Page 70 of His Choice

“Goodnight,” he cut in.

Chapter Nineteen

Cliff

There were no challenges the previous day. The entire episode had been dedicated to learning more about me—the bachelor. My business partner, coworkers, friends, and folks in town had been interviewed to provide viewers with a finer lens into who I was. I hadn’t been privy to what they said, but Marv had told me later that nobody had an unkind thing to say. He was miffed about that. No drama, no ratings, he had reminded me. Marv had said he hoped that the rosy portrait that had been painted of me would make some swoon enough to have a vested interest in the outcome, though.

I was told they had spliced in footage of me working, golfing, gabbing with people in town and, of course, the obligatory shirtless shots of me exercising in my gym. Most of those fluff pieces had been filmed before the show had begun airing.

Although I hadn’t had much interaction with the contestants, I had managed to sneak in another private conversation with Brighton. I had been pleased that our rapport felt as easy and familiar as it had the night before on our ‘date.’

I had also tried to check in on Mikey a couple of times. As expected, each time I saw him, Aaron was at his side, whether it had been putting a golf ball, playing tennis, or lounging by the pool. I supposed if the camera crew had any footage of them from their day together, it would lend more credence to my passing on Aaron because I feared he was attracted to his roommate. Considering how much I saw them make each other laugh, I wondered if I could ever have that effect on Mikey were I to choose him.

Now, on day five, the production team had orchestrated a segment where, via video chat, I’d have an opportunity to meet with each contestant’s family or others close to them. It was my chance to learn more about each man from the people who know them best. The one condition was that they couldn’t share with me anything they had observed from watching the television program unless I had been in the segment. It was to keep me from hearing contestant confessions or have family members share with me how the suitors were behaving behind my back. I wasn’t to ask them questions about it either. Instead, I was instructed to rely heavily on the teleprompter which was loaded with provocative queries meant to elicit juicy tidbits on each prospective partner.

The first ones to meet with me were Dani’s family. His mother was as colorful as her son, appearing on my screen in a bright purple tank top that matched her hair color. The hue, along with her many black ink tattoos, gave her a goth look. Dani’s father preferred tats that were multi-color, and they completely covered his arms and throat. He also had a large ring that connected through his nostrils. It made me worry for him what would happen if someone were angry enough with him to give it a hard yank.

“Dani always loved to be naked,” his mother told me with a laugh. “Even as a toddler, I’d dress him, and five minutes later, I’d find him running around the house without clothes.”

I laughed, though I wasn’t certain she had meant it as a joke versus advice on what to expect from him if he and I connected.

“I was a little taken aback by how little he wore during the last challenge,” I admitted.

“The sparkly thong? That was so cute,” Dani’s mother replied before turning to her husband. “Wasn’t it?”

He grunted. “’Spose.”

She continued. “He’s very fashionable. Have you seen him with makeup? That boy is prettier than me when he’s all dolled up. If he moves in with you, you’ll need to find a place for his makeup vanity and all his stuff—including the many hair products.”

“Please choose him,” Dani’s father pleaded. “I’d like to get our bathroom counter space back.”

“Uh, I have a large house, so it wouldn’t be an issue,” I said, even though I didn’t see where Dani and I had enough in common that he’d suddenly vault to the top of my list.

“We noticed that,” the father replied. “How much did that place cost you? You must be loaded, huh?”

It seemed like his pupils had turned into dollar signs.

“I’ve done okay. It could all be gone tomorrow.” That was doubtful, considering many of my investments were in conservative funds, but it was better that others didn’t know that.

Dani’s mother might have sensed the sour note her husband’s question hit with me, as she steered the rest of the conversation to Dani’s childhood and current interests—like managing an unofficial Britney Spears fan club, watching TikTok videos, and singing at karaoke bars. Strikes one, two, and three. There seemed to be nothing we’d enjoy together.

“Hope this was helpful,” Dani’s father said before the call ended.

“It definitely was,” I assured him. I couldn’t understand what, other than money, Dani would want from me. We’d bore each other within minutes.

Alex also had chosen to have me speak with his parents. That might have been the most humbling experience of my life. His father was a scientist, and his mother was a neurosurgeon. Instead of trying to sell me on their son, they had put me on the defense. Alex’s mother had tried to convince me that she would support her son’s ‘fascinating’ interest in me. Somehow, she had moved on to the topic of my bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University in secondary education, and asked if I had planned to pursue a Masters and a Doctorate from a ‘more prestigious’ college to become a professor. When I had replied that I didn’t, her reaction would make one think I’d said my career objective was to clean waste from the city sewer systems with my own bucket and sponge. Alex’s father piled on by suggesting it might not matter, as my most important role would be to look good on Alex’s arm at important events. If the goal of Alex’s parents had been to torpedo the slim chance Alex had of being my choice, they succeeded.

Ted had me meet with a person he said was his roommate and buddy, Hank. I had thought it odd that he wouldn’t have any family members meet with me, until I remembered that Aaron had had to sign an NDA that he wouldn’t disclose to anyone, including family, that he wasn’t really interested in men. If Ted was straight as I suspected he was and playing me, his family might be in the dark and in shock as to why he was on the show. If, on the other hand, he had ignored the NDA and told his parents what he was up to, just as Aaron had done, they might not have been inclined to appear on television and double down on the ruse.

“So, how long have you been friends with Ted?” I asked the guy who seemed more interested in mugging for the camera.

“Do the producers of this show do the straight one on network TV?” Hank wondered aloud.

“I’m not sure. I think maybe…”

“Yeah, Ted thought so. He’d be a good bachelor,” Hank cut in. “I could be, too.” He made a gesture for producers to call him by holding his hand to his ear.

“For the straight show?”