The Reluctant Bachelor

by Syndi Powell

  “I really don’t have time for this.” She walked past him, so he followed her outside.

  “You can’t try to make me feel things for these women. It doesn’t matter how you manipulate the scene or try to invite intimacy.” He hurried to catch up to her. “I thought about what we talked about earlier. I want to know it’s real and not fabricated for television.” He stopped walking and threw his hands in the air. “What do you want from me?”

  She stopped, turned and walked back to him. “The real question is, what do you want from me? All I’m asking is that you hold up your end of the deal. Go on these dates. Keep your options open, but don’t close yourself off to the possibility that you might meet the woman you’re supposed to be with. And let me do my job.”

  “Not when you’re going back on what we agreed.”

  She pointed at him, slashing the air with her finger. “We agreed that you would have more input. Not complete control.”

  He took the few steps that separated them and looked at her. Really looked at her until he thought he was going to implode and cease to exist. The line between friendship and something more seemed to blur for just a moment. He swallowed. “Lizzie...”

  She shook her head and walked away. Got in the SUV’s passenger side. Didn’t even glance in his direction as Charlie backed the car out and drove away.

  He felt as if his best friend in the world was leaving. The confusing part was that his heart seemed to be going with her, too.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ICE FISHING was a logistical nightmare. The shack on ice barely held four people, and that didn’t include a camera operator and sound crew. Elizabeth, however, could pull more than a rabbit out of an old hat. She had commissioned three shacks on the ice and a large heated tent on land for this group date. She had enough food to feed not only her cast and crew, but also the locals she’d hired to give authenticity to the scene.

  This was going to be the best episode she’d produced.

  Or the biggest disaster.

  Luckily, the monitors for watching the taping were in the warmth of the tent. She made up a plate of chicken wings to eat while she took notes and barked out orders. Definitely the best part of her job.

  She put her feet up on a chair across from her and groaned when someone stepped in front of the camera, where Rick baited hooks for some of the contestants. She tapped her earpiece. “Charlie, move that girl out of the way before I have to come in and do it myself.”

  He chuckled on the other end. “Why are you so grouchy?”

  “I’m not. Just move her.” The tension between her shoulder blades eased as the contestant moved.

  “Problems, Ms. Maier?”

  Elizabeth turned and bit back another groan. Couldn’t she have peace for just a minute? “Dan, grab a plate of food and join me.” She pushed a chair closer to him. He sat down and unbuttoned his long wool coat, looking every bit as if he’d stepped off the pages of a business magazine. “You’re early.”

  “Thought I’d get the lay of the land, so to speak.” He motioned to the monitors. “This is what the audience is seeing?”

  “It’s raw material before my editors and I cut it down to the most exciting parts.” She wiped her fingers on a napkin. “The audience only gets to see about twelve hours of a total of more than a hundred that we shoot.”

  “So my appearance today...?”

  Was he nervous? He didn’t appear any different from his usual authoritative self. “Maybe five minutes.”

  Dan nodded and looked at his fingernails. “And the ad time we bought?”

  She patted his arm. “Thirty seconds every episode, plus mentioned as a sponsor in the credits. And we’re taping at the diner for several episodes.”

  “The diner isn’t the business, okay? Mom gave Rick the diner, but Dad never meant it to be part of Allyn Pickles.” He shook his head. “It’s...a restaurant. Hardly a jewel in the company crown. More of a drain. I should probably just sell it.”

  “Doesn’t Rick get any say in that?”

  Dan stood and shrugged off his jacket. “Think I’ll go check out the buffet.”

  She watched him leave. This sibling-rivalry drama would add some interest to the show. Help the audience to identify with Rick. She made a note on her clipboard and turned her attention back to the monitors. Good. They were having fun. Seeing Rick bait hooks reminded her of their own ill-fated fishing expedition. What would it be like to fish when there was no chance of capsizing?

  Someone else entered the tent, pushing the flap aside and scanning the few people inside. The woman walked closer as Elizabeth frantically tried to recall why she looked familiar. She had long white-blond hair and wore a black peacoat with a bright pink beret. Sunglasses covered her eyes.

  When she removed the glasses, Elizabeth gasped. What in the world? She approached Brandy. Ever the professional, Elizabeth stuck out her hand. “Good to see you again. Or should I say surprised.”

  Brandy shook hands with her and glanced around the tent. “Is Rick here?”

  “Ice fishing on the lake.” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “Forgive me for being blunt, but what are you doing here?”

  The other woman shrugged. “I saw you were taping the show with Rick, and I thought I might be able to help you out or something.”

  Help them out with what? Adding to Rick’s anxiety? Elizabeth shook her head. “Am I missing something? Did someone ask you to come here?”

  Brandy turned her gaze back to Elizabeth. She frowned, marring her complexion slightly. “Mr. Scott contacted me last week. He didn’t go over the details with you?”

  Devon. Elizabeth frowned. “Sorry, Brandy, I need to make a quick call. Find out what’s going on here.” She stepped away for a moment, then tapped her earpiece. “Charlie, keep Rick out on the ice. I’m taking care of something back here. Got it?” The last thing she needed was for her star to see their new guest without preparing him. While it might make for good television, she’d promised to take care of Rick. And this time, she was going to keep her word.

