Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Because they won’t be going to Ralavia with us. The basic crew is, but services like food would be picked up by a local catering company.
“You’re feeling confident. I like it.” Tonya winks my way.
My mom nods. “Be sure you do come by. I’ll make you a to-go box because I’ve seen the fancy catering for the ceremony. Let’s just say it’ll keep you comfy in that dress.”
“Anika, we need you on set.” Lily holds her clipboard, a grim look on her face.
She’s likely inherited a lot of responsibility she isn’t ready for. I’m not going to make her job harder. “Coming.”
She walks ahead of me into the grand ballroom. I can’t help but look at it and wonder what it was like back in the Gilded Age. Harper’s told me she would love to take a crack at restoring this place.
That would make an interesting show.
Luca is already in the center of the women, his glass of champagne in hand. He’s the picture of masculine elegance in his suit, the blue of the tie bringing out his eyes. That man takes my breath away. I stop and stare at him for a moment. There’s a tightness to his jaw that lets me know he’s not excited about the coming night. He hates disappointing people, and I’m sure he feels crappy about keeping Shelby and letting Ashley F or Riley go.
He’ll tell me all about it tonight.
“Ms. Fox, could I have a word?”
I turn and Hans is standing there. He’s also in a suit, but he’s built on bulky, super-muscular lines so I always think he’s waiting to Hulk out and the suit will rip around him right before he saves Luca from whatever is coming his way. It’s weird because I’ve rarely heard him talk. He’s the silent but deadly type to a T. “Sure. Everything okay?”
One brow rises in a “would I be talking to you if everything was okay” way. “I want to tell you that Luca is a man who makes sacrifices for that which he loves. Don’t forget that.”
“Uh, are you trying to warn me about something?” If he is, he’s being super cryptic.
He frowns and curses under his breath in German. “I’m telling you that sometimes plans don’t work out the way we think that they will. So be ready.”
“Anika!” A sharp bark pulls me away from the dude who’s playing the role of conspiracy theorist number one in the scene I find myself in. It’s Joe and he’s standing with Luca, looking irritated as hell.
So I bet he’s figured out I talked. Well, that was inevitable. I’m surprised he’s still here, but it can take a while to sort things out. It’s why I told Tonya not to worry about Patrick. He’ll be taken care of in the end. I still have a job to do, so I suck it up and walk into the party.
Two hours later, I’m confused but I stand with my fellow contestants as Luca looks us all over.
He’s been weird all night, and Lily’s been glued to his side so even when we were filming our talk together, we weren’t alone. I have to wonder what he’s been through today and if he’s been pulled into talks with the producers over how to handle the Patrick situation. If Jessica wants to move fast, she could up end a lot of Luca’s plans. He might not understand that we can fix almost everything. The crew is solid. They’ll be fine in the hands of the assistant director. But I can understand that it might feel scary for Luca. After all, he’s betting his country’s future on this show.
Hannah is standing to the side with her daisy, and Shelby’s already gotten hers, too. The camera is set for his next selection, and I have no doubt they’re going to play this thing for as much drama as possible so when he calls out Ashley F’s name, I simply nod and smile, happy for her.
Riley sniffles beside me, and I move into the space close to her while Ashley F accepts her daisy and talks about how thrilled she is to be going to Ralavia.
“I’ll miss her so much,” Riley says so quietly I can barely hear her.
She’s talking about Hannah not Ashley. I can see Hannah’s already teared up. This is going to be an emotional night.
“Reset,” Joe orders as everyone takes their places again. He’s been terse and on edge, so I’m sure the man knows what’s coming.
I glance over at Luca, but he’s not looking my way. He’s talking to Hans, who pats his shoulder and says something I can’t hear that has Luca’s jaw tensing again.
This is going to be hard on everyone, but I suspect that it’ll feel bad even though I think all the other women know what’s happening at this point. But we’ve made a little family, and it hurts to let anyone go.