by Susan Hatler
What did that little exchange mean? He looked so excited, too. Everything in me hurt at that moment. I knew that if I was a better person I’d be happy for him that he’d found someone to love. But that wasn’t how I felt. I wanted him for myself.
He released Wendy and stepped toward me. “I’m glad I caught you before the show, Mary Ann. I have something to talk to you about.”
“I’ll give you both some space.” Wendy tilted her head, giving me a smile that said she knew something I didn’t.
This was suddenly way too much. I put my hands over my ears. I didn’t want to hear what Trevor had to say because I knew from his grin what that was. He was going to tell me he’d fallen for Wendy and that they were going to make a life together. I wanted to scream that I wanted him to introduce me to his parents, but obviously our phony relationship wasn’t enough for him. I wasn’t enough.
“You’ll never guess what—”
“Can we talk about it later?” I interrupted with a curt voice. “I just want to focus on the competition right now. Get my head back in the game, you know.”
The smile on Trevor’s face wavered. “Actually it’s important and will only take a minute.”
Only sixty seconds to break my heart. Talk about succinct. I admired his persistence, but there was no way I could win the show with my heart completely shattered. As it stood now it would be hard to focus with my heart crumpled up and tossed aside.
I stepped back, shaking my head. “We have to win this competition. This is our second chance and we can’t blow it. We need to put on the best act we can for those cameras. Just like we planned to all along.”
“An act?” Trevor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What are you talking about—”
“You’re making us look like we’re arguing,” I said through a fake smile in case people or cameras were watching.
His brows came together. “That is my fault? What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head and tried for an appeasing expression. “Let’s just stick to our plan, look like we have a deep connection, blah-blah-blah in case they start filming us. Okay, honey bunch?”
His eyes narrowed. “That’s hot stuff to you.”
“Whatever.” I threw my hand in the air completely annoyed that he was being a child about this. I was the one being a bigger person here while he dumped me for the competition. Did I need to hear his feelings for Wendy expressed in detail before our last televised couples competition? Uh, that would be a no.
Trevor opened his mouth to say something else when Brandon Baker called us all over. “Five minutes until show time, couples. Take your places.”
“We’re talking after the show.” Trevor’s eyes were heated and he’d used a tone that said there was no turning him down.
“Whatever,” I said. “Right now we just need to win.”
As we walked into the game room, Trevor put his hand on the small of my back. I wanted to sink into his touch, and I let myself. I could admit this time that it wasn’t for the cameras but because it was our last time to be together.
“There will be no eliminations tonight, everyone.” Brandon Baker’s face lit up as he winked at us. “This final filmed segment is called The Truth in Love. Your job, Trevor and Mary Ann, and Chase and Wendy, is to woo the live audience tonight. For our final segment in the next episode, the audience will watch all of the previous couples competitions then they’ll vote on the winners to reveal which couple they believe is most compatible and most in love. The winning couple will be announced on live TV.”
Trevor dropped his arm from around me as we took our seats and the tension between us was palpable. Even if he did have a thing with someone else, we still had to fake our love so we could win the competition. After losing Trevor, Grammy’s bracelet suddenly seemed like a consolation prize. Ginger had been right that an heirloom was not a loved one. At some point, Trevor had become more important than winning.
“Think about The Truth in Love as a quiz show.” Brandon Baker’s voice boomed in front of us but he hadn’t turned on his microphone yet, because the live audience had only just arrived to watch us. “You submitted your answers separately an hour ago and your partner will be tested on his or her knowledge of you. Here we go.”
Music started and the stage flooded with lights revealing our two sets of chairs facing each other. Trevor and I sat on one side while Wendy and Chase sat on the other. Tonight we were filming in front of a live audience, and I wanted to attribute the butterflies in my stomach to that.
I knew the real reason for my nerves, though, was the thought of Trevor’s rejection confession that was coming later.
“Welcome, audience.” Brandon Baker held his arm out to the audience and a burst of applause filled the room. “Tonight we are filming The Truth in Love before you ladies and gentlemen. You’re going to find out how well our bachelors and their dates have gotten to know each other over the course of this competition.”
Thinking of all I’d learned about Trevor in just a week, I wondered how my life had gotten so complicated in such a short time.
“Each couple has answered five questions, and will have to guess what their partner answered. Shall we get started?” Brandon pulled out a red heart-shaped card and the audience cheered. “All right then . . . the first question we asked was how does your partner take their coffee? We’ll start with Wendy and Chase.”
“Wendy likes her French roast black,” Chase said, grinning in her direction. Poor schmuck didn’t even know he was about to get his heart broken.
“And Chase likes his fair trade organic roast with a shot of vanilla.” Wendy grinned back at him. Man, she was a really good actress. If I hadn’t known about her and Trevor, I would have thought she really did have a thing for Chase.
Brandon Baker waved his hand in my direction. “Trevor and Mary Ann?”
“Mary Ann loves mochas and she soaks her favorite biscottis, from Bernie’s Bakery in East Sacramento, in her mocha until they become soft.”
