She smiled, flashing a dimple on her right cheek. ‘Something like that.’
Paige didn’t offer any greeting as Oliver entered the Love Shack the next morning, motioning for him to sit and flipping on the camera.
‘How are things with Maeve?’ she asked, without preamble.
‘Well…’ he stalled. The interviews were getting easier, but they were still nerve-wracking. ‘We had a good chat yesterday, and I’m pleased with how we left things. We’ve decided to keep our options open, get to know the others. But right now, she’s the girl I’m most interested in.’
Paige frowned. ‘You’re giving up on Zoë? You two had a good thing going before Declan stole her away.’
Oliver hesitated. Being coupled up with Zoë would certainly make winning easier, but he hadn’t even considered trying to win her back. ‘Yeah, we did. But she’s coupled up with Declan now, so…’ He shrugged.
‘And you think Declan and Zoë make a good couple?’
‘Er – well,’ he said, looking helplessly at her impassive face, ‘I don’t know either of them, do I?’
Paige frowned again, and he knew immediately that the tepid response wouldn’t play well with the audience. ‘A guy you clearly dislike stole your girl, Oliver. The viewers will understand you being upset.’
Oliverwasannoyed with Declan. It couldn’t be too difficult to exaggerate his feelings for Zoë, especially if it would help his ratings. He swallowed.
‘Okay. Er, I think what Declan did, picking Zoë, was underhanded. Zoë and I were great together, and now I feel like our chance at happiness was torn away from us because Declan thinks he’s entitled to anything he wants.’
Paige’s face lit up. ‘You think Declan’s entitled?’
Oliver thought Declan seemed like someone who had never been uncomfortable with himself a day in his life and resented anyone who had to work harder to keep up.
‘He wanted Zoë, so he took her. I’m not convinced that Zoë wants to be with him, or that he particularly likes her. He only seemed interested once she and I got together.’ Never mind that that had been as soon as she’d walked into the garden – it sounded good when he said it out loud.
Paige nodded, scribbling notes. ‘Do you think Declan has it out for you in particular?’
Oliver found it hard to believe Declan thought about him at all, and yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it had all started when they had locked eyes on the plane. ‘It feels like it.’
‘Repeat that, but as a full sentence.’
Oliver ran a hand through his hair. ‘It feels like Declan has some sort of issue with me, but I’m not sure what I could have done wrong in his book. Maybe he just doesn’t like the look of me, doesn’t think I could pull a girl like Zoë.’
‘And if Zoë wanted to get back together, would you be interested?’ Paige said, in an odd, conspiratorial tone.
Oliver studied Paige’s face. ‘What do you mean?’
Her expression remained carefully blank. ‘If she said she was still interested in pursuing things with you, would you want to try again?’
It was difficult to ignore the subtext: Zoë had told Paige she was still interested in him. That was more than he had from Maeve at the moment, and any drama with Declan would get him more valuable screen time, even if every part of his body warned him to stay away.
‘Yes, I want to see where things go with Zoë.’ He paused, trying to think of something more dramatic to say. ‘We have so much potential as a couple that we haven’t been able to explore yet. I hope we’ll find our way back to each other.’
Paige smiled, and Oliver felt the same satisfaction as walking off stage after a perfectly executed routine. ‘Great job – you’re a natural, like I knew you would be. The audience is invested in this love triangle with Declan, so we’ll keep things moving. Maybe you’ll get a date with Zoë soon.’
Oliver was relieved that someone was telling him what to do. ‘Thanks, Paige.’
When he exited the Love Shack and walked out onto the patio, two new contestants were being welcomed to the villa.
He went to stand by Maeve, who pointed at the redheaded man and muttered, ‘That’s Owen.’ Owen was friendly in greeting everyone, but his eyes hardly left Holly the whole time.
Maeve gestured to the woman. ‘And Imogen.’ Imogen was tall, with brown skin, prominent cheekbones and a mass of curls. Her gaze flitted between the gathered contestants, and she quickly singled out Jack, batting her eyelashes up at him.
Oliver glanced sideways at Maeve, trying to gauge if she was interested in Owen. To his surprise, she wasn’t looking at Owen at all, but studying Imogen with a frown.
‘Anything I’ve got to worry about?’ Oliver asked.
