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  “I don’t know what you want me to say, Travis. We were friends, it’s not like I had a whole lot of right to stick my nose in your personal life. Whenever I did mention I didn’t like the girl you were seeing, you ignored me anyway. You made it clear you were going to do what you wanted regardless of what I thought.” I glanced over at him.

  “I never realized what you really thought of them. It makes me sound like the biggest douche that I’ve only dated women like that.” Travis sighed.

  “Trav, I don’t care about the women you’ve dated in the past. I knew none of them were going to stick around for the long haul, so it never really mattered,” I said while I placed my hand gently on his knee.

  “That’s why you hate Nicki so much?” he asked. He gave my had a small squeeze.

  “I’m not sure who Nicki is when she is alone with you, but yes, she is exactly like all the other women you’ve dated. I’ve been trying to tell you that from the beginning.”

  “Jim was the one who wanted her around for a while, believing the ratings would go up with her added drama. But the more I’ve gotten to know her, the more I want her to stay for a while. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just so used to my type that I can’t navigate away so quickly.” Travis glanced over at me and waited for my reaction.

  Leaning my head back against the tree, I thought for a moment before replying. “I can understand that. You’ve been dating the same type for so long, it’s hard to break the cycle. That’s why I thought I was here, to help you move forward. But if you want to keep her for a while…do what you need to do.”

  “And Taylor? You actually like her?” Travis asked.

  “I do like Taylor. She is a sweet girl. But she’s also adventurous, which I know you would want in a girl.” It felt awkward pumping Taylor up, but honestly, if it was between Nicki and Taylor, I’d root for Taylor all day, every day.

  “And Kara?” he asked.

  “Crap, Kara is like the female version of you. You two would be perfect for each other, except you’d kill each other after spending too much time together.” I laughed just thinking about it.

  “She is really fun to be around.” Travis agreed.

  “Yeah, she would fit great on your friends list.”

  “I’m glad I finally know where you stand. And I’m sorry the show isn’t exactly what you signed up for,” Travis said with a grin.

  “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting to actually want to be in the running for the finale,” I muttered. I hoped I didn’t sound too jealous.

  Travis turned and cupped my face in his hands. “Riles, it’ll be you at the end.”

  My heart skipped a beat at his words. I’ll be honest, I had been worried he was going to change his mind and choose one of the other girls. Even though I’ve known him for so long, I can still never seem to figure Travis out.

  “I’ll be waiting.” I breathed, my heart beating twice as fast as normal.

  Travis leaned in and whispered, “Thank you” against my lips, before gently placing a kiss there.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me, and letting him deepen the kiss. I sighed and opened my mouth to him, tasting the coffee he had earlier.

  Who knew kissing your best friend could be so amazing?

  All too quickly we were back in the car on the way to the house. Travis had told Jim the appointment would only last for about two hours, and we were now pushing three. Travis also mentioned he had an individual date with Kara later that day, which meant I would be spending my day with Nicki and Taylor.

  Maybe Taylor and I could somehow hide out from Nicki all day. It would have been great if we could go off the property.

  Ugh, it’s going to be the day from hell.

  Once we got back to the guest house, Travis jumped into the shower to get ready for his date, and I took off down the path towards the beach. I slowly made my way back to the house, trying to delay the inevitable. I climbed the stairs and saw Taylor lounging by the pool. She glanced up when she heard me.

  “Hey girl. That was a long run today.” She threw her arm over her eyes, shading them from the sun.

  “Yeah, I felt really good so I just kept on going.” I lied, walking past her. “I’m going to throw on my suit and I’ll join you, okay?”

  “Sure! Kara has a one-on-one with Travis today and nothing else is planned, so we pretty much are fending for ourselves,” Taylor said, relaxing back into the lounge chair.

  “Hopefully Nicki will stay indoors today,” I grumbled. Taylor’s laugh followed me to the door.

  I quickly threw on my swimsuit, tossed a few essentials in my beach bag and headed back down to the pool. I pulled up a chair next to Taylor, adjusted the seat back, and threw my sunglasses on.

