A Good Chance (The Siren Island Series Book 3)

by Tricia O'Malley

  “At ease, solider. You’re absolutely right, and I’m in the wrong.” Roman held up his hands in defense, a practiced smile on his face, and Avery wondered just how many women he’d used that on.

  “Good. Just remember that,” she huffed, turning and stomping inside.

  Cherylynn leaned over a railing on the second floor and called to her. “Avery! Up here! I got us a room.”

  “Coming,” Avery said, and veered toward the staircase, barely glancing at the massive open-air main floor. Her mind whirled with a million thoughts and impressions, and a part of her wished she had five minutes to just pull out her notebook and write everything down so she could assess how she felt about all of this… this whatever she’d signed on for.

  The staircase was one of those free-floating open-air ones, and Avery immediately lifted her eyes from where she could see the floor below her between the steps. She grasped the railing tightly. Why would anyone design a staircase this way? Anyone could slip and have their leg go right through – wouldn’t that be painful? Not to mention if there was alcohol involved. Avery shuddered at the thought, and then wondered if that was one of the reasons the producers had picked such a place. She supposed a tumble on the stairs would make for good television, if you were into the whole slapstick comedy thing. Breathing a small sigh of relief when she reached the upstairs hallway, Avery brushed past women racing up and down the hallway, poking their heads into various rooms and emitting all kind of shrieks and squeals that had Avery wishing for her noise-cancelling headphones. Turning her head from the cameraman, she ducked into the room she’d seen Cherylynn disappear into.

  “Well, this is nicer than I was expecting.” Avery stopped and scanned the room. Two single beds with bright blue linens were separated by a little sitting area with two low-slung chairs and a table. Narrow French doors led to a balcony where Avery could just glimpse the sea beyond. A door in the corner led to what Avery presumed was the bathroom. She didn’t particularly care what the bathroom looked like, so long as she could pee in peace without a cameraman kneeling in front of her goods.

  “Not bad, right? Plus we have an ocean view balcony. Just remember –” Cherylynn nodded up to the corners of the room, and Avery followed the direction of her gesture to see cameras posted in two separate corners of the lofted ceiling.

  “Weird,” Avery breathed, tossing her bag onto her bed. Reaching into her purse, she texted Ruby.

  I’m here. I’m safe. And I’m imagining all the ways I’ll torture you. I think I’ll start with shaving your head.

  Don’t be so dramatic. It’ll be great. Promise. How are the other women?

  Self-involved. Influencers. Except for my roomie. She’s cool.

  See? Making friends already.

  I don’t need more friends. I need to not be on a reality show. They film you while you sleep. Do you know how creepy that is?

  Well, just pull the covers up.

  I hate you.

  Love you too. Go get ’em, tiger. Win that money and pay off the bills! You’ll thank me for this. I have a good feeling about it all.

  I don’t.

  Give it a chance.

  I gotta go, they’re calling us and telling us to bring our phones.

  I bet they take them from you.

  What!

  Standard operating procedure on a reality show. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume that’s what happened.

  What if I die swimming in the ocean? You’ll think I’m just chilling here having fun and have no clue.

  I’m sure they’ll contact family if there’s an emergency. Stop fussing so much. These shows don’t want that kind of liability. They’ll keep you safe.

  I think they want to see us get hurt. There’s an open-air staircase here. You know how I feel about those.

  Yes, but despite what you may think, those aren’t designed specifically so people hurt themselves.

  You don’t know that.

  Avery.

  Ruby.

  I love you.

  Sigh, fine, me too. But I still kind of hate you.

  Byeeeee. Have fun!!

  “Grr,” Avery said, wanting to throw her phone. Instead she smiled at Cherylynn. “Sorry, family being annoying.”

  “I get that. I have six brothers and sisters. They’re always up in my business,” Cherylynn said, typing just as furiously on her phone. “I suspect they want us to turn our phones in.”

  “That’s just ridiculous. What if someone at home needs to reach us?”

  “You should have been given all that information to give to your family,” Cherylynn said.

  Avery realized that Ruby probably did indeed have that information. “Right, right. I know. I’m just used to having my phone for emergencies and all that.”

  “Do you handle a lot of emergencies?” Cherylynn asked as they wandered down the hall. Avery noted that many of the girls had changed already, but she hadn’t thought to bring her bags into the room yet. Oh well, she thought with a sigh; her plane outfit would have to do.

  “More work stuff. Engineers are constantly getting called on to problem-solve, so we’re usually fairly attached to our methods of communication.”

  “Well, get ready to be unattached.” Cherylynn nodded to where the girls were reluctantly handing their phones over to Roman.

  “Gah! Do you think I could hide mine?” Avery wondered.

  “Nah, the cameras’ll find you. They always do. It’ll be fine, Avery. Promise.”

  “You keep saying that.”

  “Well? No point in taking a pessimistic view of all this. It might be the coolest thing we do in our lives. Or the near future, at least. Might as well embrace it!”

  “Yes, Avery, might as well embrace it,” Roman smirked at her side. She almost jumped again. The man was like a cat.

