by Lizzie Shane
The network always preferred to be able to announce the next season at the reunion special, but if Samantha was out, it looked like that wouldn’t be happening.
“So who? Elena?” He settled himself in his chair and picked up his menu.
“Too controversial for the network. The backlash against her for the Jacuzzi incident was much more intense than I’d anticipated.”
Josh grimaced. Elena would have been a great Miss Right—sexy, impulsive and living for the fame—but after going topless with Daniel in a Jacuzzi she’d been hashtagged as “the Slutty Suitorette” on Twitter and there was no going back from there. “Caitlyn?”
Miranda shook her head. “I know she and Daniel are on the outs, but he wants the chance to win her back on the reunion special next week. If he wants to re-propose on national television, I don’t want to bias her against saying yes by dangling Miss Right in front of her. If she turns him down, feel free to ask her on the spot to be our next Miss Right, but I already have someone in mind if she isn’t interested.”
“Who’s that? And why did you need to see me? I’m not normally a part of these decisions.” He’d been sure she was going to tell him he was fired because the focus groups had gone badly, but instead she just wanted to talk about the next season.
“I’m thinking Sidney,” Miranda said, watching him closely. “I just wanted to make sure that wasn’t going to be a problem for you.”
Josh kept his expression impassive. “Why would it be a problem?”
“We have cameras in the Old Grotto.”
Panic spiked through him until he remembered they hadn’t done anything in the grotto.
“We don’t have audio, so I have no idea what you two were talking about, but you seem awfully close and I wanted to be sure it wasn’t going to be a problem having her as our next Miss Right.”
“Of course not. In fact, I told her she’d make a great Miss Right.”
“So you two are just friends.”
“I barely know her.”
Miranda eyed him skeptically. “If you say so. I just wanted to give you a heads up that we’ll be asking her after the reunion special.”
“Excellent. Can’t wait.”
“Uh-huh.”
*
“Who do you think it will be? Elena or Caitlyn? My money is on Elena. Men make decisions with their dicks. I bet she turned him down flat—more publicity that way and we all know she wasn’t there for the Right Reasons. Caitlyn’s a sweetie, but I don’t think she even slept with him during the two-day dates and you can’t win with your knees glued shut. You guys were friends, weren’t you? Do you think she’s gonna be the next Miss Right?”
Sidney made a noncommittal noise, listening with half an ear as her makeup artist chattered merrily away.
Tabloid rumors had been swirling around the show. She supposed they always did, but this year it seemed even more extreme than ever. Every day it seemed like there was a new story about Elena’s scandalous ways, Daniel partying with bimbos in LA or Caitlyn’s secret relationship with a firefighter in her hometown.
Sidney had tried calling Caitlyn to make sure she was all right, even though she knew her friend couldn’t tell her what the result of the show had been, but Caitlyn had been distant and evasive on the phone.
In the mirror’s reflection, Sidney could see the open doorway behind her, her attention repeatedly veering back there. The soundstage where they would be filming the reunion special was a hive of activity and every five seconds another crew member rushed past the open door—but never Josh. He probably had his own luxurious dressing room—not like the main green room where she sat with five other Suitorettes as the show’s battalion of stylists made them presentable.
Daniel, Caitlyn and Elena waited somewhere in the building for the big reveal. In a few hours, the finale show would air on the east coast and Daniel’s choice would be revealed. Throughout the show, Josh would be breaking in from the live reunion special, talking with the rejected Suitorettes as Daniel recapped his journey and discussing the major dramas of the season.
Sidney didn’t know who all he would be talking to, but the producers had explained that her choice to leave on her own would be part of the fourth segment. She’d be brought up center stage and Josh would walk her through her own departure before asking her to elaborate on it. Easy.
Which did nothing to explain the little sizzle of nerves that kept whispering across her senses every time another person walked past the doorway.
He was taken. He’d been extremely clear that he was uninterested. What was wrong with her that she couldn’t accept that and move on? What was so freaking perfect about Josh Pendleton anyway? Obviously he was hot, but she firmly believed that what was under the skin was a thousand times more important than the pretty trappings, so why this stupid obsession? Why couldn’t she kick it?
Sure, he’d been the only thing that felt real on the show, but that had probably been a function of the fact that her time with him had been the only time she wasn’t being filmed. Her relief at not feeling that crushing self-consciousness must have distorted her reality.
“There. You’re all set, sweetie,” the makeup artist declared, and Sidney thanked her, rising from the makeup chair.
She retreated to the opposite side of the large green room where craft services tables had been set up. She couldn’t see the door from here. So maybe she would stop looking for Josh every five seconds. At least that was the theory.
She grabbed a sparkling water—more to have something to do with her hands than due to thirst—and perched on a chair next to Samantha.
The other Suitorette was the last one to make an exit from the show and third place looked good on her. She’d always been composed and elegant, above the fray on the show, but now there was a difference in her eyes. She looked… happy.
Her rejection had been months ago, but this was a far cry from the girl who’d been dejected and demoralized on last week’s episode.
