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“I just finished my PhD and got my credentials last year, then took some time off before finding the right post. I’ll be starting as an adjunct professor at a university in San Diego this fall.”
“Hey! That’s close to me! I live in LA. Did you do your PhD in the US and this is a continuation of that or are you doing a big move from the UK?”
“A big move. I visited for the last of the interviews and formalities and even managed to get most of my stuff moved into the rental flat. So from here, I’ll go straight there.”
“That’s really cool. I’m sure you’ll love it. What are you going to teach?”
“History, but I did a second degree in Biology and am considering how to incorporate that,” I said, and I felt my mouth move before my brain caught up. “But history is my first love. I enjoy drawing the connections from the past to the present. I find it all fascinating, though I’m mainly focused on European history.” That damned thought from last night was still in my head, so I continued, “Like, for instance, how Gottlieb Daimler invented the first engine we recognize today and how that one piece was used to influence the creation of automobile engines as we know them.”
Shut up, Oliver. Shut up!My little sister was going to tease me mercilessly when she saw this. She was twenty-four to my twenty-eight and as different from me as my parents were from each other. Our family had a very clear divide between academics and non-academics.
Blessedly, Sophie cut in when I was drawing in my next breath to continue. “That’s amazing. A lot of people end up working jobs they don’t love because of necessity or circumstance, but it’s amazing when you hear someone is doing something they love.”
I nodded, accepting a coffee from her.
“What do you do?”
She gestured at the flowing maxi dress she had changed into after we got out of bed. “I design clothes and have a brand for plus-sized women like me.”
My brows shot up. “So, a designer and a businesswoman?”
She laughed. “Out of necessity only. I love design, but the business side of things is hard, and I Google absolutely everything. But my team is incredible and helps when I fall down the search engine rabbit hole and don’t know which way is up anymore. Sometimes, the business stuff sends me running for the hills.”
“I doubt that,” I said. Sophie seemed bright, and there was nothing wrong with finding answers on Google. It was why it existed. It took tenacity to build something from the ground up. I respected that.
“Morning,” Gia said from the doorway. “Ooh, coffee.”
“Here,” Sophie said, handing over her untouched cup and starting another.
Before long, everyone had joined us downstairs, and we were sitting around the kitchen table, nibbling on pastries and fruit that were delivered at some point this morning.
“Knock, knock!” someone called from the doorway. “Everyone decent?”
A mix of alert and groggy yeses came from the table.
“Hey, Jess!” Sophie greeted the crew member and clued us in on her name. “Want some coffee?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Jess answered, waving the travel mug in her hand. She was all business as she stood at the head of the table. “So, we usually use mealtime to talk about what we’re doing for the day. Dinners will be for you guys and will be filmed, but for breakfast and lunch, expect one of us to come over and give you your instructions for that day.”
Organized. I liked that.
“Today, you’ll spend time around the villa and get to know one another. We’ll be filming with the stationary cameras, but don’t be surprised if you see a cameraman or two getting extra shots. We’re editing as we collect footage and will compile it for tonight’s episode.
“Any space with a white lantern above the seating denotes good camera visuals, so we’d like it if you could use those spots to chat.” Jess pointed at some patio furniture just outside the kitchen, and sure enough, there was a familiar lantern I’d seen a few other places around the villa. Smart.
“Then, after lunch, we’d like the girls to sit and chat about what they learned this morning while the guys do the same. Girls, you’ll be in the living room for that, and guys, you can hang by the pool. After that, you’ll have the first challenge.”
“Any particular order you want us to go in for these talks?” Viv asked, holding her head in her hands. Poor thing was feeling the effects of over-drinking last night.
“Go with what feels right. The ladies can decide who gets to pick from the guys first somehow. Try to cycle through everyone before lunch, though. You never know who you’ll connect with.” Jess said goodbye, but stopped just before the door. “By the way, the hashtag #TeamZaniel is trending after the whole white-knight thing last night.” She winked and left as briskly as she’d arrived.
Zander threw his head back and laughed as Daniel rounded the table and draped himself over the big guy like a damsel in distress. They made kissy faces at each other, laughing about how the two of them were going to win the whole damned thing.
Sophie, Kayla, Cheryl, Viv, and Gia put their heads together and were already deciding where they’d host their chats with us and were debating whether rock-paper-scissors or drawing straws was the way to go for deciding the order they picked us in.
“Go ahead, ladies,” Diego said, nodding toward the stairs. “We got the dishes.”
“Bless you,” Kayla said, standing and leading the other women upstairs to prepare for the day.
