Sam. Thank you so much.” Hannah hugged him, then stood and wrapped one arm around the Duck’s wing as the two of them walked toward the patio. The camera crew scrambled to follow them, leaving Sam blissfully alone on the couch.
His privacy was short-lived. A couple of minutes later, a guy wearing the prerequisite suit and dress shoes, minus the socks, plopped down next to him. “Sam, right?”
“Yep. And you’re Dave.” Dave was one of the bachelors Sam hadn’t had a chance to interact with, but he’d already gotten a good take on the guy just by keeping an open ear. He was an internet marketer from somewhere in the northeast, but he planned to move to California after the show was done filming so he could pursue an acting career. He’d also heard from one of the other guys that Dave had a serious girlfriend back home.
“Can you believe the guy in the duck suit?” Dave laughed. “Man, I wish I’d had the guts to do that.”
“Seriously?”
“You must not watch the show. That duck is pretty much guaranteed a rose tonight.” Dave took a swig of his drink. “So, how’d it go with Hannah? She’s terrific, isn’t she? Did you get a load of those tits? They’re not real, but who cares?”
He ignored the crude remark. “It went okay.”
“Did you kiss her?”
“I just met her.”
“What’s that got to do with it? There are twenty-four other guys here all looking to get the final rose. You gotta stand out. Otherwise you’ll be going home tonight, and you won’t even get a limo interview.”
“Isn’t that when the producers try to make you say something stupid on your way out?”
“Yeah, but the limo interview is what makes America feel sorry for you. The longer you last on this show and the more brutal your breakup, the better chance you have of getting your own show.” He lowered his voice. “I’m only here because I want a shot at being the next Single Guy.”
“Yeah? Well, good luck with that.”
Dave snorted. “Don’t tell me you came on this show to find true love? Do you know how much dough you can make peddling sunglasses on Instagram? Dude, you do not want to go home tonight. The guys that go home on the first night are total losers. No one from the franchise invites them to any of the good parties. If you can last three, or better yet, four shows, you’re a shoo-in for the reunion special, and that, my friend, opens all the doors, if you know what I mean.”
“Not really.”
“Unlimited ass. Every girl in America is gonna want in your pants. And that’s just the beginning of the perks.”
Before Sam could respond, Dave turned his attention to a nearby alcove, where the Duck was being interviewed by a producer. “I need to find out what that’s about.” He drained the rest of his drink. “Best of luck, my friend.” He slapped Sam on the back and went off to investigate.
What a douchebag. It was guys like Dave that gave men a bad name.
Without anything concrete to do, Sam found his way back to the kitchen and ate a sandwich. He talked to Cal, a financial consultant who offered him some general advice on the stock market, none of which Sam planned to take. He wandered toward the bar, got another Maker’s Mark and made some small talk with a few of the other guys.
From across the room, he watched as Hannah talked to two men (an attorney and the ex-NFL player), flirting and giggling with a lot more enthusiasm than she’d shown during her one-on-one with him. Maybe he should try to talk to her again. Not because he was interested. A ten-minute conversation with Hannah was more than enough to figure out that the two of them had zero chemistry. But Mom and Becks would be disappointed if he was sent home on the first night.
All he had to do was make it through this one elimination ceremony. There were twenty-five guys and twenty roses to give out. Not bad odds. He just wish he felt more confident about it.
2
That same night. Old Explorer’s Bay, Florida
Annie Esposito parked her car in the driveway of her family home and reached around to the backseat for her tote. Latest Jodi Picoult novel: check. Veggie tray: check. Updated copies of this year’s book club reading schedule, organized by month and genre: check.
Tonight, her mother was hosting their monthly book club meeting, and it was