He believed her. She had the most commanding presence he’d ever encountered in someone her age.
‘So, look at it this way. Your new audience is five million people, and they watch this show for romance and drama. You’ll stick out to them if you have screen time, if you’re funny and if you’re sympathetic. Now, you are funny, a littletoofunny sometimes.’ She gave him a look.
‘Sorry,’ he said, feeling chastened.
She gave a small nod of acknowledgement. ‘And you’re easy to root for; you have a great story. That’s why you were chosen in the first place.’
That was an unnerving statement from someone he hardly knew. ‘I was shocked when I got your DM,’ he admitted. ‘I thought it was a scam.’
‘Andthere’sthe sympathy angle we’re looking for,’ she teased. ‘Man is so down in the dumps that he assumes he’s being scammed when a pretty girl DMs him.’
He grinned despite himself. ‘Yes, well, I wasn’t exactly feeling like luck was going my way.’
Her expression softened. ‘I know you’d been going through a tough time.’
That was an understatement – in the months following his break-up with Sophie, Oliver had hardly left their once-shared flat except to work, shutting himself away from the world and avoiding his well-intentioned mates. It was easy to sit in the flat and pretend Sophie was on an extended holiday, especially when he spoke to her on the phone every day as though nothing had happened.
‘Mhm,’ he muttered in response to Paige’s expectant face. Thinking of the flat brought the usual pang of unease. He pushed away the nagging thought of what his best mate, Will, would say to him about needing to move house. Instead, he focused on the present: what he needed to do to win the prize money, cover Sophie’s portion of the rent, and move to New York. He straightened. ‘I’m ready,’ he said, trying to project confidence.
Paige seemed unconvinced. ‘We can talk about it if you want. I know that the first few days can be difficult – this is my first season, and it’s mad even for me.’
He cleared his throat. ‘I’m fine.’ It was an echo of what he’d been insisting to anyone who adopted that familiar pitying expression. He knew it was pathetic – to have been with Sophiefor so long, to have thought there were no secrets between them, and to not have realised the most fundamental thing about her: she would leave. That one day, the life he’d worked so hard to build for himself would come to an abrupt end. People trying to help him through it only made him feel worse.
‘Oliver,’ Paige said softly, ‘I chose you myself. I put my neck on the line for you, and I don’t do that for just anyone. I have incredible instincts, and I know your story will resonate with our audience. Millions of viewers have been brutally dumped, and they’ll be rooting for you to find love. It makes them think they can too.’
He swallowed. ‘Right, so no pressure?’
‘It’s nothing you can’t handle. Be yourself, and they’ll fall in love with you. I guarantee it.’ She smiled at him. ‘Ready?’
He sighed. ‘Ready.’
The red light blinked on.
Chapter 4
Oliver
After his interview with Paige, Oliver went to lift weights, hoping to quell his rising anxiety with exercise. No matter what she had said, he knew he could never be himself in this sort of environment. He hadn’t felt like himself in months. The Manhattan Ballet audition had renewed his sense of purpose, and now he only had to wait for the letter that would determine his fate.
‘All right?’ He looked up mid-rep to find Niall grinning at him. ‘Fancy a spot?’
Oliver glanced pointedly at Niall’s chest. ‘I’m not sure I can keep up with your programme.’
‘’Course you can,’ Niall said, offering a hand. ‘I’m not nearly as strong as I look.’
He let Niall pull him up, sure that he would persist in his friendliness until Oliver gave in.
He tried for a smile. ‘What should we start with?’
As if in response to his question, a chime sounded over the loudspeakers. Niall frowned in disappointment as the contestants gathered around them.
‘Lovers, the truth hurts,’ Darcy’s voice rang out. ‘Only the most daring among you will make it to the end. Get ready to weed out the competition.’
Niall looked comically distraught by the interruption to their planned workout, and Oliver smiled, liking Niall more and more.
‘Come on,’ Oliver muttered. ‘We’ll pick it back up as soon as we have the chance, yeah?’
‘Right,’ Niall said, slinging an arm around Oliver’s shoulders as though it were the most natural thing in the world. ‘Let’s see what they have in store for us.’
