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“With black,” Jazzy said.
“But it’s a color.”
“Technically, it’s the absence of color,” Stanton pointed out.
From the opposite corner of Reception, Logan coughed. Everly had forgotten about him and the fact that she was being filmed until he forced himself back into her consciousness. “White is the presence of all colors.” She was about to thank him for proving her right when he added, in the flattest of tones, “So you’re both wrong.”
This man was clearly the life of the party. Everly couldn’t wait to spend weeks of her life with him following her around. Long hours of being frowned at and corrected in monotones. What a hoot that was going to be.
Jazzy snorted. “Okay, nerd.”
Logan rolled his eyes, but there was no venom in it, as if he were used to their teasing.
The last set of pictures on Jazzy’s photo reel were from Matten-Waverly. A few of Everly behind her desk. Two of her watching her coworkers do a ropes course at a company retreat. Another where she was handing out refreshments at the charity soccer game.
“Why weren’t you playing?” Jazzy asked.
“I suck at soccer.”
“We all suck at soccer,” Stanton echoed. “That’s what makes it fun.”
Everly tugged at the cuff of her sweater sleeve, stretching out the cotton material. This was part of the experience, she knew that.OTPSfocused on all aspects of the guest’s life. It wasn’t just about getting new clothes or a fresh haircut. It was about questioning her choices. Digging into who she was.
On the Plus Sidechanged people’s lives. They’d helped Philip go from social media influencer with a small following to the runway, helped Brenna launch a daycare center in her neighborhood, helped Hannah come out to her family, helped other guests open businesses, find birth parents, attend auditions, confront trauma.
But Everly didn’t have big dreams. She was settled and comfortable. Her job was fine. Her apartment above her brother’s garage was cozy and perfect for one person. She lived across the driveway from her best friend. She had a hot friend at work, but none of the pressure of dating him. She didn’t need anything changed. So why had they picked her? What did they expect her to do?
A tingle at the back of her neck drew her eyes from the floor. She flinched when she discovered Logan and his camera a few feet away, the lens trained on her face.
“You’re going to be perpetually on camera for a good two months. Try to get used to it,” he said gruffly. “Just pretend we’re not here.”
“Says the person who has probably never been in front of a camera before.” The last time Everly had been filmed, it was for the series of drawing videos she did freshman year of college, and she’d been the one controlling the lens.
“Pretend I’m someone you’d actually want to have following you around, then.”
“My best friend would be insulted if I imagined her in all that plaid.” Everly waved her hand at his shirt.
She’d hoped for a laugh. Or at least the ghost of a smile. She liked to think that maybe those blue eyes crinkled at the corners when he grinned.
But all she got was a frosty stare and a camera homed so steadily on her that she wondered if it could read her thoughts.
And what that might mean for the next few months of her life.
CHAPTER 3
The moment the clock hit five, Everly raced to her car.
Though her fingers had been itching to text Becca all day, finding out you were going to be on your favorite TV show was not the kind of information shared via some grammatically incorrect typing. This needed to be done in person, so they could properly yell.
Which meant Everly needed to get homenow.Posthaste. Before she exploded from holding the news in for so long.
But as she navigated the darkening streets of Monmouth Cove, it seemed like everyone was intent upon slowing her down. By the time she was within two blocks of her brother Ellis’s house, Everly was leaning on the horn, swearing under her breath, and nursing a healthy bout of road rage.
Not that any of that stopped her mind from whirling. She had a contract to review and contact information for the hosts and Sady saved in her phone, and yet she still couldn’t believe she was going to be featured inOn the Plus Side.
Why had they chosen her? Most of the previous guests had somehuge event that their episodes built toward. Everly had none of that. Really, she had nothing going on at all. How could Sady possibly think she would be good TV?
And who had nominated her in the first place?
