Chapter One
Waiting on set for the producer of the reality TV dating showSexy & Single, Fiona McCaw realized that she hadn’t been this nervous since she first set foot on a catwalk. She hoped she was doing the right thing. The 'set' for the show was a hotel room across the street from the restaurant where she'd be meeting her date for the first time. Ramsfeld East was the famous Manhattan flagship restaurant owned by Hamilton Ramsfeld the celebrity British Chef. He was a personal friend of Fiona's father, which was why she'd suggested the location when she'd learned that Matchmakers, Inc. the company she'd hired to find her a husband had approached her to be part ofSexy & Single.
Fiona was used to being in the limelight. The daughter of a famous fashion designer, she’d become his number-one model in her teens, so she’d grown up with a camera always trained on her. She’d blossomed into one of those lucky girls who could have had a career as a supermodel but instead her ambitions had driven her to design, like her father. Her mother often said, in a not unkind way, that Fiona’s looks were wasted on her.
And having given birth to her daughter eight months ago, Fiona was starting to understand her mother’s angst and dreamsfor her. She wanted the world for Bella Ann and without the grounding influence of a man like her father in the child’s life, she felt lost. Fiona knew how to be the center of everyone else’s world, but had scarcely a clue about how to treat her sweet, precious daughter that way. That’s why she’d gone to Matchmakers, Inc., after Bella’s father had made it crystal-clear he wanted nothing more to do with Fiona and the baby. Fiona had looked around at the men she knew, but there had been no one that she thought was good enough to be her baby's father.
She worried that having the baby would limit the men who'd want to date her, maybe make the pool of potential mates smaller, but Mona the matchmaker, had reassured her that many men came their company because they were ready to settle down.
She looked down at the face of her daughter and smiled. Everyone said she was overindulging the darling girl who’d never been further than a few feet away from Fiona. The baby was sleeping happily now and Fiona hoped she’d stay that way. Her nanny had called in sick today so Fiona had no one to help with the baby.
“Hello, Ms. McCaw. I’m Willow Stead, the producer ofSexy & Single. I’m so glad that you agreed to be a participant on the show.” Willow kept her voice pitched low as she approached Fiona and shook her free hand. She was tall and thin and had long, straight, black hair that fell almost to her waist. She reminded Fiona of a young Cher. Her skin was olive-toned and her eyes had an exotic shape. She wondered if the other woman had ever thought of modeling.
“She’s so sweet,” Willow said, looking down at Bella Ann.
“Thanks, but it’s only when she’s sleeping. She’s inherited all my diva tendencies,” Fiona said with a smile. “Call me Fiona.”
“ I’m not sure how much your matchmaker at the agency told you about the show and how it works.”
“Not much, I’m afraid. She did try, but my daughter was a little colicky when I was in the Matchmakers, Inc. office for my preliminary interview,” Fiona said.
“Having a baby on the set will be a challenge, but we really want to reach a diverse viewership and there a lot of single-moms out there. Here's the set up, you and your match will have six dates, which will all be taped. We’d like you to record a video diary before and after each date. Our host, Jack Crown, will talk to you both individually, but some of the time—okay, most of the time—we’ll record that separately because Jack is so busy.”
“He is busy,” Fiona said. “I think he’s hosting every other reality show on television these days.”
“He brings in the viewers, so we’re happy to have him,” Willow said. "He agreed to do our show to broaden his market appeal--his words not mine."
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“How many couples have you had on the show?” Fiona asked.
“You’ll be our second. The first couple is happily engaged.”
“That’s promising . . . So what do you need me to do now?”
“Let’s have you record your diary. Since you’re our first single mom on the show, we’d like you talk a little bit about that. Did it motivate you to go to a matchmaker? Also, what qualities do you hope to find in a man who can be both a husband and a father to your child?” Willow said.
“What if I don’t want to be too revealing?” Fiona asked, just now realizing what she’d really signed up for.
Willow tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Say whatever you’re comfortable with. If we need more, I’ll have you rerecord it.”
“Willow, you’re needed across the street on the set.”
“This is Kat, our number-one production assistant,” Willow said, introducing the woman who wore a pair of jeans with aradio on her belt and a faded rock T-shirt from the ’80s. “Kat, this is Fiona. She needs to record her diary. When she’s done, bring her to the Ramsfeld East.”
Willow walked away, leaving Fiona with Kat. “When you’re done with your diary, I’ll get you ready to head over to the restaurant where your date is waiting. Where’s your nanny?” Kat asked.
“She's sick today,” Fiona said.
Kat looked horrified. “I wasn’t aware we needed to provide one.”
“It was a last minute thing. Bella Ann will be fine. I’ll just keep her with me today and next time my nanny will be here,” Fiona said.
“That’s not possible without clearing it with Willow first. Plus, we need some shots of just you . . . um, I’ll hold the baby while you go and record your diary,” Kat said.
“I can take her with me. You go find Willow and make sure that I can keep Bella Ann with me,” Fiona said. “I don’t relish the idea of giving her over to a stranger.”
“Who do you normally use for a babysitter when your nanny isn't available? Maybe we can get them down here,” Kat said.
