AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I glanced down at my hands, my skin bearing tiny scars from nicks and cuts of my profession. Tiny little reminders that my world didn’t belong in the one she offered me.
“Do you really needme?”
“I’ll be perfectly frank. We could totally pull someone from the pile, and I’d have them here in twenty-four hours. That’s how badly women want to be on this show.”
I fought to keep my face passive, struggling with the idea that women were so desperate to be on the show and find love with a stranger. With Flynn.
My stomach lurched.
“But you want me.”
“I want you.”
Laurel didn’t seem like the type to let things go easily, and I understood why she took point on so many things leading up to the first day of official filming.
Which wastomorrow.
“I need to think about it.”
“I can give you”—she glanced down at her watch—“a couple of hours. At most. If I need to get someone else here, which I’d rather not do, I need notice.”
A lump formed in my throat. Would I be able to keep this job if I said no? The idea of being forced to live in a house with Flynn and a group of women competing for him sounded like torture. Competition was usually my thing, but this was too much. I knew my limits.
It wasn’t about winning; it was about how much I had to lose.
“I’ll take whatever you can give me time wise. And Laurel, if I do this, I have to keep working. This isn’t near enough time for me to make arrangements to completely walk away from the café.”
“You can’t keep your full-time hours. It’s just not possible.”
I sighed. “I’m not asking for full-time hours.”
“We hadn’t really thought that far ahead,” Laurel admitted, setting her iPad and notebook back down on the counter. She tucked a strand of her sleek, city bob behind her ear.
“Well, if you want me to be ratings gold for you,” I replied, using air quotes with my fingers, “you’re going to have to work with me on this. You work hard for your show, I work hard for my café.”
A voice inside demanded I back off, warned me I’d been too forward, but the café was all I had. I couldn’t risk losing it, especially when the whole point of agreeing to do the flowers was growth.
“The more I’m around you, the more I like you.” Laurel smiled.
With a sigh, I shoved off the island and crossed my arms.
“I’ve got no desire to find love on this show, Laurel, especially not with a snowboard champion.”
“Especially when it’s your brother’s best friend, right?”
The blood drained out of my face.
“Oh, come on, Harper. You don’t think I’ve done my homework? I’m right about this. I saw you two last night when we were filming.” She tapped her fingers on her iPad before she snatched them back up. “You’ve got a story, I feel it.”
“No story here.” I waved my hands, denial rearing its ugly head again.
She winked. “You keep telling yourself that.”
“Seriously, I’ve got nothing to bring to this show, Laurel.”
It didn’t matter. She’d already crossed the kitchen and passed through the doorway.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Harper!” she called over her shoulder. “Ratings gold!”
Nausea gurgled in my belly.
Avoiding Flynn Jackson was no longer an option, not if I wanted to keep my café. We’d spent years apart, building and living our lives. And just like that, we were being thrust back together.
This was all Madison’s fault.
