Molly was on her way to cook with Ben, Duncan and Jasmine. What joy. If there was one thing worse than being in a kitchen with two exes, it had to be being in a kitchen with two exes and a woman who clearly wanted in the pants of the one ex she didn’t want to be an ex.
As she rounded the corner, she collided with someone coming in the opposite direction.
‘Oh my God, sorry, I wasn’t looking.’
Rachel smiled and straightened her already perfectly straight jacket. ‘No worries. I don’t think I was either. Are you off to cook?’
‘Yep.’
‘Good, I’ll walk with you. The camera crew are coming along, too.’ She winked. ‘Maybe cooking with Ben will bring some sizzle to more than the frying pan.’
‘Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.’
Rachel slowed her step to peer at Molly. ‘You don’t feel any of the spark of attraction you once had with him?’
She pictured Ben earlier in the pool, his body as athletic as she remembered with its sexy dusting of dark chest hair, the muscles well defined. As he’d thumped in the winning goal, his face had come alive, bringing with it a rush of memories, good memories, knocking aside the hurt and reminding her of happier times. Unbalanced by them, she’d had to walk away and remind herself that doing the same thing again, and expecting a different result was the definition of insanity.
‘Molly?’
She let out a long breath. ‘Attraction isn’t the issue.’ She turned to face Rachel. ‘Did you know we’d dated when you asked him to come on the show? And before you pretend to look confused, he told me he’s your brother and he came on to do you a favour as my original match pulled out.’
‘Ah, he confessed to being related to me, did he? Not that it’s a secret,’ she added quickly. ‘Me being his brother just wasn’t something I was going to broadcast, in case it makes the other contestants feel there’s some sort of favouritism going on in how we’ll edit the show. Which I can assure you there won’t be, as I’m only one small cog in the production wheel. But to answer your question, we knew you used to date Duncan, which was why you were invited to take part, but we didn’t realise you’d also dated Ben. It didn’t come up in the research and he never mentioned you to me.’
And wow, that stung far more than it should have. ‘Clearly I wasn’t important enough.’
Rachel’s expression softened. ‘That wasn’t the reason he didn’t talk about you.’ She paused, her gaze searching Molly’s as if she was coming to some sort of decision. ‘When you met, it was a difficult time for him.’
The only part of us that wasn’t right was the timing. ‘So he’s said.’
‘But you don’t believe him?’
Molly shrugged. ‘It doesn’t really matter now. It’s all water under a bridge that I won’t be walking over again.’
Still, her heart let out a very solid thump when she stepped into the kitchen and found Ben already there, talking with Lauren. He’d changed out of his shorts and put on some worn denim jeans and a black polo shirt. Somehow, whether it was the confidence with which he wore them, the lean lines of the body underneath, or maybe the way the look was completed by an expensive watch circling his left wrist, his whole bearing was effortlessly stylish.
She glanced down at her denim shorts and clown fish T-shirt proclaiming Keep Your Friends Close, Anemones Closer that she’d bought at the aquarium yesterday. Yep, the pair of them were not a perfect match by anyone’s standards.
As if aware of her scrutiny, Ben glanced over, dipping his head once in acknowledgement. It was only then she realised Duncan and Jasmine were sitting at the kitchen table behind him, Duncan in a white T-shirt that was a tight fit over his muscles and a stark contrast to his all-year tan. Again, she looked down at herself, this time at her pale legs, and the curves which she liked to think were soft, but a harsher critic could call saggy. Never mind Ben, how had she convinced herself she was a perfect match for the super-fit Duncan?
But then Duncan caught her eye and grinned. ‘Hey, Molly. Dig the T-shirt.’
Feeling instantly better, she smiled back. ‘Thanks.’
‘On the evenings we don’t have events, we’ve selected two couples to make a meal for everyone,’ Rachel announced. ‘It’s a chance to see how well you work together in a pressured environment. You’ll work in pairs, one pair taking care of the main course and the other the starters and dessert.’
