Page 15 of The Final Rose

“Group date. You’ll get to know them.”

“All right.” He agrees, and when I move away, he doesn’t follow this time.

“We have a problem,”I say, flying into the producer’s trailer.

Anya is always ready for trouble, so she barely bats an eyelid. Her posture is lazy against the counter. With a flick of her wrist, she tells me to keep going.

I close the door gently behind me. “He was going to eliminate Vera.”

The room chills to the news. There are only a few here, mainly those who report to Anya but are below my role. All eyes are on me as I take a seat.

“Says he doesn’t know them enough to make an informed decision.”

“It’s week one.” Anya frowns. “Of course, he doesn’t know anyone yet. Has heeverwatchedthe show?”

“They usually go for appearance.” One assistant, Miriam, interjects. “Maybe he doesn’t think Vera is attractive.”

For some reason, that bothers me. I’m probably a fool, but I really want Sebastian to be the real deal. I want to believe his words and he said the problem was about getting to know them.

“Either way, I talked him out of it.” I decide to say instead of voicing my silly beliefs.

“Who’s going now?” Anya wanted to know, a pencil between her fingers, she bangs against the table.

“Elliana.”

They all shrug, not very concerned. Which also bothers me. I’ve been doing this for years, but the idea of Sebastian thinking about this with care, while we simply change names on a whiteboard, feels… wrong.

“He needs a group date,” I tell them in one breath.

“Sure, let’s get the seven he calls first and…”

Anya is talking a mile a minute, but my mouth feels scratchy, and I clear my throat.

I know the show’s structure. I know how it works for the first two weeks. He’ssupposedto be overwhelmed and the girls aresupposedto fight for his attention.

“What’s with the face, Callie?” Anya is not even looking at me properly. It’s like she can feel it.

“Don’t you think maybe it’s best for a smaller group date this time?”

She turns completely my way, her eyes pinning me in place. “Why?”

Just that. Anya is a woman of a few words. She doesn’t waste her time beating around the bush.

Normally I’d tell the truth. They want us to form bonds with the contestants. It’s a way to know what’s going to happen before it does. My job is to know, to understand, and hers is to plan accordingly.

But then I think about Sebastian confiding in his best friend, worried about making the wrong decision.

I think of his promise of calling me instead, and for no reason whatsoever, I remember when he pried into my life.

My cheeks warm and I look down at my shoes because I don’t trust Anya not to read all the unsaid words on my face.

“Vera is quiet and shy. If we want her to shine, we need to give her a less challenging setting.”

It isn’t a lie. Vera won’t be the one talking the loudest, saying the most outrageous things to get extra camera time.

“If she doesn’t shine, maybe this isn’t for her.” Anya insists.

“It will cause jealousy.” Bay, an assistant, says at the back. “Throw them for a loop when they find out such intimate group dates are being given right from the start.”

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