AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m making it impossible for them to use this footage!”
Trina calmly asks, “Paige, have you ever watched television? They show people in their underwear all the time.”
Crap, she’s right. Well, there’s no hope for it. I reach around and unhook my bra. Before I can come to my senses, I release the girls. I’m so full of adrenaline and righteousness that mortification doesn’t hit right away, but I’m sure that’s coming.
Tim takes my dress and wraps it around me while grumbling, “You’ve guaranteed they’re going to show this now.”
“They can’t show boobs!” I shout.
“Maybe not,” he says. “But they can put a black bar across your chest.”
My body goes as still as though I were playing that old game statue-maker. He’s right. Why didn’t I think of that? Holy cow, I’ve just made myself a national—probably international—laughingstock. This footage will go viral, and I’ll lose my teaching job.
I take tiny steps backward, hoping to get far enough away that the cameras won’t be able to see me.You know, like Antarctica.When I bump into a table, I do the only sensible thing, and that is to rip off the tablecloth to better cover myself.
Once I’m wrapped up like a frolicking fairy at a picnic, I realize I have nothing else to lose. “Tim is no cheater!” I’m going to seriously have to look into moving to another country after tonight. Somewhere where they haven’t heard of the wonders of television.
Trina turns to Cami and says, “Cami, would you please join us?”
Cami looks between me and the door like she’s plotting a hasty retreat. “We have all of your audio clips,” Trina tells her. “Even the ones where you thought you were on mute.”
That’s enough to propel Cami a couple of baby steps forward. When she’s between Tim and Trina, she snarls, “I can’t believe you’re doing this to us.”
“We always record our cast,” Trina tells her. “That’s nothing new.”
“Well, you’ve never made it look so seedy before.”
Trina ignores that comment and says, “Please tell us the real reason you and Tim partnered up on this show.”
Cami hems and haws for a minute before her head drops until she’s not making eye contact with anyone. “Tim wanted to make Eva jealous and show her that he’d moved on in his life.”
Tim swore to me that he was serious about looking for love. But if all he’s ever done is pretend with Cami, then that means … “So you and Tim weren’t really dating?”
“We weren’t,” Cami tells me. “In fact, I’ve become involved with someone who isn’t on the show.”
Even though I want to know all the details, the bottom line is that Tim lied to me. “Is this true, Tim? Is that the only reason you asked me out, too?” I might have to get plastic surgery and completely change my identity now, but even that isn’t enough to curtail my outrage. “That’s why you wanted to have our first date on television, isn’t it? Because it was all a hoax to you!”
“No, Paige …”
But I don’t let him finish. “I told you before we started filming that I was doing this show because I was sick of being alone. The only reason I didn’t let you know I liked you before taping began was because I didn’t want you to break my heart, and look at you …” My eyes fill with hot tears. “You’re breaking my heart anyway.”
Turning toward Trina, I tell her, “I know you’re getting rid oftwo of the original cast members tonight, but now you only have to get rid of one. Sue me, if you want, but I’m done.” And then with as much dignity as I can possibly muster while wearing a tablecloth, I stride out of the ballroom with my head held high.
CHAPTER FORTY
TIM
Of all the things I’ve ever imagined going wrong in my life—including, but not limited to, failing tests in school, losing a job, or mechanical failure resulting in an airplane crash—I never thought I’d be party to a scene like this while being filmed for television.
I’m not mad at Cami, because let’s face it,Midwestern Matchmakerwould use the audio of our conversations to back up their claims no matter what. I’m not even mad at Eva because she’s doing what she does best—chasing the spotlight. I truly am angry with Trina because she was responsible for my being on this show. But the person my fury is aimed at is myself.
I agreed to be part ofMidwestern Matchmakerfor petty reasons. I signed a contract without seeking legal counsel first. But above all, I hurt a person I’ve grown to care for deeply. Paige made a fool of herself for me, and she ran out of here thinking I’d lied to her. I will never forgive myself for that.
Turning to Eva, I calmly tell her, “I don’t think you’re fundamentally a bad person. I think you were simply drawn to what you’ve always been drawn to.”
“What’s that?” She sounds equal parts grateful I’m not makinga bigger scene and curious as to what I think her motivations were.
“Attention,” I tell her. “You never wanted to act because you loved acting. You wanted to do it so that people would admire you. Being married to me was never going to get you the kind of adoration you were after. Being with Holden might.”