‘What are we making?’ Duncan asked, a frown crossing his face. ‘Because it needs to jibe with my healthy lifestyle philosophy. As I say in my videos, fitness isn’t just something you can dip in and out of.’ Whether it was conscious or not, Molly wasn’t sure, but Duncan angled his head towards the camera above the door. ‘Fitness is a way of living, affecting not just what you do with your body, but what you put into it.’
From the corner of her eye, Molly saw Ben give a little shake of his head. ‘You don’t believe exercise and healthy eating is important, Ben?’ She asked him tartly.
His head swivelled round to stare at her. ‘I believe in a lot of things. I just don’t go shouting off about them.’
‘You call it shouting off; normal people call it talking about things openly.’ Irritated, she turned to Rachel. ‘Do I have to stick with Ben, or can we change partners for this?’
Ben inhaled sharply, but Molly ignored him. He claimed he’d never stopped being interested in her, yet by his own admission, he’d only joined her at the pool because his sister had bullied him into it. Now he was deliberately goading Duncan, and okay, maybe Duncan did go on about his fitness stuff a teeny bit too much, but that was why he’d come on the show, to promote himself and his business. The business that would support his wife and family.
‘You can choose who you cook with,’ Rachel replied, glancing between her and Ben. ‘And you can also choose what you make. We’ll go out and buy what you need if it’s not already in the fridge.’
‘Great.’ Molly carefully didn’t look at Duncan. ‘I for one totally believe it’s important to eat healthily.’
‘That’s not what I remember,’ Ben murmured.
She glared back at him. ‘People change. I’ve changed. And I’d love to make a low-fat dish if anyone else is up for it.’
‘You’re talking my language.’ Duncan flicked her a grin and rose to his feet. Then, as if he’d suddenly remembered her, he gave Jasmine a crooked smile. ‘You don’t mind cooking with Ben, do you, babe?’
She pouted. ‘I suppose.’ Easing up from her chair, she walked over to Ben and tapped a finger provocatively against his chest. ‘What do you reckon, can we make something decadently sweet together?’
Ben stared down at where her finger rested against his chest, then let out a low chuckle. ‘We can give it our best shot.’
Not the reaction she’d been expecting. Molly felt a clutch in her belly, and an awful realisation that she wanted to change her mind. That making a decadent dessert sounded more fun. But she couldn’t let anyone see that, least of all Ben who might think it was to do with him, so she gave Duncan a playful glance. ‘Low on fat but brimming with flavour.’ She fluttered her eyelashes. ‘And packing some heat, yes?’
Duncan grinned. ‘Heat sounds good to me.’
* * *
All too aware of the cameras recording his every facial twitch, Ben forced his expression to remain neutral as he watched Molly and Duncan stand very close to each other at the stove, Molly giggling at something Duncan said. Hard to believe it was that funny. From what he’d seen so far, the man had the personality of a plank of wood.
Ben couldn’t work out if she was deliberately trying to wind him up with her cosy chatting (mission accomplished), wind Jasmine up (he suspected also accomplished) … or if Molly genuinely enjoyed flirting with the man she’d clearly had her eye on from day one.
‘Oh Duncan, stop.’ Molly’s voice sounded breathless. ‘You’re making me blush.’
Jasmine, who’d been in the process of whisking together melted chocolate and cream, stopped and glared over at the pair by the stove. ‘What’s he saying to you?’
Molly glanced over her shoulder. ‘Nothing important.’
‘Why don’t I be the judge of that,’ Jasmine countered, obviously not prepared to be brushed off. ‘He is supposed to be my partner.’
Molly sighed. ‘Fine. I asked if he thought the sauce was too spicy, and he dipped the spoon in and asked me to give it a lick and see. And then…’ She groaned, her cheeks really flushed now. ‘Probably I just have a dirty mind, but I said it was a bit hot and he said I could always try blowing it.’
‘I see.’ Jasmine clattered the whisk onto the work top. ‘I bet that’s something you’re really good at huh? Blowing guys. Especially guys who belong to someone else.’
