“A private jet. Nice touch, Cole.” The four-and-a-half-hour flight to Florida was manageable with my very own flight attendant. I watched two movies and ate a hearty breakfast.
“Savannah, you look more beautiful today than you did ten years ago.” Cole air-kissed my cheek. He looked polished and refined. Very different from the cute frat boy who approached me a decade ago during spring break.
“Executive producer, huh? Congratulations.”
The old Cole would have shrugged and smiled. Instead, he gave a curt nod. “Hashtag career goals. Shall we?” He held the door open to the building and nodded to the security guard sitting at the desk.
I was surprised he was taking me to their office building. I thought maybe we’d do a light lunch somewhere chic, and he would woo me over trendy salads and chardonnay. He hit the fifth-floor button.
“We have the fourth and fifth floors, and the studio, of course.”
“Of course.” When the doors opened, I almost gasped. The decor was sophisticated. Meador Entertainment and its subsidiaries were listed on the wall behind the reception desk. A receptionist smiled brightly at us. “Welcome, Ms. Edwards.”
“You all work on Sundays?” I whispered to Cole.
“Only on special occasions,” he said.
He nodded at her, and she buzzed the door to let us in. “Take a left.” He pointed down the hallway and waited for the door to latch behind us.
“Do you need all this protection?” I remembered only Lou the security guard stationed outside the rented penthouse, but I didn’t recall anyone bothering us.
“When Sparks Fly is a big show. Plus, Lauren is a celebrity. Since she left CNN to lead Sparks, she pretty much calls the shots,” Cole said.
He opened the door to the conference room, and I froze in the doorway. Six people sat at a large oval table staring at me.
“Ms. Edwards. Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat.” An attractive older man with gorgeous hair shook my hand and introduced himself as Peter Meyers, Meador Entertainment’s chief financial officer. I was introduced to everyone, certain I wouldn’t remember a single name by the end of the meeting. I sat and waited for somebody to start talking.
“I’m sorry I’m late.” Lauren Lucas breezed into the room and smiled at me. Her cream-colored suit with a sapphire shell stood out in the room full of dark suits and conservative ties. Honey-brown hair tumbled in curls down her back. She stared at me with sparkling blue eyes that matched her blouse. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Lauren Lucas.” She shook my hand, and when she smiled, a dimple formed high up on her cheek.
She was a proverbial breath of fresh air and more beautiful in person than on-screen, which was rare because most people looked better on television. I was both excited and completely self-conscious around her. I didn’t care about the show executives and producers in the room. “Hi. I’m Savannah Edwards.” I didn’t recognize my own voice. It sounded husky and a bit too sexy. I cleared my throat and took a sip from the ice water in front of me. She sat four seats down and across from me.
“Since we’re all here, let’s get started,” Peter said. He handed me a leather portfolio with a contract and a ton of other papers.
I closed it and folded my hands so they rested on the soft leather. “First of all, I want to know why you picked me. Out of all the other seasons and the hundreds of contestants, why me?” I glanced at Lauren, who quickly masked her smile as she bit her bottom lip and wrote something in her notebook.
“Ten years ago, we didn’t know the direction of When Sparks Fly. We wanted to have a dating show that focused solely on women. In the beginning, it was about partying and everyone making out. It wasn’t serious like The Bachelorette,” Peter said. Everyone at the table knew most of the show’s budget during season one had gone to the Tipsy Rooster liquor store in the Florida Keys. “We started off that way, but we’ve since changed the direction of the show. There’s a real need for a serious reality show about women loving women.” He nodded in Lauren’s direction. “With Lauren’s help, we were able to add a level of sincerity to the show, and the switch has been amazing. Amazing,” he repeated.
As I looked around at the posh digs, I agreed that the switch was a good call. “Okay, so again, why me?”
“You’re exactly what we are looking for. People believed you then, and they’re going to believe that you want a relationship now. That is what you want, right?” Peter sat back in his chair and looked around the room as though he had just revealed a secret that everyone already knew.
A heated flush settled on my neck and cheeks. I was embarrassed to have every single person in that room judge me. I had gotten my answer, but it was hard to hear. I was thirty-two, single, and preparing to sign up for a dating show that had once destroyed me.
“You’re familiar with the show, you’ve always been a fan favorite, you’re attractive, and you’re genuine. Everybody loves the girl next door,” Lauren said. “You have your own business, you know what you want, and you haven’t settled for anything but what’s best for you.”
I got lost in Lauren’s brilliantly blue, trusting eyes for a moment. “Um, yeah, thank you. Honestly, I feel a little exposed right now.”
“Can we have the room?” Lauren asked. The seven men immediately pushed up from their chairs and left. Each one nodded and smiled at me on his way out. Lauren moved closer and sat in the now-vacant chair across from me.
“Why me, though? I’m nobody. I’m somebody who signed up for a show years ago and got dumped on television.”
She pointed at me and smiled. “That’s exactly why. People need to see you happy and moving forward with your life. They are invested in you. The show still gets emails about you. And about Katie Parson, whom they all dislike very much.”
I smiled at her. “Yeah. I’m not really a fan either.”
The lilt in her laugh made my stomach quiver. “I know you have reservations, and I would, too, but I promise that we will do everything possible to make it an amazing experience. The new board and policies focus on taking care of the flames, contestants, and crew. And we have only ten contestants this time around. Once you tell us what you’re looking for, we will make sure the contestants check all your boxes.”
I wanted to believe her. She made me excited about dating again. Her words boosted my confidence. When was my last date? Three months ago? Theoretically, everyone on the show would be people I would be interested in, so it was better than a dating app. “Tell me the plan. Is there an apartment somewhere like before?”
She patted the closed leather portfolio in front of me. “We plan to start at two mansions in Key West. The contestants will be at one, and you’ll be at another.” She opened the binder and showed me photos of the places. Not surprisingly, both were high-end. “We’ll have a quick trip to Mexico when it gets down to four contestants, and, of course, the final two you’ll take home to meet your family and/or friends.”
I sat back in the chair. “This is a lot to take in.”
“I know you have a business to run and that this will take you away for a good three months. You’ll receive a ten-thousand-dollar signing bonus that will hopefully allow you to hire somebody while you’re away. And then there’s the salary for playing the flame. Since it’s a shortened season, it’s only a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but you won’t have to worry about food or lodging. Everything is provided. And you’ll have your own makeup and hair stylist.”
The proposal sounded too good to be true, but I had no reason to doubt Lauren. “Is there a catch?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not going to blindside me with an ex or ask me to hand over my firstborn if I find the perfect woman?” I was only kind of joking.
“We’re not looking to manufacture drama. It’s really a straight-forward contract.”
“Would you do it?”
“Um, well. Interesting. No one’s ever asked me that question,” she said.
I didn’t know a single thing about Lauren. I didn’t know if she was married, straight, single, bi, pan. She was incredibly femme, but that could just be her persona for the show. My gaydar didn’t ping at all.
“I would do the show. They vet each contestant and do a background check and a deep dive on their social media accounts. The contestants will be people who want a long-term relationship and aren’t necessarily in it for fame, but no promises.”
Even though Lauren was aware of my dating history, I knew I couldn’t ask if she was married or dating. It wasn’t my business. We were here for me, and I needed to decide. “If you say it’s legit and something you would do, then where do I sign?”
She smiled, and the tiny dimple that popped up high on her cheek made my knees weak. Regardless of the outcome of the show, it was going to be a nice treat to see her every day for the next three months.