Page 36 of Catching Coy
Fort Collins, Colorado
NICU Nurse
“I think I’ve found my best friend.”
Coy had beengrateful for Bellamy’sCatchknowledge from day one, even when she was stingy about sharing it with him. It gave him the ammo he needed right now in his argument against Agnes.
“You’ll throw us off an entire week.” She folded her arms and glared at him.
“I can’t fake this with them. It’s not fair. Bellamy is it. The one, and Charlotte doesn’t deserve to be led on. I never signed a contract that said I have to do that.” He folded his arms right back and stared her down.
“We had advertisers lined up, Coy. You don’t understand. A lot of money is in just that one week.” She blew out a frustrated breath and put her hands on the counter. “I know the position this puts you in, but I can’t film you and Bellamy for three more weeks.”
Time for his secret weapon. He raised his eyebrows. “Then what did you do the season Kelton sent home a girl on every team date?”
Agnes laughed without amusement. “Got as close as I’ve ever come to a stroke.” She rubbed at her temples. “I’ll give you one week. We can figure something out—like maybe a look-back episode—but that means you have to keep Charlotte.”
Coy scowled. “You’re not even giving me the choice?”
“You have way more chemistry with her—” Agnes held up a hand when he started to protest. “Even if it is more friendship than anything else. The first episode aired two nights ago and she’s already a fan favorite. A few well-placed previews and we can guide them in the direction of believing it came down to Charlotte and Bellamy for you.”
“Okay.” He nodded slowly. He could tread the line without hurting Charlotte. He suspected she knew his feelings for Bellamy were serious, and maybe it had played a part in her offering to go home with Lucy.
“One more thing.” Agnes pressed her lips together and Coy’s jaw automatically tightened. She didn’t like what she was about to say. “I need an on-screen kiss between you and Charlotte to sell it. Non-negotiable.”
“No.” He had promised Bellamy not to kiss her until she was the only one. He wouldn’t be dishonest to both of the final women.
“Non-negotiable.” Agnes repeated. “If we can’t keep ratings up with a believable romance here, I’m screwed. Fans don’t tune in to watch you date one woman. They tune in to cheer for their favorite and to analyze every moment. Without Lucy here, I have nothing to work with and ratings drop.”
“I can’t do that to Bellamy.” He shook his head.
“You signed up with this with your eyes open, Coy. You knew you’d be asked to date several women at a time, and if you had to, do a little acting. Gunner warned you. I warned you. It’s part of the gig.” The line of her lips became tighter as she stared at him. Then she sighed and relaxed. “I’m sorry, Coy. I’m not here to ruin your life. I do want the best for you and Bellamy, but this is business. It’s how things are.”
He swallowed. “Fine. But I get off-camera time to talk to Charlotte.”
Agnes stared him down, but Coy was not about to let the woman intimidate him into backing down on this. She gave a tight nod and turned and marched out of the kitchen. As soon as Coy heard the front door snap shut, he slumped across the island.
Two more weeks of pretending. He could do that. It wasn’t three more weeks, so that was a bonus. And next week he’d get to spend the whole week with Bellamy, first meeting her family and then taking her to meet his parents. Coy could do it. Agnes had conceded to letting him be honest with Charlotte about his feelings. Both of them had signed up to play these parts forThe Catch. He trusted that even her sweet heart would understand and help him keep his promises to both Bellamy and Agnes.
* * *
Coy, 27
Charleston, South Carolina
Shooting Guard for the Denver Mountaineers
“One of the most difficult things of this journey has been saying goodbye to women and knowing I’m breaking their hearts. None of them deserve that. They came here to find love, just like I did. I hate being the one to disappoint them.”
* * *
Coy wantedto go talk to Gillian before their date and explain the situation, but of course Agnes wanted the most dramatic break up scene they could squeeze into her final moments on the show.
“She made it to the final three,” Agnes had said. “It should be harder, more emotional than you’re making it.”
So, instead he stood on the edges of a park where a nearby town was holding their town-founding celebration and a small fair was set up, waiting for the SUV to bring Gillian. The SUV pulled up in the street and Coy hurried forward to get her door, his cameraman trailing behind.
Gillian’s huge smile tugged at Coy’s heart. She had no idea what was coming and that killed him. She probably thought she had this whole date to win Coy over. Did the other women even suspect the depth of his feelings for Bellamy? He wanted to make plans with her, figure out how to see each other as much as possible, discuss if she was serious about making a life in Denver to be near him. And he had to talk to her as soon as possible about Agnes making him kiss Charlotte for the show. Agnes had been so strict about their time together since she’d almost caught them at Roxy’s house that Coy suspected he wouldn’t see Bellamy again until he met her parents next week. Agnes had even talked about sending Coy home to Denver for a couple of days to do some interviews. She was a tricky woman.
