Dandelions on the Road (6 page)

Eva laughed. “Okay, so the reason I called you in was because I think I know.”

“You know?” Brian raised his eyebrows.

“What I want to do about the men. You know, for the ceremony.”

“Oh, yes, of course. So you’re ready to move on with the eliminations?”

“Yes. Can you let Mike know?”

“Absolutely. Why don’t you hide out here while I take care of that.”

“That’d be so great. I could use a break.” Eva had no idea how exhausting dating twelve men at once would be.

“I’m on it. But don’t forget…” Brian held his crossed fingers out before him.

“I won’t. It worked like a charm the first time. You better watch out or I’ll be using it every five minutes.”

“Any time.” Brian backed away, holding eye contact. “Any time at all.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

BRIAN WRAPPED UP his interviews with the remaining men after informing Mike that Eva was ready for the elimination portion of the evening. Mike busied himself preparing the set after sequestering Eva in the green room the reporters used to fix their hair and makeup.

Brian was relieved Eva was out of sight. He could concentrate on the men he needed to interview and not watch her for the signal they worked out. Plus, having her out of the room improved his concentration in general.

“So, Pete, tell me what it is about Eva that you find attractive.”

Pete leaned forward in his chair. “Urraaappp. Excuse me.” He beat his fist against his chest.

Brian tilted his head. Men burped, that was all there was to it. But on TV?

“You were going to tell me what you found attractive about Eva,” Brian reminded.

“Yeah, Eva. She’s got some legs on her, am I right?” Pete threw his elbow out in Brian’s direction looking for commiseration.

Brian hoped Pete would talk about her beautiful eyes or the way her smile lit her face. He wasn’t comfortable condoning the man’s blatant focus on her legs. Granted, they were spectacular, but that was beside the point.

“Have you enjoyed getting to know her?” Brian asked. A different tactic was better in this situation.

Pete shrugged. “She’s a classy broad. She’s a woman…I’m a man…you know how it works.”

The interview wasn’t getting any better.

“Well, thanks and good luck to you tonight.”

Pete held his lips tightly together as his cheeks puffed out and a small urp sounded in his throat. At least he held that one in.

Brian was anxious to see what Eva would do with the twelve men. They weren’t all like Pete, but there were definitely a few gems like him in the bunch. Brian wondered if the staff threw them in for the TV factor. She had to eliminate someone, right? Maybe the audience would get laughs from the losers before they were shown the door.

If it were up to Brian, there would be more than two men going home that night, but nothing was up to Brian. Any decisions regarding Eva were past due. He could’ve leaned over and asked her out dozens of times during the past year when they chatted over a cute little puppy or an older tomcat, but he lost his chance. And now, he had to help her choose someone else.

EVA FOLLOWED MIKE from the green room back to the set. The twelve men she met that evening stood in a semi-circle with a pedestal of dandelions in the center of the room. Eva knew what she wanted to do. In fact, the first round of decisions ended up being obvious. But, she didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

Mike stopped short of the lighted area. “You’ll go out with Brian. He’ll set things up for you and then you can have your say and start handing out the dandelions whenever you’re ready. Keep in mind, they don’t stay yellow for long.”

Eva caught his drift. Make it fast. Brian approached from the interview area and held his elbow out to her. She threaded her arm through his and gripped his jacket.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“A little,” she admitted. “I know I have to get used to this, but it’s hard turning people away. They all deserve to be here just as much as I do.”

“That’s not true.” Brian stopped and turned toward her. “You deserve nothing but the best and there’s only one person who’s right for you.”

Eva smiled. He was right. She knew the bachelors she was letting go weren’t for her so it shouldn’t be hard to admit that to them. She’d be quick and decisive, like ripping off a Band-aid.

Brian led her to the set and stopped next to the pedestal of dandelions. One already started to wilt.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” Brian began. “I trust you’ve enjoyed yourselves this evening. It is now time for the dandelion ceremony. Our bachelorette has ten dandelions to hand out. If she calls your name, please approach. She will offer you a dandelion. If you wish to continue the process and get to know Eva better, please accept. Those of you who do not receive a dandelion will not continue on the show.” Brian turned to Eva and said in a serious tone, “Eva, when you’re ready.”