  With that done, she punched numbers into her cell phone. This was her show. Hers. And she wasn’t giving up control to anyone.

  Devon picked up on the first ring. “Did my surprise arrive?”

  Elizabeth bit back a retort. “Did I miss the memo where this became your show instead of mine?”

  He chuckled on the other end. “You said you welcomed ideas. Brandy’s mine. And it’s pretty fab, isn’t it?”

  Elizabeth closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. “Did Bob give you this kind of license?”

  “You’re not Bob.”

  No kidding. “Obviously. But I won’t let you interfere with my job.” She opened her eyes and focused on Brandy, who stood at the monitors. Was she hoping for a second chance with Rick? Or was there something more going on?

  “Think about it. The old flame comes back to stir up what might have been five years ago? You brought back Rick. Why not Brandy, too?” He chuckled again. “You want ratings gold? There it is.”

  She shook her head. Brandy returning would bump up their ratings. But at what cost? “Why didn’t you consult with me first?”

  “What’s to consult? I hold the fate of your show in my hands.” There was silence on the other end. “One word to the head of the studio, and we show repeats of our top-rated sitcom instead. Up to you, Elizabeth.”

  She took another look at Brandy. “I’ll call you later.”

  Brandy looked around the tent, then turned her gaze back to Elizabeth. “Where is he?”

  There was no way she was going to let this woman have access to Rick right now. Elizabeth had promised he could trust her. Brandy being there could ruin all that. “Why?”

  The other woman looked down at her hands, which Elizabeth noted didn’t have the mega-ring
the show had bought for her other fiancé to give her. The engagement had lasted six weeks before a public breakup on the reunion show.

  Brandy looked back up at her. “I want to apologize. Try to make him understand.”

  “What’s there to understand? You chose someone else.” Elizabeth stepped in front of the monitors. “Listen. I need time to figure this out.” She gave Brandy a once-over. Five years had certainly been good to her. “Let’s talk business for a bit.”

  Brandy tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded. “I really appreciate this chance. Mr. Scott even said if this doesn’t work out for me, I could be the bachelorette again on True Love.”

  Of course he did. “Great.” She put her hand on Brandy’s elbow and moved them away from prying ears. “I’m thinking we’ll do a dramatic reveal of your presence to the other women on the show. That way we get some great reaction shots. And that will make the audience take more notice of you. But Rick...I can’t just spring you on him. I need time to prepare him for...” She sighed and glanced over her. “You.”

  Brandy nodded as Elizabeth made up plans off-the-cuff. Part of her job was being prepared for anything, but this definitely topped the list of surprises. “We’ll have to keep you sequestered, away from the other contestants for a while. Problem is that this is a small town. Everyone knows everyone’s business.”

  “She can stay at my mom’s house. It’s quiet. Remote.” Dan approached them and straightened his coat. Brandy turned and seemed to lean closer to him. He gazed down into her face. “I’d be glad to keep her occupied.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “You’re going to be filming in a half hour.”

  He didn’t look at her; he kept his focus on the other woman. “I can take her to my mom’s now and be back in twenty minutes.” He grinned wider as Brandy blushed and looked down. “Fifteen if the cop is on break.”

  One problem solved. Mostly. “Fine. Is that okay with you, Brandy?”

  She nodded and glanced up at Dan, then back at the ground. “I wouldn’t want to put you through any trouble.”

  He smiled at the top of Brandy’s head. “No trouble at all.”

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes. This was worse than what she saw on her show. “Great. We’ll meet later to go over any questions.”

  She watched them leave. She’d think about that complication later. She turned back to her crew. “Okay. Major changes coming, people. Let’s stay flexible.” She stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders. Stupid tension headache.

  Two aspirin and a bottle of water later, she was ready for business. Dan even arrived ahead of schedule. The deputy must have been having lunch rather than monitoring the roads for speeders. Maybe, just maybe, things were getting better.

  The question was, how was she going to tell Rick about this new development?

  * * *

  RICK WATCHED HIS BROTHER flit in and out of the gaggle of women, checking plates and beverage levels as if he was a born waiter. True, Dad had made them start working for their mom at the diner once they’d turned fourteen. Who knew that all those years of experience would return to Dan in only a few minutes?

  Lizzie stayed on the fringes of the party, watching. For what, he wasn’t sure. She had something on her mind. Not unusual for her, but whatever this was troubled her. He could tell by the way she kept her eye on him no matter where he was.

  He turned back to the woman who was sharing a story of growing up in a small town with four older brothers. Nodded when he should. Laughed when it was appropriate. She was a nice enough girl, but not for him.

  He turned and found Melissa in a group of four other women. He hadn’t had a moment alone with her since their one-on-one date yesterday. And he wanted to see where it could lead. If the initial connection between them could turn into...something.

  She raised her gaze to him, then winked.

  He grinned back.

