Page 67 of The Baking Games

I smile. "That's what I want people to think. I had to behave that way as a kid."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've told you that I was brought up by a single mother who had addiction issues. I basically had to raise myself, and when you have to raise yourself, you become an adult pretty quickly. I always wanted people to think I was okay. I didn't want anybody to feel sorry for me. So I probably came off that way because of that."

"But now I see you get rattled on a pretty regular basis. Why the change?"

"This is an unusual situation," I say, laughing. "I never expected to be stuck in a house with strangers away from my sister, being watched by cameras all day. I think it's reactivated the anxiety I thought I had put away years ago. What about you? Do you find yourself acting differently in the house?"

He looks over at me for a moment. "I find myself acting differently with you."

"You have to stop saying things like that," I say, my face serious.

"Why?" He leans up onto his shoulder. "I'm just telling you the truth. I thought you liked that."

I push up onto my elbow and face him. "I do like that, except when it's about a hippopotamus. You know what I mean." I'm sure that people at home are completely confused by this comment, but Rhett knows what I mean. He knows that's our code word for fake relationships. It's a stupid code word, but there it is. "I know you’re just doing things like a hippopotamus would.”

"This is the silliest conversation I've ever had," he says, chuckling.

"Well, either way, you have to stop saying things like that.”

“Well, I'm not going to. I do feel like myself when I'm around you, Sunny.”

“Let's change the subject. What was your upbringing like?"

He falls back onto his back. “Yikes, what a terrible way to change the subject. I don't really want to talk about my family."

"Come on, I've told you about mine. I mean, there wasn't much of it."

"Well, I come from a very wealthy family, as I've mentioned. Doctor mother. Attorney father. We never wanted for anything. We had everything we could have possibly wanted. A couple of houses, the best schools, brand new cars when we were old enough to drive, family vacations."

"Wow, I can't imagine a life like that."

"Yeah, it looked good on the surface. I'm sure there were many people around us who were jealous of our family."

"But they shouldn't have been?"

"No, not really. What I learned from all of that is that none of it matters. None of that material stuff is what actually makes you happy."

"So what makes you happy?”

He sits there for a moment, quietly pondering. "I think being here with you."

"What?"

"That is what has made me the happiest that I can think of. Being here with you."

I fall onto my back and stare at the ceiling, unsure what to say. He's got to be pretending. There's no way that Rhett Jennings is saying these things and being serious. He must be the world's best actor. I consider what I can say in return, but then I hear a breathing sound. I turn and look, and Rhett is sound asleep, with a smile on his face. He fell asleep? This guy who never sleeps, who has terrible insomnia, is lying beside me, chained to my arm, sleeping peacefully with a smile on his face.

CHAPTER 18

RHETT

Before we go for whatever our public service event is today, we have to eat breakfast. Thankfully, the producers have had it catered in for some reason. We have a whole variety of foods sitting in the middle of the long communal table by the time Savannah and I come down the stairs. There are hash browns with cheese and onions in them. There are cheese grits with bacon crumbled up in them. There are pancakes and waffles and French toast. Way too much food even for the group of us.

We sit down across the table from Connor because they’re the only empty seats. I'm sure that's not an accident since probably no one else wants to sit across from Connor. Beside him is Lainey, who has become his twin. She acts just like him. That's not a compliment.

"Well, good morning, lovebirds,” he says as we sit down. Several people around the table glance at us, but we decide not to give in to him goading us.

---