One To Watch(40)

Bea closed her eyes, pained and relieved to be with someone who knew the real reason why she couldn’t feel happy when she was kissing Luc.

Marin squeezed Bea’s arm. “Bea, do you think it’s possible that you don’t want to date any of these other men for real because you’re still hoping that somehow you might end up with Ray?”

“It’s not like I can just force myself to fall out of love with him,” Bea protested.

“I know. But you can try to move on—particularly since, you know, you’re currently starring on a show where they’ve literally flown in handpicked men from all over the country to date you?”

“Men who despise me.”

“That’s not true! I met them all, and a lot of them really like you—especially Sam and Asher.”

“Sam is a child, and Asher is a jerk.”

“Sam’s more mature than you’d think—you’ll see when you spend time with him. And Asher is totally your type.”

“He’s a smug know-it-all!”

“Correct! Your type! You act like I wasn’t present for all fifty of your professor crushes.”

“Sure, in college.”

“What about that editor you met at that book party two years ago? You wouldn’t shut up for weeks about how hot he was.”

“No one’s saying Asher isn’t hot—”

“Aha!” Marin’s eyes lit up. “So you are interested in him.”

“What does it matter if I am?” Bea huffed. “You saw him on the boat. He publicly accused me of coming here for the wrong reasons, of wasting his time.”

“And I agree, his methods left something to be desired,” Marin concurred. “But was anything he said actually, you know, untrue?”

Bea sighed. She absolutely hated to admit that it wasn’t. But none of these men seemed to understand just how much it could cost her to be open with them.

“I know what happens when I fall in love,” she said quietly. “And I can’t—last year was so bad, Mar. I don’t know if I can live through that again.”

Marin smoothed Bea’s hair out of her eyes. “You can live a long life never being hurt—and never quite being happy. If that’s what you want.”

Bea shook her head—it wasn’t.

“So try, Bea. Okay? You don’t have to get engaged, you don’t have to give anyone your heart. But at the very least, just promise me you’ll try.”

After a long moment, Bea nodded.

“I promise.”





HIGHLIGHTS FROM SAM COX’S MAIN SQUEEZE APPLICANT SURVEY, AS POSTED ON ABS.COM


Name: Sam Cox

Occupation: Volunteer basketball coach

Hometown: Short Hills, New Jersey

Favorite place you’ve traveled? Cambodia

Favorite ice cream? Mint chip. No, fudge ripple. Or peanut butter! Also Cherry Garcia. And Phish Food. Wow, I have a thing for jam band ice cream flavors, but I hate their music. What do you think it means?

Who is your role model? My mom, Claudette, is the chief cardiac surgeon at Mountainside Hospital. She’s brave enough to hold people’s lives in her hands, and strong enough to live up to the responsibility.

If you could accomplish just one thing in your life, what would it be? Okay, Main Squeeze, getting deep with it. Respect. Oh, you want an answer? I have no idea.





The next morning, Bea had to get up at an ungodly hour for her date with Sam. Alison dressed her in artfully tattered boyfriend jeans, a whisper-thin Monrow tee, a men’s soft leather bomber with the sleeves pushed up to Bea’s elbows, and vintage Nikes, so Bea knew they were going somewhere casual, but she had no idea where. And Lauren insisted that the surprise not be spoiled—so Bea and Sam were going to be blindfolded for their limo ride to their date.

“Seriously?” Bea asked when a PA produced two black satin blindfolds emblazoned with rhinestones that formed the Main Squeeze logo.

Sam looked skeptical, too, but Lauren was having none of it.

“I promise,” she assured them, “you’re going to be more upset than I am if we lose time at your destination, so can you put on the blindfolds so we can get moving?”

And that’s how Bea and Sam came to be blindfolded, led into a limousine with two cameras trained on their every move, and driven clear across Los Angeles at six o’clock in the morning.

“Where do you think they’re taking us?” he asked.

“Maybe some sort of escape-room scenario?” Bea ventured. “Otherwise I have no idea what’s with the blindfolds.”

“I gotta say, this is some real Eyes Wide Shut nonsense for a first date.”

“Oh,” Bea deadpanned, “did I not tell you we’re going to a secret murder orgy?”

“Way better than a public murder orgy,” Sam quipped. “Those always end in jail time.”

“Crap, do you think they’ll be mad about all our cameras?”

Bea heard a fluster of movement that sounded like Sam was flailing wildly around the limo.

“Guys! Guys! Did you know they don’t allow cameras in secret murder orgies? Our date is ruined!”

When the limousine finally rolled to a stop, Bea and Sam stumbled out of the limo together, still blindfolded, and were forced to walk another five minutes or so before they stopped for the official unveiling.