  Lizzie stepped forward and clinked her champagne glass with a fork. “Ladies and gentleman.” She glanced at Rick. “This concludes tonight’s taping. The shuttle will be here to take you back to the house in a few minutes, but feel free to linger as long as you need to. Tomorrow’s schedule is up at the house. We’ll be leaving at eight sharp. Any questions?” She turned to Rick. “I need to talk to you.” She glanced around the tent. “Alone.”

  Rick said good-night to the ladies, then joined Lizzie outside by the lakeshore. The moon shone down on the icy surface in muted silvery beams. The glow of lights from homes around the lake seemed swallowed up in the dark cold.

  He observed Lizzie’s back and cleared his throat. “You want to say whatever you’ve been holding back since we shot the ice-fishing scenes?”

  She turned and opened her mouth, then abruptly shut it. “I don’t know how to tell you except to just say it.”

  Possibilities flitted through his brain. “We’ve been canceled.”

  “No.”

  His shoulders sagged slightly, then tensed again. “You’re fired?”

  She laughed. “Don’t get your hopes up just yet.” She glanced at the sky. “Brandy’s here.”

  Rick shrugged. “Brandy who?”

  Lizzie stared at him until his stomach ached as if he’d been sucker punched. Which was exactly what it felt like. He bent over at the waist and rested his hands on his thighs. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Oh. I didn’t want to spring her on you even if that’s what the suits expected. I thought you deserved to know first, so you can figure out what you want to do.”

  Rick tried to swallow but found it difficult with the lump growing in his throat. He hadn’t signed up for this. Hadn’t given them permission to play with his emotions. “Why?”

  Elizabeth frowned. “Because I’m your friend. And your producer.”

  “I mean, why is she here?” Did that mean she still wanted him? That there was still something between them? He groaned. He’d given up on that, hadn’t he? Five years was enough time to get over someone, right?

  “Because the studio thinks it will add drama. Which means ratings.” She took a step toward him. “What do you want to do?”

  Rick gazed across the lake, then back at the tent. “What are my options?”

  Lizzie closed the gap between them and waited until he looked back at her. “As your producer, it’s my job to tell you that you need to get over yourself. That you signed on to do what we tell you.”

  Not what he wanted to hear. “And as my friend?”

  She reached out and put her hand on the sleeve of his coat. “It’s been over five years. Don’t you want some closure? To finally shut the door on what happened?”

  He wasn’t sure what he wanted. Other than to run across the ice and get as far away as he could. Forget he signed on to a TV show. Start a new life being the man he’d always wanted to be. But he couldn’t start with a fresh slate. His past was written on it in permanent marker, and maybe it was time to take a real look at it. “Why does she want to be here?”

  “Devon’s promised her her own show if things don’t work out with you two.”

  Rick laughed. “Of course. I get a second shot, so why shouldn’t she, right?” He ran his hands through his hair. The burning sensation in his gut intensified. “I never got a chance to find out why she chose him instead of me. Why everything we did turned out to be a lie.” Lizzie nodded but didn’t say anything. He gave a weak smile, then shrugged. “I don’t want her to be here.”

  “I know.”

  He believed her. She’d promised to protect him. And she seemed as blindsided as he felt. “But it’s not my choice,” he said. “I gave that up when I signed your contract.”

  “True.”

  She wasn’t helping him by letting him choose for himself. In a way, he wanted her to force him into a decision. Might make it easier if it all backfired later. He groan
ed. “How does she look?”

  She shrugged. “Pretty much the same.”

  Which meant gorgeous. “Who else knows she’s here?”

  “The crew. Dan. Your mom.”

  Rick nodded and ignored the empty feeling in his stomach. “And they didn’t tell me.”

  “Don’t blame them. I asked to be the one.” She held up a hand as if to stop his thoughts when he frowned at her. “It’s my fault she’s here, so why not be the one to tell you and take your anger?”

  It wasn’t anger. Not really. More like shock. And an old ache that hadn’t healed completely. Maybe that was his answer. “It’s not your idea she join us, so why is it your fault?”

  “Because this is my show. And everything that happens here is my responsibility.”

  Rick laughed at her arrogance. “You’re taking on an awful lot.”

  Lizzie shrugged. “It’s my job. My life.”

  Rick sighed and reached toward her. “Lizzie, the show will never be your life.”

  “I’m executive producer, so you bet it is.” The walls around her immediately rose up. He could see it in the way she took a step back and stood straighter. As if holding herself so stiff would make the universe fall under her control.

  She didn’t get it. “Your life is more than filmed bits that air on television.”

  “Are you talking as my friend or as my star?”

  “It’s all the same to me. I’ll always be your friend.”

  Lizzie let out a long breath. “I was afraid that would change because of what I told you.”

  Rick took her hand in his. “That won’t ever change. Friends always.” They looked into each other’s eyes until he got uncomfortable and glanced away. “All right. I’ll do it.”

  Lizzie nodded. “So then we can bring Brandy on set?”

  “Sure. Set up your big reveal.” He toed the snow at his feet, turning it from pure white to muddy gray. She could have this, but he wanted something in return. “But I want five minutes with her. No mikes. No cameras. No crew.” He looked up at her. “Not even you.”