The Reluctant Bachelorette (8 page)

“I was right,” Jessa said, clapping her hands together. “That
is
so
you. You’re definitely getting that one. Talia, you’re brilliant.”

Taycee smiled. “No argument here. Thanks, Talia.”

With a wink, Talia leaned against the counter. “Anything for
Jessa. I haven’t been open for very long and can’t afford to do much
advertising, but so far, Jessa’s word of mouth is all I need.”

“Well, you now have one more fan,” said Taycee, knowing she’d
be back—once she recuperated from shopping jetlag, that is.

Jessa purchased the earrings and a few additional items for
herself before allowing Taycee to drag her to a nearby café for some much
needed food. They sat in a corner booth with sandwiches and a shared order of
curly fries.

“We’re done shopping now, right?” Taycee said.

“You only wish.”

“C’mon, Jess. I’m starting to feel like a dress-up doll. What
more do I need?”

“I was thinking maybe one more dress. A long, flowing one
would look fabulous with those new wedge sandals we got you.”

Taycee jabbed a fry toward Jessa. “No way, we’re done. My bank
account can’t take anymore.” She popped the fry into her mouth and chewed hard.

“Fine,” Jessa mumbled as she nibbled on her sandwich.

Some of the stress seeped out of Taycee’s body as she relaxed
against her seat. If only she could put her feet up, they ached so badly. “Hey,
how about a girls’ night tomorrow?” Taycee suggested. “We can rent a movie and
do nothing at all.” It sounded heavenly.

Jessa’s dangling earrings glinted in the light as her head
shook. “Can’t. We have to film your first interview tomorrow.”

“Interview? What interview?” Jessa had never mentioned
anything about an interview.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? We decided to ask you a few questions
and get your thoughts before the big event. The viewers will love it.”

A pit settled in Taycee’s stomach, and suddenly even the curly
fries didn’t look so good. She’d mentally prepared to start the entire ordeal
on Monday night, not Sunday night. Sacrificing her last night of freedom wasn’t
something she was willing to do. “No. No way. If you want to do an interview,
you can do it Monday night before all the bachelors show up. Sunday night is
mine.”

“But it’s better to get as much done beforehand as we can.”

“I don’t care.” Taycee pushed the plate of fries away. “I’m
not doing it. I’m
not
.”

Jessa eyed the plate before she shrugged and stuffed another
fry in her mouth. “Okay, okay, you win. We’ll do a girls’ night instead.”

Taycee’s eyes narrowed. That was easy. Too easy. What did
Jessa have up her sleeve? “Come to think of it, I’d rather have a quiet night
at home alone, if that’s all right with you.”

“What, you think I’m planning to invite Burt and Megan and
their cameras along?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

Jessa swirled a fry through the ketchup before biting into it.
“You wound me with your lack of trust.

“And you wound me with your inability to earn that trust.”

“Touché.”

By Sunday night, all the bachelors had arrived. The town’s one
inn was completely packed, along with a few others in neighboring towns. While
new, handsome faces were probably causing quite a stir around town, Taycee
remained safely inside her apartment, hiding behind closed blinds and a locked
door.

Only one more day.

A knot formed in her stomach every time she thought about it.
Luke. The bachelors. Luke. Being on Camera. Luke. Oddly enough, Taycee felt
more nervous about facing him again than all the other bachelors combined. He’d
been mysteriously absent during the past couple of weeks, which would normally
be a good thing, but it only meant that their next meeting, which was sure to
be awkward, would take place in front of cameras and a room full of other
bachelors. Luke was bound to goad her into saying something mortifying. Or,
more likely, just to be a pest, he’d bring up the fact that she talked in her
sleep—not a comment that would go over very well in a room full of potential
dates.

But that’s exactly why Luke would say it. To torment her.
Because heaven forbid he’d ever grow up.

Taycee’s forehead dropped to the counter, hitting the town
newspaper resting there. She needed some aspirin. She needed some sleep. She
needed to stop thinking and worrying and stewing about Luke.

Sigh.

If only there was some way to keep him from showing up. Not
only would she be able to get through the night with some sanity still intact,
but Luke would be a no-show. A slacker. Someone who obviously didn’t take the
show seriously and would therefore be one of the first to go. Taycee would be
free from having to see him and date him and be goaded by him.

Hmm . . . not a bad idea. It bordered on brilliant, actually. But
how to pull it off?

Taycee lifted her head and flipped through the paper. Think,
think, think. She paused on the last page when an ad for Carl’s Feed and Seed
caught her attention. She knew Carl’s store well, with his bright red, cursive
sign and the putrid smell of fertilizer that drifted through the town on days
when the wind blew the wrong way. Whether it was the fact that Carl could use
some extra business or the reminder of the smell, inspiration struck.

In the morning Taycee would call Carl, and with any luck, Luke
would be MIA tomorrow night.

T
aycee dressed in one of her new,
flowery
summer dresses and slipped on some white strappy sandals. The dark pink
pedicure Jessa had insisted on actually looked terrific. A few last curls in
her hair, a swipe of lipstick, and she was as ready as she would ever be.

