As if suddenly remembering that we’re not alone on this date, he reluctantly pulls away to give Brad a chance to greet me. My friend wraps me in a warm hug, and I’m grateful that he’s here to help make this difficult date easier.
Marcus hurries to pull out my chair as we get seated. Delicious-looking entrées are delivered, but my mood is too heavy to allow me to do anything more than pick at the food.
“I wish I could have gone on this week’s group date,” Marcus says. “The other men were talking about it, and it sounded like it was a lot of fun.”
“It was,” I tell him.
“But this is much better. I have you almost to myself tonight.” He gives my upper arm a squeeze while sending an indulgent smile in Brad’s direction. Marcus appears confident he’ll survive the date, but there’s an undercurrent of tension in his words.
“Almost,” Brad agrees, returning the other man’s smile. “Olivia, you should try the fish. The sauce is delicious.”
I manage a few bites, along with several sips of wine. Ever attentive, when Marcus notices that my glass is in need of a refill, he jumps into action.
“Have I told you there’s a winery in my hometown?” Marcus asks as he pours from the bottle. I shake my head. “It has some great varieties. Maybe I’ll take you there during our hometown date.”
After another fortifying sip from my refilled glass, I turn my full focus to Marcus. “If I visit your hometown, will I get to meet Jessica?”
The smooth communicator is, for once, at a loss for words. His face contorts in a way that makes him almost unrecognizable.
I continue, my voice even. “I’d want to meet all of the important people in your life, so surely I’d get to meet your girlfriend?” He starts to object, his words spluttering and incoherent, but I interrupt. “Don’t bother with more lies.”
The information Brad gave me the other night seemed solid, but Marcus’s deer-in-the-headlights response is proof positive of his guilt.
“Why did you come on this show?”
Gradually, his expression changes from one of surprise and feigned innocence, to ice-cold cockiness. With a careless shrug, he says, “It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. The show looked easy to win. And damn it, it was smooth sailing until now.”
Marcus turns narrowed eyes on Brad, who probably should have employed his acting skills and at least tried to look surprised by the situation. As it is, he’s sitting there with a satisfied grin spread across his face. “Are you the rat?” Marcus asks, pointing a finger at Brad. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.”
Abruptly, Marcus stands, and when he pulls back an arm, his hand balling into a fist, two men from the crew are on him in a flash, preventing a potential fight.
I’m standing now too, and I glare at Marcus. “What was the point? There’s no prize money. Was your only goal just to toy with me? To prove you could deceive me?”
He shrugs as best he can while being restrained. “Yeah. Sure.”
“And what about your girlfriend? What does Jessica think about this?”
Marcus laughs, the sound of it completely foreign to my ears. “She’s probably getting a kick out of watching me. She knows none of it’s real.”
I manage two more words – “Get out!” – before I break down.
As I slump in the chair, Brad slides over to comfort me and Natalie makes her way to the table, full of excitement. “What a great scene! Viewers are going to love it. Ratings are going to be stellar!”
The look I send her way dampens her expression. “I know ratings are the only goal for you, but this is my life. I thought I might have a future with Marcus. Did you know he had a girlfriend?”
Natalie shakes her head and sounds sincere when she says, “We screen the men the best we can, but if they want to hide something like that, unfortunately, it’s pretty easy to do so. If anyone saw mention of his girlfriend on social media, he could’ve easily said she was his ex.”
Her explanation takes some of the fire out of my anger.
“If there’s anyone watching who wasn’t already cheering for you, they will be now,” Natalie says.
At the moment, I couldn’t care less what viewers might think. I should have been a better judge of character. First Johnny, now Marcus. How many other men are going to reveal themselves to be frauds? And what if I don’t find out about them until it’s too late?
“When you’re ready, we’ll need you to finish out your date with Brad.”
I nod. “I need a moment first.”
Natalie nods back before fading into the darkness beyond the lights.
“Is there anybody else, Brad? Who else should I send home? I’m so tired of this.”