Page 45 of The Love Dare
Winnie’s heart skips a beat.
Romeo & Juliet.
She’d recognize that line anywhere. It’s a sign. It has to be.
Lenora looks up. She scans the room. Her gaze passes right over Winnie and lands on?—
“Victoria, meet me at Descanso Gardens. Let’s see if love blooms. Tyler.”
Shrieks erupt. A gaggle of women surround Victoria and sweep her up the stairs to get ready. Winnie stays exactly where she is, frozen with shock.
He didn’t write it.He would never be so cruel.
Would he?
She shakes her head, banishing the silly, self-conscious thought. Of course he wouldn’t do that. It’s Tyler. He’s one of the kindest people she’s ever known. He would never do that to her. This has the producers’ names written all over it—one in particular.
Anglerfish, Winnie thinks, remembering Sam’s warning.Nina wants drama. She wants a reaction. She’ll do anything to get it.
They would have heard what he whispered to her last night. They’re using it against her, and she’s feeding right into their hands, standing here like a sullen teenager who wasn’t invited to the party.
Don’t give them the satisfaction.
“Coffee?” she asks, turning to her friends a bit too brightly. But they don’t mention it as they return to their breakfasts over by the window.
Three hours later, another envelope arrives.
Another name gets called.
Winnie plays it cooler this time, clapping along with everyone else, plastering a smile to her lips.They’re doing this on purpose, she reasons.Saving me for last, making me sweat it out. Maybe Tyler wanted to meet me at night. It’s more romantic that way.
The excuses grow stale when the third and final mini-date envelope arrives and her name still isn’t called. The knots tightening her stomach keep her awake that night, not at all eased the following morning when fifteen more names get called for the group date, leaving Winnie and one other girl the only two not chosen for a single date all week. The hours pass extremely slowly with no phone, no television, no books, and no friends. Victoria and her posse ice Winnie out, so she spends most of the afternoon lying out by the pool…spiraling. It’s a relief when Harper and Charlotte finally return with the first batch of women. Apparently, the date was some dance challenge that they all failed. Charlotte collapses on the sofa the second she steps inside, face buried in her hands. When Winnie asks what’s wrong, Harper struggles to keep in a laugh while the other girl moans from behind her palms.
“He’s the meanest person I’ve ever met.”
Winnie glances at Harper in disbelief and mouths, “Tyler?”
“No.” Harper snorts. “The dance instructor. He was one of those guys fromCelebrity Ballroom. Vlad something-or-other.”
“Vladimir Demidov,” Charlotte practically growls. It’s the meanest Winnie has heard her sound, though that’s not saying much. She’s like a frustrated Care Bear.
“He made her cry.”
Charlotte drops her arms, aghast. “I didnotcry.”
“You definitely cried.”
“Maybe a little.”
Winnie grabs onto the distraction and demands the complete story. The three of them retreat to their room upstairs and entertain each other for the rest of the night. Cynthia joins them the second she gets back. It’s like the middle school sleepovers she never got to have, lying around in pajamas playing silly games, eating candy, sharing secrets—only it’s better, because there’s also champagne. Production supplies alcohol in a never-ending loop, probably to make them all act ridiculous for the cameras, which they probably do, but it’s fun also. She can’t remember having this much fun since she first went to NYU and met Sam.
They spend the entire next morning getting ready for the puzzle ceremony that afternoon. Winnie opts for a clingy evergreen gown with a high neck and a cutout down the length of her spine. Cynthia pulls them all into a dramatic rendition of the immortal pop hit “What Makes You Beautiful”by One Direction while Harper helps sweep her hair into a dramatic bun. Charlotte does her makeup, crafting a charcoal-and-emerald smoky eye Winnie will never be able to replicate no matter how hard she tries. She’s desperate to make an impression. All she wants is ten minutes to ask Tyler what he meant, why he said what he said, then did what he did, and if she even has a chance.
Keith enters the room first.
A sinking feeling twists her insides as he launches into a speech about difficult choices and growing connections. By the end of his diatribe, he’s ushering them into the room with the bleachers. They’re skipping the cocktail party. Apparently, Tyler knows exactly what decision he wants to make and he doesn’t want to bother with more conversation, which is so like him she would grin, if not for the foreboding sense of doom gathering in her heart.
She stands for the second time with all the women while the producers set up the room, angling the cameras just right,arranging the puzzle pieces, preparing a tray of champagne for the victors. Gravel crunches outside the windows, a reminder of the fate awaiting five of the girls. By the time Tyler enters, Winnie is fully prepared to say her goodbyes.