  “It’s beautiful out today,” I said, closing my eyes and relaxing into the seat.

  Taylor sighed, but said nothing.

  We lounged around and in the pool all afternoon. Kara poked her head out to say goodbye about an hour ago and Nicki had yet to be seen.

  Just as Taylor and I were discussing what we wanted for dinner, Nicki came out of the house and sauntered over to us with a wicked grin on her face.

  She plopped down in the chair next to me, kicking her sandals off and lying back in the sun. She kept glancing over at me every few seconds.

  I was tempted to ask if she had developed a twitch, but trying to play nice, I just sighed and asked, “What do you want, Nicki?”

  “Oh, Riley, I didn’t see you there,” Nicki said, turning her head to fully take me in.

  “Could you just get to the point and then scurry away?” I asked as I rolled my eyes. Did she have to be so oblivious that we didn’t want her here?

  “Yeah Nicki, you’re ruining the mood out here,” Taylor said from the other side of me. I laughed and wanted to reach over and high five Taylor for the slam on Nicki.

  “No one was talking to you, Taylor,” Nicki snarled in her direction.

  Taylor just snorted and waved her hand dismissively in Nicki’s direction.

  Whoa! When did Taylor start fighting back?

  “So anyway, Riley, you will never believe what I heard this morning,” Nicki continued in a lower voice.

  “And I’m sure I don’t really care,” I said, turning back to stare at the sky. It was much better to look at than Nicki.

  “Oh, I’m sure you will care when I tell you,” Nicki whispered conspiratorially.

  I sighed and sat up, turning my body to face her. So much for her going away quickly and quietly. “You don’t have to beat around the bush Nicki. Just tell me what you obviously came out here to say.”

  “I heard that one of the girls here is Travis’ best friend.” She sat up and turned, staring me straight in the eye.

  Her comment got Taylor’s attention and I heard her shuffle around behind me, then felt her sit down next to me.

  “Really? That’s crazy!” Taylor said, glancing between the two of us.

  “Does it really matter?” I asked coolly, though inside I was freaking out. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to go undetected. I wondered who on the crew had a loud mouth.

  “Of course it matters, Riley. These two had a deep connection prior to the show, and apparently they stepped out of the friend zone when they got here.” Nicki continued to stare at me, and I squirmed under her gaze.

  Seriously, who the hell had the big mouth?

  I was pretty sure I was going to go kick his ass.

  “It matters because if they have the connection I’ve heard about, then the rest of us are screwed. There is no way he’s going to choose one of us in the end,” Nicki continued with a sly smile on her face.

  “Yeah, that does put a damper on things,” Taylor muttered next to me.

  “Travis is a big boy, Nicki. He decides who stays and who goes,” I said indifferently.

  Nicki rolled her icy blue eyes. “Cut the crap Riley. I don’t know how you managed to get on the show, but I’m not letting your history with Trav
is destroy my chance with him.”

  Taylor gasped at Nicki’s announcement. “Wow, everything makes so much sense now.”

  “What does?” I asked, sitting up straighter, ready to bolt.

  “Whenever we were on group dates, you always knew what Travis was going to take us to do. And you had already done everything. It makes sense if you were his best friend, you would have done the stuff with him. Plus, I’ve also seen the looks that pass between you two. I always thought he just really liked you, but now it makes sense. And when we were playing truth or dare, he sat so close to you, and kept his hand on your leg all night,” she said sadly.

  Well, how the hell did she know that?!

  “But why didn’t you tell me?” Taylor asked, glancing at me with sad eyes.

  I groaned and glanced at the camera crew surrounding us. I spotted Jim standing just behind one of the guys and he nodded his head slightly, giving me the go-ahead to tell these two why I was here.

  “None of the girls were supposed to know about me. Travis asked me to come on the show to help him decide. We’ve done everything together, so it made sense. I wasn’t happy that I actually had to be on the show, but the producers thought it was the only way I could get information on you guys to hand back over to Travis.” I told this to Taylor, not really caring what Nicki thought of me. But I really didn’t want Taylor to start hating me too.

