Sitting in the vast kitchen the following morning, Molly laughed as James began to juggle the eggs.
‘See, told you I was an eggspert.’
Both she and Chloe, who he’d been matched with, groaned at his joke, but Marcus laughed. She’d discovered from last night’s drinking games that he did that a lot. His match, Maya, was much more serious, yet Molly had a feeling if anyone could get her to lighten up, Marcus could.
Her first night in the house had been fun, though she suspected that had something to do with the relief she’d felt when Ben had excused himself. He’d been the only one not to take part in the charades evening.
‘Is your partner going to join us for breakfast?’ Chloe asked. ‘Or is he going to spend the entire day locked away in his room?’
‘How would I know? I’ve not seen him since dinner last night. And please don’t call him my partner,’ she added. ‘He’s just the man I’ve been mistakenly put with.’
‘Poor sod is probably scared you’re going to pour cereal over him,’ James supplied, then swore as one of the eggs splatted onto the ground.
‘Guess you’ll be having scrambled eggs.’ The smile slid off Molly’s face as Duncan entered the kitchen, his arm around Jasmine. The sight was like a kick to the stomach. His gaze found hers and he gave an apologetic shake of his head which did nothing to quell the sick feeling.
As he went to open the fridge, she wandered over to join him.
‘I got matched with Ben,’ she hissed. ‘Can you flaming believe it?’
‘I know, babe. It’s a crap deal.’
‘I really thought I’d get matched with you,’ she mumbled, pretending to search through the yoghurts. ‘Now I’m well and truly skewered. You look like you’re enjoying yourself though,’ she added, trying to keep the jealousy out of her voice.
‘It’s only for show, babe,’ he whispered as he poured out two glasses of smoothie. ‘We talked about that.’
She watched miserably as he handed the second glass, with great flourish, to the giggling Jasmine. ‘There’s a difference between not coming across as a dick, and being all over someone,’ she muttered to herself.
Just then prickles raced down her spine, and when she turned to see what had caused them, her gaze collided with a pair of hazel eyes.
‘Ah, so you’re still here, mate.’ James went over to slap Ben on the back. ‘We all thought Molly had scared you off when you didn’t appear last night.’
Again Ben’s gaze found hers. ‘Why would I be scared?’
‘She’s your ex, yeah?’ When Ben nodded, James grinned. ‘Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t want to go anywhere near any of my exes.’
‘Maybe I’m looking forward to it.’ Dressed down in faded jeans and a green T-shirt that fit just well enough to hint at the muscles of his chest, Ben sauntered into the kitchen with the quiet confidence she remembered him for. Not cocky, because that was for people who pretended to be confident when they weren’t. Ben was so self-assured he didn’t need to put on an act.
It was something she’d always found really sexy about him. Found, note. In the past tense.
His hand touched the top of her arm in greeting, light and very brief. Her body answered with an unnerving flutter deep in her belly. ‘Sleep okay?’
‘Err, yes.’ She didn’t want him being polite, or considerate. She wanted him cool and aloof so she could stay indifferent to him for the next month.
‘So who dumped who?’ James’s gaze jumped between the pair of them.
‘That’s our business,’ Ben replied tightly.
‘He dumped me.’ When Ben gave her a steely look, she shot him one back. ‘Come on, we’re all friends here. I don’t mind these guys knowing. It’s not like it bothers me anymore.’
Ben raised a dark brow. ‘I have a suit in dry cleaning that suggests otherwise.’
‘That was long overdue.’ Avoiding his eyes, she glanced round at the group. ‘I mean, this is the guy who gave every impression he was into me, but when he found out I’d booked tickets for a concert three months down the line, suddenly decided he wasn’t ready for a relationship.’
She watched the muscle in Ben’s jaw jump. He hated this, she knew. The intrusion into what he considered to be private territory, being forced to discuss their break up with people he didn’t know. But she was angry, too. Angry at fate, putting her with him and not Duncan.
Angry at Ben for once letting her believe he was into her, then abruptly deciding he wasn’t.
Angry at herself, for still being affected by him.
‘If we’re going to talk about this, at least let’s get the facts straight,’ Ben interrupted quietly. ‘I didn’t dump Molly.’ His gaze raked over her face before resting on hers. ‘The only part of us that wasn’t right was the timing.’
