Adventure to Love (20 page)

She eyed Harper and Brinkley. She didn’t know what to do. Just a few hours before, she was more than ready to give up. But now that she’d had some water, washed her disgusting feet, and had a semi-decent meal, it didn’t make sense to throw in the towel and go home. Not when she was so close to the end.

What the end was, she had no idea. She knew that she’d seen something real in Ky on their one-on-one date. But since then, they’d hardly connected. Sure, they’d been together 24/7, and Ky had definitely seen her at her worst, on the brink of losing her mind after hiking for miles without any food or water.

She couldn’t put her finger on it. She didn’t know if Ky was necessarily the man of her dreams, but it seemed like something was there. And she was never one to give up without a fight, whether it was a promotion, her place in line at Starbucks, or the last dress on the rack at a 6 AM Black Friday sale. She had to have the last word.

So, she’d see it through to the bitter end. Even if she didn’t end up being compatible with Ky, she had to stick it out and find out what the competition was really all about. And what had she told herself just hours before when she thought she was on the verge of death in the jungle?

That’s right.
She’d promised herself that she’d accept a date with the next available guy she met. Well, he was looking right at her. Granted, Ky wasn’t what she’d call
available
since she was still competing with two other women, but she had to give it a shot. Otherwise, what had she been doing for the past two days in the jungle? Sticking it out would make this whole crazy situation make at least a little bit of sense.

“Who’s going first?” She rubbed her grimy palms together.

Ky inclined his head at each of them in turn. “I was thinking I would start with Harper, and then Brinkley, and then save you for last, Morgan. How does that sound?”

Morgan didn’t have the energy to protest. Besides, it was probably a good sign that he was saving her for last. She wasn’t going to bank on the whole “save the best for last” cliché, but it did seem encouraging that her conversation with Ky would be the last one on his mind when he decided who to cut.

She sat back on the log and rubbed her stomach. The meager food hadn’t done much to keep her stomach from growling. She wondered where on earth they were going to get their next meal. It had taken them over two hours to find the river, fish, gather the leaves, and bring everything back to cook on the fire.

If every meal was going to be a two-hour ordeal, they should start hunting again for their next meal right away. She explained her theory to Brinkley, who sat on the log next to her.

“So what do you think? Do you have any good ideas about how we can gather more food for our next meal? I don’t want to let it go too long again. I don’t think I can survive another two days without food.”

Brinkley nodded, her head dipping up and down in slow motion like an old-school drinking bird paperweight. But she didn’t say a word.

Morgan peered at her closer. Was it her imagination, or did Brinkley’s skin look ashy and pale? A sheen of sweat glistened on Brinkley’s upper lip. She looked down and saw that Brinkley’s hands were shaking.

“Brinkley, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Did you get enough to eat and drink?” She put the back of her hand to Brinkley’s clammy forehead.

Brinkley laughed a self-conscious, forced giggle. “Oh, this isn’t a big deal at all. I’m just feeling kind of faint and a little shaky, but it’s probably because we hadn’t eaten in so long. I just need to digest and rest, and I’ll be as good as new. And . . .” She paused and tugged at her lip.

“I’m kind of nervous about this one-on-one talk. Like, what’s he going to ask us? How’s he going to make his decision?”

Ah, now it all made sense
. Brinkley was having some kind of anxiety attack because she was worried about being cut from the competition this late in the game. Once she was assured that Brinkley was just nervous and wasn’t suffering from some kind of hypoglycemic episode miles away from medical attention, Morgan laughed.

“Hey, don’t let nerves get the best of you now. Like you said, this really isn’t a big deal. Besides, haven’t you and Ky been spending every waking moment together the past few days? If anyone shouldn’t worry about being sent home, it’s you.”

Brinkley opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Harper’s nasal whine. “Brinkley, you’re up!”

Harper plopped down on the log next to her, even though there were at least four other empty logs surrounding the campfire. She let out a long, slow groan. “God, I’d kill for a cigarette right now.”

Morgan ignored her comment. While a cigarette might have been nice to calm her nerves, she’d much rather have a decent meal, a sandwich, a piece of bread, anything to get her strength back up.
Seriously, what was this girl thinking?

