Adventure to Love

by Ramos, Bethany

  There was clearly a reason she’d won her mini date. Brinkley liked Morgan, even though she hadn’t had the chance to spend much time with her since they’d gotten to the island. But she appreciated Morgan’s blunt style and dry sense of humor.

  She wasn’t the type of girl that laughed at everything Ky said just to flatter him. No, Morgan was the type of girl to ask questions and interrupt the conversation if she didn’t understand what someone was talking about. That was something Brinkley would never, ever, have had the courage to do.

  She was always kicking herself because she went along with what everyone else said in a conversation. She didn’t want to make waves, and she didn’t want to look stupid. It wasn’t because she was so self-obsessed. It was more so because she was taught that women should be seen and not heard.

  So it had become a bad habit to nod, smile, and laugh in the right places in a conversation. If she didn’t understand something Cooper said about football, she would just smile and nod at him. Even though she had no clue what a corner back or a running back or a full back or any of that stuff was.

  The rest of the afternoon got pretty fuzzy after that. She didn’t know exactly what was in the rum punch. Rum, of course, but what else? But she’d never really had rum before, except in a piña colada at a Polynesian restaurant near her house. But Samantha kept pouring her glass after glass, and she kept drinking.

  She didn’t know why she’d been so opposed to drinking before. Of course, it was frowned upon in her church, but her parents always had wine with dinner. And Cooper normally finished an entire six-pack during an afternoon football game.

  She didn’t like the taste of beer, so that had been her excuse. But the rum punch was delicious. And it tasted better and better with every glass.

  She finally felt like she was on vacation. She was relaxed, she had made a new friend in Samantha, and she felt optimistic about her chances with Ky. He must’ve kept her for a reason. She just had to figure out why.

  Chapter 6

  Morgan

  Morgan’s Confessional: Was I surprised to win the group date? Actually, I was. I really didn’t know what to expect. We spent the afternoon on a jungle hike with a picnic in the rainforest, and I think I was the only girl that really enjoyed it. I didn’t get to talk to Ky as much as I would’ve liked, but I guess we have tonight for that, right? I want to get to know him better to see if we really are compatible. If we’re not, I don’t want to waste his time.

  Morgan fluffed her hair in the mirror for the second time. What was she doing? She normally was a wash-and-go type of girl. She didn’t take hours and hours to finish her hair and makeup, something that all of her boyfriends had complimented her on in the past. No, she would leave the excessive grooming to Harper, thank you very much.

  But she did want to look good for this special date, especially since every moment was going to be captured on camera. That still took a little getting used to. She found herself thinking before she spoke—something she’d never done before—since there always seemed to be a cameraman lurking on the sidelines.

  And who knew what they were going to edit and what they were going to air? She didn’t want to say something that was going to embarrass herself or her family or get her in trouble with her boss. But she still had to be herself, didn’t she?

  Good enough, she thought as she took one last look in the mirror. She slathered on some lightly tinted lip-gloss and headed down to the lobby of the hotel, where Ky said he would meet her to pick her up for their date.

  She was surprised that she had won the mini-group date. She was even more surprised that she had been chosen for the “Jungle Adventure,” or whatever it was called. Although winning the group date kind of made sense.

  After all, she was head-to-head with a few prima donnas who seemed like they absolutely hated being in the rainforest. If these women weren’t into the adventure part of the show, then why had they signed up in the first place?

  In Morgan’s opinion, the jungle hike and picnic in the rainforest had been the best part of the trip so far. She’d actually seen a monkey sitting in a tree not five feet away from the path. A monkey! Where else on earth could you see that kind of amazing wildlife? Definitely not back in Boston, that was for sure.

  The other women in her group, Lindsay, Sarah S., and Kymm, couldn’t seem to hide their distaste as they hiked deeper and deeper into the jungle. They seemed like the type of girls that never went to the gym because they didn’t want to break a sweat.

  And they kept their model-perfect figures by eating very little and throwing up what little they did eat. Maybe that wasn’t fair to say, but how else could those chicks stay a size zero without ever stepping on a treadmill in their lives?

  She felt like a whale compared to them. And she was only a size five, which was on the smallish side compared to her other friends at home. But that was women in Boston for you. Women in Boston were more focused on intellect, and conversation, and wit, instead of dropping five more pounds to squeeze into size double-zero jeans.

  Maybe that was why Ky had chosen her for the Jungle Adventure date because she actually had something to say. A little too much to say at times, according to her past three ex-boyfriends, who had all broken up with her because she was too aggressive and too opinionated when she got angry.

  So what? Did they really expect her to just sit there and put up with their bullshit when they were talking about the fact that there was no glass ceiling in corporate America today? She couldn’t let that one slide. Seriously.

  Unfortunately, Kymm was the first sent home from their group after two straight hours of complaining about how the humidity in the jungle was destroying her hair. And again with the low blood sugar. Jesus Christ, someone get the girl a candy bar!

  Ky was a saint. He continued to act friendly and cordial to Kymm, but as soon as it was decision time, she got the ax, and Morgan was the winner.