Butterflies swarmed in her stomach as Taycee slid into her
white Corolla and headed toward The Barn. On the outskirts of town, The Barn
was exactly that—a barn. Or, at least it used to be. After significant
renovations years earlier, the painted wood building that had once housed hay
and animals now boasted hardwood floors, a log burning fireplace, a cozy
leather sectional, rustic stairs and banisters, and a large kitchen. The
perfect place for the opening “meet the bachelors” event.

“You’re here,” Jessa breathed when Taycee walked inside.
“Thank goodness. The florist I hired from Colorado Springs is botching the job.
Her arrangements are decent, but she’s a lousy decorator. She doesn’t know
where to put them. Would you mind?”

“Gladly.” Anything to avoid standing around and letting the
butterflies wreak havoc. Taycee scanned the room. Burt and Megan were setting
up two cameras while a few others were putting refreshments on a table and
rushing around doing who knows what. Then there were the flowers. Jessa was
right. The arrangements of lilies were beautiful, but they were bunched
together in odd places. On the floor, in the corner where no one would see
them, or right next to an old TV—not something that warranted extra focus.

Taycee got to work, side-stepping around people as she moved
each bouquet to more flattering locations. Next to the fireplace, on the coffee
table, and near the entrance, the flowers soon accented the room.

As Taycee searched for one last place to put an arrangement,
Jessa approached. “Since you didn’t want to do the interview yesterday, we have
to do it now, before the guys start showing up. You ready?”

“No,” said Taycee, placing the flowers on the floor next to
the couch. She’d never be ready.

“Relax.” Jessa dragged her over to a seat where Burt had a
camera positioned to start filming. “It’ll be easy stuff,” said Jessa. “You
know, what you’re feeling, what you hope to find tonight among the bachelor
hopefuls—that sort of thing.”

Taycee let out a sigh and sat down in front of the camera. Her
hands were clammy and cold. Even shaky. In less than an hour, twenty guys from
various parts of the country would walk through that door. She’d have to talk
to each of them. Flirt. Get to know them as best she could in the space of a
few hours. She’d have to act like she was having fun. Like she wanted to be
here.

Yeah, her hands were definitely shaking.

“In three, two, one . . .” Burt gestured for Jessa to begin,
and Taycee clasped her fingers together.

“So Taycee,” said Jessa, “the night of the big event is
finally here. How do you feel?”

 “Nervous,” she answered. “In a few minutes, a whole bunch of
guys will show up who’ve I’ve never met before. It feels like I’m getting ready
for a blind date on steroids. It’s nerve-wracking, especially since I’ve been
on enough blind dates to know that some don’t end well.” Actually, most of them
didn’t.

“But all it takes is one, right?”

“True.” One guy in billions, that’s all. Seriously, how did
anyone find their soul mate?

“Now that you’ve seen all the online videos of the bachelors,
is there one guy you’re especially excited to meet?”

Jessa was right, Taycee
had
watched the short video
clips of each bachelor exactly one time. Two weeks ago. She’d even briefly
studied their names and bios only hours before, but now they all seemed to
merge together as one long string of faces and introductions. Would she even be
able to remember all their names? Not likely.

Taycee shifted in her seat. The truth was, only one face stood
out above all the others. But she wasn’t at all excited to “meet” Luke and
hoped beyond hope that she wouldn’t have to.

“They all look like great guys,” she finally said, “and I’m
looking forward to meeting them. It’s just going to be interesting doing it all
at once.”

“Let’s talk about bachelor #21. Luke Carney,” Jessa said.
“He’s also from Shelter Springs, and there’s been some talk on the site about
the fairness of him being a participant. So I wanted to ask how you feel about
that. Do you think he’s got an unfair advantage over the others because you
already know him?”

More like a disadvantage. “Not at all. Luke’s been away from
Shelter for so long that I hardly know him anymore. Yes, we knew each other
when we were younger, but I was only fourteen when he left, and I’m sure we’ve
both changed a lot since then. Besides that, the viewers will be the ones
voting—not me—so it’s really them he has to impress. In that respect, he’s in
the same boat as everyone else.”

Jessa smiled before continuing on with a few more questions.
When they were done, Taycee had a few minutes to catch her breath before she
was directed outside to wait for the first bachelor. Gavin Spencer from
Spokane, Washington.

She squared her shoulders and steeled herself for the long
night ahead. It would be awkward, that was for sure. But if everything went
according to plan, at least she wouldn’t have to face Luke.

Luke jogged out to his beat-up gray F150. The wind must have
changed directions because the stench of the stables was worse than usual. He
jumped in and rolled up his window to block out the worst of the smell.

Not long before, Beatrice had brought by her ancient Cocker
Spaniel—a dog that had definitely seen better days. Since she wouldn’t hear of
her precious Sandy being put under, Luke had loaded her up with what medicines
might help, and then answered question after question after question about
every what-should-I-do-if scenario Beatrice could think of. “What if Sandy
stops breathing, what should I do?” “What if she can’t get up in the morning?”
“What if she wanders outside and I can’t find her?”