Page 76 of Out of the Shadow

King walks across the dancefloor carrying two glasses, one of which I’m sure is bourbon and the other is my usual drink of Baileys and chocolate vodka. All female heads follow his progress. And why not? The man is gorgeous.

Marlene is wrong about me. Icando casual. We’re just having some steamy sex. I deserve it, don’t I?

“Here you go, baby.”

I take my drink from him. “Shhh, we don’t want other people to hear you calling me that.”

King turns his head. “No one could hear me. Besides, why does it matter?”

Pet names are too close to a relationship. I should’ve corrected him from the start. “You really shouldn’t call me that. Ever.” I take a sip of my drink, which leaves me with a strange aftertaste. Almost sour.

“I thought you liked it?” An edge of hurt wraps around the question.

“It’s probably for the best if you don’t.” I take another taste and my drink is still off, so I put it on the table in front of me.

King looks like he’s about to say something else, but Blaine stands in front of the room and bangs a butter knife against his glass, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “First of all, I want to thank you all for makingBattle of the Real Estate Matchmakersthe best show it can be. The studio is extremely satisfied with your work, so kudos to all of you!”

Everyone in the crew claps. Milo even makes a wolf whistle.

“Also, I’d like to offer my congratulations to King and Angie. You two were amazing on screen together. I can guarantee that you’re going to be the bickering couple of the year!”

King and I both laugh at his assessment, which is close to the truth. On screen, we did fight a lot. We’re both stubborn and have firm, and sometimes dissenting, views on real estate.

“Now I’m turning the floor over to Kaitlyn. She’s going to announce the results from yesterday’s shoot.”

I cross my legs. Next to me, King’s breath hitches. A part of me wants to reach out and rub his back. To tell him that I’ll share the money if the bonus goes to me.

No!What the hell are you thinking?

Kaitlyn takes her spot. “Thanks, Blaine. As you know, our matchmakers held two Open Houses yesterday, both at gorgeous properties. The Open Houses were rated by the people who did walk-throughs—from ambiance, to the friendliness of the agent, to the agent’s knowledge of the property, etc. I’ve tabulated the scores and we have a winner, although the results were pretty tight.”

She holds up a check. I rub my damp hands on my capris.

“Without further ado, here are the results. Angie, you received a total of seventy-six points, while King got seventy-two. Congrats, Angie! You won this last contest and are the show’s first winner!”

A rushing noise pools in my ears at her words. I won! With all my winnings and commissions, I can keep the agency afloat, use some for marketing and even bank some money. I spring from my chair, jumping up and down while everyone around me cheers.

King, standing next to me, claps. “Congrats.”

My eyes meet Marlene’s.Casual. Shaking my head at King, I stride over to Kaitlyn and accept my check. I glance down at the numbers in the corner. Fifty thousand dollars. Blaine hugs me. “Well done.”

“Thank you.”

He puts his hands around his mouth. “Do you want to hear from the winner?”

The crew claps, and I smile and take a bow. “Thank you, everyone, for all your help during taping. Shelley, you were a wizard with makeup and hair. Milo, I loved hearing your crazy stories about the other shows you’ve worked on. I can’t thank you all enough for how welcome you made this Brooklyn girl feel.” My gaze shifts to King, who looks happy for me—proud, almost—despite what must have been a disappointing loss. “And to my co-star, King, you made this show … unforgettable.”

Another round of applause starts at the sound of King’s name. When Blaine urges him to say a few words, he joins me. “Congratulations, Angie. Your win was hard-fought, I can tell you that. I, too, want to say how much I appreciate everyone in this room. I feel like we’ve became a family, and that means the world to me.” He raises his glass and takes a sip. “Oh, and I definitely want a rematch next season!”

The room laughs at his last line, but I’m stuck on his remark about family. Something he’s never really had. My heart does a little tumble for him, but Shelley pulls me in for a hug and I’m soon chatting with everyone from the crew. It strikes me that King was right. This group of strangers has become like a second family. I saw the show as a means to an end, but it’s become so much more than that.

A glint of blonde hair across the room catches my eye. Poppy. Seriously? What is she doing here?

I stomp over to her. “What brought you here tonight?”

“Hello to you, too, Angie. Brooklyn may be, well, Brooklyn, but it’s a borough of New York City. I thought you would have learned some manners.”

I squeeze my mouth shut. “This is a closed party.”

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