“I’m sorry, Sammy-Jo. I can’t tell you anything about the show right now. But I do hope you enjoy watching it.”
“Oh, I do. Can I tell you what I think?”
Can I stop her?
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“I think he’s going to end up with that beautiful girl Phoebe. The one with the long blond hair. They’re both tall and gorgeous. Those two would make beautiful babies together.”
I think of how Camille would feel about Sammy-Jo’s wish and this time my smile is genuine. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Penny shoots me a concerned look. “I think that wraps it up. Sammy-Jo, thank you so much.”
“One more question,” Sammy-Jo says, her eyes bright. “Did he do the pond scene? You know, diving in and getting all wet with that white shirt clinging to all his muscles?”
Penny stands up to signal the interview is now over. “Is that the time? Sammy-Jo, I am so sorry but we are going to have to go to our next appointment. It has been such a treat to spend time with you, though.”
Her face falls. “Oh, of course.”
I shoot Penny a grateful look. She’s my bestie and she’s totally got my back.
As she bundles Sammy-Jo outside, I slump back in my chair. Not only did I have to say goodbye to the man I thought was the love of my life, but now with the show airing, I won’t be allowed to get on with forgetting about him.
I rub my forehead and let out a heavy sigh. I tell myself I will move on. I will get over him.
Although right now, it feels a million miles away.
Chapter 29
Penny slips the straps of her handbag over her shoulder. “Promise me you won’t bail. This will be good for you, Em. It’ll give you closure.”
“I still fail to see how watching a guy who dumped me propose to someone else is going to give me closure, particularly if it’s odious Camille.”
“Trust me, okay? My therapist friend told me it would help you.”
“Why were you talking to your therapist friend about me?”
She gives me a sympathetic look.
“Yeah, okay. Don’t say it.”
She pulls me in for a hug. “I love you and I want what’s best for you. You know that, right?”
“I know,’ I say as I breathe in a cloud of her perfume.
“Good. Then I’ll see you at my place at seven. I’m sending Trey out, so it’ll be just us girls. Don’t forget to bring the dip.”
I salute her. “No, ma’am.”
“Less of the ma’am. I’m only three months older than you, remember?”
“I sure do, ma’am,” I reply with a grin.
The episode in which I was unceremoniously sent home aired last week. I did not watch it. Penny agreed it was a good idea. Apparently, I looked like a stunned mullet as I stood waiting with Kennedy and Reggie to be told I was leaving. In an unusual twist, Reggie got sent home, too, which apparently she did with a smile. She was there for the follows, after all.
Mom, on the other hand, called me in floods of tears, telling me how upset she was I hadn’t landed my prince. Or duke. Or baron. Or whatever archaic title Lord Huntington-Ross holds. I reminded her it was ages ago now, and assured her I had already moved on. Which I had.
Kind of.
Well, at least I wasn’t thinking about him every waking hour of every waking day anymore. Not when we had so much more work to do now that Timothy’s business had continued to grow.
And yes, Sebastian had messaged me a few more times, always telling me how sorry he was, asking if we could talk. After much consultation with Penny over yet more cookies and coffee in the past few weeks, I decided not to reply. I’d said my piece about being happy for him and his future bride. The last thing I was going to say was that I was still in love with the guy.
So, at seven sharp, despite serious reservations about watching Sebastian choose one of my fellow contestants to walk down the aisle, I ring Penny’s bell. She swings the door open almost before my finger has left the button.
“That was quick,” I say in surprise.
“Was it?” She pulls me into the hallway and closes the door behind me. “I just happened to be by the door, that’s all.” She looks at my hands. “Is that the dip?” She grabs it and reads the label. “You went to Central Market!”
I shoot her a quizzical look. “That’s where we always get the dip. They’ve got the best selection. Remember?”
“Right.” She nods so fast she looks like she’s attached to one of those fat wobbling machines that are meant to make you lose the pounds. “Now, let’s get you into the living room. We’ve got some watching to do.” She manhandles me—or womanhandles me, really—down the hallway.