  “Fine, here’s my phone,” Avery said, shutting down her phone and handing it to him. He slid it into a bag marked with Ruby’s name on it, then put Cherylynn’s into her assigned bag as well.

  “Don’t worry. If there’s anything serious at any time – on your end or at home – you have the right to use your phone. Just tell me and I’ll get you a phone, or I’ll find you immediately if you’re needed. We take the phones away for better television, but we want you to know that you can always be reached or use a phone if you really need to. This isn’t a prison.”

  “That’s fair. Thanks, Roman.” Cherylynn beamed at him.

  He nodded. “Ready for the briefing on the rules?”

  “I guess…” Avery said, with one last glance at the bag that held her phone.

  “A little more enthusiasm?”

  “Yay! Do you have a notebook so I can take notes? I usually use my Notes app on my phone,” Avery said.

  Roman just leveled a stare at her. Realizing that he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses, Avery was startled to see his eyes were a cool grey color, standing out in his face like a port in a storm. The steadiness she saw there calmed her, and she found herself smiling at him, realizing she was being ridiculous.

  “As you seem to have a modicum of intelligence, I don’t suspect you’ll need to take notes,” Roman assured Avery.

  “It’s not too hard, Avery. They’ll explain the rules before each challenge too.” Cherylynn tugged her over to a white couch. The main floor was massive, with an entire wall of glass doors that were slid open to encourage the sea breezes. Beyond the doors a wide deck wrapped the house, and the sea was only steps away down a sandy beach. Inside, couches and armchairs were scattered around the room to create various conversation areas. A sprawling dining room table in rough-hewn wood claimed one corner of the room, while a massive kitchen island dominated the other, and the kitchen boasted two sinks, two stoves, and two double-door refrigerators. Huge bamboo fans wafted the air lazily above them, and the décor was done in neutrals – greys, whites, and natural wood tones. Nothing to really distract the eye from the brilliant blue of the water just outside the villa.

  “This is a bea
utiful spot. I can’t believe we’re right on the water.”

  “See? There you go. Looking at the good. Okay, shhh, they’re fixin’ to make an announcement.”

  “As you all know, you’ve signed up for a reality show called Swept Away,” Roman began, standing in front of the doors and smiling at them all. Avery couldn’t tell how she knew he was putting on a fake smile; perhaps it was the way it didn’t light up the rest of his face. “I’m Roman Michellen and I’m the producer of this show. A little bit about me and my role in this production – I’ve filmed several reality shows, some of which you may have heard of.”

  Roman listed off a roster of shows that had the women in the group nodding, while Avery was left trying to remember which of the shows on his list were ones that her sister had forced her to watch.

  “However, my true love lies in directing and producing travel and nature documentaries. I’ve also had a lot of success in that area, and once the shooting here is wrapped, I’ll be leaving this show to head to Africa to follow an elephant preserve. That being said, I’m still happy to be here because Siren Island is beautiful, and I hope each and every one of you will take some time to embrace the natural elements and rhythms this stunning island has to offer you.”

  One girl, so heavily made up that Avery wondered how she got anything done every day if she had to apply all that crud to her face, wrinkled her nose in disgust at the word ‘nature.’ Avery was beginning to see why certain elements of this show might actually be entertaining.

  “For the first day, we’ll just get you used to having cameras around. There will be no challenges or anything like that. For now, just unpack, chill, go to the beach, do whatever you’d do on a normal day of vacation. Tonight, you’ll finally get to meet your bachelor at the opening ceremony, as well as some local friends and mentors who will assist you on your challenges.”

  A cheer rose from the crowd at the mention of the elusive bachelor. Avery imagined everyone was dying to know just whom they were supposed to woo. A part of her hoped it would be a nice guy, but she supposed that didn’t make for good television.

  “A few notes on the rules. Don’t look at or speak directly to the cameras. For the most part, we want you to forget about the cameramen altogether and let them fade into the background. Another rule – no swimming in the ocean at night. Typically, I’d be fine with it, but knowing how these parties can get at night, I don’t want anyone drinking and going in the dark water. It’ll be tough to spot you, and safety comes first.”

  No worries on that front, Avery thought. Her stomach churned at the thought.

  “Next up, we’ll be basing our challenges on themes that are important in a successful relationship. You won’t know until after your challenge which theme you’re competing on, but I suggest you write down what you think makes for a strong relationship and try to keep those characteristics in mind as you compete during a challenge. Your score will be revealed after the challenge. At any time, the bachelor can vote someone off. For the first two challenges, the group can vote to bring someone back as well. After that, points and bachelor’s choice will determine the winner. Remember, this is about competing in challenges that will help you grow as a person, as well as building a foundation with a man who will hopefully be a strong future partner for you.”

  “And the prize?” Lisette asked, looking stunning in a slinky silver dress.

  “The prize is $100,000 per person to the couple, but you must both choose each other.”

  “Why does he win money if he doesn’t do the challenges?” Cherylynn wondered out loud, then clapped a hand over her mouth.

  “He’ll be doing the challenges with you too, so I guess the reward is he gets money too.”

