by Jill Ferraro
Book Three: Setting Her Sights on Love
Sight Unseen-A Marriage Reality Show Short Read
By Jill Ferraro
This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and settings are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations is entirely coincidental.
Setting Her Sights on Love: Sight Unseen Book Three
Copyright © 2020 Jill Ferraro
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval permission, without permission in writing from the author.
Thank you for purchasing Setting Her Sights on Love! This is Book Three in the Sight Unseen Series.
Book Four: More Than What Meets the Eye will be released June 29, 2020 (preorder by clicking here)! Book Five: Love is in Sight will be released July 6, 2020.
To receive special offers, exclusive content (including the prequel to the Sight Unseen Series, Book Zero: Before the Fall), and news about Jill Ferraro’s latest books, please subscribe to her newsletter!
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You can also visit her website: www.jillferrarobooks.com
Chapter One
Brielle
Shea: Good morning :)
Brandon: How’d you sleep, beautiful?
Asher: We got pancakes this morning!!!
◆◆◆
Brielle woke up with the sun and did some stretches by her bed to prepare for the day ahead. She slept well and was in a notably better mood than she was the previous day. Perhaps it was the sun shining through her window or the quiet breeze making its way through the crack she left open the night before. It was the perfect day to find her wedding dress.
She had dreamed of this day for years, and although she wasn’t sure which man she’d be walking down the aisle towards, she was excited by her potential spouses. Shea, Brandon, and Asher messaged her that morning before she was even awake and Brielle was excited to get to know them better as Day Three continued.
There was something so nice about waking up to messages asking how she was doing. Even though the three men were competing for her affections and possibly trying harder than they would in a normal dating situation, it felt nice to know they cared.
Absent from her message folder was Carl. She wasn’t surprised. He apparently wasn’t a morning person and never messaged her until closer to lunchtime. She hoped he would message her later on in the morning but was done making the first contact with him. If he wanted to marry her, he needed to put in a little more effort. Despite the connection she felt they had, she had other options for a husband who put in the effort for a lasting relationship.
Breakfast arrived as Brielle was getting out of the shower. She ran to the door in her robe and was pleased the tray was resting on a stand again. She knew she would have to face Abigail and Mark at some point during the day but she far preferred to have a full serving of carbs and coffee before interacting with either of them.
Brielle set the tray on the table and went to the bedroom to get dressed. Her dress shopping would be filmed with the traditional cameras and she wanted to look cute. It would be a fun memory to look back on after the wedding.
She chose her favorite jeans and a low cut navy blouse. It was comfortable, she would look put together, and it was easy to take on and off. After all, she was going to be hopping in and out of dresses all morning long.
Her hair was air drying and she decided to give herself a low ponytail with a waterfall braid to keep it out of her face for the morning’s events. It would hold up well and look great for the cameras. She put on some light makeup and made her way to the kitchen to eat.
Initially, she thought about every bite she put in her mouth but was growing less self-conscious eating on camera. The constant filming barely registered at that point and she didn’t care if they showed a close up of her pouring an excessive amount of syrup on her pancakes or shoveling french fries into her mouth at lunchtime.
Breakfast was french toast, sausage, and fresh fruit. Brielle’s stomach growled as she set up her plate. She removed the fruit from the tray and found a note stuck to the bottom of the bowl.
Confessional at 8:15. Don’t be late.
Brielle rolled her eyes. She was glad she woke up so early. It was 7:45 and she had enough time to eat and brush her teeth before heading to the studio to record the confessional. She was sure she was going to talk about wedding dresses and was almost excited. Confessionals were awkward. She couldn’t respond to a question like she did in conversation, it had to sound like a complete thought she just happened to speak into the camera. The viewer would never hear the original question.
Her french toast was delicious, she was resentful the producers gave her such great food. It made it more difficult to dislike them. Her relationships with Asher, Carl, and Brandon were making it difficult for her to be angry at the experience as well. Despite Carl’s terrible communication skills, she felt almost all of the men chosen were good potential matches.
This was the first day where she felt in her bones she would find a husband by the end of the week. The process and wedding planning felt almost fun that day. She was feeling that new relationship glow but amplified because she didn’t have to guess what anyone’s intentions were. Every guy she was talking to intended to marry her by the end of the week. It was freeing and exhilarating and a little terrifying.
Brielle dumped her dishes in the sink and practically skipped out the apartment door to the interview studio. She was floating on cloud nine and couldn’t wait to tell Stacey how much had changed overnight.
The studio door was open when she got there and she walked inside to the empty room. Laura and James appeared from the hallway, followed by Mark.
“Let’s make this quick, you have to be out of here in 10 minutes.” Mark gestured to the seat closest to the door and adjusted his jacket.
