“Okay, ladies. That’s a wrap on dinner. Thank you all for being your wonderful selves. If you all could please move to the fire pit for the lei ceremony. We’ll be starting in ten.” Marla gave Skye a pointed look. “Skye, you’re with me.”
“Catch you over there?” Amy asked, scraping her chair back.
“Absolutely,” Skye replied, nodding.
Amy walked off, and Skye lingered in her seat a second longer. Her smile fell the second the woman’s back was turned. Skye took a deep breath. It was time to place flowers around the necks of eleven contestants and say goodbye to one. In her opinion, it was the worst part of the show. Someone always cried. Usually, Skye was the one running after the contestant who had been voted out with a tissue box in hand, but tonight, she was doing the voting and that sucked. Her chest ached. Her stomach was all knotted, and it had nothing to do with Lucy pushing back her chair with her eyes on Priya as the two continued their conversation.
Skye followed Marla past the camera crew and production assistants toward the fire pit clearing where the lei ceremony would take place. It looked magical. Torches flickered around the clearing, and flower petals had been scattered deliberately across the sand. A tray of woven leis sat ready on a tall, round table.
Earlier, before dinner, they’d already shot the thinking portion of the evening, which was basically just close-ups of Skye pacing the sand with her arms crossed, pretending to be deep in emotional turmoil as she considered her connections with the contestants. In reality, Skye had been doing everything she possibly could to get Lucy out of her mind.
“You good?” Marla asked under her breath as they approached the setup.
Skye gave the blandest smile she could muster. “Dandy,” she said, sounding way more sarcastic than she had intended.
“Try to be a little more random with the choosing,” Marla added, still whispering. “We want to keep the viewers guessing what’s going on in your head.”
“Nothing’s going on in my head.”
Marla raised an eyebrow like she didn’t believe her.
“Seriously,” Skye added, hoping to convince her, though she knew she was making it worse. Lucy was in her head. She was taking up all the space. “I’m fine. Everything is fine. I just…” she paused because her thoughts were suddenly muddled and sticky in her throat.
Marla tilted her head as her voice dropped even lower. “What is it? What’s going on?”
“How is this whole thing even going to work?” Skye asked, glancing around at the twelve lovely ladies all dressed up. They were all waiting with too-bright eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“This,” Skye said, flicking her hand half-heartedly. If any of the contestants were watching, which they all were, it would look like an ordinary conversation between producer and bachelorette. No one was suspicious. No one knew that Skye wasn’t even supposed to be there, that she actually belonged behind the cameras. “What happens after this? When it’s over,” she muttered under her breath. “Do I just fall back into the production team and pretend none of this even happened?”
Marla’s mouth tightened. “You knew what you signed up for when Deanna dropped out. We needed someone fast, someone who knew the show, and you were the best option.Yousaid yes.”
“I signed up for it because you promised me a raise.”
“A raise you’ll get if you play the part,” Marla said, exhaling impatiently. “Now please just keep going. You’re doing great. We only need a few more weeks of this.”
Skye blew out a breath and gave a nod that was more like a slow bob of defeat. “Fine.”
Marla grinned and squeezed her wrist. “You’ve got this.”
“If you say so,” Skye muttered, stepping into her designated spot. She straightened her shoulders, tugged the hem of her dress down, and took one steadying breath.
“Thank you all for being here,” she said, glancing up at the contestants once she’d gotten the thumbs up from Marla, who had quickly slipped behind the monitor. “You’ve all made the last two days unforgettable.” She tried to inject some warmth into her voice but was sure her voice sounded cooler than dry ice. “This isn’t easy. Trust me, I know that. You’ve all opened up, and I don’t take that lightly. But unfortunately, tonight I only have eleven leis to give out.”
Skye reached for the first one.
“Amy,” she called.
Amy beamed and stepped forward. “Thank you,” she said as Skye slipped the lei over her head. “I feel so honored.”
Skye smiled and then got ready to give out the next lei. “Nova,” she called.
Nova gave a little spin as she approached and kissed Skye on the cheek before she could place the lei on her shoulders. “Never thought I’d be picked second.”
A few more names were called, and the leis began to dwindle.
“Alexis,” Skye called out and then watched as Alexis exhaled in visible relief before she walked over to accept her lei.