She cleared her throat. “So, how did the one-on-one go? What kind of questions did he ask?”

Harper gave her a sideways glance. “Like I’m going to tell you what we talked about. We’re in a
competition
, remember? That’s what everyone here seems to forget because you all want to sit around and sing ‘Kumbaya’ by the campfire.”

Morgan pressed her lips together in an attempt not to tell Harper what she was really thinking. She hadn’t really expected Harper to give her the inside scoop on the conversation, but once again, Harper didn’t have to be such a bitch about it. But it wasn’t the time to start a catfight right before her one-on-one with Ky.

Harper continued, as if talking to herself. “But, I’m sure I totally blew it anyway. I was the one who tried to ditch everyone in the jungle, and I don’t think Ky’s going to overlook that one. He kept asking me how I was holding up and if I thought I could make it another few days in these conditions.”

Harper stretched out her legs in front of her. “So, I told him the truth. I fucking hate it here, and if we don’t get back to the resort soon, I’m going to figure out some other way to get home. Breast implants, or no breast implants.”

Breast implants?
Morgan had no clue what Harper was talking about. “Did you say that to him verbatim?”

“Yes, I just told you that, obvy. I told him that even if I didn’t win the competition and get my breast implants, I wasn’t willing to spend another night at this shitty campsite without a hot shower, or at least some decent champagne. He didn’t seem too happy about it, but I have to be honest, right?”

Harper ran her fingers through her short, stringy hair.

“Oh, and I need to get home and get my extensions fixed like yesterday. Avondre is going to kick my ass if I ruin $1200 actual human hair extensions that he custom dyed caramel honey brown to match my natural hair color.”

Morgan doubted it was natural, but she wasn’t going to argue. “So, you’re planning on getting breast implants after you win the competition?”

“God, Morgan, aren’t you listening? That’s what I just said. When I win the competition, I’m going to use all the money that I make from the publicity and commercials and sponsorships and get a new rack. Then I’ll finally get called back on casting calls because I’ll look like a legit starlet and not like a prepubescent boy. I know it’s probably hard to tell, but that’s really my only flaw. My chest is a little . . . smaller than it should be.”

“Yes . . .” Morgan said slowly. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, especially given the fact that Harper was convinced that her small chest was her only major issue.

Harper looked back at her anxiously. She tugged at her low-cut top and adjusted her push-up bra to make her cleavage more visible. “So you noticed? You think I need implants? I tried to ask Ky about it because his dad is a plastic surgeon in LA, but he said that he didn’t want to mix business with pleasure.” She rolled her eyes. “Whatever that means.”

Now it all made sense.
Morgan had suspected Harper had some shady ulterior motives, but winning the competition to get breast implants took the cake. It made even more sense when she connected the dots and remembered that Ky’s father was a famous plastic surgeon.

Harper had probably assumed that they would fall in love, she’d be skyrocketed into instant fame, and she’d get a free set of boobs as an engagement gift from her new father-in-law. Once she understood the inner workings of the mind of Harper, she actually felt sorry for her.

At least
she
was there for a reason. She wanted to give it a shot to see if there was any compatibility between her and Ky, and she was willing to almost die in the wilderness to do it. But Harper had been stranded without any food and water for the past week, just to go up a cup size. It was almost comical.

Morgan smiled to herself.

Harper snapped back, “God, Morgan, you don’t have to be such a bitch about it. So what if I wasn’t born well endowed? Hardly anyone in Hollywood has real tits, you know that, right? I just need a little cosmetic enhancement, and my career will be on track. That’s what God invented plastic surgery for.”

Harper flipped a greasy strand of hair over her shoulder with a smug smile on her face.

Ky and Brinkley approached the campfire. Ky had his arm around Brinkley, and she looked like she’d been crying.
Great.
They’d probably had a beautiful heart-to-heart that had brought Brinkley to tears and had solidified her top spot in the competition.

