“Well, I’m sure Jada has something else planned then,” Sarah added with a kind smile.
Mia played with her straw. “What a shame. I’ll have to suggest a plane ride when he takes me on a one-on-one. Because I, for one, wouldloveto fly with him.”
Sarah’s eyes widened, the panic in her expression obvious. “He’s takingeachof us on one-on-one dates?”
“Not everyone.” Mia deftly removed a stalk of celery from her glass using long, dagger-like nails. “Just the ones he wants to get to know better. Which is why I know he’ll choose me.”
While I appreciated confident women, I found this attitude of hers a tad much.
A short time later, Travis escorted Samantha back to the veranda then asked Lauren to accompany him. That cozy little cabana was sure seeing a lot of action.
Mia made a gagging sound. “I can’t stand her. Barf.”
“Who?” I wasn’t sure which woman she was referring to.
She pointed to Lauren. “That.” As if Lauren were a thing. “Ihateher.”
Hate was a pretty strong word for someone you just met. “Do you know her?” I asked.
“No, I don’tknowher,” Mia said. “But I knowofher. Let’s just say, her family and my family go waaaaay back.”
Sarah leaned over and whispered, “Lauren comes from a family of supernatural vampire hunters.”
Mia’s animosity toward the woman made a little more sense now.
“She said she’s falling in love with Travis,” Mia said, rolling her eyes again. “She’s talked to him maybe ten minutes tops, so that’s a crock of baloney.”
Compared to Mia’s fifteen minutes.
Mia crunched on her celery stick. “Besides, he’s mine.”
I wondered if all vampires were this possessive. It wouldn’t surprise me, though. They certainly were in all the romance books I’d read.
“Anyone want anything?” I asked, rising from my seat. I wasn’t comfortable with this conversation. Ragging on other women wasn’t my thing. We needed to support each other, not tear each other down. Life was hard enough as it was without adding more to the drama pot. “I’m going to get a drink.”
“Nothing for me, thanks,” Sarah said.
Mia handed me her empty glass. “I’ll take another Bloody Mario.”
I held it gingerly and quickly deposited it on an empty tray on my way to the bar. I didn’t want to inspect the red residue too closely in case it was the real deal.
At the bar, I heard footsteps coming up behind me and cringed. I turned, expecting to see the camera crew. They were interviewing the contestants to get our reactions before the charm ceremony, and they hadn’t gotten to me yet. I was doing my best to avoid them.
Turned out, it wasn’t the camera crew, but Travis. The crew followed a few steps behind.
My heart skipped a beat. Not because of Travis, though, I told myself. Being on camera wasn’t my thing. I didn’t like thinking about how I looked all the time and if a certain angle was unflattering. Lab coats, hair in a tight bun, and dorky safety glasses were more my style.
“Care to join me?” He held out a hand to me. “There’s something I want to show you.”
I took it tentatively. “Um. Yeah. Sure.” I hadn’t been expecting to spend any time with him this evening given what Mia had said.
His hand was very warm as it enveloped mine, and I couldn’t help wondering if he had large paws while in his wolf form. I’d been wishing I’d brought a lightweight sweater—the breeze coming off the ocean was chilly tonight—but not anymore. I was plenty warm now.
Sarah smiled over at me and held up her crossed fingers as we passed them. I loved how supportive she was even though we were technically competing against each other for the same guy. Mia, on the other hand, looked pissed—and it probably wasn’t because I’d forgotten her Bloody Mario.
When we got to the beach, I had some difficulty walking in the sand in these heels. Travis paused and crouched in front of me. I assumed he meant for me to use him as support so I could remove my shoes.
“Climb up,” he said.