“You okay, Penn?” I ask as we enter the living room.
“Me? Sure. Why?” Her cheeks are shiny and she’s got a slightly manic look in her eyes.
“You seem weird.”
“I’m all good.” She gives me a smile that’s meant to reassure me but makes me wonder if she’s secretly on Ritalin. “Sit. The show’s about to start.”
I do as instructed, leaning back on her comfy leather sofa. The large screen TV is already on, paused on an ad for tires. Penny places a bowl of chips on the coffee table along with the dip I brought, then settles down next to me and pours us out a glass of chardonnay each.
“No beer?” I ask.
“I thought wine was more appropriate. Cheers,” she says and we clink glasses.
“Cheers. Here’s to moving on dot com.”
She collects the remote from the coffee table. “You ready?”
“No.”
“It’ll be okay, Em. You need this.”
I blink at her. “I need to watch the guy I fell for propose to someone else?”
“Not when you put it that way.”
“What other way is there?”
“I guess seeing him and knowing you’re over him. Because you are over him, right?” She looks at me with expectation.
I give a firm nod. “Right,” I say, more to convince myself than anyone else. Because I will get over him. Someday.
“Plus, everyone is going to see this and want to talk to you about it. You need to be prepared.”
At least that point makes sense. “Okay.”
“You ready?”
I chew on my lip, my tummy clasping in apprehension. “Hold up.” I take a couple of large sips of wine and hold the glass to my chest. To get through the next sixty-or-so minutes, I’m going to need more of it, I’m sure. “Ready.”
Penny presses play, and instantly orchestral music fills the room as the title of the show pops up on the screen over a backdrop of Martinston.
So far so ... okay. I mean, sure, the house looks spectacular, but it’s just a house.
A moment in, Sebastian is on the screen. I feel like my heart could burst out of my chest at the sight of him. He’s dressed up as Mr. Darcy, as I expected him to be in the finale of a show called Dating Mr. Darcy. Johnathan asks him about the final two contestants, and he answers with what sounds like expected platitudes to me.
They’re beautiful and amazing women, and I’m very lucky to have had the opportunity to get to know them both.
As he smiles, to the world he looks happy and serene, waiting for his two potential brides to come down the “aisle,” but I can tell his smile isn’t genuine. It doesn’t reach his eyes, not the way it did when he would smile at me.
But then again, maybe I got that all backwards? I’m not the one up there on the screen with him, am I? I’m the sad sack on my bestie’s sofa, clasping a glass of wine to my chest as a lifeline, about to watch him ask someone else to marry him.
“Who are the final two?” I ask Penny.
“Just watch and see.”
Sebastian is now standing in a particularly picturesque part of the garden I recognize from my daily wanderings. I guess at least I should be glad he’s not in the woods. That would be a step too far for me right now.
I
gulp down more wine. As I take in his square jaw and brown eyes with the glints of gold, I know I’m not over him. Very far from it, in fact.
I let out a heavy sigh. Getting over Mr. Darcy is proving to be difficult indeed.
Penny eyes me next to her on the sofa. “More wine.” She takes my now warm glass and tops it up.
The screen pans across the garden to a beautiful woman in a long, navy, slim-fitting dress.
My heart sinks to my toes. “Oh, no. Not her.”
Camille.
I watch as she walks toward Sebastian. She looks gorgeous in her dress, with her hair falling around her shoulders, and the broadest smile on her face. She reaches him and he takes his hands in hers.
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
Penny pauses the show. “Don’t worry, Em. They always reject the first one, remember? Camille is toast.”
“God, I hope you’re right. She is a truly horrendous human being, and I’m not just saying that because she’s the one up there and not me.”
“I know. I’ve been watching the show, remember? She’s horrible.” She presses play and I hold my breath, waiting to hear what Sebastian has got to say to her, hoping it’ll be along the lines of “I’m feeding you to the lions. Enjoy.”
The camera zooms in on Camille’s face.
