“He’s got a point, you know,” Wade said.
Fox all but growled when he felt his friend’s hand on his shoulder. He was officially ready for this week to be over. Everything about this reality show reminded him just how fake people could be, and it was overwhelming. As much as he hated his job, he would have much preferred the isolation it gave him to this.
He looked both of his friends dead in the eye to argue, to tell them they shouldn’t care about what the people watching thought. But when he saw their pleading looks, he softened—just a little.
Fox sighed.The things I do for my friends. “Fine. I’ll play nice.”
Everyone filedinto the room and were directed to form a semi-circle around Jason Castle, who looked way too pleased to have so many eyes on him. “Tonight’s competition is a little different from what we’ve done thus far,” Jason announced. “Up until this point, you’ve been working in teams to determine one part of the upcoming wedding. Not tonight. This one’s just for Eli and Audrey.”
What a relief, Fox thought to himself. That meant he might have less time in front of the camera for one evening. Any respite would be something to be thankful for.
But just what did they have in store for his friends?
“Tonight is a classic newlywed game to see who knows the other better,” Jason said.
Fox’s nerves slipped away even more. If all he had to do was clap in the crowd while the cameras focused on the two of them, he could handle that. Especially if Harry stayed on the other side of the room.
“But that’s not where it ends.” Jason’s smile widened and Fox’s stomach sank. “There’s still a role for the teams to play. How well Eli and Audrey do on the quiz will determine what materials their teams have to decorate their tables. Then those tables will be judged by the local florist and the staff of the inn, who have seen their fair share of weddings. The winning group gets to pick the bridesmaids’ dresses.”
From the other side of the room, Fox could see the girls’ faces pale before they bent their heads together to start whispering. Of course, it had to be the dresses. What should have been a fun exchange between the future married couple was now a cutthroat competition the girls had no intention of losing.
It started off easy enough, with questions about things like favorite food and movies. Audrey and Eli were seated back to back in the middle of the room, and each held two signs labeled “bride” and “groom.” When Jason asked a question, they had to hold up whichever person it was true for.
“Who was afraid of dogs as a kid?” asked Jason.
Audrey and Eli both held up the “bride” sign.
“Who takes longer to get ready in the morning?”
They both held up the “groom” sign and everyone laughed.
It was hokey, but fun. Plus, Fox didn’t have to talk or do anything in particular, which suited him perfectly. He clapped when he was supposed to and laughed at Wade’s antics. He scowled when Audrey got an answer right and called out suggestions to Eli to help him out. The score stayed tied through most of it.
Just when Fox was actually enjoying himself, he got the reminder that there was still more to come this evening.
“Remember, this is just part one,” Jason said. “It’s not whoever wins this round who gets to pick the dresses. Your score here will determine what materials you get to use for the judged challenge of table decorating.”
The camera panned slowly over the two teams. Fox knew they wanted a good reaction shot but didn’t have it in him to do anything more exciting than nod.
“Next question: who likes to eat their marshmallows burned?”
Audrey held up the “bride” sign, but Eli held up the “groom” sign.
Fox frowned. If he knew that about Audrey, Eli certainly did, too.
“Who wanted to play for the 49ers as a kid?”
Eli held up the “bride” sign, while Audrey waved “groom” high above her head much to everyone’s amusement. But Fox wasn’t laughing, he was confused. Why was Eli suddenly pretending like he didn’t know anything about his fiancée—or even himself?
The reason became clear during the second break in the game to bring out the decorating supplies. Fox knew next to nothing about what a wedding table should look like, but he could see that there was some really nice stuff, and some really crappy stuff.
Eli wanted to be sure Audrey got the good stuff. Of course he’d do that for her. What did Eli care about the bridesmaid dresses? For that matter, what did Fox care about them?
But he did care about beating Sienna. Seeing her gloating face with each wrong answer Eli gave was almost too much for Fox. Yet at the same time, her wide smile of happiness when Jason announced the girls the winners of the quiz made Fox’s chest tighten in the same way it had when he’d taken her hand out in the woods.
Was it even a real smile?
Wade’s disappointed face was for sure an exaggeration, and Eli had just spent half an hour feigning ignorance about the one person he knew best in the world. This whole thing was such a farce, it was all Fox could do to keep from walking out the door.
