The Husband Hunt (a novella) (The Bachelor Series)

by Abbott, Kiki

  “It’s understandable,” he said, making sure the door locked behind her. Someone else would come get the bags later. They walked to the elevator silently, Crane on his phone again to report that Jaxie was coming down now. Relief flooded her to see a familiar face amongst all the butterflies that flew around in her stomach. And Crane’s face was a handsome one, even if he was only the driver. She needed to focus on her reason for being in L.A. and not get distracted.

  It was hard to forget that at Giuseppe’s two days earlier, she and Crane had had fun. He’d introduced her to the owner as a restaurant reviewer and after that there was no turning back on eating a little bit of everything. Crane laughed at how much she could put away. “Hey, I grew up on this stuff,” she countered.

  It seemed natural to sit with him in the front seat when they got back in the car. Returning to the back seat after he’d told her his mother had recently died and he missed her cooking, would’ve been cold.

  “Tell me again I’m not expected to be on camera tonight, because I am so full,” she laughed and made a face. He assured her she had almost fifty hours before filming began. “And now I have to get you to the hotel before nightfall.”

  They talked all the way through Hollywood – about food, Seattle, more talk of Italian mothers and as they approached the hotel’s circular drive, Jaxie realized she didn’t have a very solid plan for what was going to happen. Jaxie liked to be in control, with a clear, set schedule. “I don’t really have the plan for the next few days. How long am I staying here?”

  “For two nights before Friday’s taping. I’ll make sure someone gets in touch with you tomorrow about the schedule. You’ll move to the mansion on Friday night if you make the cut at the cocktail party. I’m surprised you don’t know all this.”

  “I just auditioned five days ago, very last minute and was accepted two days ago. And, as you noted, I don’t watch the show.” That had been two days earlier and she’d tried to forget what a sweet guy the driver was.

  Now she was going to the taping of the first episode of The Husband Hunt 2013. This wasn’t exactly how she wanted America to first hear about Jaxie Hart but it might be a good launching pad to better things, if she played her cards wisely.

  Wearing a short emerald cocktail dress to show off her long legs, Jaxie felt pretty good and was surprisingly more than a little disappointed that Crane hadn’t noticed. She was fully aware of the effect she usually had on men but he seemed unaffected. Maybe because he’d seen her dribble meat sauce down her chin at Giuseppe’s. Hopefully the Bachelor was more easily impressed. Her disappointment in Crane’s reaction was made worse by the fact that, in his tuxedo, he looked pretty damned good himself. Crane was not her usual type, but extremely sexy. Jaxie usually went for the big muscular men, like Brent, the hunk type. But looking at Brent, she wondered why.

  As the elevator reached the lobby level, Jaxie hoped that the Bachelor was someone she found as handsome as Crane. If so, it would be easier to fake an attraction.

  Five other girls in stunning gowns, full makeup and up-do hairstyles, stood amongst the show’s crew in the lobby. Jaxie smiled nervously as she and Crane approached.

  “Hi. I’m Jaxie,” she held out her hand to the nearest girl. After they all introduced themselves and excitedly chatted about the show, the six women were shown to their waiting car. One limo had just taken off and another was pulling up, as more gorgeous women entered the lobby, everyone looking like deer caught in the headlights. Jaxie was glad she wasn’t the only one facing this unreal situation of being up for review like some sort of cow at the auction barn. In her mind, she repeated what was becoming her mantra-- “for the greater good.”

  Jaxie was the last to be helped into the stretch limo by Crane and as she stepped in, she turned back and caught him staring where her short dress was inching up her endless legs. She shot him a look like he was being a naughty boy and he ducked his head apologetically and grinned. As she took her seat, her face felt hot and she told herself to stop flirting with the driver.

  They’d been parked down the road for almost an hour, waiting for the go–ahead to approach the house. Their driver (not Crane) had told them he thought they were waiting for full darkness to set in but he wasn’t sure. The woman in the limo with them who was a production assistant confirmed this by phoning ahead to see what the problem was. Jaxie knew there was a lot of hurry up and wait action in filming and luckily was sequestered in with some nice girls. They all seemed to be big fans of The Husband Hunt and knew every episode.

