I rub my eyes. This can’t be happening. I mean, there is some legitimacy to what he’s saying. I’ve seen showmances make it all the way to the end ofSunsets and Sabotagebefore … but this is me and Colton we are talking about.
“Who doesn’t want to see a couple win?” he says.
I wince. “No, Colton. The voters saw our fight today—they know we dislike each other.”
“Well, there’s a fine line between love and hate. We can lean into that. In two days, we have our team interview with Niall. During that we can put a new light on our … relationship and clear things up.”
Clear things up—as if years of loathing could be brushed under a rug. I try to dismiss Colton’s train of thought completely, but then I remember the acute ache in my foot that came from tonight’s Black Box Elimination. We were one strong breeze away from being eliminated. Next time, we might not be so lucky.
I meet Colton’s eyes, taking a moment to imagine what it would be like to pretend to date him. Goosebumps slither up my arms.
Our prolonged eye contact feels like too much, and I locate Hairy. “Colton, this could be disastrous. And if we do it, it’s like lying.”
“It’s a strategy. This is a game. People don’t come on a show calledSunsets and Sabotageto fight fair.”
I purse my lips together, knowing he’s right.
“Look,” Colton says. “If there was any other option, both of us would take it, but we’re at a crossroads, and if we don’t change something fast, we’re both in trouble.”
A laugh nearly bubbles out of me. Trouble? What “trouble” will Colton be in if he loses? He won’t get a summer home in Bora Bora? He won’t get a diamond-encrusted toothbrush?
Colton steps forward. “Missy, this will work out. We’ll do it together.”
A chill grabs hold of my spine, freezing me in place. Colton’s words transport me right back to Mama’s mobile home.We’ll do it together.She promised. And I’d trusted. I’d trusted her with all that I was, and in the end, it was just me, alone, without her. A broken promise, with a broken heart.
I step away from Colton, every inch back radiating pain through my sore foot. “I can’t, Colton. I—I just can’t.” My hands start to tremble, and I clasp them tightly in front of me.
Colton’s face scrunches in confusion as I step away from him.
This was nothing short of a terrible idea. We’ll find another way. There must be another way.
I turn and start to pad my way back to the plane over rocks and knobby roots when I hear Colton follow after me. “Missy, Niall once asked what I was here for, and I didn’t tell him the truth … not fully anyway.”
I stop but don’t turn back. “That isn’t news to me.”
“Missy, I know there isn’t much trust between us. But just hear me out, because despite what you likely think about me, I have a lot at stake in this game.”
His words pique my curiosity, so I turn to face him, trampling a few leaves beneath my feet as I do.
Colton puts up his hands like he’s stepping toward a wild horse. “If you can’t trust me, that’s fine, but trust that I have a reason for being here, and I’ll do anything to win. Which means I’ll do anything forusto win.”
I look him dead in the eyes. “If all you’re saying is true, then tell me, what could possibly motivate you enough to win this game if it means you and I will … Well, we’ll have to …”
“Be in a relationship,” Colton finishes.
“Ack. Yes, that.” I cross my arms over my chest.
Colton stares at me for a long moment, and I can practically see his mind at war with itself. Then his eyes shift away from me, staring off into the darkened jungle. “I made a deal.”
My eyebrows pinch together. “A deal?”
“Yes. With my dad.” Colton swallows, looking guilty as sin.
“What kind of deal?”
He blows out a deep breath and rubs the scruff of his chin. “A while ago, my dad and I had an argument about my future. He wanted me to work for his old law firm, and I had other opportunities I wanted to explore.”
Colton says it all so matter-of-factly, but I can only imagine his dad did not take kindly to that idea. A memory of Senator Downing’s disappointed face at the airport comes to mind. Despite the fact that his son would be gone for a couple of weeks, he’d sent him off with nothing but coldness.
