Throwing my hand in the air, I wave as I jet for the door. The TV station isn’t far away so it only takes me ten minutes to get there. When I walk in, Erin is at the front desk waiting for me. For sisters, we look nothing alike. I take after our mother and Erin looks exactly like our father with his brown eyes and dark brown hair.
She opens her arms and hugs me excitedly. “Yay, you’re here. Let’s go to my office.”
I love that she’s so happy, but it’s got me curious. “What’s going on? I want in on the news that you apparently told Rachel before me.”
We get to her office and she shuts the door behind me. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I was on the phone with her when I got the news. Everything’s just happened so fast.” She motions to the two chairs in front of her desk and I sit down. Her excitement has me aching to know.
“Tell me,” I say quickly. “I have to know.”
Erin sits down behind her desk and blows out a sigh. “Remember a couple months ago when I told you I had a great idea for a reality TV dating show?”
I was liking where this was going. A big smile spreads across my face. “Yeah. Your boss wanted something holiday related.”
She beams. “Exactly. And he didn’t want the usual Christmas or Valentine’s Day crap. That’s what everyone else pitched to him. But do you want to know what I came up with?”
I’m literally on the edge of my seat. If there’s one thing I love about my sister, it’s that she’s super creative. “What?”
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slow. “You are looking at the newest producer of an Easter holiday special called A Date for the Hunt. We’re going to have ten single men and ten single women. All will be headed to Aruba in two weeks to have the biggest Easter egg hunt of their lives.”
Mouth gaping, I’m impressed but also intrigued. Nothing like that has ever been on TV before. “I think that’s amazing,” I tell her. “What all do you have planned?”
Her face lights up even more. “For starters, everyone will arrive in Aruba, including myself. I get to oversee the entire production. Jason gets to come with me too. It’ll be a two-week vacation.”
I laugh. “The perks of being a TV producer.”
She rolls her eyes. “Hey, I work my ass off. I deserve to go. Anyway, back to the show. Everything will be televised. Once everyone is settled, the women will be given an egg. On Easter night, they will hide those eggs at the resort, then the men will go out and search for them. None of the men or women have seen each other so at the big reveal, it’ll be a surprise.”
“And let me guess,” I cut in, “the man who finds a certain woman’s egg will be paired with each other?”
Erin nods and claps her hands. “You got it. For two weeks, they will do everything together. Excursions, snorkeling, lounging on the beach. You name it. This is totally different from The Bachelor.”
Yes, it is, and very unique. “This is awesome, Erin. You really hit it out of the park with this one. I’m proud of you. But what happens if the guy and girl don’t get along?”
Her eyes twinkle. “Don’t worry, we have a few tricks up our sleeves. We’re anticipating that.”
“How are you picking the participants? The show starts in two weeks.”
She sighs. “I know. I didn’t realize this was going to happen so fast. A lot of my co-workers here have family and friends who are interested so we’re picking from them. None of them will know until the day before they’re set to leave. They all have to be between twenty-five and thirty-four-years-old, single, and never been married.”
“Wow. Such short notice. I’m sure you won’t have a problem filling the spots though. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to Aruba?”
Her smile broadens. “Thanks, sis. I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Have you told Mom and Dad?” I ask.
Sheepishly, she bit her lip. “Yeah.”
I purse my lips. “And you tell me last. I get it. I’m not as important to you now that you’re big time and I’m just a small-town pharmacist.” Belmont, North Carolina, used to be a small town, but it’s constantly growing every year. Especially with it being next door to Charlotte which is one of the biggest cities in the state. I like to think it’s still small.
Erin rolls her eyes. “A small-town pharmacist who’s not only smart as hell, but gorgeous with a hot body. Any man would love to date you.”
“Thanks. If only I had the time.”
She bit her lip again. “Actually, you do.”
I snort. “Yeah, right. Have you not seen how much I work?”