“No, it’s good. The producers want to pretend nothing happened, but . . . itdid.” Distress crept into his tone, reminding Carter it wasn’t just Sierra and her team on the set that day. Fitzy had seen the body, too. It must’ve been awful.
“A lot of people think the post on the Domain is a hoax,” Carter murmured. “A publicity stunt.”
Fitzy grimaced. “Ranielle wasnothappy about it. She’s ordered the webmaster to take it down, but every time they try, it keeps getting put back up.”
“So it’s not a publicity stunt?”
“If it is, I’m not in on the joke.” A heady silence hung between them.
Carter looked apologetically at the screen. “Whew, that got a lot darker than I’d intended.” She shrugged, trying to lighten the mood. “I won’t be looking in the finale room today. Hopefully, my team will last long enough to tackle it together in a few weeks.”
“You will,” said Fitzy. “I believe in you.”
Carter wished she had his confidence. With the elimination mere hours away, fear was beginning to gnaw at her that they wouldn’t be continuing. “I bet you say that to all the contestants.”
“No,” Fitzy said. “I definitely don’t.” They made eye contact, and Carter’s pulse fluttered. “Hey, let me ask you a question. What’s your favorite thing about being on the show?”
It took a moment to register his question. Not that long ago, she would’ve said that her favorite thing was getting into the rhythm of the room, absorbed in solving the puzzles. But now?
“The people,” she said. “It’s so nice being around others who are as obsessed with escape rooms as I am. I feel like I’ve really started to click with my team.”
Fitzy made a buzzer sound, so loud it made her jump.
“Wrong!” he declared. “The correct answer wasme. I’m your favorite part of the show!” He mimed stabbing a knife into his heart. “You destroy me, Carter Kelly.”
Carter laughed, feeling electric. “You’re a close runner-up.”
“Aww. I’ll have to take it. How about your least favorite thing?”
The pressure. The doubts. The constant anxiety over whether or not she was meeting everyone’s expectations.
But Kick It Carter would never admit to any of that.
“I’m paranoid about having to do something physical. Mind puzzles, no problem. Shooting hoops to open a door? Not happening.”
“I guess you won’t be putting your hand up for the dexterity challenge.”
“No way.”
Alicia had crushed the dexterity challenge. Sierra might have believed her sister was cheating, but the maze, the obstacles, had been pure skill.
And Sierra’s other suspicions . . .
Alicia was seeing someone.
Maybe Carter could take advantage of this behind-the-scenes tour for more than just her followers.
Tucking a curl behind her ear, Carter turned back to Fitzy with a look she hoped was a lot more nonchalant than she felt. “Here’s one thing everyone wants to know. What’s the tea when it comes to offscreen romances?”
She heard the words come out of her mouth and regretted them instantly. She sounded like some sleazy gossip-rag reporter.
But Fitzy took it in stride, even as he literally strode down a hall full of construction workers and building supplies. “Well . . . obviously the contestants are teenagers. It’d be very inappropriate for the crew to—”
“You’re a teenager.”
He gave a laugh that sounded almost nervous. “Yes. Um. But remember my contract? There’s a clause.” He swallowed hard. “Like a . . .I could get firedsort of clause.”
“Oh,” said Carter, surprised at how her stomach lurched. “That sounds intense.”