Eva slid her arm from his elbow and folded her hands in front of her. She studied the floor and then made eye contact with each man.

“I want to thank each and every one of you for being here tonight and giving up your time to meet me. It is an honor to be in the presence of such great men. That being said, I can only choose one person in the end and this is all part of finding that right man. I think nothing but the best of those being eliminated tonight. I simply don’t believe they are the one for me.”

Eva picked up a dandelion. It bent over and lay on her hand. Whose idea was it to use dandelions, anyway? She smiled, her friend Renee’s, of course.

“Cane.” She called the first name and waited as Cane swerved through the shoulders around him. When he stood before her, she continued. “Cane, will you accept this dandelion?”

“I’d love nothing more.” Cane took the dandelion. He squinted at its wilted form, smiled at her and returned to his place.

Eva took a deep breath and picked up another weed. “Owen.”

There was no missing Owen in the crowd. He was the tallest and he made Eva look even tinier than she was, but he had an eloquent way of speaking and she was interested in learning more about his music career. “Owen, will you accept this dandelion?”

“I will.”

Eva gave dandelions to Carlos, Adam, Harris, Pete and Kurt, all of whom accepted graciously. She had two more weeds to hand out. She eyed the remaining four men.

“Trent.”

Trent’s quiet steps reminded her of his soft-spoken voice. He was a shy one and she wanted to break through the barrier with him and see what was under his quiet demeanor. Just because he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the situation didn’t mean he wasn’t worth knowing.

“Trent, will you accept this dandelion?”

Trent nodded and gave Eva a small smile.

Brian appeared at Eva’s shoulder. “Eva, gentlemen, this is the last dandelion this evening.”

Eva wanted to cross her fingers behind her back and ask Brian to take her away. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. At the same time, there was one man left who she really wanted to get to know. She picked up the dandelion. It was a sad little weed, but it was all she had to give.

“Mitch.”

“Yee haw!” Mitch sidestepped around Carlos and line danced his way to the pedestal.

The group laughed. “Mitch, will you accept this dandelion?”

“Will I ever! Yahoo!” Mitch grabbed the weed, planted a brief kiss on Eva’s cheek and clicked his heels in the air.

Reassurance washed over Eva. The two men she eliminated never would have reacted that way. She’d done the right thing.

Brian reappeared. “Aiden, Levi, I’m sorry. You will not continue with the show. Please say your goodbyes and exit the studio.”

Levi turned to the men closest to him and launched into a story. Aiden brushed past those around him and headed straight for Eva. Eva took a step closer to Brian.

“Your loss, sweetheart,” Aiden muttered as he passed by her.

Eva turned and watched him fade into the darkness.

“That was rude,” Brian whispered, “and totally untrue.”

Eva exhaled. She liked having Brian by her side. She knew saying goodbye to Aiden was the right thing to do, but Brian’s reassurance made it even easier.

It looked like Levi was finally wrapping up his story. Eva took a few steps toward him as he neared.

“I’m sorry, Levi,” she said. “I wish I could keep you all.”

“No worries, I understand. There’s only one man for you and so on and so forth. I’m just not him. It’s a shame, really it is, but I understand. There’s someone out there for me...”

Brian jumped in when Levi took a breath. “Thanks for your time, Levi.” He escorted the man from the set.

That was smooth. Eva surveyed the remaining men. Ten wonderful people she would get to date. Was one of them her future? Time would tell.

Brian brushed against her shoulder as he returned. “This season on
Accept this Dandelion
, we will travel more.” He announced. “Our first round of dates will take place at Mahoney State Park in Ashland. Bachelors, welcome to the show.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

EVA ARRIVED AT the studio by 9 a.m. as requested. She offered to drive herself to Mahoney State Park since it was only forty-five minutes from the city, but Mike insisted she ride with the staff and crew. Since the park was close, everyone would travel down and back in one day. It would cut back on hotel expenses.

