“I thought I’d be one of the first ones to go, too,” Dahlia admitted, feeling surprised that she wanted to say what she was about to say. “But now that I’m here and have made it through a few challenges . . . ” Dahlia shook her head. “Why does it feel embarrassing, talking about things you want? But I want it, really bad. I want to stay.”
Barbara smiled at her. “You looked good up there, when you won with your swordfish last week.”
Dahlia blushed again. “Yeah. It felt good, too.”
“You’ll win more challenges, I’m sure.”
“Maybe. Thanks, Barbara.”
Barbara was quiet a moment. She looked right at Dahlia before she asked, “Pardon me if this is rude. But have you and London talked about what will happen when either of you get kicked off ?”
Dahlia tilted her head. She didn’t find this question rude, but it was odd.
“I assume I’ll go back to Maryland and they’ll go back to Nashville? Maybe we’ll follow each other on Instagram?”
Barbara made a smalltsk-ing sound under her breath before returning to her muffin.
Dahlia narrowed her eyes.
“Barbara. What are you saying? Did I do something embarrassing with London in front of you or something?”
“What I’m saying, Dahlia, is that it’s clear they want to be more than Instagram friends with you. Ask anyone in this competition. When episodes start airing this week, I bet folks at home will be able to see it, too.”
Dahlia’s mouth hung open.
She couldn’t think of a thing to say.
“Barbara.” Dahlia fidgeted with her phone in her lap. She kept thinking something witty would come to mind to redirect this conversation, but she had nothing.
“You seemed rather cozy with them, too, you know, last night.”
“I was drunk!” Dahlia protested.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Barbara.”
“And you were flirting with them pretty hard at the farm the other day, too.”
“I . . . I was?” Dahlia felt truly bewildered now. “But all I did was make fun of them all day.”
Barbara gave her a pointed look. “I know.”
“But . . . no. Come on, Barbara, you saw all the stuff that happened to them with the cow! It was funny.”
“Yes. But you know, Jacob stepped in a large pile of cow poo. Made quite a scene about it, too. Ayesha knocked over her bucket. Twice. There were other antics going on in the barn, but you were only focused on one.”
“Well,” Dahlia sputtered, “it’s not my fault that Jacob isboring.”
Barbara simply raised an eyebrow.
Dahlia sank back into the loveseat. She felt silly, anxious, like a little kid.
She hadn’t pursued anyone since David, and even way back in high school, it had been David who’d done most of the pursuing. If Dahliawasflirting with London, she wasn’t conscious of it, and shouldn’t a person be conscious of that?
Dahlia remembered, suddenly, how naturally her hands had fallen to London’s hips when they’d been dancing last night.
Oh god. She had no idea what she was doing. She felt like an idiot. Or a jerk. Maybe both.