“Sebastian, my very own Mr. Darcy.”
“Yup, vomiting now.”
“Shh.”
“You are everything I want in a partner. You’re like me. You’re focused, smart, and determined. You’re also very handsome, which I think is a total plus.”
She grins at him.
“We might be from different countries, but we are cut from the same cloth, you and I. Together, I know we can take on the world, and get everything we were both born to receive.”
I roll my eyes. “She’s still crapping on about them being supposed equals. Where are the actual, tangible feelings for him, Camille? Where, huh? Huh?”
“You know she can’t hear you,” Penny says.
I sit back in my seat and cross my arms. “I know.”
The camera is now focused on Sebastian.
“Camille, it has been an adventure getting to know you these past weeks. You have so many qualities that any man would be insane not to appreciate in a woman. Other than your obvious beauty, you’re strong, you’re determined, and you will stop at nothing to get what you want.”
The camera focuses on Camille’s smiling face before it returns to Sebastian.
“I’m sorry to tell you, however, I must be insane, because as lovely as you are, I feel your qualities are better suited to another. I can’t make you the lady of my manor. I do hope you understand.”
My jaw slack, I look at Penny, wide eyed.
“Take that, Miss Camille I’m Too Good For Everyone!” she exclaims in obvious glee.
“Go Sebastian,” I mutter under my breath.
Back on the screen, Camille’s face is a study in utter shock. She must be feeling so humiliated not to have won. I feel sorry for her. Well, almost.
“But-but you need me, Sebastian. Without me, you’re absolutely lost.”
He’s lost? What the heck does that mean?
“I know this is hard, Camille, and I am truly sorry. I wish you all the best for your future, and hope that in time, you will find the right man for you.”
Camille’s face is like thunder.
“You will regret this, Sebastian. You need me. You’ll see. You’re never going to do better than me.”
Sebastian releases her hands and looks down. With nothing more to say, Camille turns on her heels and stomps away from him.
As the show cuts to an ad break, I’m suddenly nervous. “I am so glad it’s not Camille, but who’s it going to be?”
“Who do you want it to be?” She must see something in my face, because she adds, “I mean, if it can’t be you.”
“It could be Kennedy. If it is, I’ll be happy for her.”
“Really?”
“She’s a great girl, and now that this whole thing is over I can’t wait to get together with her over a drink or two. Plus, her last name is Bennet, like Lizzie’s in Pride and Prejudice. I always thought that might mean something.”
“It’s back on,” Penny says as the ads come to an end.
The camera shows Sebastian standing, waiting once more. We see the back of a woman walking toward him. She’s in a pretty pale blue dress, her long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail.
“Phoebe?” I guffaw.
“She is so beautiful,” Penny gushes. She tilts her head toward me. “I mean, nice dress. That would make anyone look amazing.”
“It’s okay, Penn. Phoebe is beautiful, inside and out. It’s just I didn’t think—”
“You didn’t think he’d choose her?”
I chew on my lip. “Sebastian and Phoebe? As sweet as she is, I can’t see them together. But then, I proved I knew absolutely nothing when he kicked me off the show out of the blue.”
We watch Phoebe walk down a long red carpet toward Sebastian, between the topiary, lined with white ribbons and flowers. It’s verging on cheesy, but somehow the majesty of Martinston keeps it classy.
As she reaches his side, she beams at him and he takes her hands in his, returning the smile. A genuine smile.
Something twists painfully inside. They are two impossibly gorgeous people, in an impossibly gorgeous setting, smiling at one another as though they’ve just won the lottery.
“I’m not sure I want to watch this,” I mutter to myself.
“Phoebe,” Sebastian begins, and I sink a little further into the back cushions. ”You are one of the most genuinely kind, sweet, and good people I have had the honor to know in my life. It’s clear to anyone that you’re stunningly beautiful, but you’ve also brought a sense of dignity to this process that was perhaps lacking in some.
They share a smile. Phoebe is all those things and more.
