Page 13 of The Love Raffle

Amber wondered what she had wanted to say.If they what?She observed Patricia’s smart smirk.Wait a minute.All these girls knew Levi better than she did.So that means they know what he likes.Amber’s shoulders fell.Whatever. If I make an impression this round, that’s all that matters.

As the questions went on, it seemed that Kate and Patricia had all the right answers.

Levi caught on to the fact that they had simply done more research than Diane and Amber.I guess I should give them props for that, but do I really want to date someone who already knows everything about me?Since he has to go through with this date, he should at least have it with someone who didn’t already know all his Wikipedia and interview facts. He hummed while staring at the last few cards.

“Okay. Now this is the very last stretch of this round,” Jeff said beside Levi’s desk. They had returned from a commercial break. “So, we’re switching it up a bit. The girls who answer these questions to Levi’s liking will be granteda thousandpoints.”

Amber’s eyes widened. No one had a thousand points yet.Patricia’s in the lead so I guess she and Kate will get the points and she’ll win since she’s already ahead.Amber kind of regretted not preparing more but she had at least made a mark. She snuck in jokes while answering Levi’s questions and wasglad when the crowd smiled. She even kind of enjoyed getting a smile from Levi at times. That was all that mattered, right?

Murmurs rippled through the audience at these new conditions. The lighting on the stage changed from pale pink to red.

Amber felt a tingle of excitement as she made the connection. “It’s like something straight out of Harry Potter, isn’t it?” she exclaimed. She turned to face Diane, feeling a surge of determination. “No matter how well anyone else has been doing, if someone gets this, it’s an automatic win,” she declared.

Kate laughed. “Yeah, but if your answers don’t match with Levi’s then it’s still hopeless.” She scooted closer to the edge of the couch and giggled.

Jeff laughed into his mic at their comments. “Yes, we can say we’re doing a bit of a Quidditch when one catches the Snitch.” He opened one arm at the studio audience. “But it’s how this game works so let’s go!”

Levi started with Kate. “Kate…” He glanced at the card in front of him, then shook his head. “Let’s make this interesting.” He shoved all the cards in the desk drawer.

“Ooo,” the crowd responded.

“Oh-ho-ho, now it’s getting real. Levi has abandoned his cue cards. Whatwillhe say next?” Jeff continued to crank up the suspense.

Kate clapped quickly, practically sitting on nothing with how close she’d moved to Levi Marks’ table.

Backstage, Rachel and Oscar were watching along with some producers. They were on the side wing.

“Can he do that?” Rachel asked. She was quite satisfied with Levi’s onstage persona. He’d been so down in the dumps in his dressing room, but she should have known he would come through. Levi was a professional.

The producer stretched his neck forward to gauge the crowd’s reaction. “As long as they like it, he can do whatever he wants.” He crossed his arms. “Let’s go, Marks!”

Back on stage, Amber and the other girls waited patiently.

Patricia wasn’t too keen on this. The flash cards had been predictable but now that he had abandoned them, she had no idea what would come. She was repulsed by Kate’s enthusiasm. Couldn’t she see the potential risks here?Idiot.And this game was idiotic too. Why did Marks want to flip the whole thing on its head when a thousand points were on the line? This was stupid!I’m guessing he’s not up for dating someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of him.He thought he wassoclever, but she saw through him.

Levi clasped his hands on the desk. “What do you think is most important in this world?” After the words left his mouth, his hands shook. Was he being weird? He hadn’t been called here to ask introspective questions. This was supposed to be fun. He didn’t want to drive anyone away but asking this was what led him to date his first serious girlfriend, Jenny. The director’s daughter. Her answer had left him with goosebumps. He wondered if anyone else could have that effect on him.A game show probably isn’t the place to experiment though.

Amber was taken aback. She looked at Kate.

Kate seemed perplexed, as did the audience. But they were pretty engaged. “Uh…what’s most important to me is…” She studied her high heels. “Being alive and having fun while I’m here.” She shrugged cheerily.

The crowd cheered, clearly loving her answer.

“Like what you heard, hotshot?” Jeff asked Levi, summoning laughter. “How do you rate it?”

Levi flashed a winning smile. “I’m going to switch it up. I’ll ask all of them the same question and at the end, I’ll reveal whichanswer I liked the most. We’ll find out who scored a thousand points when I’m done.”

Oscar’s mouth hung open backstage. He heard shouts of approval from spectators, but the crew members back here were scrambling to keep up with the changes. “So, he can do whatever he wants?”

A startling clap made Oscar jump. It was the same producer between him and a grinning Rachel. “Nowthatis good TV,” the producer said.

Levi went down the line. “Patricia. Your answer?”

Patricia tried to read his eyes. Did he approve of Kate’s response? “In this world, I deem the lives ofothersas important.” She heard people whistling and hooting but couldn’t tell what Levi thought.

Amber liked that one. After Jeff made a comment about the quality of both Kate and Patricia’s answers, Diane opened her mouth to give her take.What do I think is most important in this world?She had to agree with the other girls. Why would Levi Marks ask this on a silly game show?

“Yeah, so health, happiness, and love,” Diane concluded.

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