One To Watch(48)

Except, an annoying little voice contradicted, when she danced with Asher, it certainly didn’t seem like he was brushing her off. The way he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close—he was reveling in her body, not repulsed by it. But maybe that was just wishful thinking. Or maybe he’d cut the night short for some other reason. She didn’t want to know. She agreed to keep him around for another week at Lauren’s insistence, but on one condition: that he stay the hell away from her. Bea couldn’t imagine that would be a problem. He’d made it clear that that was what he wanted.





TRANSCRIPT OF PRODUCER INTERVIEW WITH BEA’S MOTHER AND STEPFATHER


Conducted prior to cast arrival


Producer: What was Bea like as a kid?

Sue: Oh, Bea was a dream of a child! So serious, so focused on her books, from the time she was a toddler, isn’t that right, Bob? She didn’t mind at all that she had so few friends; she was always really committed to her studies.

Sue: Well, you know how girls are when they’re young, so cliquish. Bea was terribly shy, so she had a hard time making impressions on the other children. By the time she made it to high school, I think she was just more comfortable on her own. I always said that Bea was a late bloomer, that she’d find herself when she went off to college. Didn’t I always say that, Bob? And that is exactly what happened.

Producer: What about boyfriends? Did Bea have a high school sweetheart?

Sue: Oh no, the boys always brought their girlfriends around the house, but Beatrice never brought home any boys, She’s always been very private—we even thought for a while she might be gay, didn’t we, Bob? Remember, when she joined the theater crew and wore all that black? We thought we might have a lesbian on our hands, which would have been fine, we just wanted her to feel supported, that was always the main thing!

Bob: The theater crew wears black so they can move things around onstage without the audience seeing.

Sue: That’s true, it’s very practical—and black can be very slimming. You know, we didn’t have many options for Bea’s clothes while she was growing up. With her size and our budget, we mostly shopped at Target. When she was younger, she would wear the most darling things, flowery dresses and the like, but then in high school she just wanted to wear black. These baggy T-shirts—not flattering.

Bob: You got the sense she didn’t want to draw attention.

Producer: Why do you think that was?

Bob: The kids here never bullied Bea—not overtly. Sue and I are both teachers at the elementary school, so we could keep an eye on her when she was there. As she got older, the other kids started to leave her out, not invite her to parties, that sort of thing. The longer that went on, the more she saw it as a kind of safety. If the other kids just didn’t pay her any mind, that meant they weren’t being cruel, either. But being ignored is its own kind of hurtful.

Producer: When did you notice a change in Bea? In her personality, her appearance?

Bob: After Paris.

Sue: Paris, that’s right. She went abroad for her junior year, and when she came home, she was a changed person. She wore the strangest clothes, she had this one velvet cape she never took off—it was like she was a character in Batman! None of us knew what to make of it, but it made her so happy, and she was so much louder than she’d ever been. It was a real joy—it felt like we were meeting our daughter all over again.

Producer: Are you surprised she’s starring on a TV show, given how shy she used to be?

Sue: We were certainly surprised when she told us—she’d never expressed interest in doing anything like this!

Bob: But it makes sense. She has her videos she does on Instagram, and all her fans who love her so much.

Producer: Do you watch her videos?

Bob: We both do, we watch every single one. In an emergency, I think I could do a very competent French tuck.

Producer: What kind of man would you like to see Bea end up with?

Sue: Someone who wants children!

Producer: You’re ready for some grandkids, huh?

Bob: We have six, we see them every Sunday.

Sue: But it’s different with Bea. She’s my only daughter, and she’s so far away—oh, I would just love for her to have a baby and come home a little more. And a wedding! With all her style, wouldn’t that be a treat? Bob, we could do it at the church, and Ernesto’s could cater.

Bob: Let’s meet the men she’s dating before we start planning the reception, okay?

Sue: If she gets engaged on the show, do you think they’d get married this year? A fall wedding would be so romantic with all the leaves.

Bob: We want Bea to be happy. That’s the main thing. We really want her to be happy.





HIGHLIGHTS FROM WYATT AMES’S MAIN SQUEEZE APPLICANT SURVEY, AS POSTED ON ABS.COM


Name: Wyatt Ames

Occupation: Wheat farmer

Hometown: Boone, Oklahoma

Where would you most like to travel? Maybe Finland, or Alaska? I’d love to see the Northern Lights.

If you could have any career, what would you do? I love working with my family. But if that weren’t a factor, I might like to work with horses, or maybe in an animal hospital.

Do you have any tattoos? My sister and I both got our dad’s initials on our shoulders after he passed. We took his truck and snuck up to Tulsa to get them. When we got home, our mom was waiting up for us—we thought she was going to be so mad. But the next day, she drove us back to the parlor so she could get one too.