“Neither is dumping them without a chance. They all gave up a lot to come here.”
“What if they can stay?” I glance at Sophie, who is bouncing in her seat, just like she did when Odin kissed her years ago. “I have an idea…”
Sophie stops bouncing. “No,” she says, all the eagerness and excitement of me finding love disappearing from her face. “Don’t even think about it.”
How did she know? I never thought I was that easy to read. “But you’d be perfect.”
“But I don’t want to be,” Sophie tells me. “I haven’t given up on finding love on my own terms. In my own way. I don’t want to be the Suitorette.”
“Was that your idea?” Grayson demands. “Have someone take over for you?”
“It still is,” I tell him. “I think Sophie would be perfect. Are you sure?”
“Absolutely positive.”
“Well, then. I happen to have another idea…”
41
Grayson
T
hestormisapretty bad one, but it has nothing on the persuasive power of Princess Lyra.
I keep the contract on the table between us. It clearly states that she owes us six weeks of footage, plus promotional material, and yet…
It’s hard to deny when someone is fighting for true love.
She talks about Spencer. A lot.
I admit, it’s a love story. We could play it with missed opportunities and Spencer’s legitimate fear of losing her. We’ll get the viewers—but what to do with the other month left in her contract? We can’t stretch five dates into a six-week season, regardless of how good the editing is, and how much filler we include.
We’re locked down at Camille and Odin’s for twenty-four hours while the rain comes down in sheets and the wind whips the treetops into a frenzy. Camille isn’t fussed about the severity, but then again, she grew up here.
We have fierce storms in Toronto, but the city isn’t on an island—or an archipelago, as Ria corrects me—with the closest mainland twenty-five kilometres away.
Ria and I are at Camille’s, leaving Rue with the cameras and the men at the hotel. Luckily, we have cell service throughout, so I can check in, as well as get her insight about what to do with Lyra.
Rue has one opinion, with Ria taking the opposite, which leaves me as the deciding vote.
I hate being in this position.
But as the storm breaks around nine o’clock on the second night, I finally agree to Lyra’s idea.
With a few concessions.
42
Spencer
W
e’restuckinthehotel for the duration of the storm and it just about drives me crazy.
Dates are cancelled.
I’m not used to having so much free time, and there’s only so many games of pool you can play. Rue finally breaks down and opens one of the conference rooms so we binge all four seasons of Stranger Things.
