satisfy her family members, and to show that she was, in fact, doing important things of her own, she snapped a picture of herself on the plane with the small window at her back.
Ivy: Entering a winter wonderland to interview potential bachelor number five for America’s Looking for Love show. I love the pictures of you all. See you on Christmas Eve.
She hit send, sighed out a deep breath, and muted the text conversation to prevent her phone from buzzing while she hurried about the airport to catch her cab. At once, she thought back on her conversation with Easton Sparks, her next and final subject.
I’m sure I’ll find some way to keep you warm. Too bad he’d had to spoil his otherwise good first impression. The guy’s picture and bio had seemed so promising too. Turned out he wasn’t so different from the others. She recalled the way Leonard, the pro football player from Phoenix, rested his hand on her knee as he came up beside her on the bleachers. “How about we go back to my place and I’ll show you my trophies…”
Had she come off as a woman who’d actually say yes to that proposal? It was insulting. Sure, he had a lot of great qualities, but his let’s-hit-the-sack come-on was anything but flattering. Then there was the cowboy; he hadn’t missed his chance to ask her out either, though he’d been more respectful. Even the gambler had rolled the dice, asking her to stick around and be his good luck charm through his upcoming rounds of blackjack.
Of course, she couldn’t flatter herself over encounters like that. First of all, these men didn’t even know Ivy. And second, they wanted to get on the show, which meant they were looking for an “in.” Not that she could blame them. Of the four candidates, only the teacher from Wyoming hadn’t come onto her. Though the man had spoken so quietly she might have missed it if he had.
A dose of pity rushed through her at the recollection. The poor guy might know how to address a classroom of middle school kids, but speaking directly to a woman with a camera had proven to be a different story. She doubted he’d go into the show’s final round, but she’d been wrong before. Sometimes the network was less interested in perfect matches than they were in entertaining television. Sadly, one didn’t always equal the other.
Hopefully he’d end up with the right woman eventually.
Similar thoughts filtered through Ivy’s mind as she retrieved her luggage, weaved her way out of the airport, and stepped onto the bustling sidewalk. She shivered, immediately assaulted by the frigid air. Hadn’t her time in Montana and Wyoming prepared her enough? Talk about terrible. Another mean shiver rocked her body as she propped her carry-on bag onto her standing suitcase and hurried to unzip it before her fingers froze.
Ivy had been foolish to think the name brand coat she’d bought in the sunny city of LA would protect her against the elements. Made of faux leather, the tan coat might be better called a jacket were it not for the fuzzy layer of white lining the inside. A lining that made it feel soft and warm in the toasty LA climate. Sadly, it was not made for weather like this.
Luckily, she hadn’t spent a whole lot of time outdoors during her trip thus far. After each interview, she’d been quickly ushered back to her hotel in an amply heated cab. True, she wouldn’t be staying in a hotel tonight; instead, Ivy would head straight back to LA where frostbite and flurries did not exist. She could hardly wait.
Once she’d shrugged into the thing, she secured her bags and waved down a cab. “Where are you going?” the man behind the wheel said as she hurried toward the trunk he’d popped open.
She worked to hoist her luggage into the trunk, then closed it with a humph, noting a special ding from her phone. Only one number made her phone give her that unique alert, and that was Marsha Langston’s.
Ivy hurried to read the text as she climbed into the back seat.
Marsha: Thanks for sending your last four interviews. They’re great, but the one I’m looking forward to most is Easton Sparks’. His resume and photos are something else…he’ll have America going crazy! Make that interview count! I know you will. A kiss face closed out the text.
A rush of adrenaline surged through her at the woman’s confidence. This