I blinked at Trevor in surprise. I hadn’t realized that he’d been paying attention. Obviously he was taking this competition way more seriously than I had anticipated. And I realized that I had no idea how he took his coffee. “Um,” I stammered as I tried to come up with an answer. All eyes were on me but I hadn’t seen a coffee in front of him at the bakery. “He, um, doesn’t like coffee. So that’s a trick question for us?”
“Correct!” Brandon Baker called out delightedly as a bell dinged. “Everyone got those correct. Good job, contestants. Let’s move on.”
The audience clapped appreciatively, and even though I couldn’t see them beyond the stage lights, I could feel their energy and it made me nervous.
Brandon Baker brought his microphone up again. “What is your partner’s favorite childhood memory?”
I saw Chase and Wendy glance at each other, and then Chase said, “Wendy loved living at her grandmother’s inn on the beach of Blue Moon Bay.”
“And Chase loved going to his Grandpa’s farm,” Wendy chimed in.
“Correct,” Brandon Baker said, and the audience responded with lackluster applause. I agreed. Their responses were clearly rehearsed. I was so lost in thought that I jumped when Brandon Baker said, “Mary Ann?”
“Huh? Oh, um, well, I believe that Trevor’s favorite memories of his childhood center around spending time with his family, but especially when his dad got a job at a bakery, and he got to help,” I said, glancing sideways at Trevor.
He gave me a bittersweet smile and nodded slightly. “And Mary Ann loved it when her grandmother let her wear a very special bracelet.”
“Those answers are correct,” Brandon Baker said. “It seems like you two really have spent some time getting to know what’s important to each other.”
“Aw.” The audience cooed, and I blushed. Knowing how well Trevor had listened to me made it even more heartbreaking that he had fallen for Wendy.
“What does your partner do for
a living? And why?”
“We’re Realtors!” Chase and Wendy declared at the same time. Then Wendy added, “And we do it because our mission in life is to find you the perfect home.”
The audience giggled and groaned, and I had to fight to keep from rolling my eyes. “Trevor is in risk management,” I said. “And he does it because he knows the value of keeping the people you love safe.”
“Mary Ann is in property management.” Trevor paused and looked me in the eye. “This is the perfect job for her because she’s friendly, reaches out to people easily, and is eager to help solve their problems. She’s kind-hearted that way and she even saved a cat this week.”
“Mary Ann! Mary Ann!” The audience shouted my name over and over as if at a football game.
“He was a sweet cat!” I called back, waving at the audience.
Trevor leaned over and gave me a kiss right there on stage. Flutters took up residence in my belly, but I knew he’d only done it for the win. A knot formed in my stomach as I realized how differently this whole thing could have gone if I hadn’t pushed Trevor away in the beginning. Me and my stupid, stupid strikes.
Brandon Baker held both of his arms up to silence the audience. “Now, this is what the audience is dying to know. Why did your partner choose to be on this show?”
“That’s easy.” Wendy crossed her legs then clasped her hands in her lap. “I bid on Chase because we’re both Realtors. We make sense.”
“Whoops!” Brandon Baker bellowed as a horn blared. “I’m sorry, Wendy, you were
supposed to tell us why Chase entered. We can’t accept this answer, so we’ll have to disqualify you from this question. Mary Ann?”
I bit down on my lip. “Trevor entered so he could help the Founding Friendships charity, which is a homeless outreach program. He believes strongly in philanthropy.”
Trevor arched a brow at me. “Mary Ann bid on me by complete accident. She actually tried to get out of dating me multiple times.”
The audience gasped and then moaned.
“But I’m glad I didn’t.” I blurted out, then turned to Trevor. My eyes burned suddenly and I brushed his cheek softly. “Meeting Trevor was the best date by mistake a girl could ever ask for.”
As the audience broke out in applause, Trevor leaned over and kissed me again. My insides warmed at the feel of his mouth on mine and the competition faded away until all there was in the world was our kiss. I never wanted the moment to end.
“Okay, one last question.” Brandon Baker’s voice startled me, but he was apparently eager to get on with the show. “What do you think is the most important thing to your partner in a relationship?”
Wendy made a humming sound. “I think Chase values honesty above everything else.”
“Wendy wants someone with passion.” Chase sounded so earnest I wondered if he knew this from words or experience. Hmm.
“Mary Ann wants someone who plays by her rules,” Trevor said. “But I think what she needs is someone who is smart enough to see past them.”
I turned to him with a frown. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I want someone who tells me things up front. Not someone who plays games.”
Trevor narrowed his eyes at me. “He asked what I thought, not you. And what do you think I want, Mary Ann?”
“You claim you like impulsive, but who you really want is someone who’s sweet and perfect,” I said, glancing over at Wendy out of the corner of my eye.
“I don’t care about perfect.” A line appeared between his brows. “Where are you getting that?” he asked, sounding annoyed, even though we were still on camera.
“Just my opinion.” I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest.
“O-kay . . .” Brandon Baker drew the word out as if he hadn’t expected our tension. Surely, though, the production staff already knew about Wendy and Trevor. “Well, thank you all for participating in The Truth in Love. We may not always like the answers we hear, but honesty is one of the most important aspects of a lasting relationship. That concludes our show for tonight.