  “Weird,” Avery said, but softly. Her mind was whirling with the rules. Basically, she had to complete a bunch of challenges, and make this dude fall for her, before she could pay off her bills. A headache began to bloom as she took in her competition and realized that all the other women had begun to do the same. The energy of the room had shifted from fun to calculating.

  “Whoa, Nellie. Game on,” Cherylynn whispered.

  Chapter 5

  “I still don’t understand why the prize is so high,” Avery said to Cherylynn. They were stretched out beneath an umbrella by the pool they’d discovered once the meeting had disbanded and everyone was allowed to explore. Avery felt overdressed in her simple black tank suit, compared to the thin scraps of nylon that covered the other women who wandered casually around the deck, striking poses and pretending like the cameras weren’t following their every move. In contrast, Avery had on a wide-brimmed straw hat and big sunglasses, and had generously covered her milky white skin in a reef-safe sunscreen. Even though she had zero inclination to head into the ocean anytime soon, she still did her best to pay attention to the environment. Next to her on the table was her latest read, a study on global warming, and her banged-up reusable water bottle. On the lounge to her right, Cherylynn paged through a celebrity gossip magazine, looking sassy in her sparkly blue bikini, a poster girl for the All-American Girl Next Door.

  “I think because it will entice people to push harder during the challenges,” Cherylynn said. “I mean, if everyone was just trying to win the guy’s love with nothing more on the line, why would they fight as hard? I don’t think most of us actually expect to find true love here.”

  “I guess that makes sense. People will often fight more for money than for love.”

  “Maybe at first. Once attachments form, then they fight for love.”

  “Ahh, so the money is like an enticement to get people to give it their all from the beginning.”

  “Basically – at least that’s how it reads to me.”

  “I wish I had her confidence,” Avery said, nodding to where Lisette preened in a tiny scrap of red bikini, which left essentially all of her bum revealed and a generous portion of her cleavage on display.

  “She’s just flaunting it,” Cherylynn decided.

  “She’s got it. She can flaunt it. I would love to be half as comfortable in my skin as she is.” Avery honestly admired the ease with which Lisette navigated the pool area, even though she was all but naked.

  “Why wouldn’t you be? You’ve got a fantastic body. Good muscle tone. Good curves. Healthy head of hair.”

  Avery snorted. “You sound like you’re evaluating a horse to buy.”

  “Sorry, that’s the rancher’s daughter in me.” Cherylynn shrugged.

  “I thought you said your dad was a preacher.”

  “He’s that too. Small-town Texas. Lots of roles to play.”

  “Ladies,” Roman said, stopping in front of them. His mirrored sunglasses were back on, and Avery found she preferred that to looking into his eyes. She felt more in control when he was behind a protective shield.

  “Hello.” Cherylynn beamed up at him.

  “That’s a good book,” Roman said, nodding to Avery’s book. “Have you read it or is it just for show?”

  Avery sighed and shook her head at him sadly.

  “Didn’t we discuss your attitude already?”

  Roman grimaced and then shrugged, a sheepish smile tugging across his handsome face.

  “Sorry. Again. I’m obviously a work in progress. I just don’t see a lot of these types of books at gatherings like this one.”

  “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean they aren’t there,” Avery said. “For all you know, Lisette may have studied microbiology.” They all turned to study Lisette as she arched her back and stuck out her breasts for the camera.

  “She’s a makeup artist from Chicago,” Roman smiled.

  “You still don’t know what she reads for pleasure. Maybe she loves being creative with makeup but secretly wishes to be a scientist.”

  “Maybe. I’ll ask her in one of our confessional interviews,” Roman promised.

  “Good. You should. People can surprise you.”

  “Speaking of, the party starts in an hour or so.
Plan for your first interviews this evening. We’ll formally begin taping tonight.”

  “We’ll be ready,” Cherylynn promised as he walked away. Then she all but pounced on Avery.

  “What was that about?”

  “What?”

  “That.” Cherylynn nodded to Roman.

  “What?”

  “That! Don’t be ridiculous. Clearly there’s tension between you two.”

  “Um, the only tension is that he’s kind of an asshole. Which he, himself, admitted after he made some rude comments earlier today.”

  “Sure, he clearly has a bias on some things, but I don’t think he’s an asshole. I mean, he makes documentaries about saving nature and stuff. That doesn’t sound like an asshole to me.”

  “He still produces reality television.”

  “Duh, because it makes a shit-ton more money than producing documentaries. He probably does this to foot the bills while he traipses through the bush trying to save baby elephants.” Cherylynn sighed and fanned herself. “I’m liking him more and more.”

  “Don’t romanticize him,” Avery said with a laugh and shook her head at Cherylynn.

  “Why not? Isn’t that what this is all about?”

  “Romance? Maybe, maybe not. I’m doing my best to withhold judgment on all of this.”

  “Taking it all in?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “How very engineer of you,” Cherylynn said, and then rolled to look at Avery. “But in all seriousness though, be careful.”

  “Of Roman? Why? I’m not interested in him.”

  “Not Roman. Of this show. See, you’re being nice and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. But these women won’t do that for you. You have no idea what’s driving them to be on this show or what the stakes are. Remember, nobody’s your friend here.”