Page 52 of Rule 2: Never Join a Christmas Dating Show

Maybe he doesn’t like me spending time with his coach or something. I spent the bus ride with Oskar. I’ll see Luke soon enough on the show.

Tonight is the first group date. He’ll be doing activities with three women, then taking the two other women on a romantic date later on. He’ll no longer be flitting around the townhouse, going from woman to woman like some overgrown bee, making sure they’re all happy, making sure I’m happy...

Did Ella see how long he was in the floral crown closet with me? Is this about that? Did she see him duck out and come back with a plate of food for me, when he could have been doing that for any of the women? God, I should have handled my blood sugar better. I shouldn’t be astonished to be in the presence of a handsome man. LA is swarming with them, and I’ve been acting like a country bumpkin from Kansas on my first day in the big city. I’m pretty sure even they don’t have wobbly legs and unsteady eyes that inspire men to get them food.

Ella is already flitting around the room, making sure everything is ready for the group date. I follow her slowly.

“Do you want me to interview some of the contestants?”

“Would you?” She beams. “You can talk to Willow. Make sure she doesn’t talk about medical things. People on the forums are commenting. It’s not supposed to be that obvious that these women weren’t chosen for Luke.”

“Of course.”

I find Willow and lead her to the interview room. If this show doesn’t do well, if my performance isn’t on point, this might be the last time I’m the host.

And I can’t have that happen.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Luke

Something is off with Sebastian. His smile is bright, his eyes kind, but whenever he sees me he skitters away, consulting with the cameramen, the producers, even the social media manager.

I frown.

“So Luke...” Flora begins. “When did you first learn how to skate?”

Right.

Skating.

I’m on a group date. I try to smile at Flora, but I’m pretty sure it comes off wobbly or something, because her forehead creases.

Willow and Dahlia appear similarly flummoxed.

“I can’t remember not knowing how to skate,” I admit. “My dad used to take me and my brothers out to a frozen pond near our house. We did swing sets in the summer, ice skates in the winter.”

“Wow, that’s amazing,” Flora says, and I nod, even though I’m pretty sure there’s nothing particularly amazing about the story.

It’s the fourth time we’ve filmed this conversation.

Something isn’t going right. My gaze tries to find Sebastian, but now I can’t find him at all. I glance at the staff.

Ella, the producer, looks less bubbly and effervescent than before.

“When did you decide you wanted to become a professional skater?” Dahlia asks, pulling my attention from a blank-faced blond in the distance.

“Well, I think it’s good to do what you’re good at and what you’re interested in,” I say. “If I was interested in teeth, maybe I would have become a dentist.”

“Cool.”

We’re outside, and the sky is a bright blue that made all the cameramen and producers cheer until they witnessed my wooden conversation.

“Not, um, that teeth aren’t interesting,” I say hastily. “They’re probably fascinating. If you’re into that sort of thing.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m into them,” Dahlia says, her forehead creasing in the same manner as Flora.

“A lot of hockey players lose their teeth,” I say.