‘All alone?’ Imogen asked, looking around eagerly. Her expressive face had an almost cartoonish effect. ‘Don’t your girls know it’s dangerous to leave their belongings unattended?’ Shedidn’t seem overly bothered by the prospect. Someone must have tipped her off to the Maeve–Jack development, and she clearly wasn’t taking the setback lying down.
‘Where’s Jack?’ Oliver returned smoothly.
She shrugged. ‘I have all I need between the two of you, anyhow.’ Not that she had spared Oliver more than the cursory glance – it was clear who she was talking about.
‘Declan’s spoken for, I’m afraid,’ Oliver said, hoping it came out flirtatious.
‘I didn’t realise he was married already,’ Imogen parried, shooting Declan an easy smile.
Oliver felt a stab of annoyance not altogether warranted by a joke, but Declan only laughed. ‘All’s fair in love and war,’ he said, grinning. ‘That said, Iamspoken for.’
‘Oh,’ Imogen said, pouting.
Oliver mirrored her surprise – despite what he’d said, it was unusual for contestants to outright reject anyone unless their relationship was serious. It seemed that what Declan had confessed on the beach, that he liked Zoë, was true. From his interactions with Zoë, Oliver didn’t think her motivations were quite as pure.
Imogen recovered quickly, turning to look at Oliver. He realised that it was exactly what he had asked for, but now that she was in front of him, the prospect of going on another date was exhausting. Still, lazing around the villa wasn’t going to win him the prize money. Imogen might have been fake, but for now, she needed him to stay on the show. With Paige’s voice in his head, he pressed on.
‘So… what do you do for work?’ he asked, trying to show interest, realising he didn’t know a thing about Imogen even though she’d been there for nearly two weeks.
‘I know what you’re thinking – a girl this beautifulmustbe a model,’ she teased. ‘You’d be half right. I did a spot of modellingin my teens, and content creation is how I make most of my money now, but I’m saving up to start my own brand.’
‘Oh.’ He was having a horrible flashback to his date with Zoë, and from the smirk on Imogen’s face, she’d guessed what he was thinking of. ‘And areyouthe brand?’ he asked.
She laughed, a tinkling, practised sound. ‘You’re cute. I’m launching a fashion brand.’
He let out a breath. ‘That sounds interesting. I don’t know much about fashion. Um, obviously,’ he said, gesturing to his outfit.
Imogen gave him a once-over. ‘Fine by me. I happen to enjoy dictating what my boyfriend wears.’
Oliver grinned, appreciating Imogen’s ease in front of the cameras. ‘You can choose what I wear any day.’
‘Mate,’ Declan cut in, ‘maybe give Jack a shout before you move in on his girl?’
Oliver tried to meet his eye, to figure out what he was thinking, but he seemed suddenly focused on his tea, and Oliver was left feeling like he’d broken some unspoken rule between them.
The chime sounded and Darcy’s voice rang out. ‘Imogen, you talk a big game, but now it’s time to play the field. Pick a boy to go on a date.’
She squeezed Oliver’s bicep. ‘What do you say? Feeling sporty?’
Oliver looked away from Declan. ‘Sure am!’
‘Where are the others, anyway?’ Niall asked. ‘Isn’t wardrobe advice part of the contract, or something?’
‘Dunno,’ Oliver replied. He’d lost track of Declan as soon as Imogen had asked him out, and wherever he’d gone, Jackhad disappeared with him. Owen, the last he’d seen, had been snoozing on a daybed with Holly. ‘I think we can manage to dress me, if we put our minds to it.’
Niall nodded, studying the white shirt in his hands critically. He was meticulous about his ironing; he said Oliver’s perpetually rumpled appearance gave him tension headaches. ‘You seem nervous, Wright,’ he said off-handedly.
‘Am a bit,’ Oliver confessed, fidgeting with his collar.
Niall put a steadying hand on his shoulder, giving him a soulful look that would make anyone feel like the most important person in the room. ‘You’ve already got an incredible woman. How come you still think you’re not good enough?’
Oliver grimaced. It was no secret to the audience any more, so he might as well clue Niall in as well. ‘Declan told me Maeve fancies Jack.’
Niall’s eyebrows knitted together. ‘Maeve fancies… Jack?’ He squinted, as though trying to picture the two of them together and failing. ‘So that’s what this date’s all about? But are you sure? I wouldn’t put it past Declan to mess with you. He doesn’t always know when to end the joke.’
A week ago, Oliver would have agreed with him, but now Declan, if anything, felt surprisingly earnest in Oliver’s company. Declan hadn’t seemed like someone he could expose his vulnerabilities to until Oliver had seen the way his face had softened when he’d talked about Sophie.
But he didn’t want to bring that up to Niall – more and more, his conversations with Declan were something he didn’t want anyone else to have access to. It was unfortunate that they happened to be watched by an audience of millions.
