says the money’s more stable than chasing a pipe dream.”
“What’s your dad do?”
“He owns a heating and air conditioning company. He wants me to work for him, then eventually take over so he can retire.”
It was obvious by his face he didn’t like that idea. But singing would never work for him. She wished she could say something to persuade him to listen to his father. “Is heating and air conditioning that bad?”
His nose wrinkled like he’d kicked a skunk. “I’ve been helping him with his business since I was a kid and he could bribe me with a few dollars. It’s boring, dirty work.”
Megan twisted a strand of her hair around her index finger. “If you could pick anything in the world to do, besides singing, what would it be?”
“Why not music?”
“Let’s pretend it didn’t work out.” She hoped he’d play along without further questions.
He looked up at the sky. “Modeling would be fun.”
She clapped her hands together. “What a great idea! You’d be perfect for that.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yes! In fact, the first time I saw you, I thought you looked like a model.”
An impish grin crept across his face. “That sexy, huh?”
She shoved him gently in the chest and laughed. “And humble, too.” By this time, they’d finished their walk through the gardens, and Megan caught sight of Adam up on the deck of the mansion, a slight breeze blowing his hair. Her breath caught.
Anthony shoved his fists in his pockets and squinted at Adam. “You love him, don’t you?”
She blew out a frustrated breath. What was up with everyone? Was it super obvious that she was a schmuck falling in love for real with a man who was only pretending? What a loser she was. But even as those thoughts swirled in her head, her pulse quickened when she saw Adam smile.
She couldn’t answer Anthony, so she just played dumb.
“Well, he sure loves you. I can see it. And he said so.”
What could she say to that? ‘No, he’s playing a part for television? He signed a contract?’ She sighed and lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug.
His devilish smile made a re-appearance. “We should make your man over there a little jealous.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb.
Apprehension overcame her. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Sure it is.” He came closer, his lips just a breath away. “Let’s see how he likes this.” And suddenly his mouth was on hers. Kissing Anthony was like an awkward teen kiss. Not unpleasant, but uncoordinated and over quickly. He smiled. “See. He’s not too happy.”
She glanced over at Adam, and sure enough, a frown had overtaken his face, his eyebrows drawn together. But, how was he supposed to react? The girl he confessed as his love was kissing someone else. If he kept smiling, he’d ruin the show. But she had to admit, a tiny part of her enjoyed his anxiety.
Megan put her hand on Anthony’s shoulder. “Thanks for the date.”
He pointed both index fingers at her. “You betcha.” Then he twirled and did a little jig.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
Megan twisted her fingers together as she sat on the leather straight-back chair. Doctor Lemon stared her down. Adam sat on the opposite side and seemed almost as nervous as she.
“Your next trust exercise will be in the form of a dinner date.” The doctor looked like she was trying to hide a smile.
Megan released a breath she’d been holding. Eat dinner. She could do that. Easy peasy, right?
Adam nodded with a ‘That’s not so bad’ expression on his face.
Doctor Lemon pulled out a small metal box with a hinged lid. “You will be driven by limousine to a fine restaurant. We’ll give you time to change. There are new outfits in your rooms.” She slid the box into Megan’s hands. “The trust exercise comes when you open this box during dinner. There are instructions inside.”
Megan clutched the cold metal container like it was about to come alive and wrestle her to the ground. She took a calming breath. Surely it couldn’t be anything too horrible.
The doctor glanced at her watch. “You have a half-hour to get ready. You are dismissed.”
Heart pounding, Megan stood and glanced at Adam. He raised an eyebrow at the box in her hand, but a smile slid onto his face. “This should be interesting.”
Not the word she was thinking of. Leon, no doubt, was behind all of this. And he was the last person she trusted. “Yeah.”
When she got to her room, she gasped at the black gown that hung on the back of her bathroom door. Silky, yet shimmering in the light, the cut both sexy and flattering. When she slid it on, it fit like it had been cut for her figure. She twirled in front of the mirror. Wow.
She freshened her makeup and ran a brush through her hair, then grabbed the metal box. Adam stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, leaning casually against the wall. When their gaze met, she sucked in a breath. She couldn’t help it. He looked like he belonged in a men’s fashion magazine. Or in a lineup at a wedding. Seeing him in a tux was doing strange things to her heart. As she neared, he winked at her and those dimples appeared. She broke eye contact and concentrated on not falling down the stairs.
He held out his arm. “There’s a car waiting.”
They stepped outside, to see a long stretch limo idling in the circular drive. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Car?”
He shrugged as the driver opened the door for her. “I guess Doctor Lemon wanted this to be a date to remember.”
The silver box grew warm in her hand. “Yeah. I bet.”
The restaurant was upscale, all white tablecloths and crystal wine glasses. They were seated in a secluded area so the camera men didn’t bother anyone else.
Nerves assaulted her as she stared at the menu. “What are you getting?”
