Page 89 of Charlie and Her Sweet Escape
Attempt to secure the unsure win.
And last of all, you have a choice too. You’ll know it when you see it.
The twist. I shuddered as I reread through the typewritten letter, which didn’t give me nearly enough information.
Bennett was offered the deal of a lifetime. A dream come true. What were his dreams? The only one I could think of was that he wanted to fix up his fishing company. Had they offered to give him the money to pay for it if he decided to leave?
And how would I know what he chose? Would they come get me, or would I need to stay out here, hoping and waiting for him, until I decided he wasn’t coming and called for them to retrieve me? I imagined how pathetic that would look on camera.
Poor little Charlie. Waiting for someone to love her once again.
Believing someone wouldchooseher.
I wouldn’t put it past the show to lie, either.
What if they told himI’dchosen to leave? They would know, from listening to our conversations, he’d been hurt by peopleleaving in the past. They could exploit his fears in hopes of causing drama.
Or what if he decided that last night was a mistake? And he was better off ending this now before I got even deeper in my feelings for him? He could take the sure win, and I wouldn’t even blame him.
He had no reason to choose me. I’d pushed him away this entire time. I struggled to allow myself to be vulnerable. I was the one who’d turned his life upside down by allowing him to come out here with me.
Hadn’t I proven time and again that I was hard to love?
I leaned against the cave wall and slid to the floor, my legs feeling too unsteady to hold me up.
No.
I knew Bennett Forrester. If my husband—myfriend—thought I was out here, hoping he’d come find me, he would do everything in his power to make it here.Nothingwould stop him.
I scrunched up the letter and reasserted in my soul what I knew was true.
I turned to the camera set up in the corner and spoke. “This was wrong. Kidnapping me and hiding me away like this. Exploiting our worst pains and vulnerabilities. Bennett is going to come find me. He’s not going to take whatever deal you give him. Hewillmake it here.”
I sounded surer than I felt. I had to believe he was on his way, that he hadn’t given up on us winning this together.
I walked out of the cave to go search for some sticks to make a fire. I didn’t know how long it was going to take for him to find me, but I needed to be prepared for a cold, lonely night.
37
BENNETT
Iturned a thunderous expression on Orin Forrester, my anger easier to manage than the fear and confusion racing through me. “What are you doing here?”
“They gave me this.” He handed me an envelope I recognized from our other challenges. I blinked in relief as I tried to process what this meant.
This was another challenge.
Dear Bennett,
It has come down to the final two couples.
But you’ve been keeping a secret from us. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Your marriage is not what it seems. So we are going to give you a choice.
We have Charlie hidden in the woods. You can go and find her for the chance to win the whole prize. We won’t lie; your odds aren’t great
Your second choice is this: If you tap outbefore the other team wins, we will rebuild Forrester Expeditions and pay off your loan. You’ll own it free and clear. It is guaranteed money in your pocket.
