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* * *
BLAKE ESCORTED THE DOCTOR OUT of Darla’s room, having given his diagnosis of food poisoning and prescribed an antinausea injection that seemed to be helping. Blake returned to find Darla sitting up in bed.
“Hey,” he said, surprised. “The medicine must really be working.”
She nodded. “It is. I’m a lot better.”
He gave her a probing look. “And you’re worried about everyone knowing we’re together.”
“I don’t want to be worried. I’m so tired of hiding.”
“Agreed,” he said, crossing to the bed to sit down next to her.
“I’m glad you were with me,” she said. “I am. I just…is Meagan upset?”
“No. She seems to believe we are deep enough into the tease that a happy ending is acceptable.”
“A happy ending?”
“Yeah,” he said, drawing her hand in his. “If I have any say in it, we’re going to have a happy ending.” He scooted down onto the bed, and pulled her next to him, curling his body around hers and kissing her temple.
“Blake?”
“Yeah, honey?”
“I really want that happy ending.”
“So do I, honey. So do I.” Finding Darla had changed him, torn down the walls of distrust this business had created in him, and made him happy. He was going shopping for a ring.
* * *
DARLA WOKE IN THE HOTEL BED to realize that not only was she fully dressed, Blake was wrapped around her, also fully dressed. Her chest tightened with emotion. There was something more intimate about this moment than any other she’d had with this man. She was so in love with him. A knock sounded on the door, and he stirred, then called out, “We don’t need housekeeping!”
“Good,” Meagan called. “Because I don’t do windows.”
“Whoops,” Darla said.
“You’re awake,” Blake commented with unwarranted surprise.
“You just yelled in my ear,” she teased. “Of course, I’m awake.”
“And feeling better,” he commented, kissing her temple. “Good.”
“Hello!” Meagan called.
Blake got to his feet. “Boss lady calls,” he murmured, heading to the door.
Darla sat up, pretty sure something had died in her mouth. She needed a toothbrush urgently and she didn’t even want to think about how she looked. If Blake still wanted her after this, he moved way up her ladder to the “keeper” shelf.
“Morning, sunshine,” Meagan said, stopping at the end of the bed. “Don’t you just look like flowers blooming on a spring day? Or not.”
“Watch yourself,” Blake warned, stepping by Meagan’s side, his hands on his lean hips, his hair rumpled. “She’s feeling feisty again already.”
“I’d call myself about fifty percent,” Darla said, glancing at the 7:00 a.m. time. There was a cast and crew meeting at eight-thirty, and the contestants would all be arriving through the day. “I’ll be fine after I shower.”
Megan dropped onto the mattress and leaned on one arm. “Today is the least important day. Rest if you need to.”
“No,” Darla said quickly. “No. I’m fine. I have footage for my daytime show to film anyway.”
Blake leaned on the dresser directly in front of Darla. “She’s too stubborn to rest. You might as well save your breath.”
Meagan glanced between the two of them, and then settled her attention back on Darla. “So then, are you up to a conversation about the show?”
“Actually,” Darla said flatly, “maybe I feel sick again.”
“Don’t start fretting on me,” Meagan said. “What’s done is done. If your relationship goes public, it goes public.”
“But the studio—” Darla started.
“Will be happy if the ratings are good. So far, they are terrific. Which, admittedly, makes me want to string out this tease about you two a bit longer. We’re not even into the live shows yet, which is where the dancers get the real exposure and, ultimately, this is about them. So that said, I’m going to warn the cast and crew to stay quiet. They’re professionals with confidentiality contracts, and these types of secrets with reality shows are not uncommon.”
“Why do I sense a ‘but’?” Blake asked.
“The ‘but’ is this week, contestants are in the same hotel we’re at,” Meagan answered without pause. “We can’t control them like our own people, especially those that Darla doesn’t send through to the finals, who might lash out at her. So I think that you two need to stay low-key this week, and then we’ll be fine. I want these kids who are dancing their hearts out to have viewers and opportunities, which means big ratings. Last season, the footage in the contestant house was a big ratings grabber.” She patted Darla’s leg. “So do your casting magic and we’ll be set.”
Right, Darla thought. Casting magic. She knew she was good at picking talent, but she’d never done it with this much pressure, with the world—including her parents’ banker—watching. She glanced at Blake and saw him staring at her. She knew from the look on his face that something was wrong. Meagan rose to her feet. “I’ll let you get showered and dressed and see you in a few.”
