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Eli gives me the specific smile like he makes when he’s done something impulsive, but he’s not upset about it. “Yes?” He loops his arms around my hips. “Listen, I have to move out of the staff apartments anyway, and you don’thaveto live there with me. Promise.”

He kisses the tip of my nose, then his expression grows a little more serious as he says, gently, “But you’re going to have to make a decision about Stu’s offer at some point, and if you—we—stay here, wouldn’t it be nice to be someplace that’s ours?”

I worry my lip. “Yeah. I do. But I told him the same thing I told you back when I didn’t want to make a decision—I just need to wait until the show’s over.”

“Isn’t that happening today?”

My stomach does a little flip. He knows full well it’s happening today. “No! I thought I’d get up at four for fun,” I say, hip checking him out of the way.

But I quickly grow serious. “I’m just…still not done thinking about it.” I rest my palms on the counter. Even though things have been incredible since I started singing again, they’ve been terrifying too. My singing makes me so, so happy. But it’s also invited so much ugliness.

Eli knows this; we’ve discussed it at length, but he’s unendingly patient when he says, “Haters gonna hate, baby.”

I drop my head, laughing. He’s reminded me of this more eloquently already—that the more exposure I get, the more feedback I’m going to get from people, good and bad.

“Okay, I need to get dressed before you distract me into staying. I can’t be late today.”

Eli winks and leaves me to it, heading for the kitchen.

Today’s the last day of filming, and I’m surprisingly emotional about it. Augusta already won the contest, so it kind of feels half over already, but today’s the big closing day. All the contestants have been flown back and are staying at the hotel, and Neil’s going to do his customary goodbye speech.

Not that I want to hear it. Eli told me about the day he came to set finding him all over Augusta, and I haven’t been able to look him in the eye or laugh at his jokes since, even though he did make sure the Simon footage got destroyed. At least Kelly’s started coming back to set, though she looks like she hardly wants to see him either.

I think everyone just wants to get through this last day in one piece.

“What are you going to do today, man of leisure?” I ask once I get to the kitchen.

“Vacuum your apartment in my underwear, obviously. Maybe sprinkle some rose petals on the bed for later.” He winks, handing me a mug of coffee. “Actually I’m going into the office for a bit, after I go for a run with our lazy friend.” He points his chin to Rufus through the bedroom door, still sprawled at the end of the bed. “Then I’m going to check out how the new floors are coming along at the Waterfront.”

Eli’s sister came back to him and asked if he’d stay on at the hotel for another few weeks until they found a replacement for him, which of course he’d planned from the beginning, so he accepted. But he’s started getting more involved in some of his investment properties.

And buying houses.

“Okay, well don’t forget you’re supposed to be making something for Thanksgiving at your sister’s later this week.”

“I definitely didn’t forget,” Eli says as he abruptly turns around, grabbing a pen from my cup filled with them by the fridge.

“Are you writing that down on your hand?”

“No. But don’t look at my hand after.”

I laugh and am pulling on my boots when my phone buzzes. I’d ignore it except Eli’s goes off too. It’s a group text.

CASS: Crisis Meeting at L’Aubergine in 15 minutes. Need you both there.

“Shit,” Eli says. “Guess we’re going in to work together?”

It’s still dark out when we enter the Rolling Hills hotel, but the lights are on in the main dining area of L’Aubergine, and there are crew members bustling about everywhere. We’ve shut down the restaurant for the day so the crew can dismantle and remove all the set pieces for the last time. And so we can hold the wrap party tonight.

But it’s not the crew members I’m focusing on. It’s Cass, lifting her hand up to wave us over to the table she’s sitting at.

With Augusta Lopez and Kelly.

“What the hell?” Eli says under his breath.

We approach the table and Cass nods, curtly. “Take a seat. Thanks for coming so quickly.”

“I was on my way anyway,” I say.