  She must have gotten ready faster than she thought. She had beat Ky to the lobby. In fact, she was the only person in the lobby. She took a seat at the wooden indoor/outdoor hotel bar in the open-air lobby. Without even asking, the bartender handed her a frosted glass of rum punch.

  It must be the resort’s signature beverage. Or maybe it was the national drink of Bali, who knew? But the drink was good, and it went down smooth, and it gave her the small buzz she needed to feel relaxed and confident. Like her usual self.

  She didn’t know why she was letting the women get to her. If she were back in Boston, these would be the women that she and her friends laughed at in the bars. Women making fools of themselves and showing their cleavage just to get a free drink.

  But here, everything was totally backward. She was in the minority because she didn’t wear see-through clothing and stripper heels and gobs of makeup. Was that really what Ky was looking for?

  The jury was still out on him. She was actually excited to go on their date because she needed to get to know Ky better. She didn’t want to waste his time, or her time, or any of the other women’s time, for that matter.

  She still couldn’t believe she was actually here. She had signed up for Adventure to Love on a whim. Her closest friend at the advertising agency, Jess, had forwarded her the e-mail for the casting call as a joke. At first.

  Morgan had deleted it right away. She brought it up later at lunch, making a joke about how she definitely needed a boyfriend, but she didn’t need one that bad. But Jess had surprised her.

  “You never know . . . Maybe this would be a good opportunity for you. Aren’t you sick of all the same old, same old in Boston? Maybe this guy is really special. And at the very least, you get to travel to some exotic place for free.” Jess nodded emphatically to prove her point. “I would totally do it, if I didn’t happen to be married, you know.”

  Yeah, that. Jess was married to the perfect guy. S
mart, handsome, funny, and über-friendly. It was almost enough to make you sick if Matt wasn’t so incredibly likable. And since Jess had such a rock-solid marriage under her belt, she tended to listen to her.

  In a brief lapse of sanity, Morgan had decided to submit her application online. After all, it only took fifteen minutes of her precious time, and she would never have to think about it again. Ever. That was, until she got an e-mail back from production asking if they could set up a meeting with her in Boston.

  By then, she was already in too deep. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her. And three pre-casting meetings later, she was on a plane to some undisclosed location to spend the next four weeks with eleven total strangers, plus one eligible bachelor. It was enough to make her head spin.

  Someone cleared their throat behind her. She jumped.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you had seen me come in.”

  Ky. And he looked fantastic. But she didn’t want to get too excited just yet. There was something unsettling about a man who was that handsome. Like, had he had plastic surgery? Or was he just born naturally good-looking? And was his skin really that rich and dark, or had he gotten a spray tan?

  In her opinion, a spray tan was a total deal breaker for a man. Even for women, it was a little questionable. She was going to have to see what she could pry out of him at dinner. Was this guy too good to be true, or was he the real deal?

  “Oh, hi, Ky. How are you? No, I didn’t see you come in. I got here a little early.” She had to refrain from fanning herself. Was it getting hot in here, or what?

  “Now that’s what I like in a woman. I absolutely hate waiting hours and hours for someone to get ready. Do you know what I mean?” Ky laughed at his own joke, which wasn’t really that funny. Or even a joke, for that matter.

  She smiled. “So where are we off to? Or is that something you can’t tell me?”

  Ky grinned. God, his teeth were so white. Were they capped, or were they really that straight and perfect? Ugh, she needed to chill out. She’d find out what this guy was all about soon enough. No need to pick him apart before their date even started.

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to keep it a surprise, milady. But your chariot awaits . . .” Ky gallantly gestured to the main entrance of the hotel.

  She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She certainly didn’t want that to get caught on camera. It would make her look like the snide, snarky bitch who rolled her eyes behind people’s backs. Which maybe she was, but still. No need to make a bad impression this early on. Better to keep the attitude in check.

  She allowed herself to be led to the back of a Hummer limo waiting outside. Ky made a big production of helping her get into the limo, although it was only two feet off the ground. And she was wearing flats. But the chivalrous gesture was still kind of nice.

  Once inside the limo, Ky poured two glasses of chilled champagne. “Should we make a toast?”

  She was taken aback. What on earth could they be toasting to? They’d only met twenty-four hours ago, and all they were doing was going on some date in the jungle.

  “Sure. What are we toasting to?”

  Ky took a moment to ponder on that with a deliberately sexy expression on his face. The two cameramen sitting at the other end of the limo zoomed in on his chiseled features.

  “I would say we should toast to the adventure of love. Wouldn’t you say that love is quite an adventure? And I’m so happy to begin this adventure with you.” Ky winked as if they shared a secret.

  Good God. This guy was really laying it on thick. Morgan weakly raised her glass to toast to the “adventure of love,” clearly a clever way to plug the name of the show. Was Ky getting paid a bonus every time he said “adventure to love” on camera? It was almost too much.

  Morgan sat in silence. She didn’t know where to begin when it came to making small talk with the “eligible bachelor” that all the other women were after. Sure, she’d been on her share of first dates. But she’d never, ever, had to go on a date on camera before.

