Fourteen
Nate
The next week of dates is taking place in Füssen, Germany. Daisy is having her one on one at the Neuschwanstein Castle, having been kept on by the producers in the hopes that she’ll continue having catastrophic meltdowns and keeping the other women on edge.There are only six women left, and Preston has been steadfast about keeping Madison, Addison, and Londyn, and decided to bring Sheree along as well when the producers magnanimously suggested that he choose one more. Becca is the other producer pick and the only other one-on-one this week. I feel a little bad I didn’t squeeze in a visit to a castle for her, but the rest of what I planned is hopefully better.
Mostly I just want Becca to have an experience she’ll never forget. She and Preston start their date with cooking lessons from Jonas Braun, a famous German chef.They’ll be joined for lunch by—this is the part of the date I’m proudest of—Becca’s kids, who’ve been flown in with her in-laws a week ahead of family visits just for this.The show booked Becca’s in-laws with some time at the hotel spa while the kids are on the show with their mom, and since the kids know me, I volunteer to sit with them while we wait for Becca and Preston to finish their cooking lessons at this nearby restaurant we’ve rented out for the afternoon.
I meetThea and Rosie in the hotel lobby, where they’re sitting withThea’s interpreter, Noah.Thea is slumped over on a plush couch, wearing denim overalls and t-shirt striped with the same orange-red color as her hair. Rosie, meanwhile, is in a sparkly purple princess dress, running in circles around the coffee table. I smile. In some ways, they couldn’t look more different, but they both have so much of Becca in their faces, in the brightness of their smiles (though, admittedly, I’ve seen that smile more from Rosie thanThea, who seems to more reticently bestow it.)
Their grandmother, a woman with a round face, a smattering of freckles likeThea, and chin-length brown hair, gives me a weary look and shakes my hand. Since I don’t see him here, I’m guessing their grandfather is upstairs in their room getting a jet-lagged nap.
“So you’re Nate,” she says. “The girls have told me a lot about you.”
I freeze for a second.The kids don’t know how big of a crush I have on Becca, so obviously that’s not what they’ve been talking about. It was probably a huge novelty to be interviewed, and I hope I made them comfortable enough that they’re looking forward to being on camera again.
“I’m Paula,” she says, and I try to give her a warm smile.
“It’s good to meet you,” I tell her. “Becca speaks highly of you.”
“How is she doing?This whole experience must be so stressful for her.”
Over on the couch, I noticeThea sit up straighter as she watches what the interpreter is signing. She’s worried about her mom’s well-being, too.
“It is stressful,” I say carefully. “But Becca’s doing great. She’s tough, and she knows what she wants.”
Paula looks relieved. “Of course she is. But you all better take good care of my daughter.Andmy grandbabies.”
“I’ll do my best,” I say.
Paula seems satisfied with that and, after giving the girls a hug, follows the concierge off to the spa.
I wonder how that conversation would have gone if it was Preston here meeting her instead. She would have had a lot more questions for him, I’m sure, but she’ll save all that for the family visit next week in France. Officially, Paula and the girls are scheduled to stay in Europe on the show’s dime until that happens, because it’s cheaper and easier on everyone than flying them back to LA only to have them turn around and fly to France a few days later.
It won’t happen. Preston is narrowing the field to four women for next week, which means that Levi won’t be able to continue choosing women for Preston to keep. Becca will probably be gone at the upcoming tiara ceremony, whether or not she’s “given up the goods,” as Levi puts it. Which is best for everyone—Becca doesn’t seem like she’s going to be heartbroken about it, though the romance of the date I’ve planned may change that. I hate myself for setting her up for that, and I wonder if she’s going to hate me for it, too.
If Becca is willing to give me a chance after the show, what is Paula going to think of me, then? Would she be as friendly if she knew I wasn’t just an employee of the show, but someone trying to date her daughter?
The sting of those thoughts is interrupted by Rosie, who stops running around the coffee table and throws herself at my knees. “Nate!” she shouts. “Where’s my mom?”
“Your mom is having a cooking lesson with a German chef,” I tell her.
Thea raps on the table the same way she did when she wanted her mom’s attention, and then she starts furiously signing.
“Does my mom like Prince Charming?” the interpreter says.
Damn.Thea doesn’t mess around. It’s not really my place to tell Becca’s ten-year-old about the complexities of the situation, but I try to be as honest as I can.
“I don’t know,” I say. “I think maybe she hasn’t decided.”
“Because he’s not a real prince,” Rosie says, like this makes all the sense in the world.Then she returns to running around the coffee table and squealing.
I ignore the disgruntled look from the concierge as he returns from escorting Paula to the spa. It’s my job to keep the kids happy, not keep them quiet.
Thea’s brow furrows. “Does the prince like her? He has to, right? Because she’s awesome. Is he stupid?”
“Yes, I think he likes her.” Which isn’t exactly a lie, even if he’s not as taken with her as he is with Madison and Addison and Londyn, which does not speak well for his taste. I sit on the other end of the couch, facing her. “How could he not?”
“Okay, but is he nice?”Thea asks. “Mom needs someone nice.”