  Not soon enough, they got the call to advance to the house and once the limo pulled up the long drive and stopped near the path to the front door, the assistant gave them the plan for exiting the vehicle. Everyone tried to get a peek at the Bachelor out the windows, too busy to listen to the assistant, all but Jaxie who didn’t bother to look. The signal was given, and the door opened to let the first girl out, a waitress from New York named Ingrid.

  When it was Jaxie’s turn to exit, she took a deep breath and slid her legs out the door provocatively. Reminding herself that this was a business deal for her, an acting job, she vowed to play it smart, not emotionally.

  With eyes on the man at the top of the path ahead, Jaxie extended her hand to the staff they called David, to help her out. When their fingers touched, she slid forward and stood. Turning to thank David, for his help, she saw that the man holding her hand was Crane.

  Wired with a microphone, she knew that everything said would be part of the show. “Thank you.”

  Under his breath she thought she heard him say “Foxie.”

  The walk to the Bachelor was an opportunity to impress. Cameras were rolling and Jaxie knew how to do this even under pressure. Smoothing her sparkling green dress, Jaxie smiled at the handsome guy waiting at the top of the path and walked forward, alongside the track they’d set up for a rolling camera shot.

  As she closed the distance she saw the second surprise of the night. She knew the Bachelor. The man staring at her was a familiar NFL quarter back who’d been dumped by his team last year because of poor stats, a man who’d made enemies with Brent over a game, and someone who might recognize her. Keeping her cool, she knew enough to play this thing out. Had the producers done this on purpose? In her initial interview she’d mentioned that she’d broken up with her Seahawks boyfriend recently. Dammit.

  Jaxie smiled warmly at the fine specimen of man that Liam Bolton was. They’d never met in person but he might know her from photographs with Brent. “Hello Liam.” Was that a flash of recognition behind his eyes?

  “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He smiled warmly, looking her up and down like a piece of meat. Jaxie tried to not blush.

  She took his hand in hers and laughed. “My name is Jaxie and I’m from Seattle.” They’d been told to get the basic information across. The girls had also been coached to do something memorable but instead, Jaxie just smiled and he nodded, not giving away if he recognized her as Brent’s girlfriend. “I can’t wait to talk to you inside,” he squeezed her hand.

  “Me too. I’ll look forward to that.” She turned and plucked a bloom from the nearest bush, and stuck the flower in his button hole on his lapel. “There,” She smiled warmly and disappeared down the spot lit path to the house that already held twelve of her competition.

  Greeted at the door by a server with a tray, Jaxie took a glass of white wine, not wanting to dull her perfectly bleached teeth with red. She downed most of it immediately, knowing she’d need fortification to pull this off.

  The main room was full of the excited buzz of the ladies talking nervously about who the Bachelor was. Not having had much of a chance to talk to the other women yet, she planted herself in the center of a group and dove into the conversation. “He’s a quarterback.” She offered this tidbit to the gals who speculated that he was a football player. “He played for the Miami Dolphins, second string.” With all eyes on her, she explained. “My ex watched a lot of football” Everyone
laughed as she rolled her eyes.

  “He’s between teams, I think.” Even though it was the off season Jaxie knew enough about football to know that Liam was not going to be picked up next season and this was probably his attempt at moving on. He’d be a good catch for somebody if his motives were really about finding a wife. She’d never known what the hatred between he and Liam was all about and had ignored Brent when he said Liam was scum. Now she was wishing she’d paid better attention.

  Jaxie took a sip of her wine and listened to the ladies talk. From a distance, she could already single out who was the mouthy one, the cheerleader, the friend to everyone, the insecure contestant, the bitch and wondered what her MO would be--hopefully, not the gal who was trying to use the show for her own gain. Even if everyone found out she worked on camera, they might never guess that her real reason for being on the show had to do with Brent.

