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“Excuse me,” I say, hoping he doesn’t hear my sigh of relief.
“Of course.”
I step out into the hallway and plant myself against the wall and out of the way of show staff bustling by.
“Hi Mom, is everything okay?” I try to swallow the panic in my voice.
“Yes, dear, I’m fine. Is everything okay with you?”
“Of course, why?”
“You didn’t come home last night.”
Oh, right.
“I’m sorry. I—”
“You don’t owe me an apology, Cassie. You’re a grown woman.”
“But I should have at least texted so you wouldn’t worry.”
“Oh, I wasn’t worried, dear. I saw the segment yesterday and then when you said you had to go last night because he was there, well, I honestly couldn’t be happier for you.”
Samantha, with her ever present clipboard, smiles as she squeezes past me and enters the green room.
“Yeah, but still, I’m sorry. Did you take all your meds this morning?”
“I did, and I haveRise and Shineon already, too. It’s still the morning news right now, but I can’t wait to see you on TV again. And Chris too, of course. He seems like a nice young man.”
“He is but…”
“But what?”
“I haven’t told him the truth. That I’m not the girl he was supposed to be set up with. He thinks I have a dating profile onThe Oneand they matched us up based on our compatibility.”
“Oh, honey. Don’t worry about all that. If he’s gotten to know you and if the two of you like each other, the circumstances that brought you together don’t matter.”
“I suppose you’re right. I should get back in there and tell him the truth before we go on air.”
“Break a leg, dear.”
“Thanks, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Samantha is giving the rundown on what to expect during the segment when I make my way back inside. I slip into the empty chair next to Chris.
“How’s your mom?” he whispers, concern wrinkling his brow.
“Fine, thanks.”
“Any questions?” Samantha asks, glancing at each couple in turn. “Nope? All right then, we’ll see you out there in just a few minutes for Round One.”
Round One? Out of how many?
I spin to Chris. “Please tell me we aren’t going to have to decorate cookies again.”
“No,” he says, looking at me quizzically. “We’re going to play with a new feature onThe Oneto see which couple wins the grand prize.”