The first show taping went well. Eva met extraordinary men and a few unique contenders, all of whom interested her. She also had a good thing going with Brian. He would be an asset as her protector and sidekick as the show progressed.

Eva was calmer about the first round of dates than she had been about the initial meeting. She wore jeans and a nice blouse with hiking boots. Mahoney State Park had a lot of opportunities to be one with nature. The day would consist of two group dates, each including five men. The first group would go hiking on the trails around the park. The second date would feature the other five men and would revolve around a picnic. Eva enjoyed dressing up and looking nice, but she wanted the men to see her in her element as well. Nature and animals were right up her alley.

When Eva ran into Mike, he explained a few details. “It is our intention to allow you to pick one or two men to ride in the vehicle with you every time we change locations. It’ll give you more time to get to know them and give us more footage to utilize. Today, however, since we’re going down and back in one day, we don't have the room. We had to stuff every vehicle with equipment to get everything in that we’ll need. We have things better organized for the other locations. But this time, I hope you don’t mind riding with Brian in the station vehicle. The back is completely packed with equipment so there’s really no room for anyone else. It might be good for the two of you to chat anyway. The better he knows you, the more he can bring out in the interviews.”

Eva nodded along as Mike spoke and examined his clipboard for information. “I don’t mind at all, that’ll be great.” She spied Brian across the studio. He made notes in a binder and stuck a pencil behind his ear. Eva studied his profile after Mike walked away. The dimple in his cheek never went away, even when he wore a serious expression. She examined the cargo jeans that hung from his waist. She’d never seen him in anything but a suit and brightly, colored necktie. His blue polo shirt was bound to bring out his azure eyes. His hair was still nicely combed, but it looked softer, like the wind might tousle it if given the chance.

Eva blushed when Brian looked up and waved. He crossed his fingers in the air and she smiled.

Brian jogged over. “I hear you’re hitching a ride with me today.”

“Do you mind?”

“Of course not. I consider myself your wingman. Whatever you need, I’m there.”

“I’ve never had a wingman before.” Eva stroked her chin.

“Have you ever dated ten men in one day?”

Eva laughed. “Excellent point.”

Brian extended his hand toward the exit. “Shall we?”

Eva followed his lead.

“Looks like a nice day to be outside.” Brian tossed the comment over his shoulder.

“Perfect,” Eva replied.

“I have to admit, it’s nice to be out of the studio at a normal hour and not in the pitch dark before daybreak.”

“You get up early,” Eva agreed.

“Very. And once I’m done with work, I often take a nap. My body doesn’t allow me to do anything else.”

“So coming in at nine was late for you?”

“To me, it feels like three in the afternoon.”

Eva understood morning hours because of the media stops she often made, but she didn’t do it daily. It had to take a toll.

“What will they do without you on the news?”

“The weekend anchor is filling in. I’ve done it enough for him, it was only fair.”

“No, I mean the city.” Eva stepped through the studio’s back door as Brian held it open.

Brian laughed. “I’m sure everyone will get by.”

“People will be relieved to have you back.” Eva smoothed her hair back into its ponytail as the breeze caught some strands. “You don’t realize how important you are.”

Brian frowned and unlocked the KETO van with the remote key fob in his hand. Eva stepped up and slid into the van as he held the door open for her. He closed it behind her and she sighed. Chivalry wasn’t dead after all.

Brian climbed into the driver’s seat. “If I’m so important, why am I doing the driving? Shouldn’t I have a car and driver of my own?”

Eva chuckled. “Good point.”

Brian started the vehicle. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Eva glanced at him. He looked completely different outside the studio in the daylight…and in jeans. He was relaxed and casual, but still devastatingly handsome. That dimple just wouldn’t go away.

WHEN MIKE INFORMED Brian that Eva would ride with him to and from the park, Brian’s throat closed. He understood the rationale behind the two of them spending time together. It would be good for the show if he knew her better. At the same time, he didn’t know what he was going to say or do for nearly an hour. At least he would have the road to concentrate on. He wouldn’t have to look directly at her.