Page 8 of The Bride and the Billionaire Grump

“You will all be competing for…” she pauses, smiling wide, “Aaron Sullivan!”

I try not to scrunch up my face.

A few of the girls squeal, a few jump up and down, and a few are too glued to their phones to care.

I can’t believe we’recompetingfor an actual human being. This is insane.

Judging by the wide-eyed, smiling girls filling the room, though, I seem to be the only one thinking that. Or maybe they’re just thinking about the money they’re making from this.

“And that’s not all,” Kelly says. “Not only will you be dating the billionaire and business extraordinaire…”

A few more girls’ heads whip up from their phones. Now she’s caught their interest.

“…he will be proposing to one of you!”

The room erupts in screams. I plug my ears with my fingers. Wow, okay. My mind starts racing. A proposal? That’s ridiculous and insane.

So much for a few dates and a nice easy payday.

I need to reevaluate. There is absolutely no way I will be marrying someone, even a billionaire.

I remind myself that I’m not even close to being someone he would choose out of this group of women, but still, the possibility of being that one person freaks me out.

I try to remember how to breathe.

Realizing that I’m the only one who is visibly freaking out in the wrong kind of way, I plaster an excited look on my face. I’ve come all the way here and I can’t have them kicking me off and sending me home because I broke the rules.

I assume not being enthusiastic about being here would be in the same realm as quitting. I need to act like Iwantto be here.

I just need to find a way to be involved, but not too involved. There are a lot of girls here, so it might take them a while to sort through them before the billionaire makes his proposal. Hopefully I can get lost in the sea of girls.

Kelly raises her voice above the hubbub. “The first half of the season will be shot here in The Bahamas with all of you, and the second half will follow the newly engaged couple. The finale willfeature a magical date where they decide whether they will get married or not.”

Right, okay. I just need to stick it out for the first half of the season and then I can get out of here. That’s a bit of a relief.

I just need to keep my eye on the prize. At the end of this, I will finally get to make my dream come to life, I will finally be able to go to college!

“Isn’t this so exciting!” one of the Southern girls says to me.

“So exciting!” I fake my excitement to match hers.

“I’m Natalie.” She holds out a perfectly manicured hand.

“Millie.” I take her hand and smile.

“Well, aren’t you just sweeter than an apple pie?” She pulls me into a side hug.

I can’t help but laugh. She has an infectious energy that seems hard to contain in her petite body, and her cowboy boots are adorable.

She catches me looking at the boots. “They made me wear them.” She rolls her eyes. “It sells the whole ‘naïve Southern girl finding true love’ narrative. It’s weird how they want to push the whole country thing, but everyone needs an identifier, right?”

I nod. I’m still confused as to what mine is. Maybe I’m just a filler, a warm body.

Natalie looks me up and down. “Yep, you’ve gotwinnerwritten all over you. Gorgeous but unassuming.”

Her accent makes me smile and positive energy radiates from her like sunshine. I’m wary, but she doesn’t seem like the scheming type.

“I hope he chooses one of us!” she squeals.

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