Brielle nodded and sat in the chair. Laura counted to 0 and the camera started rolling.
“How are you feeling?
Brielle’s face already hurt from smiling. “I’m feeling fantastic! I’m excited to see what dresses Stacey’s picked out for me.”
“Do you know what style dress you’re looking for?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to two styles. I’m hoping trying them on today will help me decide which is best. I’ve always pictured myself in a loud, flashy, mermaid style dress. It’s bold and exciting and totally me.”
“But…?”
Brielle shrugged. “But I don’t know if I want my husband to see me for the first time in that dress. So I’m also considering a flowy, lacey, boho style to highlight me.”
“Great. You can go now.”
Laura signaled that the camera finished recording and Mark left the room. Brielle stood up from the chair, stretched, and noticed she had a message from Carl.
Carl: Have fun trying on dresses! Can’t wait to see u in it!
Brielle beamed. He might not be consistent but he already knew how to make her smile. She followed Laura out of the apartment and down the hall. She was finally going to find her wedding dress.
Chapter Two
Asher
Brielle: I had french toast, it was just as good as the pancakes!
Asher: That sounds so good!
Asher: How are you this morning?
◆◆◆
Asher laid in bed, enjoying the peace and quiet he was now afforded. He felt bad for being so happy Damien was gone but living with him for two days was enough to make Asher question if his cause was worth it.
Now, he had the room to himself
and he could spend as much time in bed as he wanted, messaging Brielle. He was excited she was wedding dress shopping and was curious about what she would choose. Though Asher didn’t know much about wedding dresses, he had attended enough weddings to have a good idea of the style variety. The world felt right when he pictured Brielle walking towards him in a wedding gown. He couldn’t wait to see her.
There was still the matter of making it through the week and convincing Brielle he was the right man for her. Damien and Jason were easy cuts and further reinforced Asher’s assumption that Brielle was smart. Carl had a hold on her for some reason. Peter wasn’t a likely choice but Asher hadn’t spent enough time with the other guys to know where they stood.
Before he got out of bed, he made a plan for the day. Eat breakfast. Fall in love. Get to know his competition. Satisfied with his to-do list, he got up and pulled on a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a grey t-shirt.
He smelled the pancakes from his room and served himself a hefty stack, smothering on syrup. Brielle was so excited about the pancakes, he was happy he got to try them. They didn’t disappoint.
As he ate, Peter made his way to the table and got his own stack of pancakes. He had a grin on his face and looked much lighter than he had the day before.
“How’s it going?”
“Fine. Great actually. Brielle’s sending me home today!”
Asher was confused. “She is? How do you know?”
Peter lowered his voice. “Let’s keep this between us. Although the rest of the world will find out eventually, I suppose. But I messaged her if she thought we had chemistry and she agreed we didn’t. So I told her I wouldn’t mind being her sacrificial lamb so she could focus on the rest of you guys.”
“Wow! That’s selfless of you.” Asher took a large bite of his pancakes.
“Is it? It doesn’t feel that way. I’m just happy I can go home. Knowing I’m not getting married this week makes me feel like I’m a zoo animal, being watched for entertainment value.”
Peter had a point. There were cameras everywhere and there was no point in him sticking around. “Well, that’s great, man. Good for you. Any plans once you’re outta here?”
He shook his head. “Keep looking for love, I guess. I’m ready for a family. I have to find the right woman.”
Peter got up and left Asher alone at the table to finish his breakfast. With Peter gone, there were only four other men to worry about. Matthew and Shea were barely on their phones, they weren’t big threats. That left Carl and Brandon.
Brandon was a nice guy. If Brielle didn’t choose Asher, he hoped she’d marry Brandon. He was a decent human being who cared and had his priorities straight.
Carl, on the other hand, appeared to only care about being the last man standing. He didn’t act like he cared about getting married and settling down. Asher was confused by his hold on Brielle and why he kept referring to their potential wedding as ‘winning the game’.
There wasn’t much use in worrying about what the other men may or may not do to win Brielle over. Asher only controlled himself and his relationship with her. He pulled out his device to send her a message.
Asher: Can we have a more substantial conversation?
Brielle: Sure! About what?
Asher: What are your hopes and dreams and goals? In life?
Brielle: A casual question
Asher: I feel like we should know. Before we get married.
Asher waited for her response. He had only known her for two full days but he wanted to know what she wanted from life. It would be a shame to go on their honeymoon and realize they had different life paths. He cleaned up his dishes while he waited for her response, trying to distract himself.
Brielle: I promise I’m not ignoring you! Trying on dresses is a workout!
Asher: Take your time!
Brielle: I think my biggest dream is to have a family. A couple of kids, a house we love, and a strong marriage.