Oh well, here goes nothing.
Morgan stood on shaky legs and wiped the sweat from her palms onto her cut-off shorts. That was a mistake. Her shorts were covered in layers of dirt from two days spent in the jungle. The sweat from her palms mixed with the dirt so that her hands were streaked with mud.

She sighed.
What else could go wrong?
She gave Ky a weak smile and placed her muddy palm in his outstretched hand. Ky escorted her several yards away to a small clearing behind the barn.

They sat down together on a large, flat rock. They were out of view of the campfire, giving them some much-needed privacy at last. Not counting the cameramen crouched on the grass a few feet away, documenting their entire conversation.

She smiled bravely. “So, where do we begin?”

She always tried to take charge whenever she was nervous. She knew it was an annoying habit, but she couldn’t seem to break it. It made her sound more like a study hall teacher than a potential mate.

She took a deep breath.
Calm down, calm down, calm down,
she told herself. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Just a normal conversation with someone she’d known for a few weeks. She tried not to think about the fact that anything she said could and would have the potential to send her home this late in the game.

Ky grinned as he turned his profile to face the cameras. He put his arm around her and said, “I just wanted to find out more about how you’re feeling out here. I know it’s not the most conventional of circumstances, but I hope your heart is still in the competition. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you, and I’m still taking this very seriously to find-”

She recited the familiar lines in her head along with him.

“
My best friend and my soul mate.
”

You had to hand it to him. At least Ky knew how to stick to his script or prepared speech or whatever mantra it was he kept reciting again and again every time they had a one-on-one date.

“You know,” she began, her voice shaking. Why was she so nervous?
Just spit it out.

She swallowed and continued. “These last few days were really rough. I would be lying if I said I didn’t consider going home. But now that we’ve come this far, I really want to stick it out. I know our individual date was a few weeks ago, but I thought we really connected. I think I at least owe it to myself and to you to stay in the competition and see where this could go.”

She wished she had a better answer. Something more along the lines of what Brinkley must have said in their private conversation to bring herself to tears. Something like, “Ever since the moment I saw you, I knew you were the one.”
Blah blah blah.

But she wasn’t going to lie to herself or to Ky. That was something she’d had a little too much practice with in her past relationship, and look where it had gotten her. Dumped, lonely, and desperately seeking love on national TV.

Ky looked taken aback. “You wanted to go home?”

Fuck
. She probably shouldn’t have said that. She didn’t want Ky thinking she had any doubts or second thoughts about getting to know him, but it was the truth. Anyone who’d been stuck out in the wilderness for two days without food or water would go at least a little crazy. They’d start to question what they were doing there, and if it was all worth it.

That is, unless their name was Brinkley, and they were born with the annoying ability to always see the silver lining in any shitty situation.

Her heart raced. “I’m just being honest.”

The rest of the conversation was brief. Ky shared how he felt that the trek in the jungle had helped him to get in touch with his spiritual side since he’d never been camping before in his life. According to Ky, spending the night in the wilderness on the hard jungle floor had been “exhilarating” and had helped him to channel his inner survivalist.

That was just great.
Besides Harper, she appeared to be the only person willing to admit that the whole setup was bullshit. Ky was enjoying himself, Brinkley was in awe at the beauty of nature, and she was the wet blanket that somehow couldn’t find enjoyment in being stranded in the middle of nowhere without a shower, let alone a refrigerator full of food.

Ky rubbed her shoulder in a friendly gesture. “Thanks for taking the time to talk with me. I think I’m ready to make my decision. Why don’t we head back to the campfire to talk to the girls?”

A knot began to form in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea what to make of their conversation. Ky had seemed disappointed that she had wanted to leave, but at least now she wanted to stick it out to the end, right?
That had to count for something. Didn’t it?

Morgan couldn’t help thinking that she had blown something good at the last minute. If this was her only chance to tell Ky that she might have feelings for him, she’d screwed it up royally.

The only “bright side” she could find to the whole situation was that Harper was much more of a pain in the ass than she was. Her only hope was if Ky, too, had gotten sick enough of Harper’s constant complaining to send her home ASAP.

Ky stood in front of the three women seated on logs around the fire pit. He opened his arms with gusto, like a bad motivational speaker.