“We’ll see,” Henry responds.
“I’ll ask Janelle then,” Marcus replies with a smile.
“Jac’s not to be trusted,” Henry answers.
“I’m a troublemaker,” I agree, latching on to it, and Marcus and I both look at Henry, who says nothing. After a moment, I send the next puck across the table, and it lands in the number two tier.
“I know you’re a troublemaker,” Marcus says, tilting my chin up to his face to look down at me. “Good shot.”
I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss him, a quick peck. “I think you should focus on me while you shoot. Otherwise, what will I think?”
“Oh,” he says, maneuvering one arm around me while I face him with my backside pressed against the table. “War tactics.”
He shoots the puck without his gaze leaving mine, and misses.
“It’s not fair,” he says, now pinning me against the table with his arms on either side.
“Well,” I say, “all’s fair in love and war.”
“Yeah, guess so,” Marcus says, leaning closer to me. “Think I read that in a book somewhere.”
He kisses me harder, then grabs my hips and sets me up on the edge of the shuffleboard table. The camera gets closer to the two of us, and like monkeys, we perform. I forget and then I don’t.
“All right, we’re on a schedule,” Henry calls. “Let’s go.”
Marcus pulls back and then kisses me again. I look at Henry over his shoulder, carefully neutral or maybe just really not caring at all.
Fuck him. Two can play this game.
Marcus helps me down from the table and I go back over to sit with the other girls.
Another three hours pass before the elimination ceremony finally begins. Marcus starts calling names and mine isn’t called. I stand there, feeling stupid.
We get to the last name, and I actually feel nervous. Kady, Aaliyah, and I are left. Logically, it’s me. Obviously, it’s me.
My heart pounds. Marcus fiddles with the last invitation to stay, spinning it around in his fingers while Brendan makes some dire statement about how it’s the last invite of the night.
“Jac,” Marcus finally says. I go forward as he holds out the paper to me. “Will you accept this invitation to stay another week?”
“Guess so,” I answer.
“Best for last?” he suggests, his lips barely moving, his body leaning toward mine.
“Fair enough,” I agree as I go back to the group, Kady staring daggers at me.
“Ladies, I’m sorry, if you didn’t receive an invite to stay another week, you are not the one,” Becca says. All of the girls start hugging Aaliyah and Kady, and then they move forward to where Marcus is standing for their goodbyes.
Everything is quiet at first as Marcus whispers to Aaliyah, hugs her, and then turns to Kady, giving her a hug as well. But then, as Priya goes to walk Kady out, everything changes. “Are you kidding me?” Kady demands, stopping and shaking Priya’s arm off of her. Vinnie, a sort of jack-of-all-trades guy who’s always around set and could easily be mistaken for a bouncer based on his size and stature, subtly closes in on Kady, sneaking around a large potted plant.
“I don’t want to go with you! I don’t want to go anywhere with any of you. STOP FILMING ME!” She’s worked herself into a lather and is now sobbing. The cameras are catching every moment. She turns back to Priya and makes what looks to be a running start before Vinnie grabs her. “You told me he was going to pick me!” Kady screams, flailing her arms. “You said he was talking about proposing.”
Janelle grabs Marcus’s arm and leads him out of the room while several producers gather around Kady and start talking soothingly to her.
Charlotte appears as if by magic by my side. She gives Kady a look of distaste as she says, “Can I walk you back to your room?”
I nod.
Once we’re on the elevator, she looks over at me. “Once that situation is settled, they’re probably going to want you back for an ITM.”
“People are obviously starting to develop a lot of feelings,” I answer blandly.
“Yeah,” Charlotte says, “that shit isn’t going to cut it for the rest of the season. They’ll interview you all day if you don’t start giving them something to work with.”
“I thought I already was,” I say.
Charlotte shrugs. “Listen,” she says, “I know I’ve been pushing you off on Henry a lot.”
I don’t say anything, staring over at her with a blank expression.
“I want to give him a chance on the next female-led season to produce the lead. I think he might be good at it.”
“So why not let him produce the lead this season?” I ask.
“You know why,” Charlotte says as the elevator door opens. She looks around, making sure that the coast is clear, before we continue on to Rikki’s and my room.
I open my door, and Charlotte follows me inside. She closes the door behind her and turns to face me.
“I’m not really supposed to say this,” she says, so I know she’s about to start lying to me, “but have you thought about being the lead next season? New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Matthis finally gets her own love story. It would sell itself.”
