She nods, telling me to get on with it. “You’re not an actor, no need for dramatic pauses.”
I laugh again, and this time, it’s a full-throated, truly amused one. “Alice, if I could take any woman here out for a date tonight, it’d absolutely be you.”
nine
Alice
It’d absolutely be you.
I can’t stop replaying Dalton’s words from earlier today, which made my stomach flip like it never has before.
He’s funny, sweet, ridiculously sexy, and even with his choice of eight beautiful, successful celebrities, he wants to go out withme. We can’t do it, of course, but it feels pretty amazing to know he even wants to.
“Straps up or down?” Farrah asks me.
We’re in her bedroom, getting her ready for the sunset cruise. Even though Alex said there’s limited space on the boat, especially for someone like me who has to be off camera at all times, Farrah insisted I have to go.
So I’m wearing cutoff jean shorts and a Ramones T-shirt while helping her plan a much classier outfit. It took more than an hour, but she finally agreed to wear a blue dress with ruffled straps that could either be on or off the shoulder.
“Down,” I say, setting them into place for her.
“I hate the way the show’s makeup artist does my eyes, I want you to do my makeup.”
“Uh...” I glance at my phone. “I can, but we’ll have to hurry.”
“So tell me again what Dalton said about me.”
My heart pounds nervously. Dalton and I agreed that we’d let Farrah assume our walk earlier was about him wanting to know more about her. It seemed like a good idea until she hit me up for full details. Now I’m openly lying to her, which I don’t feel good about.
“I already told you everything. He’s a Midwestern guy. He wants to know about your family and what you’re looking for.”
“Did you tell him my parents are divorced?”
“I think so.”
She balks. “How can you not remember?”
“Sorry.”
“Did you tell him I’d have two kids using a surrogate?”
“Yes.”
“And? Did he seem okay with it?”
It’d absolutely be you.
“Uh, I couldn’t tell.”
“Alice. For fuck’s sake, you’re killing me.”
A distraction. I need to create a distraction. “Should we use that glowy spray stuff on your shoulders and arms?”
“Oh, good idea. Yes. Did I tell you Dalton held every door for me last night and stopped after just a goodnight kiss? I think he’s looking for a wife, Al. He’s being such a gentleman.”
My skin prickles at the mention of the kissagain. Maybe he was just being nice with that compliment earlier. It’s easy to tell someone you wish you could go out with them when there’s no way you can.
“I never realized how sexy hockey players are. All that fighting. I bet he’d fight any guy who even looked at me the wrong way.”