  “You gave him information on us?” she asked quietly.

  “No, not really. He would basically ask me who I liked and who I didn’t and why. I would tell him, but he would end up making his own decisions in the end,” I explained.

  Nicki snorted, “Yeah right.”

  “Oh, you should really believe that he makes his own choices, Nicki. Because if he listened to me, you would have been gone the first freaking night.” I snapped at her and Taylor chuckled.

  “And look at that. I’m still here. He still wants me here. What does that say to you?” Nicki laughed at me.

  “It says the producers wanted you here until the top five, because you added drama.” I leaned forward, getting close to her face. “But believe me, you will never end up with Travis at the end. He’s had enough of your kind. He’s ready to move on.”

  “Whatever Riley. One way or another, you are going home before me.” She sneered at me. “You will not be in the top two. You do not get to win Travis.” With that she hopped off the chair and strolled back into the house.

  Taylor and I watched her walk away, before Taylor headed back to her chair and I leaned back against mine.

  “So, did you two really become more than friends?” Taylor asked glancing over at me.

  “We did. I honestly never thought of him that way, but somehow during the course of this show, things changed,” I said looking over at her.

  “That’s so…romantic.” She sighed. “And it really sucks for me.”

  “You aren’t mad at me for…being who I am?” I was shocked she didn’t seem pissed, but very grateful she wasn’t.

  “Of course I’m not. I understand why you did it. And you weren’t allowed to tell anyone. You can’t help your feelings. I didn’t hate you before when I just thought you were another girl after Travis, why would I hate you now when I know you are another girl after Travis?” She laughed.

  I smiled over at her, glad the secret was now out and I didn’t have to cover my tracks anymore. And I was glad Taylor was cool with the whole thing. Oddly enough, she had become a good friend during my stay here, and I really didn’t want to lose that friendship when the truth got out. Maybe it was better she found out this way, instead of her watching it when the show aired. At least she heard it from me—well technically from Nicki, but does she really count?

  “I think it’s adorable that you and Travis figured out how you felt about each other on the show. It would be wonderful to fall in love with my best friend…if I had a guy best friend.” She chuckled and turned to face me. “I’m really happy for you Riley.”

  “Um, the show isn’t over. He could pick anyone!” I said, not wanting her to jump to conclusions.

  “Uh huh. Whatever you say, Riley. He’d be dumb not to pick you.” She waved her hand through the air.

  “But…what about you?”

  “I’ll be fine. There are many other guys out there.” She sat up and leaned close to me. “Does Travis have any brothers?”

  I laughed loudly. “As a matter of fact he does. He has two older, very single ones.”

  “Well, there’s still hope for me yet.” Taylor chuckled and sank back into the chair.

  Later that night, I quickly made my way down the path to the guest house. Since everyone knew my secret, I was no longer worried about people seeing me go to Travis’ place, but I still didn’t want to get cornered by Nicki. Or even Kara at this point. I was thrilled by how Taylor reacted to the announcement, but Kara wasn’t so accepting. In fact, she was pissed. She was back to that person I thought she was the very first night—a complete bitch.

  Nicki had cornered Kara no more than two seconds after she got home from her date with Travis, to tell her the news. Kara’s face went from a beaming smile, to a death glare in two point five seconds. It was not fun being on the receiving end of that.

  I glanced up as I approached the guest house, and stopped in my tracks. Jim was standing outside the front door, looking as if he was expecting me.

  “Riley, I figured you’d be coming over,” he said as he held the door open for me.

  “Um, yeah. I thought I should talk to Travis about what went on at the house today.” I entered the house to see Travis sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Hey Riles.” He looked up at me warily.

  “What’s going on?” I asked taking a seat next to Travis.

  Travis and Jim exchanged looks, before Jim explained, “Nicki is on the warpath. She is demanding that you get kicked off the show. She is saying you attacked her after she told you she knew who you were.”