Adam seemed relaxed. “The halibut looks good. Their seafood is flown in fresh each day.”
She snapped her menu shut. “Good choice. I’ll have that, too.” The reality was she didn’t think she could eat anything before opening that stupid box, but she dreaded doing so.
After they ordered, Adam placed his hand on hers. “Do you want to open it, or keep staring at it like it’s going to bite you?”
She tore her eyes from the silver lid. She had to know what was in it. Then maybe she could get it over with and enjoy the rest of the date. “You open it.”
He picked up the metal container and flipped up the lid. It appeared to be filled with small strips of paper. His gaze flickered to hers before he read the instructions. “Take turns selecting and following the directions on each piece of paper. You must use them all.” He set the box between them, then eyed her. “Want to go first?”
She shook her head.
He grinned, then picked up a white strip and smoothed it out on the table. “Tell your date about your most embarrassing moment.”
Relief flooded through her. That wasn’t so bad.
Adam chuckled and tossed the paper in t
he middle of the table. “Okay, it has to be the time I accidentally called our fifth grade teacher her nick-name…to her face.”
Megan held in a giggle. “Do tell.”
“Ms. Starkbaum was the math teacher. Except everyone called her Stink Bottom. When she called me up to the board, I said, “Yes, Ms. Stink Bottom.” Of course, the entire class erupted in laughter, and I got detention.”
“You poor thing.”
“Yeah, wasn’t fair at all. Everyone called her that. I just slipped up in front of her.”
Megan bit her lower lip. “Mine was in middle school.”
He raised an eyebrow and his dimples appeared. “Can’t wait to hear it.”
“My gym bag’s zipper had broken. It wasn’t a big deal until I dropped it on the cement and my clothes dumped out. My underwear caught a breeze and flew across the school parking lot.”
A pained look crossed Adam’s face. “Ooh, that’s bad.”
“I wish that was the worst of it. Billy Holt caught them and proceeded to show everyone where my mother had written my name on them.”
It was obvious he was trying not to laugh. “Yeah. That’s worse.” A snort erupted and they both laughed.
He nudged the box toward her. “Your turn.”
“Oh, all right. That one was a freebie.” She reached in and grabbed the first paper that touched her fingers. “Share your earliest betrayal.”
Adam froze, his gaze flickering to the camera. Without a word, she understood. He was glad she had gotten that one. There were some things he didn’t want to share in front of America.
She cleared her throat. “That’s easy. First grade. I was best friends with Erin Williams. A new girl moved in. Shelly Fry. A cutie with red curls all down her back. Erin hated her, but I wanted to be friends. I convinced Erin she wasn’t so bad. The next week, I came to school and they were talking about me behind my back. All of a sudden, Erin and Shelly were best friends, and I was left out.”
Adam scoffed. “Girls are so fickle.”
She opened her mouth in mock indignation. “Hey, don’t blame our entire gender. It was Erin’s fault.”
“She missed out.” His words were light, but his eyes darkened and his face turned serious.
She pushed the box toward him. “All yours.”
He reached in and grabbed one. “Tell your date the thing you fear the most.” A look crossed his face, but vanished before she could put a name to it, and a smile replaced it. “Easy.” He took her hand, warmth spreading through her. “Losing you.”
Chapter 18
Adam hadn’t meant to make a joke out of it, but he could tell by Megan’s face that’s how it came across. She scrunched up her nose and pulled her hand back. “Fair enough. I guess it’s my turn again.”
He’d made her mad. Stupid. Why did he always fall back on that fake macho persona Leon pushed on him? Regret filled him.
She reached into the container, shuffling around the strips before selecting one and uncurling it. “Reveal your deepest secret.”
Her face drained of color, and he instantly felt bad for her. Nothing like revealing your deepest secret on national television. Trying to keep the mood light, he said, “This should be interesting.”
She narrowed her eyes. “That’s easy. Everyone already knows I’m secretly in love with my co-host.” She scrunched up the paper into a tiny ball and tossed it over her shoulder. “Next.”
The question had gotten to her, obviously. But she successfully side-stepped it. Maybe they could get this game over with if they went quickly. This time he drew from the bottom. “Name one thing you always wanted for Christmas, but never got.”
He lifted his gaze to meet hers, and saw compassion behind her eyes. He couldn’t answer this truthfully, either. Not with the cameras rolling. So he picked something out of the air. “Probably what every kid wants. A pony.” He flashed a fake smile.
“Me too. Why does every kid want a pony? They’re a lot of work to take care of.”
“Kids don’t think about the work. Only the fun.” He placed his hand on her arm.
“Too bad the fun only lasts a short time, but the work goes on.” She stared at his hand until he removed it. “I guess it’s my turn again.”
After silently reading her paper, a smile crossed her face. “If you could dare your date to do one thing, what would it be?”
“Hey, that’s not fair. This is supposed to be about sharing.”
