Page 37 of His Choice

“Brighton,” I answered.

“I call sloppy seconds,” she announced. I glowered. “You know, if you pass on him.”

“He has a daughter, Mom,” I pointed out. “You don’t seem too enamored with having one child, let alone two. Maybe think about that.”

She pretended to be offended. “I might enjoy having a child who isn’t a brat. Let that sink in instead.”

I chuckled. “Maybe she’s worse.”

“Impossible,” my mother countered. “She’d be in prison for having committed some heinous crime, I’m sure. Anyway, I think Brighton is a good choice for you. The others might be too young. Brighton also has money, so I’d guess his intentions are pure.”

“Or he could be straight, pretending to be bisexual,” James cut in. He shot me a knowing glance—a reminder of Aaron’s secret. “You know, just to get some publicity. Maybe he’s thinking of going into acting or something now that he’s aging as a model.”

I hadn’t thought about that, but after learning the producers had sprinkled some surprises into the show, I had to face the possibility. “I hope not. He’s one of my favorites.”

I scrolled over to pictures of Mikey. Even if he wasn’t technically the best looking of the contestants, there was something magnetic about his shots. The man exuded feeling, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. I just knew that he wasn’t some empty, pretty vessel. When I got to the photos of him shirtless, I was surprised. He was buffer than Daryl or even Brighton. Despite his terrific body, he didn’t have the arrogant expression that I saw in every Daryl photo. It was as if Mikey didn’t realize he was beautiful.

“Mikey shots?” James asked.

I nodded. “He’s…got something special going for him.”

“Yes, Aaron,” my mother cut in.

“Huh?” I hadn’t told her that Aaron and Mikey had concocted a plan where Aaron would pretend to slowly fall for Mikey. “What do you mean?”

My mother shrugged. “There’s something about the way Aaron interacts with him…and looks at him. I could be wrong, but I’d be careful. I worry that maybe they’re more than roommates, which means they’re playing you for some reason.”

My mother’s instincts were scary spot-on. I would need to warn Aaron that he was amping up his pretense too quickly and it could turn viewers against him who, like my mother, would question his motives for being on the program.

I finished the slideshow with the pictures of Aaron. I thought it was a shame for me that he was straight. I didn’t usually go for younger guys, but Aaron was gorgeous. And the man had a smile that could power the White Pines electric grid. When I got to the shots of him without a shirt, it was what I expected—a nicely toned swimmer’s build. It wouldn’t be difficult to show interest in him for the first couple of days. Viewers would think I was crazy if I didn’t.

“Game player or not, there’s no disputing Aaron is a nice-looking guy,” I said, handing the iPad back to my mother.

“He is,” James agreed. “They all are, really. It will be a tough choice if looks are the only thing you consider.”

“Which they won’t be,” I assured him. “It seems it’s time to check in on the challenge. Maybe that will give me some added data points.”

* * * *

When I ventured back into the kitchen, it was chaos. My first thought was that I would need to apologize to Sara for the mess. I hoped the television crew would do their best to clean up before she was called in.

The men were still completing their mission, even though the time limit had lapsed. It would be a case where the first to report on their project would be at a disadvantage, since others could keep working.

As Marv, the director, walked me past the different stations that had been set up, Aaron leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I think Daryl tampered with Mikey’s piping bag when Mikey went to the cupboard to pick out his decorations.”

“No talking to Cliff unless it’s on camera,” Marv warned Aaron, loud enough for others to hear.

Aaron shrugged, then winked in Daryl’s direction. “It’s not like it’s the first time.” Daryl glared in return. I wasn’t sure what Aaron had been trying to imply with that comment. I hoped he hadn’t shared with anyone that he’d informed me that he’s straight.

“Make it the last time,” Marv snapped at Aaron, then shot me a similar warning glance. He took me by the arm and led me to the first station which happened to be Dani’s. “Ready on the set. And…action!”

Dani seemed eager to show me what he’d done with his cake, smiling and batting his eyes. His lashes were either naturally longer than most men had, or he was wearing fake ones.

“Hmm. What do we have here?” I asked, pretending to find it enthralling.

“I drew an outline of you holding my hand as we walk into the sunset,” Dani gushed. I was surprised that I found that sweet. Score a point for Dani. I looked closer at the figures he’d created. The ratio in height and girth of the two had been grossly exaggerated.

“You’re much taller than that, though,” I pointed out.