AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When though? After the incident on the dance floor, it hadn’t felt right. Sharing a room could have been a good time, or the absolute worst.
Now wasn’t the time either. They took empty seats across from Shelby and Hannah.
“Weren’t the wedding and reception perfect? Well, near perfect. The DJ didn’t have my song to play.” Shelby gave a little pout.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love your song, but a heartbreak song is not exactly dance music at a wedding,” Hannah said.
“I’ll have to add it to my playlist so I can sing along,” John commented before thinking that through.
Shelby blushed. “You know he can’t carry a tune, and he changes the words?” She spoke in conspiratorial tones to Elizabeth as if trying to prove she knew him, despite their time together being two afternoons of filming.
“Trust me, I’m aware.” Elizabeth smiled at him, totally nonplussed. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. “Nobody’s perfect, but he excels in many other areas that more than make up for it.”
“We weren’t introduced yesterday. I’m Shelby.”
“And I’m Hannah. It’s nice to meet you, Britney.”
Crap. John’s body went into battle mode. That slip was no accident. The inflection and slight quirk of Hannah’s mouth confirmed it.
“Britney’s his ex. I’m Elizabeth. We’ve been together since right after he got back from his last deployment.” Elizabeth smiled at John, handling Hannah like a pro.
“Oh, I’m sorry about that. I saw a post and . . . My bad.” Hannah raised a manicured hand to her mouth feigning embarrassment.
“A post?” Likely the very one that led to the demise of his and Britney’s relationship. “Were you stalking me?” This felt as dangerous as being watched by enemy fighters.
“No, I wasn’t stalking you, silly. She posted a picture with you saying her boyfriend had been onSay Yes to the Roseand tagged the show. It showed up in my feed. I commented, and then she followed me. I don’t always remember faces, but I’m good with names,” Hannah said, as if to justify her mistake.
Yeah, right. Britney and Elizabeth looked nothing alike.
The server took their orders. While they waited, Hannah dropped in mentions of them following her on social media. John wasn’t certain if her disappointment that Elizabeth didn’t have accounts came from not getting a follow or not being able to dig up more information on their relationship for Shelby.
“We need to pack and catch a shuttle to the airport, unless one of you are going that way.” Shelby’s gaze roved over them, settling on him.
“We’re booked on the noon shuttle,” Ben said.
“Nate arranged late checkout, so we’re gonna hang out a while longer,” John lied to get himself off the hook since she knew he and Elizabeth hadn’t arrived together.
Shelby gave an understanding nod. “Y’all stay safe when you’re deployed. I appreciate your service. And if you ever want concert tickets where I’m performing, contact me via my website, and I’ll take care of you.”
ChapterForty-Six
OPEN YOUR HEART – Madonna
Elizabeth tried notto sigh aloud when the two women left. She couldn’t blame Shelby for dropping not-so subtle hints to John, especially since she hadn’t expected him to be there with a date and figured out John and Elizabeth hadn’t beentogetherlong.
That she wished she were more like Shelby amplified the ache in Elizabeth’s chest that hadn’t abated since last night. This fake relationship was about to end, and things would be back to normal—at leasthernormal. It wouldn’t be long before John would be in his own home, then off to Florida. Based on this elaborate ruse, he did seem intent on making better decisions for his love life, but he’d be free to move on however he wanted.
They hung out in the hotel restaurant a little longer. While there were no cameramen around, many of the show’s former contestants took selfies together or posed for pictures with other guests.
A pair of older women wearing T-shirts with “Say Yes to the Rose” printed on them approached their table after the server cleared their plates.
“Sorry to interrupt, but we wanted to say that we loved you guys on the episode with the home build. And it was clear you were there to help Nate, not just to get on TV. They barely showed your face,” the taller woman with glasses said to Linc. “We have a group that does watch parties, and we all agreed it was the best season in a long time.”
“Maybe ever,” the woman’s red-headed friend added. “We were kind of hoping one of you might go on Diana’s season or become the next bachelor on the show.”
“I’m married.” Ben flashed his ring and put his other arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“I’ve got a good thing here.” John smiled at Elizabeth, keeping up pretenses.
