Page 24 of Reluctantly Married

If he could, he’d leave this job and take Megan with him. But that was crazy. They weren’t really a couple. It was all for the camera. And he was in no position to quit his job. He just needed to get a handle on things.

He left, and spent the rest of the weekend trying to get Megan off his mind.

9

Megan spent a week frettingabout the viewers’ requests for dates. True to his word, Adam had announced the plan on-air, surprising Leon, who actually loved the idea. And that made her even more nervous.

Thursday evening, her intercom buzzed again. She pressed the button and Adam answered. What was he doing here?

When she let him into her apartment he smiled, a folder tucked under one arm. “Hey.”

She eyed the paperwork. “What’s up?”

“Thought we could go over the suggestions together.”

Relief flooded through her. “You’re letting me pick?”

He shrugged. “We can read them together. Cross off any we don’t like. We’ll only keep those we both agree on. I think it would be fun to draw a suggestion out of a bowl on-air. It will give the fans something to look forward to each week.”

Each week. How long was this going to go on? When would Leon humiliate her? She pushed those thoughts away and opened the door wider, motioning for him to enter.

They sat on her couch, and Adam spread out the papers on her coffee table. “These are all the comments we’ve gotten this week, so there’s random stuff mixed in. Just pick up a page and start reading.” He pulled out a pen and a stack of note cards. “I’ll write down the ones we like.”

It turned out to be quite fun. They got all kinds of suggestions, from going miniature golfing to taking dance lessons. Adam even agreed to keep that one, as long as they started out with something simple.

“Ha, look at this one from Patricia in Georgia: ‘Go to a restaurant and pretend you’re food critics. Act like you’re tweeting about the food while you eat.’”

Adam laughed, a sound which she was beginning to enjoy a little too much. “That would be fun. We’re definitely putting that one in.”

“How do you feel about opera?”

His nose wrinkled. “Not in love with the idea. But I guess I could sit through it with a pretty enough girl by my side.”

“No, thanks.” She giggled. “Just wanted to see what you’d say.”

He playfully swatted at her. “Here’s a good one. ‘Make homemade ice cream.’ We could do that.”

“Now you’re making me hungry.”

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “What’ve you got to eat?”

They ended up sprawled out on the floor with bowls of strawberry sherbet, pieces of paper covering almost every surface. Megan scooped a spoonful into her mouth, savoring the tangy taste. “I can’t believe how many comments we’re getting. This is all just in one week?”

Adam nodded. “Yeah, Leon’s beside himself. Look what this person said.” He shoved a paper under her nose.

“‘Adam and Megan make such a cute couple.’ Aw, that’s sweet.”

“Keep reading,” he said, his mouth full.

“‘When are they going to get serious and tie the knot?’ What? We’ve only just started dating!”

His chuckle made her laugh. “I know. And they’re not the only ones. Read this.” He handed her another paper.

“‘Adam should propose. I want to see the wedding online.’ Are they serious? Don’t they know we’re not a show? We’re real people?”

“We are a show, though. Some people have been watching us for months.”

She tossed the paper aside. “Well, they just need to cool it.”

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