The last time Alexis had messed up this spectacularly was when she had decided blackmail was the way to go. And look where that had landed her.
~~
Alexis was in the process of thrusting the curtains open, allowing the golden Provençal morning light to spill into her bedroom when the envelope slid beneath her door. She crossed the room barefoot on the cool tiles and bent to pick it up.
Alexis Wolf, Bachelorette, it said in elegant, looping cursive. She opened it carefully, as if the envelope might bite, and slid out a single card. It was thick and creamy with elegant writing across it. She was a bit surprised that there weren’t any cameras to shoot the moment of the first date reveal, but then again, they were doing things differently this season.
Alexis adjusted the length of her robe and read:The viewers have voted and this morning, your first date will take place in the vineyards. You and your chosen contestants will participate in a grape-stomping experience, a true taste of Provence. Please prepare accordingly and be ready at 10:00 a.m.
She flipped the card over, and her heart sank quicker than a dinghy with a hole in its hull. In the same looping cursive, the names of the contestants chosen by the viewers stared back at her.Bianca. Louise. Birdie.
Alexis stumbled back a few steps until her thighs hit the bed. She then flopped onto the mattress and rolled onto her stomach. She tucked a pillow under her chest and read the card again. And again, hoping that if she read it enough times, the names might change. One name in particular.
But nope. There was Birdie’s name staring up at her like a neon sign flashing her mistake, her problem. Alexis groaned and let the card slip from her hands onto the bedspread before she buried her face in the pillow and imagined every possible way this could go wrong.
Finally, with a dramatic sigh, she peeled herself off the mattress and swung her legs over the side. Swinging into action, she rifled through her wardrobe and finally settled on a flowing pastel yellow dress with a pair of strappy gold sandals. She left her hair loose and wavy over her shoulders. She had a feeling the stylists would put her in something else. Most likely they would put her in something a little more appropriate for squashing grapes with bare feet, but she’d worry about that later.
There was a knock on the door.
“Alexis, it’s Vivian,” said a voice on the other end, smooth as poured vermouth. “Can I come in?”
Alexis didn’t really feel like having a conversation with anyone. Let alone Vivian, who somehow managed to get into her head and into whatever fragile pocket of calm Alexis tried to carve out for herself.
You’d be surprised what people give away when you catch them off guard, echoed over and over in her head. Her guard already felt like it was only halfway up. Birdie had somehow crashed through the other half last night. But what could Alexis do? Ignore Vivian’s knocking and hope she’d grow bored and leave. Not likely.
Alexis sighed softly enough for Vivian not to overhear and opened the door. Vivian slipped in with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. That flashy smile was plastered across her face.
“Big day,” she said. Her eyes flicked briefly to the discarded envelope on the bed.
Alexis’s shoulder twitched, but she stayed quiet.
“Thought I’d let you know how things are going to go.” Vivian walked over to the futon under the window and sat down. She crossed her legs, smoothed her flowy skirt over her knee, and looked at Alexis the way a teacher might look at an unruly pupil. “The date will start with grape stomping in the cellar hall, and then we’ll have a little picnic setup for you in the vineyards.As you know, there will be cameras everywhere, so just keep it balanced.”
“Balanced?” Alexis repeated.
“Yes,” Vivian said. “Divide your attention equally.” She put an emphasis on equally, which threw Alexis off kilter. “Make sure Bianca, Louise, and Birdie all feel included. That’s the key. No one should feel left out.”
Something crouched in that sentence; Alexis could feel it. Claws were tucked in for now but ready to spring at any unexpected moment. Alexis didn’t ask any more questions. She didn’t need to. Whatever Vivian was hinting at, Alexis already knew it had Birdie written all over it.
“Alright,” Alexis said, half nodding, half walking toward the door. She made a point of opening it, hoping Vivian understood that this little powwow was over.
If she did get the door opening as a hint, she completely ignored it.
“You need to look a little lighter today, Alexis.” Vivian smiled as she leaned back and stretched out her arms. Her gold watch glinted in the sunlight. Alexis immediately recognized it as a Cartier. Expensive. If she saw a client with a watch like that, she’d show them the most expensive house in Lake Oswego, the kind that would sell itself. Her smooth, practiced, persuasive voice would do the rest. Well, that was before…
“You’re supposed to be having fun,” Vivian said, yanking Alexis back to the room.
“I am having fun,” Alexis shot back. It was a reflex. And it wasn’t the first time she had used it. Alexis could think of several occasions where she’d been told to have fun, and she’d acted exactly the same way. Defensive. As if she weren’t doing it right. As if she didn’t even know how to have fun.
“Are you, though?” Vivian said, tilting her head. The sun gleaming in through the window made her pixie-cut head ofblonde hair look like frost catching the morning light. Alexis tried not to focus on it. “Because it doesn’t look that way. Stop overthinking.” She touched a fingertip to her temple. “I can see your mind working nonstop. It’s probably like a courtroom in there.” She laughed and carried on. “I know you’re all about redemption, but remember, love is supposed to be easy. You let it in, or you don’t. Easy peasy.”
Alexis was getting whiplash. She couldn’t tell if Vivian was on her side or trying to call her out. But it didn’t matter. Vivian was right. Shewasoverthinking. She had been since the second she said yes to this mess. She needed to do better, to be better, and to give this show a chance, herself a chance. But then why was she already wishing she could fast-forward through the entire day?
Chapter Eight
Birdie had prepared herself to go home last night. She’d braced for it mentally and tried to accept the sting of rejection, especially after their conversation when Alexis hadn’t looked even the slightest bit interested in her. Which was why Birdie had nearly short-circuited right there on those bleached cobblestones when Alexis had actually said her name.
She hadn’t believed it at first. It had taken hours to sink in, even after she’d been ushered to the villa, assigned a room—she was sharing with Bianca, of all people—and unpacked her suitcase with clumsy, distracted hands.
