17
Kyle’s announcement about leaving the show dampened Megan’s spirits, but to say Anthony hadn’t noticed would have been an understatement. He’d taken her for a walk around the gardens, his guitar slung across his back. He kept doing these weird dance moves as they walked, using them to punctuate whatever he was blabbering about at the time.
“Heeeey, I wrote you a song.” He threw out his arms and shuffled his feet in what looked like an attempt at tap dancing.
She raised her eyebrows. “Really?” That explained the six-string on his back.
He swung his guitar around in what he probably thought was a cool move. “May I sing it for you?”
She actually debated telling him no, but in the end decided not to be rude. “Sure. I’d love to hear it.” She sunk down on a wrought iron bench surrounded by little purple flowers.
Anthony grinned and then winked at her. No, wait. He wasn’t looking right at her. Good heavens, he winked at the camera. She slapped her hand to her forehead and leaned on the arm rest.
He strummed a chord. “Sweet Megan. Sweet, sweet Megan. You’re like sunshine in the dark.” Another chord. “Megan, sweet, sweet Megan, I want to take you to the park.”
A laugh threatened to bubble up from her chest, but she suppressed it. Something told her it wasn’t meant to be funny. He continued to sing, never quite hitting the high note, and always ending in a word that rhymed with dark. He managed to use mark, lark, stark, bark, snark, and even quark.
He ended the song with another dance move, and shot the camera a sexy smile. Megan wasn’t sure if the song was about her, or about his love affair with being on television. She plastered on a polite grin and clapped. “That was very entertaining.”
He bowed low. “It’s what I do.” Then he punctuated it with a twirl.
Megan stood, grabbed his arm and pulled him along the path. Maybe if they walked through the gardens and came out the other side, they’d be done with this ridiculous date. “What else do you like to do, besides play the guitar and dance?”
“I don’t know, there’s not much time to do other stuff, with all the gigs me and my band do.” He turned a serious face to her. “Music is my life, man.”
“People pay you to sing?” Right after the words left her mouth, she wished she could stuff them back in.
His face fell. “Well, sometimes. I mean, we’ve had a couple paying gigs.”
“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 the 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.”