  Was there a magical tipping point when she would get used to three cameras in her face at once? Ky seemed to be comfortable with the situation. He sat back easily in the limo with one leg crossed over his knee. He attempted to start some casual conversation.

  “So where did you grow up, Morgan? I would love to learn more about you.” He flashed a gleaming smile at the cameras.

  “Boston, born and raised,” she announced.

  What else was she supposed to say? Did he want to hear historical facts about Boston? Or was he more interested in the fact that she grew up in a typical suburban home with one boy, one girl, and a dog named Spot.

  Really. That was the name of her family dog growing up. She had no idea who had chosen such a generic name for their dog, but she’d loved Spot to death. Maybe it was a clever joke that was supposed to be ironic, or maybe she and her brother didn’t know any better when it came to naming pets, but Spot stuck, until he passed away at the ripe old age of fifteen.

  But Ky didn’t want to hear about the death of her dog, did he? It seemed like everything she could think of to share about herself was way too trite for national television. Why hadn’t she thought to prepare a list of interesting conversation pieces in advance?

  That was probably something she could have Googled at home so that they would at least have something to talk about. Anything. How long was this date supposed to last, anyway?

  “So where did you grow up, Ky?” she bounced back gamely.

  That seems like a safe one. If she knew anything about Ky so far, it was that he loved to talk about himself.

  “Well, my answer is probably pretty boring. I lived in San Diego until I was five, and then my family moved to LA for my dad’s practice. And that’s where we’ve been for the past 23 years, and it’s the place I call home today.” Ky smiled.

  “Your dad’s practice? What does he do?”

  “Oh, he’s a plastic surgeon in LA. You may have heard of him before. Dr. Andrews? He’s done some work on some of the major stars?” Ky said proudly.

  Nope. She hadn’t heard of him. But she wasn’t that well versed in celebrity gossip. It sounded like Ky was the son of a pretty big player in the LA plastic surgery circuit. It sounded like Ky grew up a typical, privileged LA spoiled brat. Which was hardly what she had come all this way for.

  “Oh, I don’t know that much about plastic surgery.” She smiled back.

  Now what? What else were they going to talk about? The limo was heading deeper and deeper into the jungle, but they didn’t seem to be getting any closer to their destination.

  Finally, the limo rolled to a stop. Morgan opened her door with caution. She had no idea what she had expected to see, but it certainly wasn’t this.

  The limo had pulled up in front of a cliff overlooking a stunning view of the ocean. She drew in a sharp breath. She had never seen anything like it, not even on a postcard. Without thinking, she grabbed Ky’s arm in excitement.

  “Can you believe this? It’s so gorgeous. I wish I had my camera with me!”

  God, what a stupid thing to say. Of course, the whole panoramic view was going to be captured on HDTV, so why would she need to have her camera with her? They’d better edit that part out before the show aired. It made her sound like a total backwards idiot.

  But Ky seemed pleased. He pulled her closer as they faced the horizon to watch the sun set. “I know, isn’t it breathtaking? I’ve never seen anything like this before. Are you into photography?”

  “Um, no, I was just saying that I wish I could capture this perfect view. But I only take pictures on my iPhone when I have it with me. I don’t know very much about cameras,” she replied.

  She was met with silence. Before she could conjure up another painfully awkward topic to discuss on t
heir first on-camera date, Ky pointed to the horizon. “And there it is. Have you ever been in a hot air balloon before?”

  She was taken aback. It was the kind of shit you would see on some over-the-top romantic comedy. But it was happening to her in real life. Right now.

  The hot air balloon came to rest at the edge of the cliff. She and Ky hurried over. Ky opted to chivalrously give her a boost with his fingers interlaced, which quickly turned into her being dumped like a sack of potatoes into the hot air balloon basket.

  No matter. She was in! She was going to tour Bali like no one had ever done before!

  Okay, so she probably wasn’t literally the first person to ride a hot air balloon around the coast of Bali, but she probably was the first person to do it with a gorgeous guy while being filmed for a TV show. She couldn’t get her heart to stop thumping, she was so thrilled.

  “Are you excited?” Ky shouted into her ear over the roar of the balloon.

  Yes, Captain Oblivious. Of course, I’m excited, she thought sarcastically. But instead of speaking her mind, she bit her tongue and smiled. “Absolutely! You sure know how to impress the ladies,” she joked.

  Ky smiled and shouted something else into her ear that she couldn’t make out. She shrugged and smiled back. The date was getting better and better by the minute. Not only was she going to ride in a hot air balloon, but it was so loud that she didn’t have to worry about keeping up with all of the boring conversation topics Ky threw at her. It didn’t get any better than this.

  After fifteen short minutes spent floating along the glittering coastline, the hot air balloon lowered to a stop on the cliff where the ride had started. And surprise, surprise, a romantic candlelit dinner had already been set up for them at the edge of the cliff, giving them yet again the perfect view of Bali and the ocean in front of them.