Page 137 of One to Watch

“No, not at all,” Bea said forcefully. “Luc and I have incredible chemistry, and we acted on it. I always doubted whether we could make a relationship work outside the confines of the show, and I know now I was right—and in that way, Luc helped me figure out that even though being with him was so exciting, I don’t have to settle for a relationship that isn’t fully what I want. Do I wish we’d been able to part on better terms? Of course. But I don’t hold a grudge. On the whole, Luc was really good to me, really genuine, and a really important part of my journey on this show.”

“Luc, are you surprised to hear this?”

“Yes, I am very surprised.” He turned to Bea. “I thought you were furious with me.”

“I was furious with you, then. I mean, could you not have waited twenty-four hours after sleeping with me to sleep with someone else?”

Luc grinned sheepishly, eliciting an “Oh, you are bad!” from a woman in the audience.

“Yes, Luc is very bad,” Johnny teased, “and that’s why we think he’ll be very good in the Main Squeeze Mansion. What do you say, Luc? Will you join us for another round this summer?”

“Ah yes, and why not?” Luc grinned, clearly thrilled to be featured on a Main Squeeze spin-off. Johnny took them to commercial break, and as Bea rose to give Luc a polite hug goodbye, he murmured in her ear.

“I am leaving my phone number with Alison for you. Call me anytime you like, yes?”

Bea smiled. “Don’t hold your breath.”

He laughed as he pulled away, his breath tickling her ear.

“We were good together, no? Goodbye, my Bea.”

He kissed her cheek and made his way offstage, leaving room for the next guest. As he walked toward her, Bea prepared herself for a far less pleasant interaction.

“Hey,” Ray said curtly as he sat down beside Bea. He was stunningly handsome as ever, but he looked a little worn, a little gaunt. He refused to make eye contact, and before they could say anything more to each other, a producer was counting them in, and they were back on live TV.

“Welcome back,” Johnny said smoothly. “Our next guest is a man who Bea knows well, but who the rest of us just met recently. Ray, welcome to the studio.”

“Thanks,” Ray said flatly. Bea wondered what sort of contract he’d signed—she couldn’t imagine why he’d agreed to do this.

“First off, Bea, same question I asked Luc—have you two been in touch since the show finished filming?”

“No,” Bea said at the same moment Ray said, “Yes.”

“Well, this is interesting. Ray, you’ve contacted Bea?”

“Yes, I’ve texted and emailed her.”

“Bea, have you seen those messages?”

“No, um. After the show finished filming, I reached out to Sarah, Ray’s ex-fiancée, to apologize for my behavior, and for contributing to a situation that must have been really painful for her on a lot of levels. I never heard back from her—not that I expected to, she certainly doesn’t owe me anything—but sending her that note really solidified for me that it would be best for everyone if Ray and I sever ties for good. So I blocked his phone number and set up a filter to send any emails from him straight to spam.”

“You did?” Ray looked genuinely hurt.

“Ray, I can’t keep doing this with you. It’s been too many years. I need to move on.”

“But you’re the one who rejected me,” he said, almost whining. Bea had to remind herself not to feel sorry for him.

“You’re not good for me, Ray.” She forced the bitter words out of her mouth. “You say you didn’t really know how you felt about me when we lived in L.A., but you knew well enough to get drunk and kiss me. And you knew well enough to sleep with me when you were engaged to someone else.”

“Then why did you kiss me in Paris? Why did you make me think we could be together?”

“I was reeling. I was so hurt by Luc and Asher, and there you were, showing up to declare your love for me like I’d always dreamed you would. I wanted to believe that maybe after everything, we could be each other’s happy ending. Except you were still the same person who spent all those years hurting me. The same person who wasn’t brave enough to date me when you could have, when you wanted to, because you couldn’t picture getting serious with someone who looked like me.”

“But I got over that!” Ray protested. “I went on television to tell the whole world I love you—doesn’t that count for something?”

“My body isn’t something you ‘get over,’” Bea said coolly. “I have no intention of devoting the rest of my life to a man who’s ashamed of me.”

“I know I’ve given you reason not to trust me,” Ray pleaded. “But Bea, I promise, I won’t hurt you again.”