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Chapter 16
LIAM
I knock on the door of the apartment the producers specified and gaze at my beautiful wife. “That new sectional is great. I don’t remember the last time I slept so well on anything that wasn’t my own bed. I’m glad you chose it.”
Trina grins and nods toward the door. “Ready for this?” She sweeps her hair over her shoulder and twists a strand around her finger. Then she drops her hair and clasps her hands.
I thread our fingers together and brush my thumb over her knuckles. “Am I ready to crush the competition? You bet.”
She lifts her chin. “Right. This should be easy. It’s multiple choice.”
I work to keep the tension from my body. “Wait, what’s your favorite color? I bet that’s one of the questions.”
The door opens before she answers, and a couple greets us with enthusiastic hugs. “Welcome, welcome.” The woman waves us inside. “Come on in. You’re the last ones to show up.”
Trina shoots me the death glare—aka the wife stare. She wanted to leave earlier, but I didn’t see the point. We’re not here to make friends.
I’m second-guessing my choice as we walk in and laughter rings out from the living room where two other newlywed couples from the show occupy a massive leather couch. Okay, I might have been wrong. Will Trina punish me? At least the new couch is comfortable.
“Okay,” the man who opened the door claps his hands. “Introductions.” He motions for those sitting to stand. “We’ll go around the room. I’m Matt, and this is my wife, Deborah.” He squeezes her to his side, and she smiles up at him like he set the moon in the sky.
Trina watches them with narrowed eyes, assessing the competition.
The couple on the left end of the couch stands almost a foot apart. “I’m Regina. This is Victor.” She jabs her thumb at him, and he scowls. Okay, so they probably don’t know anything about each other.
Since this competition is about who can correctly answer the most questions about their partner, I strike them off my list as potential competitors.
The last couple are hard to figure out. They stand close together but without touching. Honestly, they appear a lot like me and Trina. A bit uncomfortable but willing to give it a shot.
“William,” the man says.
The woman nods. “Alyssa.”
Trina introduces us, and Matt rubs his hands together the way Nicholas does.
Trina’s eyes narrow further. Coincidence or something else?
“Everyone take a seat.” Deborah ushers us to the couch. “Now that we’re all here, we can relay the rules.” She snatches the TV remote. “So, here’s what happens. At exactly seven o’clock, a question will appear on the screen. We all have cards labeled A, B, C, or D. Choose the card you think your spouse would choose. It should be obvious if the question specifies the husband or the wife.”
The TV brightens. “It will look like this,” Matt points at the blue screen.
Across the top in bold letters, I read: Which is your wife’s favorite?
A) A long soak in the tub
B) A night of stargazing
C) Being left alone with a good book
D) Ice cream and board games
“Now,” says Deborah, “you’ll each choose your answers without looking at or speaking to each other. The timer will count down, and when the buzzer sounds, everyone reveals their answers.” She lifts her eyebrows. “Any questions?”
A mixture of tension and fun mingles in the air. I reach for a handful of chips from one of the bowls in the center of the coffee table. “Sounds easy.” I’m nowhere near as confident as I sound. If all the questions are like the sample, then I’m sunk.
Trina leans back and settles her cards in her lap. “Which one would you pick for me?”
“C,” I answer without hesitation.
