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“Your sister?” Evie asked incredulously. “Your sister?” she repeated.
Then she looked at Amanda.
“Your brother-brother?” she asked, cautiously.
Amanda nodded her head in the affirmative.
The next look that crossed Evie’s face was a look of utter revulsion. Matt would have chuckled if the look Evie displayed had diffused the charged atmosphere.
“When I signed up, there was another Host,” Amanda explained. “But when that guy backed out the week before the show, my wonderful brother here…” Amanda said with a dramatic flair of loathing, “took his place.”
“So you thought it would be funny to send me there instead?” Evie asked, fighting back the tears.
“Evie,” Amanda pleaded. “I had no idea Matt would fall head over heels for you. I just figured since you broke off your engagement with Keith and lost your job…”
Evie pinched her lips and raised her eyes in warning as she peered around her at the cameras.
“Oh, dang it!” Amanda cried. “Sorry! I’m so sorry, Evie!”
Evie took a deep breath… and then another.
“I just figured you’d enjoy a little getaway and that Matt would send you home after he figured out you wouldn’t…”
“Watch it!” Matt warned.
“Oh, man! I’ll just insert my foot and swallow it now!” Amanda plumped herself on the couch and hung her head down in sorrow.
Evie let go of Matt’s hands and walked over to Amanda and sat down next to her. She put her arm around Amanda’s shoulders and pulled her closer to her. “We can talk later, Amanda. I know you and I know you didn’t do this to be malicious.” Evie kissed her cheek and then looked up at the two other adults still standing.
“So,” Matt started as he walked towards Evie and sat on the other side of her. “These are my parents. My dad, John, and my stepmom, Emma.”
“Nice to meet you,” Evie stated, and she extended her hand for the customary welcome gesture.
“I like you,” John stated as he and Emma returned to their seats. He then smiled at Evie and Evie smiled in return.
Evie leaned over to Matt and whispered, “You have your father’s smile!”
“Thank you for providing the opportunity for our family to gather together, howbeit in an unusual way,” Emma laughed. “This young man of ours, and Amanda of course, have said nothing but wonderful things about you.”
Evie smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry,” Evie announced. “I just can’t wrap my brain around this.” She looked at Matt. “You just found out this morning that Amanda is my roommate and that she was the one who sent me?”
Matt nodded.
“And that you decided to be The Host a week before it started airing?”
He nodded again.
“How did that come about?” she inquired.
“I was visiting my friend, Bobby,” and then Matt turned to face a camera, “And if you are watching this, Bobby… watch your back,” he laughed. “He was the one who received the initial email about applying. Since his wife had died several years earlier, I wanted him to start dating again. He only agreed to fill out the form if I did as well. I had absolutely no intention of saying yes, but the money was enticing… especially since I had just lost my job.”
“You lost your job?” John blurted. “You’re not with the fire department?”
“No, Dad,” Matt moaned. “You can go ahead and add another item to that very long list of things that disappoints you.”
Matt couldn’t look at his dad after making that remark, but he didn’t miss Emma’s hand grabbing her husband’s knee and squeezing it.
“So,” Emma interrupted the stillness of the conversation. “Evie, I understand you’re a veterinarian and that you love horses.”