  I stared at them, choking on my laugh. “Are you serious?! There are cameras all over the house!”

  “She said you followed her into her bedroom.” Jim added.

  I looked between the two of them exasperated. Were they really going to take Nicki’s word on this? How could they not know I would never be alone with her, ever?

  “She is crazy. You two know I wouldn’t do something like that!”

  “We have people going through the video feed right now, trying to locate you during the time Nicki said you attacked her,” Jim said calmly.

  “Travis, you believe me, don’t you?” I asked, since he had been quiet so far. He had to believe me. He’s known me forever, and he knows I don’t get catty like that. And I swear if he was about to take Nicki’s side, I would walk. I couldn’t deal with that crap.

  “She had a bruise on her upper arm, where she said you slammed her into the door frame,” Travis said, barely glancing at me.

  “You mean the bruise on her upper left arm? The same place where she fell into the bar last week?” I asked, knowing for a fact that had been documented. Travis just shrugged.

  That little shit believed her.

  “She is delusional. She is absolutely insane,” I yelled, standing up and pacing the kitchen.

  “Again, we have the crew working on it right now to find out where you were. Obviously no one here believes you did this. She just wants you off the show. I’m not sure how the bruise occurred, but I wouldn’t put it past her to have done it to herself,” Jim said as he stood and walked over to me, placing his hands on my shoulder. “We’ll figure this out Riley.”

  “Yeah. But this won’t be the end of Nicki’s wrath, she’s bound to make my life a living hell until this show is over.” Travis seemed to ignore what I said and laid his head down on the table. I glanced over at Jim, who just shrugged his shoulders.

  “You’re seriously doubting me, aren’t you?” I asked Travis, as I leaned back against the counter to brace myself.

  “I just don’t kn
ow Riley. She was upset, she came to me crying. Why would she do that?” Travis once again glanced up at me warily.

  “She’s acting Travis! Oh my… I’m not even going to have this conversation with you anymore,” I yelled, storming to the door.

  “Riley, just wait a minute,” Jim said calmly from behind me. He grasped my elbow to prevent me from walking out the door. I stopped, but jerked my elbow out of his grasp, turning around to face the both of them.

  “What? Oh wait, you know what? No. I don’t care what you have to say. Soon enough you will find out the truth, I had nothing to do with any of this. Then what?” I narrowed my gaze on Travis. “You think I’m just going to forget all about this? I don’t know if you really have changed, Travis.”

  I turned and walked out the door, quickly getting away from that crazy man. Maybe he and Nicki were perfect for each other after all.

  The following day I sat next to Taylor on the living room couch, drinking my third cup of coffee. It had been a long night. Once I got home I paced my room for an hour, infuriated that Travis would believe Nicki over me. Then Jim came to my room, informing me the camera crew was able to confirm that I was nowhere near Nicki when she claimed I was. Which I had already told them twenty times. At least Jim had the decency to apologize, and inform me that Nicki had gotten a warning. If she ever pulled something like that again, she would be kicked off the show. Though that thought made me feel slightly better, I had tossed and turned in my bed all night long, waiting for my phone to buzz with an apology from Travis. It never came.

  Now we were all in the living room, waiting to find out who got the individual date with Travis today. I knew very well it wasn’t going to be me, and since Kara had a date just yesterday, it wouldn’t be her either. I prayed it would be Taylor, so I wouldn’t have to see that smug smile of Nicki’s.

  But I knew Nicki had yet to have a one-on-one date, so I was bracing myself for the worst. And my nightmare was confirmed when Nicki came sauntering into the room with the envelope in hand.

  “It’s for me.” She practically purred. She tore the envelope open and started reading out loud. “Nicki, I haven’t had a chance to be completely alone with you yet, so I planned a low-key date to get to know you better. Don’t eat lunch, I’ll have some with me. Be there at noon to pick you up. Travis.” Nicki looked directly at me with her smug smile that I wanted to punch off her face.