Her heart bounced as those hazel eyes seared hers. She could see he was trying to make things less awkward, but she was a big girl, she could take the truth. She wanted the truth. She’d had enough of being lied to, even if it was well meaning.
Your mum will be back. She probably just wants a break.
The childhood memories still haunted her. Teachers and social workers trying to be kind, to reassure her she hadn’t been abandoned. Yet her mother had never come back. She’d not wanted her anymore. Just like Ben hadn’t. So just say that. If there was one thing worse than hope, it was false hope.
Involuntarily her gaze flew to Duncan. He caught her eye and gave her a small smile. Is that what he was doing to her now, giving her false hope? Saying he loved her, that he was only on the show to increase his followers, when really he saw it as a chance to break up with her?
* * *
Ben watched the shadows cross Molly’s gorgeous face. What was she thinking? Was this still about him, them, or was something else making her upset? When they’d dated, he’d sometimes caught an expression that had made him want to ask what was wrong, but he was worse than useless at finding the right words.
‘Well, it looks like you’re going to get a second chance at screwing things up with Molly.’
Ben turned to see the personal trainer staring at him with an expression Ben couldn’t identify. How did he know Duncan was a personal trainer? Because the guy hadn’t stopped banging on about it yesterday when they’d been waiting for everyone to arrive. That and how he’d been chosen to go on the show – take note, he was the special one – because apparently he could turn bodies, and thus lives, around through his wildly successful exercise videos.
Ben had briefly considered thumping him. At the very least strapping some strong parcel tape over his mouth.
‘Or maybe I just get a second chance,’ he countered, wondering what the guy’s problem was.
Molly let out a choked sound. ‘Why would you want that? So you can decide it’s the wrong time again, later down the line?’
He flinched. Couldn’t she see how much he regretted letting her go? Or how excruciating this was, having their past played out in public. And with a camera crew in the corner of the kitchen recording every word. ‘Maybe now is the right time.’
Surprise flickered in green eyes that had lost none of their allure. But then she blinked and looked away. ‘There will never be a right time for you and me.’
An awkward silence followed her statement and when Ben looked over towards the huge table in the middle of the kitchen, he noticed everyone had stopped eating to stare at them. Like spectators to a boxing match, he thought irritably.
‘But you guys have four weeks in Happy Ever After Towers.’ The blonde, he thought her name was Jasmine, thankfully broke the deathly quiet. ‘Who knows what might happen? I mean, that’s what we’re here for, right? To find true love. The person we want to marry. And we’re never gonna do that if we’re not open to the idea of it.’
‘Even with your ex,’ Marcus supplied with another of those wide grins it was impossible not to warm to. ‘I know I’m very open to getting to know this beautiful lady over the next four weeks,’ he added smoothly as he caught sight of Maya entering the kitchen. The way she rolled her eyes suggested Marcus would need to work on his charm offensive. Dial down the cheese, up the sincerity.
They were saved any further painful relationship dissections by the entrance of Natalie, who was thankfully sequin-less today. Lauren followed quietly behind her.
‘Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.’ Natalie’s voice boomed across the kitchen. ‘Did you sleep well?’
Ben groaned inwardly as everyone yelled out their replies. It was like being at a 60s holiday camp.
‘I bet you’re all wondering what we’ve lined up for you lucky folk today. Well, this morning we’re going to film you watching your partner’s background stories.’ Shit, he’d forgotten about that. Ben looked sideways at Molly and felt a twinge of discomfort. ‘Then this afternoon we’re going to take you on a trip.’
‘Oooh, do we get to know where?’ Jasmine clasped her hands together in a show of excitement more usually seen at awards ceremonies. Or winning lottery announcements.
‘You do, honey. We’re off to the Birmingham aquarium.’
‘Oh.’ Jasmine’s face fell.
Duncan laughed and threw an arm around his date. ‘That wasn’t what you were expecting, was it, babe?’
Molly inhaled sharply. Puzzled, Ben shifted to look at her, and found her staring at Duncan and Jasmine with a tight expression.
Did she fancy the guy? Was she jealous? ‘Seriously?’ He muttered under his breath, but of course she heard.
Instead of answering him though, she shot him a look that said, ‘Mind your own business.’ Or ‘Piss off.’ Or possibly both.
‘As you know, this show is split into two halves,’ Natalie continued. ‘In the first two weeks the focus is on whether you want to date the person you’re with. In the second two weeks the focus is on whether you want to marry them.’
