“So ready.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “You?”
Grant furrowed his brow. “Me? Nah, I absolutely love it here. Going to miss my Sof-Sof so much.” He yelled the last part across the table and Sofia leveled a glare at him.
“Kiss my ass, Grant.”
I giggled. “Couple’s counseling went great, I see.”
“I still think it should have been me and you.” Grant winked at me.
Eli turned in his seat, eyes narrowed. “Why are you talking to her?”
Grant held up his hands. “Relax, we’re friends. Aren’t we friends, Calla?”
I smiled and shrugged. “Kind of,” I said to Eli.
Eli continued to argue with Grant in hushed tones.
Arnie and Rachel sat at the far end of the table, whispering animatedly with each other, likely discussing their future plans.
Trace sat across from me, her head slumped in her hand. She stared at her coffee as she swirled her teaspoon absentmindedly around her mug. She looked like a zombie. Danny sat next to her, a hard expression on his face. I tried to catch Trace’s eye, but she wouldn’t look at any of us. Instead, I caught Danny’s attention and shot mental daggers at him. A pained expression washed over his features. But then he snapped back to his rough exterior and looked away.
When Rachel had first come to the table, she had berated Danny for how he was treating Trace. Instead of owning up to it, he’d just clammed up and wouldn’t give any answers. Trace had eventually begged Rachel to let it go. She just wanted to go through the motions until this was all over. The guys weren’t taking Danny’s side, but I could tell they felt sympathy for him as much as they did Trace. They had all formed a tight bond—well, aside from Grant.
A figure stepped into the dining room and we were all surprised to see Rita standing there. Seeing her this early probably wasn’t a good sign.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said, shaking out her golden mane and turning her face so her best angle faced the camera that trailed behind her. We all murmured our hellos as she found her mark.
“Congratulations on making it through this challenging experience. I know it wasn’t easy at times, but you all did it. You’ve grown as individuals and you’ve grown together.”
Trace looked absolutely miserable as Rita addressed the group. My heart went out to her. At the beginning, I had been sure that would be me. Heartbroken, raw, and miserable.
“Now, it’s time for a surprise,” Rita continued.
A queasiness settled in my stomach. Surprises on this show usually weren’t something to get excited about.
“It’s time to show all this progress to the people who matter the most. Today, we’re bringing in the people who signed you up for this!” Rita exclaimed.
Piper? Piper was here? This had been the longest I’d gone without seeing her in ages.
“We’ve got a lovely day planned for each of you to enjoy time alone with your families. And then, of course, we’ll have them meet the partners that you’ve been spending so much time with.”
Eli’s face hardened and his jaw clenched at the news, completely opposite to my emotional reaction.
“Are you okay?” I whispered.
His face softened. “Yeah. I’m excited to meet your sister. I just wish you didn’t have to meet my father.”
Grant raised his hand but didn’t wait to be called on before speaking. “Do we all get to meet Eli’s famous daddy?”
Eli stiffened but Rita was unfazed. “There won’t be any time for that.”
Looking around the table, it was clear this news was garnering mixed reactions. I was ecstatic to reunite with my sister—Eli, not so much. Rachel and Arnie both looked nervous but excited at the prospect of getting to know each other’s loved ones. Grant and Sofia seemed indifferent. And then there was Danny and Trace. Trace looked like she would burst into tears at any moment and Danny looked mad, like he couldn’t wait to get out of this place. It was hard to believe how much the way he looked at her had changed in just one day.
Rita left before Brady and Shay arrived, yelling instructions about where each of us needed to go next.
“Are you going to be okay seeing your dad?” I asked, squeezing Eli’s hand.
He appeared lost in thought. “I’ll be fine. I just hate that you have to endure him as well.”
