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When we reach the next landing, Trina kicks her feet back and forth so hard I can’t keep hold of her. I lower her to the floor.
She takes my hand, kisses my cheek, and bolts. And she’s fast.
I match her stride, and we come to the end of the stairs, bursting out into the lobby. A dozen people look our way. The man who checked us in waves us over. “I’m terribly sorry. The firemen are here, along with the fire marshal. They will assess the building, but for now we must move all residents to other lodging.” He holds out a packet. “The Rose Resort will be a great place for the two of you. Your luggage will be there shortly.”
With those words, he spins on his heel and rushes away.
A protest builds behind my lips. I hold the brochure in the air, ready to call him back and demand an explanation.
“Oh, cute.” Trina grabs the paper from me and gasps. “Oh my goodness. It’s the same place Melanie told me about.” She clasps her hands under her chin and beams. “I want to go.”
And just like that, my decision is made.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ashley?” The man who drove us from the ferry to the hotel calls out from the front door. “I’d be happy to take you to your new destination.”
A brightness kindles in Trina’s gaze. She lifts her chin. “I’d rather walk.”
Challenge accepted. I hold out my hand to her. “As you wish, Mrs. Ashley.”
She flushes at the name and avoids my hand. “You didn’t have to carry me.” A beat of silence passes before she continues. “But thank you for taking care of me.”
“That’s not what you expected me to do?” I hold the door open for her and blink at the sudden brightness. Without the lights flashing, the world rushes back in bold color. I’m excited to explore Nantucket with my wife.
***
TRINA
I swing my phone camera like an enthusiastic tourist, showing Melanie where we are. Melanie sits in a little box on my screen, and she squeals in delight. “Oh, Trina. It’s awesome that you’re at the same place Adam and I stayed for our honeymoon.” She claps her hands like an excited seal. “You’ll love the hosts. Say hi to Steve and Marg for me.” Melanie touches her cheek. “Actually, I got pretty wild when I had amnesia. They may not have such fond memories of me.”
I grin as I hold the phone higher. “I’m sure they’ll be glad to hear from you.”
Liam touches my elbow. “Watch your step.”
I make my way up the stairs to the Rose Resort path. Liam peeks over my shoulder and waves to Melanie. “Hey, sis.”
I roll my eyes and elbow him, holding back my laughter. The guy can be amusing at times. But I’m not buying it. He wants me to change that article. He’s sucking up big time and thinks I don’t know. I’m a reporter. Nothing gets past me.
Rose bushes line the sidewalk which divides the beach from the resort. “How amazing is this? Right on the beach.”
“Yeah, it’s great,” Melanie says. “Make sure you use the pool’s hot tub at night. All the fairy lights in the trees make it so romantic.”
I widen my eyes at Melanie. Hello? Remember it’s only a game?
Voices mumble behind us. “Hey, Liam. Trina.” The head cameraman waves for us to stop.
I hold up my hand in acknowledgement before focusing back on my sister. “We’ve got to go and perform again. It’s so unnatural. They stop us over and over, doing retakes. Our walk took thirty-minutes. Should’ve taken ten.”
Melanie gives me a sympathetic smile. “Now you know what it’s like on the other side.”
I shrug. “I guess I can empathize with the famous after all this.” I side-glance to Liam. Except him. I can’t allow any feelings for Liam. He would exploit any crack in my armor to win the war.
I end the call and the two cameramen approach. Anthony waves his fingers at me. “I’ll interview you, Trina. Joel will speak with Liam.”
Here we go. We’ve done this before. All part of the show. They pull us aside, expecting us to confess our true feelings for each other in front of America. I’m not an ignoramus when it comes to reporting. They will cut and edit the footage to suit their tactics for better ratings. Last interview, I froze, and they got little from me. The producer took me to the woodshed over it. He said I need to be more expressive and elaborate beyond two-word answers.
I follow Anthony around the bend, and we are shielded by a wall of roses. I can’t see where Liam has gone. What will he say about me? He’ll want to sparkle for his fans, so hopefully he won’t be too negative. Will he lie and claim he’s starting to fall in love? Ugh. I’ll look like the mean one when we break up in three months. People come onto these reality TV shows with a strategy. I’ve been too busy planning a wedding and processing everything to think about mine. I guess I need to make that a priority now.
Anthony rests the camera on his shoulder and adjusts his lens. He peeks around and smiles. “Take a deep breath. Relax, Trina.”
