“Hmmm?” I kiss the top of her forehead.
“We need to talk.”
Chapter eight
Kate
“I really like you. I do … but …”
Cooper holds up his hand. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t give me the I really like you speech.”
Well, there goes what I spent half the night planning to say.
Cooper folds his arms across his chest. “Sit.”
“Bossy,” I mutter under my breath, but sit anyway.
“Is it the show?”
I nod.
Cooper paces while he speaks. “Is quitting an option?”
Regretfully, I shake my head.
“I’m not sure I want to hear the answer, but I’ll ask anyway. Do you have feelings for him?” He rakes his fingers through his hair and says the word him with harried disdain.
“Who? Dickhead?”
Cooper’s mouth twitches at the corners. “Yes, Dickhead.”
“He’s really nice.” His jaw clenches. “But that’s not it.”
“You’re locked into a contract?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll talk to Miles. He owes me one. Or a thousand and one. I’ve lost track.”
“No. You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I need to stay on the show.”
“Do you want the exposure? I’ll tell him you need to stay on the show, but that you aren’t living up to whatever the terms his warped mind has conjured up.”
“I don’t want the exposure.”
Cooper stops. “Then what is it?”
“I need to win.”
“Why? If you don’t want the prize?”
“It’s not the bachelor that I need.”
“There’s a financial incentive?”
I nod. Suddenly, I feel like a whore.
The clock ticks by, long seconds where the silence hangs thick in the air, neither of us saying a word. Finally, I speak. “I can’t see two men at once. I need to keep my focus, and I won’t be able to do that if we keep this up.”
When I see the disappointment in his face, my chest feels like someone stepped on it. “How long does the show have left?” he asks.
“Seven weeks, two days.” Not that I’m counting.
He blows out a thick stream of air, nods, holds me tight before we say goodbye. When his grip on me loosens, it takes everything I have to walk out his door.
Chapter nine
Kate
The more I get to know Flynn, the more I find there is to like. So why is it that I resist elevating things to the next level? He’s a complete gentleman with me. Taking things slowly, not pushing, leaving it up to me to decide the next step. We’ve definitely connected, yet there’s something holding me back from moving from friends to more. Damn you, Cooper Montgomery. It’s been a week since I saw him, yet I still can’t get him out of my mind.
“Earth to Kate.” Flynn bumps shoulders with me.
“Sorry. I overslept and didn’t get to have coffee yet.”
“Well, we need to fix that. Al, can we pull over at the next Starbucks, please?” Flynn asks the bus driver.
I smile. “You don’t have to do that.”
“You’re going to need it for today’s challenge.” He winks at me.
“You know what today’s challenge is?”
“Yep. Not my favorite. You’ll understand why soon. But I need you to wake up so you can win.” The bus pulls into a strip mall parking lot. There’s a Starbucks at the end. “Al, you wanna see if anyone else wants anything?”
I stand, ready to go inside to grab my coffee.
“Sit. I’ll get it.”
I smile, but not because of how sweet Flynn is. Sit reminds me of bossy Cooper.
Flynn returns with my coffee, and it’s exactly how I take it, even though he didn’t ask. The bus driver hands out everyone else’s orders. You would think Flynn had handed me an engagement ring, rather than a cup of coffee, from the looks I get from some of the other girls.
“So, you going to give me a hint about the challenge today?” I whisper when Flynn sits next to me, arm slung casually over the back of my seat. His fingers gently rub the exposed skin on my shoulder.
“How about I give you three hints and you see if you can guess?”
“Deal.” I turn, giving him my full attention.
“One. You’re really good at it. But we haven’t done it in a while and I miss it.”
“Hmmm … I’m intrigued.”
“Two. I hope no one wants yours today.”
“You need to give better hints.”
His eyes sparkle. “Three.” He leans in and kisses me softly on the lips. It’s an innocent kiss; his forehead rests tenderly against mine as the bus slows to a stop.
Everyone crowds to look outside the windows at where we are. Santa Monica Pier. A minute later, Miles hops on the bus and delivers today’s challenge.
“Ladies. Welcome to Santa Monica Pier. Today’s challenge may earn one lucky contestant immunity from going home this week. With only six women left, the winner will have only one more elimination ceremony before making it to the coveted final four. I’ll let your boyfriend tell you all about what we’re doing here at the pier.”
Flynn stands. “You can bet this one wasn’t picked by me.” He catches my eye before continuing. “Your challenge today is to earn more money than me. We’ve each been assigned a booth and we’re going to see who the best salesperson is.”