Page 128 of The Mating Game
And I realize all at once—because of something as simple as Tess taking time out of her day to make sure that I’m okay—that I want her to be that person. I want to let her into all the cracked pieces of my heart, to let her make me whole again, something that I’m starting to think only she can do.
“What the fuck am I doing?” I ask incredulously.
Nate looks confused. “I’m sorry?”
“Sorry,” I offer. “I just…I need to do something. Are we all good here?”
He nods. “Oh yeah. We’ve got everything we need.”
“I really appreciate this,” I tell him. “Seriously. Thank you so much.”
“It was my pleasure,” he says with a smile. He gives me a wink. “Now go get her.”
My mouth gapes. “How did you…?”
“I have my ways,” he says with a shrug. He leans in closer. “Between you and me, Tess’s poker face is shit. And since she sounded as grim as you look right now…it’s not hard to connect the pining dots.”
“I…” I laugh incredulously. “Of course. Thanks again.”
He waves me off. “Go, go. I can see myself out.”
Before he’s even finished speaking, I’m already running through the house, searching for the people I know I’ll need to help me pull off what I have in mind. It’s outside my comfort zone, what I’m planning, and it’s well outside my wheelhouse, but I know deep down it’s something I have to do. And if I don’t…I’ll regret it forever.
I find Thomas, Chase, and Kyle on the back deck, Chase smoking a cigarette as Thomas laughs at something Kyle has just said. Turning my way when I approach, they look at me with wild eyes when they notice how frazzled I must look.
“Hey, man,” Thomas says. “You okay?”
“No,” I say with a laugh. “Not at all.” I can feel myself grinning maniacally despite my words, and I lean in to give them a pleading look. “I really need your help.”
And I do. Need help. If I’m going to pull this off…I’m going to need a fucking lot of it.
31
Tess
“So we’re wantingto get you into our midseason slot,” Heidi is saying. “We had a show that was just canceled for 2026, and we thinkRustic Renovationswill be the perfect replacement.”
I blink back at her, processing. It’s everything I want to hear, but my mind is miles away right now—specifically in Pleasant Hill, Colorado. I can’t help wondering about Hunter’s interview—how he’s doing, if he’s nervous, if he remembered to smile. It’s making this meeting a hell of a lot harder to get excited about than it should be.
“That’s…that’s great,” I manage with a smile. “I’m thrilled to hear it.”
Heidi nods, her mauve-painted lips revealing perfect teeth as she snaps her fingers at her assistant, who scrambles over with a folder. “This is the proposal we’ve put together. It’s mostly standard; it outlines your signing bonus and per-episode pay, as well as the locations and projects we already have lined up for you.”
That makes me sit up. “I don’t get a say in the projects?”
“Unfortunately,” Heidi says with a slight frown, “there’s a lot of legal stuff involved in this sort of thing—insurance waivers and such.Things we have to take care of well in advance. It’s just easier if we pick your projects.” She gives me another reassuring grin. “Don’t worry, we’ve all thoroughly scoured your channel, and we’re more than sure that you’ll approve.”
I flip open the folder, skimming the contents briefly. I know I’ll need my lawyer to look over everything, but currently I’m looking for the one thing that matters most. I release a shuddering breath when I see the signing bonus—thirty grand. More than enough to schedule dad’s operation. Does it even matter that I don’t get to pick my projects with that much on the line?
“This looks great,” I tell her. “I’ll need my lawyer to look over everything before I can sign a contract, of course—”
Heidi nods. “Of course.”
“—but I’m pretty confident that we’ll be agreeing to the terms.”
It’s not like I have any other choice, really.
“That’s so good to hear,” Heidi says, beaming. “We have your first project all lined up—we’ll have you starting in two weeks.”
