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“Do you want to make a good impression or not?” she countered.
“Definitely not,” I joked.
She shook her head and pushed me toward the door. “I have work to do now. Go, and have a good time. Reagan might just be the woman you’ve been waiting for.”
I glanced back at Jessica as I left the room, and I could have sworn that behind her bright smile, there was sadness in her eyes. Not unlike what I was feeling because I knew none of the contestants were the woman I’d been waiting for. That title belonged to Jessica alone, yet I was going out on a romantic date with another woman. It sucked more than anything, but what could I do about it?
* * *
“This is beautiful,”Reagan commented as we sat under the gazebo, surrounded by flickering candlelight, soft music playing, and flower petals scattered about, just as I’d requested.
“Yeah, Jess really outdid herself this time,” I agreed, finding it strange to be here with someone else when Jessica and I had sat here together only weeks ago. “I’ll be sure to tell her you said so.”
The sound of waves crashing in the distance made it even more romantic, but I hadn’t felt anything more than friendly toward Reagan since the date began. We were finishing up the main course, my favorite, just as Jess promised.
“Hmm.” Reagan set her fork down. “So how long have you lived here on the estate?”
“Most of my life.”
“You must love it here, nestled between the ocean and the forest. It’s much the same at my own home.”
I shrugged. “Yeah. It’s nice.”
My mind drifted back to a conversation Holden and I had recently, about how Reagan would be a good choice because she was from the Pacific Northwest pack. Her alpha, Markus, would be the hardest sell of all the alphas. We really needed him on board.
“Where did you live before coming here? Were you part of another pack?”
I glanced back up, her words taking a minute to register. She raised her eyebrows, waiting. This hadn’t been the first time tonight that I’d been slow to respond. In fact, Reagan had pretty much carried the date all night, doing all the heavy lifting with the conversation. I didn't know what we would have talked about if it had been up to me. I simply couldn’t stay focused—switching between thinking about how much work I was missing out on and my mind drifting back to when I’d been here with Jessica.
“Um, no. I’ve always been part of Holden’s pack. My parents worked for his parents, and we basically grew up together.”
She nodded, pursing her lips, and I busied myself with finishing the meal. After a few minutes, she set her silverware down. “Look, Garrett, can I be candid with you for a moment?”
“What?” I frowned. “Oh, yeah. Of course.”
She cleared her throat. “It’s obvious that you aren’t really interested in me, that you’re just playing your part.”
Shit. Had I been that obvious? Yeah, probably so. I gave her a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry, Reagan. I’m not trying to be distant. And it isn’t that I’m not interested in you. I’m just… distracted.”
“You don’t have to pretend with me, Garrett. I’m not stupid. Your heart hasn’t been in any of this since the very beginning.”
I blinked. Well, this wasn’t good. If she was on to me, what did the rest of the women think?
I set my utensils down as well, leaning forward. “It’s nothing personal, Reagan. I promise.”
She nodded. “I know. But you’re in love with another woman.”
I reeled back.In love?“Sorry, what?” I shook my head. “No. No, I’m not.”
A half-smile appeared on her face. “Interesting. Well, regardless of what you think, it’s obvious that something is going on between you and Jessica, and that you’re only going through with the Contention because you don’t feel you have a choice.”
Holy shit. Reagan was either a mind reader, or I’d been way worse at keeping it under wraps than I’d thought.
“It’s okay,” she rushed to add. “In fact, I don’t care at all. But I do have a proposition for you.”
I furrowed my brow, concern mingling with intrigue. If she was on to me, was anyone else? “What type of proposition?”
“First of all, I don’t think many people are onto you two, but most people aren’t in these things for the same reasons as me.”