  Soon all the contestants were gathered in the room lounging on various couches and conversational circles and Jaxie remarked that it looked like backstage at the Miss America pageant except with alcohol. Someone else said “or a U2 concert.” They laughed knowing they looked more rock and roll than beauty pageant ready. It was imperative on this first night to make the top twelve if you wanted to play the game, and looking around the room, Jaxie noted the stiff competition. All the girls were dressed provocatively, not conservatively. There were some stunning beauties in the group of twenty-four ladies. As much as she hoped she was wrong, she might not make it for many different reasons. Going home tonight was not only considered a failure in the competition but you’d be missing out on what most of the women considered a California reality show experience/vacation.

  The only two men who were not wearing jeans and carrying a camera or tech equipment walked into the main room and all attention turned to give them focus.

  Crane spoke first, his hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Good evening everyone.” He smiled at the group. “By now you’ve met Liam, former NFL Quarterback for the Miami Dolphins and you know that tonight is for him to get to know you better …” When Crane caught Jaxie’s eye, he stopped for too long, as if he’d lost his place and shook his head. “Take two. I got lost there. Sorry, everyone.” Jaxie realized her mouth was hanging open. Crane was the host of the show! She’d been picked up at the airport by The Husband Hunt’s host. No wonder he assumed she’d never seen the show.

  The two men backed up, came in again, and this time Crane avoided eye contact with Jaxie as he spoke to the group and wished everyone good luck. “It’s time to get to know the ladies, Liam.” Crane patted Liam on his shoulder as the quarterback took the floor with his most charming smile. Jaxie couldn’t help but smile back. At Crane.

  Liam stepped forward, held his glass of wine in the air and spoke to the room full of gorgeous women. “Ladies, I am honored to have you drop everything in your lives and take this journey with me. I hope you are looking for a husband.” His smile was infectious. “Welcome to The Husband Hunt.” At that, glasses were raised and everyone toasted to the experience. Jaxie took a small sip and hoped that Liam would be kind enough to keep her for another few episodes, even if he knew who she was. Please, please, please.

  The answer to that question was confirmed an hour later when Liam approached Jaxie’s group, took her hand and asked if everyone would excuse them. They walked outside to a private area, cameras following and as they seated themselves on a wicker couch, the director of the show set up the perfect shot to catch both of their reactions to what was about to happen. When they were told to continue with their conversation, Liam spoke first.

  “Jaxie, is it?” he asked

  Did he really not know her as Brent’s girlfriend? “Yes. It’s actually Jacqueline but everyone calls me Jaxie.”

  “What do you do in Seattle?” He seemed genuinely interested.

  The small talk they engaged in for several minutes had an underlying level, a hidden something, indicating to both Liam and Jaxie that something existed between them that could not be talked about on camera. He knew. Damned. A conversation without cameras rolling was next to impossible, especially on the first night. There were cameras everywhere, crews running around, orders to film conversations flying between people, and on the periphery stood Crane talking to the production assistant from their limo.

  When Jaxie and Liam were interrupted by another contestant wanting alone time with the Bachelor, Jaxie said she’d looked forward to talking again soon, and left the cluster of people. Crane stood alone now, off to the side and Jaxie walked over to him.

  “How did that go?” he asked.

  “Fine. He seems like a nice guy.” She turned to him. “What’s your real name?” Jaxie tilted her head and stared at Crane.

  “David Cranely.” My friends call me Crane.” The look he gave her seemed to pierce her very core and she almost took a step backwards. “I just heard you tell Liam that you are Jacqueline.”

  She nodded and folded her arms across her scantily clad chest. “FYI, I never meant to insult your name at the airport or tonight at the hotel.” Just then, a producer approached to tell him that in fifteen minutes they were going to take Liam to choose twelve.

  “Okay,” Crane said, then turned back to her. “Do you think you’ll make the cut tonight?”

  “No idea.” Jaxie shook her head.

  “No offense, but you don’t fit the profile of a Husband Hunt candidate. How did you end up auditioning for this show?” He looked interested.

  Jaxie laughed out loud and shook her head. “No idea.”

