Page 9 of Out of the Shadow

Deep breaths, Angie.

Looking up at the ceiling, I say, “Dante, I hope I made the right decision here. Maybe the show isn’t worth it if I have to put up with that jerk.” Of course, the room remains silent.

After a couple of minutes, I check my appearance in the mirror and reapply the lipstick from my purse. Time to do this again with Trevor. Holding out hope that he’ll be a much better fit, I take a deep breath and leave the room.

“There you are.” Kaitlyn grabs my arm as I step into the reception area. “Wasn’t King to die for? I mean, he’s so hot.”

I smooth the sleeves of my shirt. “Heissomething, that’s for sure.”

“So true, so true. Well, before we test you with Trevor, I wanted to see if you have any questions for me?”

When will I find out if you’ve selected me?I shake my head. “No, I think Blaine has done a great job of explaining the concept to me.”

Blaine claps his hands. “Let’s go get set up in the conference room.”

We all transfer location, and once we’re seated, Blaine lays out the new scenario Trevor and I are going to discuss. This time we’re discussing a plan for an Open House for a multi-million-dollar house. I keep my longing for the listing to myself.

While the crew is taking care of some last-minute details, Trevor leans his head over to mine conspiratorially. “So, did you have a good screen test with King?”

I stifle a snort. “Let’s just say it was a challenge.”

He sniffs and wipes his hand under his nose. “Well, I hope we do much better than Mr. Challenge.” He smiles and his white teeth sparkle. Shoot. I am definitely investing in whitening strips.

“Believe me, it couldn’t be much worse.”

He winks at me and then Blaine clears his throat, capturing our attention. “All right. We just want you two to run with the scenario. Talk naturally. Be yourselves.” After we both nod, he directs, “And, action.”

Feeling more confident in front of the cameras than I did with King, I start our conversation. “So, Mr. and Mrs. Delacroix’s house is in the perfect location. With its infinity pool and expansive backyard overlooking the beach, I’m thinking we host an Open House on the grounds rather than inside.” I lean in. “I know this is a bit unorthodox, but the views should sell that house even more than the renovated professional-grade kitchen.”

“That no one except the caterers will use,” Trevor agrees and we both chuckle behind our hands.

I tap him on his forearm. “You’re bad.”

He smiles, the expression transforming his whole face. “You know I’m right.”

I play with the ends of my hair. “So, if we do the outdoor Open House, we’ll need a waitstaff serving mimosas.”

Trevor gets into the spirit of my thought process. “And passing out appetizers. Like bacon wrapped scallops.”

We continue in this vein for another ten minutes before Blaine calls “Cut!” The rest of the crew talk amongst themselves, so Trevor and I continue our conversation. “You’re fun,” he says.

“Thanks,” I beam at him. “You’re pretty fun yourself.”

He glances down at my hand, then his face falls. “I was going to ask you out, but I see that someone’s already beaten me to the punch.”

My right hand covers Dante’s engagement and wedding rings. I’m not used to being hit on because, well, everyone in Brooklyn knows the deal and no one in Aroostook cares. “Oh, well,” I stammer.

“So who’s the lucky guy?”

“Dante,” I reply automatically. Because I need to fill the pregnant silence, I continue, “High school sweethearts.”

“Oh, wow. Then I’m really late to this party.”

I shrug. “You’re a good-looking guy. Don’t tell me you don’t have women hanging on to your every word out in…” I trail off because I realize I don’t know where he’s from.

“I live in LA,” he supplies. Just like King.

“Well, I’m sure you have your pick of women out there.”

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