Page 13 of You're The One
“Dominic,” she greets, cheerful as ever.
“Hey,” I say, clipped.
“Oh no, what’s wrong? Wait, aren’t you supposed to be filming?” she asks.
“Giving up already?” Logan adds.
I get straight to the point. “Did you know Mia was going to be here?”
A collective “Huh,” comes through the speaker—Hannah’s confused, Logan’s alarmed.
“Your sister,” I clarify. “She’s here. On the show. One of the women I’m supposed to date. Did you know?”
There’s some shuffling, and when Logan speaks again, it’s off speakerphone. “No, I didn’t know. I can’t say I’m shocked though… sounds like something she’d do.”
“Try to date me?”
“No, idiot. Sign up for another wild experience. Get a free vacation. Shirk actual adult responsibilities for a bit longer.”
I clear my throat. “Yeah.”
“So, what’re you gonna do?”
I pace the short width of the trailer. “You’re not gonna demand I send her home?”
There’s a beat of silence. I picture him shrugging. “I know you were serious about this whole thing. If having her there screws with that, maybe it’s for the best. But… would it?”
Well, this is taking a turn I didn’t expect. Logan actuallywantsher to stay? Why the hell does he want that? He’s seen the show. It’s not the kind of environment you’d want your younger sister in. I know I wouldn’t, if I had one.
“You’re asking if I’ll actually date her?”
“Hell no,” he blurts. “But you wouldn’t want to, right? I mean, she’s almost a decade younger than you, and she’s… Mia.”
“Nope,” I say a tad too quickly.
“So then, what’s the harm?”
“I just didn’t expect you to be so… cool about it. Figured you’d have her on the next flight home.”
Another pause. This one heavier. “She’s had a rough stretch lately. Maybe a break will be good for her. But I get this is your shot at something real. So, if you need to send her home, that’s also okay.”
A rough stretch? Since when?
Ninety percent of the time, Logan talks about Mia like she’s a coddled princess, a spoiled brat with their parents wrapped around her finger. He says it lovingly, of course. And he enables her, too. I’ve seen him Venmo her money more times than I can count when she’s off… doing whatever it is she does. Vacations. Random odd jobs. Crashing with friends. Visiting family.
According to him, she’s always on the move. One of those people who can’t sit still long enough to put down roots, let alone commit. Not exactly the prime candidate for a dating show. Even if I weren’t the bachelor.
So why the hell did she sign up?
And again, whatrough stretch? Her life sounds pretty cushy to me.Twoparents who love and support her. The freedom to do whatever she wants. No job tying her down. I love playing hockey, don’t get me wrong, but that? That sounds pretty nice.
Something doesn’t add up. There’s got to be a piece I’m missing. I’ve never noticed anything off about her, other than her attitude. Granted, before this summer, I’d only seen her a couple of times a year since Lo joined the team.
“Is there something I should know? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine.” He doesn’t sound convincing. Great. Just what I need, a reason to worry about her.
“Can you give me more than that…”