And then a thought occurs to me. “Penn? I caught Phoebe in the hallway one night after lights out.”
She pauses the show. “What?”
My mind twirls like a spinning top. “She said she was out for a walk, and Seb assured me she hadn’t been visiting him.”
“Shall we keep watching?”
My heart sinks. He lied to me. “I don’t know.”
She takes my hand in hers and gives it a squeeze. “It’ll be okay.”
I chew on my lip for a moment before I nod. My stomach clenches in apprehension once more. She flicks on the show and we watch as they hug one another.
“Thank you, Sebastian,” Phoebe replies. ”Coming on this show and meeting you has changed my life forever, and I am so grateful for it. Here I have met the love of my life.
“He’s choosing her,” I say in resignation as my heart drops to the floor.
“Shh. Keep watching,” Penny says.
“I know you have, Phoebe,” Sebastian replies with a broad grin, ”And I am so very happy for you both.”
Huh?
I turn to Penny. She’s got that glow-y, bright-eyed expression she gets on her face when she’s watching the happily ever afters on these reality shows.
“Penn? What’s going on?”
Sebastian takes Phoebe’s hand in his and turns to the camera.
“As you will know, Dating Mr. Darcy is meant to end with a proposal of marriage. Well, I hope you’re all as happy as I am to know there will be a proposal. It just won’t be coming from me.”
I pull my brows together. “What the—?” I look at my friend. She doesn’t look quite as surprised as I would expect for such an out-of-the-blue pronouncement.
On the screen, Phoebe smiles at Sebastian and he steps out of shot. Then, the camera pans to Johnathan. He’s dressed in his Regency finery, walking toward Phoebe with the biggest smile on his face.
“What the heck is happening?” I ask.
“Shh.”
Johnathan and Phoebe are holding hands and gazing at one another.
>
Johnathan and Phoebe. Johnathan and Phoebe!
“Johnny, coming onto this show and getting to know you has been the most incredible experience of my life. You are my soulmate, and I am totally in love with you ... ”
As Phoebe continues to tell Johnathan how amazing he is, I shake Penny’s arm. “Did you know about this? Has it been in the show or what?”
She presses her lips together and replies, “Not at all. Isn’t it shocking?”
There’s something in her tone that has me narrowing my eyes at her. I return my attention to the screen. They’re still holding hands, and Phoebe has tears streaming down her cheeks as she gazes at Johnathan.
“Johnathan Penfold, will you marry me?” she asks nervously, and it’s impossible not to melt as he says he will and she leaps into his arms. He twirls her around, and the music plays, and I feel a few tears of my own slide down my cheek.
“That is so romantic,” I say. “Phoebe’s the sweetest person you’ll ever meet.” I wipe my tears away with the back of my hands. “And she was falling for Johnathan all this time? Who knew?”
That’s who she was going to see that time I ran into her in the hallway after lights out. Johnathan! And there I was feeling angry with Sebastian for lying to me. He hadn’t.
“It’s so romantic,” Penny agrees, her eyes glistening, her hand over her chest. “Ooh, look. It’s Sebastian again. I wonder what’s happening now?”
“But ... but what does that mean? He’s not marrying anyone?”
“Let’s watch.”
I grab the remote from her and press “stop.” “You don’t seem overly surprised by any of this,” I say.
“I am surprised,” she insists. “Let’s watch it, okay?”
I narrow my eyes at her. There’s something going on with her tonight, I just don’t know what it is.
She takes the remote out of my hand and presses “play” before I can protest further.
Sebastian’s face fills the screen once more, and my belly does a flip at the sight of him again.
“Phoebe and Johnathan falling in love has been a wonderful surprise for me. I could not be happier for two people so well suited and perfect for one another. I also know this television show is called Dating Mr. Darcy, and not Marrying Mr. Darcy’s Best Friend. Please believe me when I tell you I had every intention of marrying the woman I chose. But you see, the thing is—”
Dating Mr. Darcy: A romantic comedy (Love Manor Romantic Comedy Book 1) Page 23