At least that was one area he and Molly would be in agreement, he thought sourly. They wouldn’t want to marry each other.
‘With that in mind, going round the aquarium is a fabulous opportunity to get to know the person you’ve been matched with.’ Natalie grinned enthusiastically. ‘So we ask you to stay in your pairs on the coach and when you’re going round.’
‘Think that means you’re stuck with me,’ he murmured.
Molly huffed. ‘Maybe I’ll feed you to the sharks.’
‘Or maybe you’ll remember the reasons you once went out with me.’
For a moment her expression softened, but then she stuck out her chin. ‘Remembering them isn’t the problem. The problem is reminding my heart not to trust you.’
Frustration burned through him, yet it was hard to defend himself when he knew he deserved her animosity. He had behaved badly all those years ago, so consumed by her in those first few weeks that he’d let common sense desert him. It had taken finding she’d bought those damn tickets to yank him back into his hard, cold reality. He’d failed the last woman he’d become seriously involved with. Failed in the most tragic way. He had no business continuing his relationship with Molly. She’d deserved far better than him.
Yet now fate had intervened and they were thrown together again, the attraction too sharp to ignore. Could he learn from his mistakes? Did he dare try again?
‘Ben and Molly?’ Lauren’s voice splintered his thoughts and he looked up to find Lauren smiling brightly at them. Did she ever dial down the wattage? ‘Do you want to come with me to watch your video clips?’
‘If I say no?’
Lauren’s smile finally faltered, but then she wagged her finger at him. ‘Rachel has warned me about you.’
What had his sister been saying? ‘Oh?’
‘Yep,’ Lauren said cheerily. ‘She warned me you were at bit grumpy when it came to being interviewed, but to ignore you.’
Molly let out a strangled laugh. ‘See what I have to put up with? And yet somehow the matchmakers put us together.’
‘Maybe they know something you don’t,’ he argued.
‘Umm, or maybe you didn’t show them your true personality when they interviewed you.’
As he’d not actually been interviewed, he kept quiet. Besides, nobody knew him better than Rachel.
Lauren pushed open the door of the small lounge where they’d had their interrogation/heart-to-camera chat – depending on your point of view – yesterday, and signalled for them to sit on the sofa.
A moment later, Natalie breezed in.
‘Hello, you two. As promised, we’re going to play back both of your pre-show interviews and film you watching them to see your reactions.’ She beamed over at him. ‘I think we’ll do gentleman first this time.’
A moment later he watched his face fill up the TV monitor. Automatically his body sunk further into the sofa.
‘So Ben, describe your perfect woman to me,’ his sister asked him on screen.
Christ, did he really have to watch this? ‘I don’t want perfect,’ he heard himself tell her. ‘I’m a long way from perfect myself.’
‘Wise words,’ Molly mumbled beside him.
‘What would you like her to look like, then?’ prompted the on-screen Rachel.
Ben squirmed and tried to bury himself deeper into the sofa. He vividly remembered his answer, which had seemed okay at the time but now, with Molly sitting next to him…
‘Red hair,’ his image replied. ‘Green flashing eyes.’
Molly sucked in a breath.
Rachel nodded. ‘And her personality?’
‘Happy, I guess. Upbeat.’
As he cringed inside, the recording was stopped and Natalie gave him a satisfied smile. ‘Seems you got your wish with the lovely Molly, huh? Shall we see what she was looking for in a partner?’
‘Oh boy,’ he heard Molly mutter.
The recording was fast forwarded to an image of Molly, sitting in what was probably her living room from the look of all the personal touches; the giant potted palm that needed water, the bookcase stuffed full of haphazardly arranged books. His heart twisted as he saw the large multi-coloured hippo print on the wall behind her. The one he remembered buying with her.
‘Looks-wise, I like someone who’s really fit,’ on-screen Molly replied. ‘You know, a hot body, all those rippling muscles.’ She giggled, pretending to fan her face. ‘And if you add blond hair and blue eyes, I probably won’t be able to resist him.’
Ben was reasonably confident in his ability to attract women – he’d been called handsome many times, and he regularly went to the gym to keep himself in good shape. But his confidence shrivelled a little at Molly’s description.
No wonder she kept looking at the personal trainer. Clearly her tastes had changed over the last three years. He wasn’t just stuck with a date who hated him, but with one who fancied someone else.
The next few weeks were going to be awkward as fuck.