Pre-production
Paige
The season ofSummer of Lovehadn’t started filming yet, but things were already falling apart. The murderous glare on Darcy Meadows’s face could only foreshadow terrible things for Paige’s budding career, since Darcy happened to be a giant in British reality TV, the show’s host and her boss.
‘Okay,’ Paige said, biting back her apprehension and trying for an invigorating tone. ‘So, Hastings is out. We’ll just rearrange the starting cast and it’ll be grand. We’ve got two months to sort out some new beats. Who knows, this could be a blessing in disguise.’
Darcy gave her a blank stare, as though she hadn’t registered Paige’s presence before that moment. And maybe she hadn’t – it wasn’t like she ever listened to any of Paige’s ideas.
Brian, lead producer in name only, straightened and made his first contribution of the meeting: ‘What’s that you always say, Darce? A month for us is a year for everyone else? We’ll scrape something together. We always do.’
Darcy’s nostrils flared. ‘The season was meant to becentredon Georgia Hastings. This isn’t the minor setback you’re making it out to be.’
Something, perhaps against her better judgement, compelled Paige to speak up. ‘Yes, Hastings was a huge get. But it sounds like she’s set on this Fashion Week invite, and we’re not going to be able to convince her to miss out on that for only thechanceto win £100,000. She’ll make that much between a few brand deals, what with’ – she glanced down at her notes – ‘1.2 million followers.’
‘We’ve never had an influencer of that calibre before, and we’ve always done well enough with ratings,’ Brian said, and Paige flashed him a grateful look.
‘Let’s be honest,’ Paige ploughed on, encouraged that Darcy was actually looking at her now, even if her eyes were narrowed, ‘Hastings was never fully committed. She only agreed to the show because of boy troubles and the need for a holiday. We want contestants who are more motivated than that – that’s where the drama comes from.’
‘And I rang Declan King,’ Brian said. ‘He’s in, Hastings or no. Just think, that’s a whole new demographic for us. We’ve not had a proper athlete before.’
Darcy sniffed. ‘The point, as I think you’ll recall, was to have both HastingsandKing as starting contestants. With their rumoured romantic history and the mid-season introduction of Rowe, well, the season practically wrote itself. King and Hastings get their happy ending after years of will-they-won’t-they, and their rabid fans dedicate themselves to our show for life.’
‘But pivoting could work,’ Paige said quickly. ‘This gives us the chance to make something fresh and unexpected.’
Paige refused to be intimidated by Brian and Darcy’s combined years of experience.Summer of Lovewas a massive undertaking compared to her previous gigs; producers spent eight weeks on location churning out daily episodes as the British public watched along and voted for their favourite couples. She hoped her outside perspective would prove to be an advantage.
‘Maybe King will be a little more raw without Hastings around, less rehearsed,’ Brian said thoughtfully.
Paige suppressed a sigh. Brian and Darcy seemed to think Declan King just needed a nudge to bare his soul on national television, but she wasn’t convinced. ‘Did you watch his pressconference after the match with Petrovitch?’ They both shook their heads. ‘Well, I did. The man acted like he’d won a BAFTA, cracking jokes and graciously thanking his fans. You would never know he’d lost the fight of his career. It will take more than not having his girlfriend around to make him vulnerable.’
‘He’s staying in the starting cast,’ Darcy said firmly. ‘He may not give us as much drama as we’d like, but he’ll bring in viewers.’
‘Of course,’ Paige said. ‘All I’m saying is that we need to balance out the influencer-types with more relatable, morerealcontestants. Ones who will give us genuine emotion.’
Darcy cocked her head. ‘Who did you have in mind?’
Paige carefully pulled a photo out of her stack of notes, sliding it across the table. ‘Oliver Wright. He has basically no social media presence, but he’s a dancer for the Royal London Ballet who just went through a rough break-up.’
Darcy’s eyes lingered on the photo, just as Paige had expected – she was a sucker for a pretty face. ‘How rough?’
Paige silently handed over the notes from her initial interview with Oliver and watched as Darcy skimmed the page, her eyes widening in delight.
Paige took a deep breath, knowing what she said next could determine the course of her career. ‘I think he’s got what it takes to win this thing, given the right coaching.’
Darcy pursed her lips. ‘That’s quite a statement, considering nobody even knows who he is.’ She turned to Brian. ‘Thoughts?’
Brian glanced up from his phone, having already bored of their conversation. ‘Peopledolove an underdog.’
Darcy studied Paige almost approvingly. ‘I could see him working with the starting cast, adding something different to the mix. We’ll see how he does.’ She smiled slowly. ‘And to make it more interesting for me, if he wins, we can talk about you taking on a more senior position.’
Paige tried to keep her expression impassive, even as her pulse raced in response to the first positive feedback she’d ever got from Darcy. She prided herself on her instincts, and she’d sensed in her first interview with Oliver that he would be the one to make her career. He just needed to win, and Paige would make sure he did.
Chapter 1
Declan
Eight Weeks Until Finale
