‘Wish me luck,’ Jack said, giving the other Lovers a mock-salute before following her away.
Declan leaned on the railing, tipping himself forward to call out: ‘Time to turn on that charm we’ve heard so much about.’
Jack flipped him off as he walked out to the table where Poppy sat, and Niall and Oliver snickered.
‘Give Jack any tips?’ Declan turned his head to see Zoë standing at his elbow. ‘You seem to know what you’re doingwhen it comes to women. I’ve seen the tabloids.’ Her voice was soft, not drawing the others’ attention.
Declan raised an eyebrow and chuckled. ‘I can assure you I don’t.’
‘I find that hard to believe,’ Zoë said, eyeing him slyly.
‘Well, you’ve only seen me on my best behaviour…’ Declan trailed off. She gave him a calculating look, assessing him as he had her that morning. He’d suspected Zoë had the competitive edge he was looking for in a partner, and now he was sure of it.
‘Nothing wrong with behaving badly,’ she said, giving his forearm a brief squeeze and letting her hand rest there. Declan spared a glance over his shoulder at Oliver, but he was shouting down at Jack as Niall egged him on.
‘Oi, Jack, you want her to laugh with you, notatyou.’
Declan hadn’t expected a girl to make a move on him so early in the game, but he was relieved it had been Zoë. She may have found him attractive, but he was under no illusions that she would have gone for him without thinking through all of her options. This wasn’t about finding love – as the contestant with the second-largest social media following after her, Declan was a safe bet. He had no doubt she would make a perfect fake girlfriend.
As he watched Oliver and Zoë chatting over the kitchen counter, thinking about his next move, Paige appeared at his side.
‘Hey, Declan,’ she said, in her typical no-nonsense way. ‘Could we have a chat?’
‘’Course,’ Declan said, following her into the villa. Brian, his usual interviewer, was always positively charmed by his soundbites, so he felt confident walking into the Love Shack.
‘So,’ Paige said, flicking on the camera, ‘first week is almost over; what are your impressions of the girls?’
‘The girls are great,’ he said vaguely. ‘I’m happy with Lara, but we agreed to keep our options open and get to know everyone.’
Unlike Brian, Paige didn’t seem content with that response. ‘I noticed that you and Zoë shared a nice moment the other night on the balcony,’ she said, her expression like the reporters Declan had so often dealt with, pen poised on her clipboard.
‘Oh? You caught that?’ Declan asked, stalling. He considered the implications, but supposed there was nothing wrong with admitting it. He’d been waiting for his interest in Zoë to come up organically, and Paige was leading him right to it.
‘Yes, I did,’ Paige said, looking at him expectantly. ‘Anything you want to talk about?’
Declan laughed, running his hand through his hair and doing his best to act bashful. ‘Well… what can I say? She’s obviously gorgeous, you’d have to be blind not to notice. And I think she and I understand each other, we have similar careers, we want the same things, you know.’
‘You like her,’ Paige said.
It wasn’t a question, but Declan nodded anyway. ‘Yes, I like her.’
‘Enough to throw over Lara?’ It was impossible to tell how she meant the question.
‘Well, it’s hardly throwing her over,’ Declan said, backtracking. ‘I obviously would tell her before I tried anything with Zoë. It’s only polite.’
Paige made a note on her clipboard. ‘What about Oliver? Are you going to talk to him too?’
He shrugged, trying for nonchalance, conscious not to reveal too much. ‘I’m not in a couple with Oliver. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not my place to say anything to him.’
‘So you don’t think Oliver has any right to know?’ Paige asked, straightening in her seat. Declan wished he could just ask her what she wanted him to say; she was clearly angling for something specific. He didn’t mind playing the role that she wanted him to, if he knew what it was. He blinked at her, and she sighed, turning off the camera.
‘If you want to go for Zoë, that’s great, but be honest about it,’ Paige said, studying Declan carefully. ‘Sometimes you have to be the bad guy to get what you want.’
Declan thought he understood the situation now: Paige was trying to pit him against Oliver. He knew he would win that competition and shouldn’t mind playing along, but he was reluctant. It meant he’d have to stop avoiding Oliver and drag them both into the spotlight.
Looking at Paige’s eager expression, Declan realised he didn’t have a choice, and at least this way he would know how to act towards Oliver. Rivalry was far less complicated than the twist in his gut whenever he looked at the other man.
She flipped the camera back on, giving him a nod. ‘So, you don’t think Zoë and Oliver make a good couple?’
