He shakes his head and turns back to the door. I can’t help it. I find myself funny. Others may not but I can’t change who I am. Wilhelm reminds me what time the car will be at my house and tells me to have a safe flight.
I look down at the contract and focus on the word—Aruba. Fuck yes, surf, sand, and beach here I come!
3
Allison
Aruba is absolutely gorgeous. For a second, I forgot the real reason why I’m in the tropical paradise in the first place. As soon as I arrived at the hotel, I was reminded when my sister met me in the lobby, all giddy about the show starting tonight. She looked cute with her dark hair pulled high in a ponytail and dressed in a white sundress. I got to see several of the other female contestants, but I haven’t had the chance to speak to any of them yet. I’m sure I’ll get to tonight. Apparently, the men are set to show up later in the day so there’s no chance of running into them. Great. Can you sense my sarcasm? There’s going to be a lot of that going on.
Sitting out on the balcony of my room, I stare at the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean. I’ve already read through the agenda on what’s going to happen tonight. After hair and makeup, we pick our eggs, step up on stage, hide our eggs after we’re introduced to the world, and then hide away and wait for the men to find them. Once that’s done, we get to meet the men. Talk about awkward. What the hell am I going to say? Thanks for picking my egg? Who knows, I’ll probably end up freezing and looking like an idiot. That’ll be my luck.
The wind whips by and it blows my hair all over the place. It makes me wonder how they’re going to do all of the women’s hair so it’s not flying around our faces during tonight’s egg hunt.
Groaning, I lean my forehead on the balcony railing. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
A knock sounds on my hotel room door and I already know who it’s going to be. When it comes to the room though, I can’t complain. I’ve been put up in a spacious suite with a king-sized bed, separate living room, and a small kitchen. I stop at the door and peek through the peephole at my sister, bouncing excitedly on her feet and still wearing the same white sundress I saw her in earlier. Seeing her makes me smile, especially since this whole show is her idea and it’s about to be aired all across the country. I’m proud of her. I’d be even prouder if she hadn’t wrangled me into being on it.
I open the door and she squeals as she runs past me into the room. “Isn’t this exciting?”
“Oh yeah,” I grumble, shutting the door.
Erin crosses her arms over her chest, glaring at me halfheartedly. She knows I’m not mad. “Oh, come on, sis. It’ll be fun.”
I laugh. “If you say so. My stomach is in knots right now.” Being on live TV is nerve-wracking.
Smiling, Erin places her hands on my shoulders. “You’ve got this, Allie. You’re going to be the most beautiful contestant on the show tonight. Everybody in the country is going to want to know who you are.”
I stare at her as if she’s lost her mind. “You give me way too much credit. Nobody’s going to care who I am.”
She waves me off. “Just you wait. I might have a star for a sister when this is all over.” Stepping back, she peers down at my black gym shorts and pink tank top. “Now let’s get you to hair and makeup. The dress we have you wearing tonight is gorgeous.”
One thing about this trip is that I didn’t have to pack much. The show’s providing all of our essential outfits. It’s a good thing because all of my clothes at home are business type attire to wear to the pharmacy and yoga pants to lounge in when I’m not at work. They’re not exactly the kind of clothes you want to wear to the beach to meet new men. Then again, maybe that’s what I need right now. If I can deter Mr. Bachelor away from me, maybe the show will let me go home. The viewers aren’t going to want to watch the disaster that is about to be mine and the bachelor’s relationship.
Erin takes my hand and pulls me to the door. I grab one of the room key cards off the kitchen counter in passing. “The guys arrived not too long ago,” she explains as we head out of the door. “Right now, I’m taking you to the meeting room where all the other female contestants will be. Once all of you are ready, you’ll be given your egg.” We stop at the elevator and her grin widens. “The eggs are so cute. They’re not real though. The ones we have are much larger and painted all sorts of colors with different designs.”