Page 32 of Most Eligible
I shake my head against his neck, inhaling a piney, minty aftershave.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, pulling back. On impulse, I kiss him on the cheek, not willing to be outdone by the women who went before me.
“Off you go,” Rhett mutters at my side. He extracts me from Roland, places his hand on the small of my back, and leads me away.
I hear Lainey say something about “closure” and glance back to see Sonya shaking with sobs. As Hannah A. says goodbye to Roland, Sonya bends down and picks up the paper on the ground.
We’re nearly out of the garden when I hear her shriek.
Rhett pauses and looks back at the group. Sonya is staring at the paper with a horrified look on her face. Her eyes find me and she points menacingly.
“You,” Sonya cries. Across the stone path, the tension crackles between us, but I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“It was supposed to beme,” she screams, and launches herself forward.
Before she closes the distance between us, Norbert grabs her around the middle and lifts her off her feet, where she screams and beats her fists against his bulky arms.
“Come on,” Rhett says in my ear. “Come on, Georgia. Quickly.”
Still staring back at Sonya, I stumble after Rhett, who pulls me off the path and into a thick grove of bushes.
“Are you okay?” he asks, looking me up and down. He wraps his hand around the microphone in his collar, and I reach into my neckline to do the same.
I nod, eyes still wide. “What was that about?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be you,” he mutters. “Sonya was the last name on his list—I saw when he dropped it—but he changed hismind. Not unheard of, but messy. Look, you have to watch out. Lainey wanted you gone, and she won’t be happy that Roland chose you anyway.”
I stare at him. “Why are you telling me this? Don’tyouwant me gone?” It’s the only reasonable explanation for why he’d pull me away from the party, knowing full well it could ruin my chances with Roland.
“I—” he begins, his eyebrows knitting together. But we hear people coming down the path and he tugs me out of the bushes.
Nina squeals happily when I step inside and Olie nods approvingly. Only Addison seems displeased, letting out a loud “humph” as I cross the threshold. Too bad for her that the tennis ball didn’t kill me.
Rhett melts away and I pull my eyes from him, trying to ignore my confusion. Chloe squeezes me in a hug, but my heart is still hammering from what just happened. One wrong move could mean I’m gone for good.
Roland steps into the room, and we all go silent, taking a collective breath. Champagne is passed around, but I know better than to take a sip before we toast.
“I knew it’d be you,” Chloe whispers, smiling up at me. “Don’t know how I’d survive another week without you.”
I smile back at her, but I think we’d all be happier away from this place.
Once the cameras are set up, Roland holds his champagne glass aloft and we all follow suit.
“To falling in love,” he says, eyes twinkling.
I feel Rhett’s eyes on me as I raise my own glass, but I force my gaze back to Roland. I can’t be distracted by Rhett anymore. Tonight proved how dangerous he can be. I’ve made it through one week, but there’s still five to go.
“To falling in love,” I repeat with the others.
When the cameras cut, my face finally sinks from its forcedsmile. My cheeks are sore. My feet are blistered. I’m desperately hungry.
It turns out that falling in love is far more painful than I could have imagined.
Week Two
MALIBU,CA
Remaining Contestants: 10