“You look happy.” A suspicion rose up in her mind. “Are you the next Miss Right?” Sidney asked, keeping her voice low to avoid being overheard by the other Suitorettes and stylists crowding the room.
“Just happy it’s almost over.” Samantha avoided her gaze.
Sidney resisted the urge to tell her that it wasn’t going to be over for a long time yet—they weren’t going to suddenly stop being tabloid fodder or stopped on the street for their autographs just because the show was no longer actively airing, though it would probably get better when the next season began and focus shifted to the next batch of hopefuls. Unless you were Miss Right.
“You’d be great. I’m surprised they haven’t asked you.”
“They have,” Samantha admitted, her gaze still evasive. “But it’s hard to imagine going through all this again. I’m not Elena.”
Elena had seemed to thrive in the bizarre atmosphere of the show, but Sidney had to wonder how she was doing now that she’d earned the charming appellate of The Slutty Suitorette. Although knowing Elena, she probably loved the attention.
A PA swept into the room before she could reply. “Ladies, time to find your places, we’re live in ten!”
*
“Daniel certainly has a difficult decision in front of him. And after the break, we’ll sit down with the Suitorette America fell in love with, who followed her heart away from Mister Perfect. That’s right, Sidney is here and ready to talk about what has happened since she walked away from Daniel. All that and more, when the Marrying Mister Perfect finale and reunion special returns.”
Josh kept his host smile in place until the director called that they were clear and a makeup artist rushed forward to blot his face. The lights burned even more brutally hot than usual, but TV’s Josh Pendleton could not be allowed to sweat on camera. He held still for the blotting, staring straight ahead as the producers guided Sidney away from the Suitorette couches and up to the loveseat opposite his chair center stage.
They swarmed around
her, making sure her microphone was hidden and touching up her own makeup before retreating again, leaving him alone with Sidney in front of a live studio audience with sixty seconds still on the clock before they came back from commercial.
He nodded to her. “Sidney.”
“Josh. How’ve you been?”
“Good. And you?”
“Good. Thanks.”
Awkward silence fell, the seconds ticking by with excruciating slowness until the director finally called him to attention and the red light on camera one lit.
Josh smiled, instantly comfortable as he read off the teleprompter. “Welcome back.” He went through his usual spiel, reinforcing the drama of the decision Daniel was about to make, before pivoting to talk about Sidney’s decision to leave the show. The screens in the studio lit as they all watched Sidney’s departure over again and another camera zoomed in on her face to get every microscopic detail of her reaction on film. When they returned to a wide shot, Josh was ready, facing Sidney with a practiced smile in place.
“Sidney, welcome.” She murmured the usual pleasantries about how happy she was to be there and Josh continued, keeping to the script. “You were among the early front runners and America certainly loved you—as Daniel seemed to—but then you shocked us all by walking away from this journey to love. Any regrets?”
“None,” she said, looking straight into his eyes. “Daniel may not have been my Prince Charming, but I have to believe he’s out there and that somehow Marrying Mister Perfect is part of my path to a happily-ever-after.”
Shit. Josh forced his expression to remain pleasantly encouraging when dread shivered through him at her words. Was she still hung up on him? Was that what she meant? Or had Miranda already talked to her? Was she trying to imply she was planning to come back as Miss Right?
He was worse than the Suitorettes, parsing every syllable for clues as to what she really felt.
A voice buzzed in his ear, prompting him, and he returned to the script. “You famously said your heart was leading you in another direction. I think all of America is wondering, did you find what you were looking for there?”
“If you’re asking if I’m seeing anyone, the answer is no. I’m still looking for my own Mister Perfect.”
“Speaking of which, are you aware of the Twitter campaign that is currently going strong, asking for you to be the next Miss Right?”
A flush lit her cheeks. “I didn’t know. Though of course I’m flattered.”
“You’ve often been quoted as saying you believe in the show. Would you consider it, from the other side? Are you still that romantic optimist who met Mister Perfect at the altar on night one?”
“I don’t think you can be a wedding planner if you aren’t a romantic optimist, and I will always fall into that category. And I definitely still believe the show can lead to true love—no one who has ever seen Marcy and Craig together can deny it—but I don’t think I—”
Miranda’s voice crackled through his earpiece. “Cut her off. Leave it open.”
“Let me stop you there,” Josh broke in smoothly. “And we’ll just see what the future holds.”
A small frown puckered her brow.
“Wrap it up.”
“I just have one final question for you, Sidney. Who do you think Daniel will choose? Caitlyn or Elena?”
“Whoever he chooses, he will be a very lucky man. They are both extraordinary women.”
Josh pivoted to the cameras and took them into the next pre-recorded segment, feeling Sidney’s eyes on him the entire time.
As soon as the director called that they were out, she reached up to yank off her mic. “What was all that? You wanted to ambush me with that Miss Right stuff?”
“The producers wanted to test the waters for you as a potential Miss Right and they figured you would react more naturally if you didn’t know it was coming.”
“And if I’m not interested?”
