Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Ethan is going to find this all so funny. He’s going to have never-ending jokes about me crushing on someone with the name Leo.
At least someone is going to enjoy this.
CHAPTER 9
LEO
A camera appears in my face as I’m walking toward the shower facility. “Why are you intent on keeping Quinn?”
“What kind of dumbass question is that? Have you seen her?”
“Can you repeat that but without the curse word?”
I start to tell the guy off, but then a thought pops into my head. “If I curse, you can’t use the footage?”
“We can, but it’s harder, and if you’re not a fan favorite, we’ll just edit you out completely.” The camera guy acts as if this is a threat.
A smile breaks across my face. “Thanks, man. I’ll fucking remember that.”
I wink and then duck into the building with the stall showers. Emile and Ryan are occupying two of the booths. The shower doors cover them from their mid-chest to mid-thigh, which means…
“Yes, there are cameras here, if that’s what you’re looking for,” Emile calls out as I’m scanning the corners of the room. “The only place there aren’t is in the gentleman’s lounge.”
“Are you talking about the shitter?”
Outside, someone pounds on the door. “Don’t curse!”
Emile and I share a grin while Ryan rolls his eyes. “Why are you even on the show if you don’t want to be filmed?” he asks. “And don’t swear while we’re together. I need my screen time.”
“They can’t hear well over the water, so they’ll probably use subtitles if this footage is even aired,” suggests Emile.
“How do you know?”
“This is my third dating show. I was on an Italian one and then another in Great Britain.”
To say I’m shocked is an understatement. Emile chuckles. “It’s fun. You get to meet lovely ladies in high tension settings, and sometimes a few of them are willing to engage in certain activities on camera, and off, that you wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to do.”
“He needs the money,” Ryan scoffs. “I read up on you, and you can’t afford to keep your winery running due to some bad weather or bugs or something.”
Emile’s friendly smile drops away. “I’m surprised someone like you has the capacity to read, let alone remember anything from years ago.”
“Fuck you, I’m smart enough. Just because I didn’t get the riddle right doesn’t mean jackshit.” Ryan jerks his towel off the door and swiftly dries off, leaving the shower station with a bang.
“He’s right. I’m here for the money,” Emile admits. “I’m going to figure out who has the most and woo them.”
I duck under the hot spray. Let’s hope Quinn is broke. Once I’m clean, I go out in search of food and Quinn, not necessarily in that order. I find them both in the makeshift cafeteria where cooking takes place in a wood-fired stove and a giant cauldron set in a courtyard. There is a variety of raw vegetables and a platter full of seafood. Serena spots me and waves me over to join her and Quinn, who are bent over a pile of greens.
My stomach rumbles. “What’s for dinner?”
“Seafood gumbo. Anna is making it.” Serena points toward a blonde whose sharp bob looks like it was cut with a knife. Quinn doesn’t even glance at me.
“What can I do? I can’t cook, but I can chop stuff.” I grab a knife from a wood block and await instructions.
“Why don’t you devein the shrimp?”
I heft the big knife in my hand. “I will if someone explains how to do it.”
Serena bumps Quinn in the hip. “Quinn’ll do it, won’t you, Quinn?”
“Let me help you, Leo,” sings a new voice. The woman with dark hair reaches for my hand. “Come with me.”
Suddenly, a knife appears between us. The new woman jumps back. “Gosh, Quinn, do we really need to resort to violence? I’m sure there’s some prohibition against that.”
“You can’t use a chef’s knife to devein shrimp. You need a small one,” Quinn says. She plucks the big blade from my hand and replaces it.
Usually it’s the damsel in distress, but I see the advantages of this. I play dumb, and Quinn has to stick with me. “I’ve never used a knife in my life. I’m a tech guy, remember? I can cook up some code but don’t know the first thing about food.” It’s not really a lie. I’ve lived on takeout for most of my life.
“You looked like you could wrestle a bear out there on the obstacle course.” The new woman cocks her hip out. “A little shrimp is nothing for you.”
“Two different skill sets,” I reply. “Good thing I have Quinn here.” I grab her hand and drag her next to me. Behind us, I hear Serena snicker.
“Give it up, Pen. I don’t think an earthquake is going to shake Leo from Quinn’s side. Let’s see who else is available. The vet is tasty, don’t you think?”