Her brow arched. “It’s a trust exercise. Don’t you trust me?”
“Not with that devilish look on your face.”
Her laughter carried through the room. “Hey, the paper only asked what I would dare you to do. It didn’t say you had to do it.”
He wiped his brow in pretend relief. “Good. Because I haven’t forgotten the karaoke contest.”
“You weaseled your way out of that, if I remember properly. Got a standing ovation.”
“I have mad skills.” He gave her a sexy grin, and she blushed.
“Okay. Your dare would be…” She looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “To spike your hair in a mohawk.”
“That’s it?”
“And wear it on our morning show.”
He laughed. “You know how to dare.”
A smug look formed on her face. “You are talking to the reigning champion of the sixth grade truth or dare tournament.”
They continued to take turns with the box, a silent understanding passing between them to evade the questions they didn’t want to answer on the air. When their food arrived, they only had two pieces of paper left.
Adam motioned to the box. “I guess these will have to wait.”
A frown crossed Megan’s face. “No way. I’m getting this over with so we can enjoy the rest of our date.” She pulled out a paper and uncurled it, then grimaced. “Share your most painful childhood memory.”
The display of emotion that played out on Megan’s face brought out a desire in him to protect her. She shouldn’t have to talk about things like this in front of millions of people. What right did Leon have to do this? He was about to say something, but she smoothed out her features and smiled. “Probably the time I crashed my bike and skinned both knees. Took a week to heal.” She crumpled the paper and pushed the box toward him. “Last one’s yours.”
He took the paper and unfolded it. “Tell your date about your first kiss.” He groaned and tossed the paper into the pile in the middle of the table. “Of course, it had to be that.”
“What? It can’t be that bad.”
He sucked in a breath and leaned back in his chair. “I’m afraid it is.”
“Well, you can’t stop there. You have to spill it.”
“Okay. I was in third grade. My best friend Jeffery dared me to kiss Emily, the prettiest girl in class. I told him I wouldn’t do it, but then he double dog dared me to.” He kept his face straight to show the seriousness of the situation.
“Oh, no. You can’t back away from a double dog dare.” Megan picked up her water and took a sip. “What did you do?”
“Of course I had to do it, or forever be branded as a coward.”
“Naturally.”
“So, during recess I told Emily there was a cool frog out behind the school. She didn’t seem interested.” He shrugged. “I guess girls don’t like frogs. Who knew?”
Megan snorted. “You really thought that would work?”
“What can I say? I was eight. When I changed it to a kitten, she perked up. She followed me, even though we weren’t allowed to leave the playground.”
A smile tugged at Megan’s lips. “You rebel.”
“I definitely was. And after we got out back, and there was no kitten, Emily turned to leave, and I panicked. I said the first thing that popped into my head.”
“Which was?”
He bit back a grin. “I double dog dare you to kiss me.”
Megan giggled. “Not very original, were you?”
“Nope. But it worked. She stopped, turn
ed around and looked at me for a moment, like she couldn’t decide if she was going to do it or not.”
“She must have, since this is the story of your first kiss.” Megan’s eyes twinkled.
“You’re right. She took two steps toward me, and said, ‘Okay.’ Then she closed her eyes and puckered her lips. I planted one on her so fast, she probably thought I socked her. Then I turned to see Mrs. Zuckerman and the entire fourth grade English class lined up along the windows, watching us.”
Megan laughed. “No way! What happened?”
“We got in trouble for leaving the playground. But good thing it happened back then. Today I’d have been charged with sexual assault.”
“Sad, but true.” Megan picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of asparagus. “Well, your story beats mine.”
Curiosity piqued in him. “Fess up.”
She chewed, then swallowed. “It’s boring compared to yours.”
“Too bad. You have to tell it now.”
“I was sixteen, and on my first date. Harry Davis. A skinny kid with freckles.” She picked up her water glass. “He kissed me on the doorstep after the date.”
“That’s it?”
“Told you it was boring.” She smiled, then took a sip of her water.
“What a letdown.”
She glanced at the camera. “Remind me to tell you sometime about my second kiss. Much more entertaining.”
The gleam in her eye made him chuckle. “You got it.”
Megan punched the pillow in her mansion room and rolled over…again. Why was she so restless? That stupid trust exercise had her stomach all tied up in knots. What was Leon thinking, that they’d really share all that personal stuff on national television? He had some nerve.
Her stomach growled, and she looked at the clock. Three fifteen. The halibut had been delicious, but not as filling as she’d hoped. And since she had no chance of falling back asleep anytime soon, she slid out of bed and pulled on her robe. Maybe there was something in the kitchen she could snack on.
The hallway was dark, only lit by a sliver of moonlight shining through a small decorative window high on the far wall. She padded down the back staircase and through another hall that led to the kitchen. The cold tile reminded her she’d forgotten to put on slippers.
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