  Two hours later, by some miracle of fate, Jaxie made the cut and became part of the group of twelve gals who moved into the opulent mansion. Even though most of the house was out of bounds to them, it was a lovely expansive dwelling. Already she’d heard someone say they were a professional dancer and were looking to move to LA to get a spot on a dancing show. At that, Jaxie had the initial reaction that it wasn’t fair if the dancer wasn’t serious about finding a husband. Then she remembered that she was doing the same thing. Feeling guilty about her motives to be on the Husband Hunt, Jaxie tossed and turned until well after five, thinking that Brent seemed very far away and not nearly as important as he had back in Seattle.

  When the show’s crew moved the mountain of suitcases into the house, the final twelve were sent to their bedrooms, chose beds and called it a night before the clock struck 4 am. Jaxie was exhausted, and after removing her green gown and washing her face, she fell into a twin-sized bed in a room with five other women. Just like summer camp, she thought, as she lay there listening to the other women talk about how cute Liam was. She still wasn’t sure if he’d recognized her or not, but she was staying at the mansion for the time being, and would get a chance to appear on the show again. A private conversation would be mandatory at some point, if she was to walk away with any amount of integrity.

  As she fell off to sleep that night the last thing Jaxie remembered was answering someone’s question on what she did for work. She said that she was a restaurant reviewer in Seattle and finally, when the other girls stopped talking and silence fell on the room, Jaxie drifted into a dream about playing football on an all girls football team.

  * * * *

  Between hanging out at the pool, cooking meals for the girls, and trying to look camera-ready all day, life in the Bachelorette mansion wasn’t a bad vacation. The supply of food and liquor was endless, the other contestants were fun, and Jaxie was feeling more sheepish every hour that she was taking up a spot in the bevy of ladies that someone else deserved more. One of the gals had left a two year old daughter with grandma and grandpa to come find love, and another had quit her job to come on the show. Jaxie understood that it was their choice to go to such extreme measures, but that didn’t lessen her own guilt.

  With no outside contact allowed, she couldn’t run anything by Phillip for his wise and sage advice. She asked herself every hour if she should drop out now and save her integrity?

  The first day had be
en spent sleeping in, settling in and getting to know the other girls. Seeing the fully stocked kitchen, Jaxie fixed everyone pasta primavera with chicken parmigiana and ensalata. She’d made enough for thirty people and several of the crew jumped in to eat with the girls. Filming stopped while everyone dug in. Even Crane was on hand to taste test, having heard that she was cooking pasta. “My mouth has been watering all day.” Jaxie fed him a forkful of chicken with the melted cheese and breadcrumbs, waiting for his reaction.

  With closed eyes, he seemed to savor every bite, every second that the food remained in his mouth, but Jaxie wanted words. “So?”

  He opened his eyes and nodded, a smile creeping across his lips. “Deliziosa.” Jaxie’s heart leapt at the compliment and she couldn’t help smiling. Although the crew wasn’t allowed to partake in the wine, Jaxie sipped at her glass and ate sparingly, knowing the tight dress she needed to squeeze into at the next rose ceremony would show everything. The other ladies had mostly moved out to the pool and dining room to eat and the festive mood in the house was more like a party than the taping of a T.V. show.

  “I hope you get voted out soon,” one of the girls said as she went for seconds, “or I’m going to be fat by the time I go.”

  “Jaxie, you must cook every night,” a sound guy dipped his garlic bread into the homemade sauce.

  “Let’s keep her on even if she gets voted out,” Crane winked at her. “Or, let’s give her a cooking show.” He popped an olive into his mouth and raised his eyebrows to Jaxie.

  Her heart stopped.

  “You need your own cooking show, Jaxie.” Someone else chimed in.

  Crane didn’t look serious and she had to tell herself that he was only kidding. But she wasn’t laughing.

  Hours later, after the kitchen had been cleaned by the cleaning crew, a box was delivered to the front door to tell them that the girls that there would be a group date the next day. Jaxie’s name was on the card that said “Rein in your love and get ready for a day of fun.” She suspected they were going horseback riding. Or to a rodeo. Others thought maybe they were roping cows or learning to line dance. It had something to do with cowboy hats because a delivery of hats arrived with the box and everyone had chosen one to fit. Several of the girls were dancing around in their hats, pretending to line dance or ride a horse and giddyupping all over the room. Wine did lovely things to inhibitions.