Remember that you can vote at home either via text, phone, or online. Vote now.”
As soon as we were off stage, Trevor turned to me. “What is the matter with you tonight?”
I rolled my eyes. “Sorry, but we knew that we weren’t right for each other from the start.
Didn’t we? That’s why we had to make our strategy. Well I’m tired of faking a relationship. You already struck out and that’s fine with me.”
“You just use that rule as an excuse to push people away. Like you’re doing to me now.”
Trevor nearly growled as he spoke. I’d never seen him so upset, and it took me aback.
Glancing past him down the hall I could see Wendy waiting, pretending that she wasn’t listening to us fight. “Whatever,” I snapped. “Go have fun on your real date. She’s waiting for you in the hall.”
“What are you talking about?” Trevor followed my gaze. As understanding seemed to dawn on him his head snapped my way. “Wendy is my Realtor. She just sold me a house, which I tried to tell you about earlier but you wouldn’t listen to me. But, hey, thanks for your faith in me.”
I stared after Trevor’s retreating form in horror as the reality of the situation washed over me.
Third strike. I was out.
Chapter Nine
The following Saturday night, I stirred the vegetables that were sautéing in the pan on Ginger’s stove. In honor of the final segment of Romance Revealed airing tonight, she had made chicken wings, which were my favorite. Melinda couldn’t be here since she was picking up her boyfriend, Nate, from the airport because he’d just returned from photographing some extreme adventure in India.
I hadn’t heard from Trevor all week and I felt miserable. Not a call, not a text, nothing. A visual replay of my relationship’s crash and burn wasn’t on the top of my list of favorite activities, but I’d managed to watch the first three segments the past three nights and I couldn’t not watch the finale.
“You’re still sulking so I assume you haven’t heard from Trevor?” Ginger asked, squeezing my shoulders as she passed by to grab something from the fridge.
“I totally blew it with him. I know that you’re perpetually disappointed in me, but could you spare me the lecture tonight?” I stared hard at the pan, watching the oil surrounding the vegetables bubble.
“What do you mean?” I could hear the surprise in my sister’s voice, and it was enough to make me look up at her. She seemed to be genuinely puzzled by my statement.
“You’re perfect and I’m the screw up.” I shrugged, hot tears stinging my eyes. “Everyone knows it.”
Ginger came to stand beside me. “Mary Ann, what are you talking about?”
“Nothing. Just forget it.” My stomach turned sour, and I couldn’t believe I’d said anything in the first place.
“You can’t say something like that then not tell me what you mean.” She stopped cooking, and when I looked up at her I saw something sad in her expression that made me change my mind.
“It was like that even when we were little,” I mumbled. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might make me pass out. Terror pulsed through my veins. “Like the time I was riding my pogo stick in the house, and I knocked over Dad’s friend’s beer. You know that guy who was always around and drunk with Dad? Well . . . he got so mad that I’d spilled his beer . . .”
Her brows rose. “What?”
I closed my eyes, biting my lip. “He pushed me so hard I flew back and hit the wall. My back bruised up pretty badly.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Ginger asked, horrified.
“Dad had told me not to ride my pogo stick in the house and I did it anyway.” I shrugged. “I was wrong. I know I didn’t deserve that, but still—”
“Nobody deserves that.” She gave me a one-armed hug, cradling me against her. “You should have told me. I could have helped.”
I shrugged aga
in. I didn’t want to start a fight by telling her that I doubted she would have done anything. “I know telling people is the right thing to do, but as a kid that was too hard. I’ve still had a problem with it as an adult, which was why I wanted Grammy’s bracelet to make me strong and brave like it did when we were kids.”
“That’s why you wore her bracelet while pretending to be Wonder Woman?” Her eyes flickered with understanding. “Oh, Mary Ann, you don’t need that bracelet to be strong and brave. You’re already those things. You just don’t realize it yet.”
“That’s exactly what Trevor said.” Tears pricked my eyes again. “And I did stand up for myself at work. I really did.”
“And what happened?”
I bit out a laugh. “I got a promotion.”
“You see?” She brushed my hair back from my face like she used to do when I was little.
“Sweetie, I am so proud of all the things you’ve accomplished. How you paid that rent back to me, and how you have been working hard at your job, and even doing this show. I would’ve been scared to death with all those cameras pointed at me. You looked completely comfortable, like a natural actress.”
“Really?” I fluffed my hair on either side. “Should I prepare for a future Academy Award then?”
She chuckled. “You can do anything you set your mind to, squint,” she said, using the nickname she’d given me when I was little. “You’re the most vibrant person I know. I wouldn’t want anyone else as my little sister.” Ginger wrapped her arms around me in another hug.
“I love you, sis.” I sniffed, my throat tightening as I savored the moment. Then I released her and gathered myself together while she dished up our dinner.
As we sat down on the sofa, Ginger said, “You know that guy you were talking about? Dad’s friend? He pushed his kid more than once, and Dad called CPS on him. They never hung out again.”
“I didn’t know,” I said, suddenly feeling lighter. Maybe my dad would’ve taken care of me but I hadn’t given him the chance to. After all, Ginger and I seemed to have bridged an invisible gap that had existed between us.