Asher: I definitely share that dream
Brielle: Careerwise-I’m a real estate agent. I like talking to people and helping families find their dream homes. So I want to continue and maybe open my own office one day.
Asher: Ambitious! I like it
They chatted about their hopes and dreams on and off as she tried on dresses. Brielle shared her travel bucket list items and Asher revealed he wanted to learn to play the banjo. They spun a tale of a traveling family band, which made Asher laugh because he wasn’t musically inclined at all.
Asher was falling for Brielle. He didn’t think it was possible to fall for someone this hard over messages but he was. He was completely infatuated with her and the idea of her becoming his bride was so exciting. He sat on the couch in a daze.
Asher: I know we just started talking and I know we have a few days left before you make a decision. But I want to marry you with all my heart.
There was no response for over 30 minutes. Did he cross a line and come on too strong? Asher wished there was a way to retrieve the message, he knew if she rejected him it would be plastered on TVs across America for weeks.
Brielle: Asher...I really like you. And I’m VERY glad to hear you want to marry me. I just can’t make that decision yet. But know that what I feel for you is real, you’re not out of line here.
Asher put his phone down. He wasn’t sure what he expected her to say. He reread the message a dozen times before he put his device away.
He knew there was a chance he could get his heartbroken when he agreed to be on the show. He’d done everything in his power thus far to fall in love with her. Now there was nothing left to do but trust that in the end, Brielle will want to marry him, too.
Chapter Three
Brielle
Brandon: How’s dress shopping?
Brielle: It’s not a disaster but it’s also not a success
◆◆◆
Brielle surveyed the room. There were five racks of dresses in the otherwise empty apartment. She was exhausted, having tried on half of them and still knowing which to choose.
Stacey was defeated. She climbed over dress bags and discarded shapewear as she made her way to Brielle.
“Do you need a break?”
“I don’t know Stacey. Which one did you like best?”
“You know I’m not going to tell you.”
“I know. I just wish I knew which dress was the one.”
“Let’s narrow it down a bit. We can get the rest of these moved out of here, have lunch, and focus on your top five.”
They reorganized the racks to find Brielle’s five favorite dresses of the day and wheeled the rejected gowns into the next room. Brielle breathed more easily with fewer choices in the room.
They switched to Brielle’s temporary apartment for lunch. Brielle was surprised they delivered Philly cheesesteaks and chips to her apartment, it was one of her favorite meals. Her stomach growled and she realized how hungry she’d been.
“So how’s everything else going?” Stacey asked between bites.
“With the guys? Oh, I don’t know.”
“Do you have any top contenders?”
“I do. Asher is so sweet. And he seems interested in me and invested in starting a life with me.”
“Well, that’s great!” Stacey’s face brightened.
“But I’m also drawn to Carl. He’s more mysterious but can be sweet sometimes. I can’t tell if he’s playing games sometimes or if he’s not super talkative. I was surprised, he messaged me this morning to tell me how excited he was about dress shopping.”
“Does he have any opinions on the dress?”
“No. Actually...I haven’t heard from him since that message. I’ve heard from everyone else all morning...” Was Carl playing another game with her? Doing enough work to keep her interested before pulling away so she chased him? After he failed to respond to her good night text the night before, she was on high alert.
“I’m sure he’s just busy.”
“What could he possibly be busy
with, Stacey? His only job right now is to court me!” Brielle’s voice grew louder.
“True. Listen, I can’t give you any advice on who to marry, it’s in my contract. Trust your gut and let’s focus back on the dresses.”
There was no use arguing with Stacey. Once she decided a conversation was over, it was over. Brielle vowed to message Carl after lunch but wanted to spend a few focused minutes devoted to the most important outfit of her life.
“Which dress feels better?” Stacey pulled up a photo collage of Brielle’s top five dresses on her tablet.
Brielle examined the photos. She looked amazing in the mermaid style. But she couldn’t dismiss the simple lace sheath dresses either. It put the focus on her rather than the dress.
“I want to try on all five again.”
Brielle and Stacey spent the next hour reevaluating the dresses. By the end of the hour, Brielle had narrowed it down to one sheath dress and one mermaid.
“I don’t know which one is best, Stacey!” Brielle groaned.
Stacey looked at the dresses. “I’ll probably get in trouble for this. But we’re going to do alterations on both dresses. You can decide the morning of the wedding which one you like best.”
Brielle teared up. She leaped up and gave Stacey a huge hug. “I didn’t know we could do that!”
“We can’t but let me figure it out with the producers.”
“Thank you, Stacey!”
“You’re welcome. Now go rest up for an hour or so. We have more planning to do this afternoon. And be nice to Abigail and Mark if they call. You need them if you want both dresses.”