“You should really consider it,” he encouraged, pretending he didn’t understand why she wouldn’t want to subject herself to the cameras again. “That whole both extraordinary women bullshit only proves you’re already good at playing the game. You’d be great and just think what it would do for your business.”
Irritation flickered in her eyes, but then her gaze shifted over his shoulder and she asked, “Does your new girlfriend know what a cynic you are?”
He glanced over his shoulder to where Olga sat, front and center. Miranda had given her a seat that would guarantee she was “accidentally” on camera at least five times throughout the broadcast, reinforcing their romantic attachment.
“Oh, she knows,” he assured Sidney.
Though it might be the only thing Olga knew about him.
*
Sidney swallowed her irritation. Part of her had hoped that Josh’s relationship was just a publicity stunt, but if she really knew him…
“I’m glad you’ve moved on and gotten over your ex. Everyone deserves to be with someone who makes them happy. Especially someone who is guiding others to romantic happiness,” Sidney said—trying to force herself to mean it.
“Thank you.”
One of the producers approached, guiding her back to the Suitorette couches. She watched as he chatted with Samantha about her heartbreak—though she seemed the least heartbroken person in the room. Then they all watched Daniel reject Elena—tears glistening artistically on her lashes—before getting on one knee in front of Caitlyn.
On the giant screens, Caitlyn said yes—and the entire studio audience sighed happily—but when Daniel and Caitlyn appeared together in public for the first time, they were sitting as far as possible from one another on the loveseat and Caitlyn wasn’t wearing the ring anymore. Josh walked the audience through their breakup, highlighting the difficulties of a long-distance relationship in the public eye—and Caitlyn’s understandable difficulty watching Daniel rubbing up against Elena every week.
Sidney wanted to talk to Caitlyn, but as soon as Josh wrapped up the show, tempting the audience with the promise of the next season, a swarm of MMP staffers descended on the former Suitorette and she was whisked away. Several of the other girls were making plans to go out dancing, but Sidney plead exhaustion and a desire to get home. Most of the girls were in from out of town and staying in hotels, but she’d just come down for the day and was eager to get back to her real life.
But before she could make her escape, Miranda Pierce caught her in the green room.
“Sidney. Just the woman I was hoping to see.”
“You need a wedding planner?” she said optimistically.
“I need a wedding planner beloved by America who wants to be romanced by thirty hot men on the next season of Romancing Miss Right.”
“No.” Sidney edged around the producer, heading for the door.
She should have thought about it more. The exposure for Once Upon a Bride would be brilliant—but she wouldn’t be able to hide in the shadows if she was Miss Right. She’d be front and center twenty-four-seven.
And Josh would be watching the whole thing.
As much as she might want to believe he wouldn’t be a distraction, she was realistic enough to face the truth. There was no way she would be able to concentrate on falling in love with someone else when he was standing beside her at every Elimination Ceremony, watching the proceedings.
“At least consider it,” Miranda urged, pacing her as she walked down the hall toward the private exit.
“If you need a wedding planner, I’m your girl,” Sidney promised. “But I’m not cut out for being Miss Right. Sorry, Miranda.”
Chapter Sixteen
“She said no.”
Josh finished washing off the last of the makeup and looked up to find Miranda standing in the doorway of his dressing room. “Sorry?”
“Sidney. She turned down Miss Right. Thought you might want to know.”
“Why would I want to know? It has nothing to do with me.”
Miranda snorted. �
��You’re slipping, Josh. You want the world to think Sidney is just another Suitorette, but if you want me to buy that, you have to react naturally. You should be worried that we’re out a Miss Right. Caitlyn said no. Samantha said no. Elena is universally hated. And now Sidney has said no. It’s your job to care that we might not have another season.”
“There will always be another season. Marrying Mister Perfect will never die.”
Miranda’s eyebrows flew up. “Do you want it to?”
“Of course not.” he insisted, even if he sometimes had the feeling that his life had become a machine and he couldn’t stop it or change course without getting crushed in the gears.
There hadn’t been a happy ending this season. Mister Perfect hadn’t gotten the girl—and Josh couldn’t help but wonder if he might have dropped the ball somehow. It wasn’t their first unsuccessful season—the romantic triumphs were much rarer than the defeats—but it was the first time he wondered if he could have done something differently, offered different counsel, and done a better job of guiding Mister Perfect to his future happiness.
Maybe he wasn’t cut out for this job anymore. Too jaded. Too cynical. But if he wasn’t Josh Pendleton, Host of Marrying Mister Perfect, who was he?
“You don’t have to sell me,” Miranda said. “I might be getting off the merry-go-round myself.”
“What?”
“Bennett wants me to defect over to American Dance Star. I’m still making up my mind.”
Jesus. Even Miranda might leave the show. “I hope you’ll stay. It won’t be the same without you.”
“Maybe it shouldn’t be. Maybe it’s time for a change. You said it yourself. This season felt different.” She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it now. Your girlfriend is waiting for you.”
His girlfriend. His relationship was a fraud designed to keep a job he was no longer sure he could do, and beyond that…
He didn’t know what there was beyond that.
*
“Are you sure you don’t want to be Miss Right?”