Anger fizzed through Ben, sharp and hot. ‘That’s enough.’
Molly’s eyes flashed, telling him he wasn’t the only one getting angry. ‘You seriously think Duncan belongs to you after, what, two days? I went out with him for a lot longer than that.’
There was a collective gasp; the camera team, Jasmine, Duncan and yes, probably from him, too. Molly immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, looking horrified at her outburst.
Jasmine was the first to recover. ‘Oh my God, first Ben, now Duncan. Is there any guy on this show you haven’t fucked?’
Molly’s eyes widened, her face turning from red to pasty white before crumpling in a way that made Ben’s heart twist.
‘Jasmine.’ He put a warning hand on her arm and whispered under his breath. ‘Knock it off.’
Duncan didn’t seem worried by the insult to the woman he’d apparently dated. In fact, to Ben’s amazement, the man chuckled. ‘I know, right? So weird, Molly being here with two of her exes, though I want to make it clear Moll and I are still mates. It was all very amicable. Still, I know being on the same show as one ex has been done before, but two … that’s got to be a first, huh?’
He directed his question at Rachel, who Ben knew wouldn’t be happy to be included in this little pantomime. ‘As you say, it’s not the first time I’ve seen someone matched with an ex, though it was a surprise to find Molly’s dated both of you,’ his sister replied carefully.
Surprise was a bloody understatement.
Jasmine sniffed. ‘Seriously, what on earth do you guys see in her?’
Molly laughed bitterly. ‘Clearly not very much, as both of them dumped me.’
‘Not true. At least not from my end.’ Ben kept his eyes firmly on Molly. ‘What I saw in you then is the same as I see in you now.’
‘Oh yeah, and what’s that?’
Someone I think I could love. His brain froze as he felt the camera lens swivel in his direction. Fuck, he hated this. He felt vulnerable enough admitting his feelings to someone who so obviously had her eyes set on someone else, never mind doing it in public.
‘Forget I asked.’ Molly turned sharply away from him and went back to stirring whatever healthy ingredients were in the pan.
At least she and Duncan were no longer flirting. Yet as he saw her retreat into her shell, her interactions with everyone kept to a minimum as they all ate together on the long kitchen table a little while later, he wondered if perhaps he didn’t prefer to see her flirting. At least then she’d seemed happy.
‘Charades tonight,’ Jasmine chirped as the four of them cleared away – apparently kitchen duties involved not just cooking the meal.
Molly flicked her gaze towards him. ‘Ben will enjoy that.’
He forced a smile. ‘Absolutely. One of my favourites.’ No bloody way was he going to sit through that. He’d plead a headache.
Just then Rachel appeared. ‘We’ll finish clearing up, guys. Can you all walk down to the heart-to-camera room for a chat?’
Christ, every time he heard that name, he cringed.
And every time he stepped into it, his stomach sank to the floor.
The room had been rearranged since he’d last been in, with two small sofas replacing the one larger one. Rachel indicated for them to sit down in their couples. Their current couples. Not the couples he was starting to realise Molly wanted them to be in. As if to emphasise the point, she sat down about as far away from him as she could.
He ached to reach out to her, wrap an arm around her waist at least as a show of solidarity, of friendship, but she was obviously as upset with him as she was with Duncan and Jasmine, which gutted him.
Natalie swanned in a moment later on a cloud of pink: frilly pink blouse, bubble gum pink skirt. She took up her position and beamed over to the cameras. ‘Tonight we found out that Duncan and Molly were dating prior to being accepted on this show. Quite a revelation, considering we already know Molly once dated Ben.’ Yeah, a revelation he’d like to bet the producers, including his flaming sister, had neatly set up. ‘I thought now was a good time to dig a bit deeper into what these couples thought, now everyone is on the same page.’
Ben caught his sister’s eye and saw a flicker of concern. He had a hunch it came from the chat she’d had with him when she’d persuaded him out of his room and down to the pool this afternoon. I’ve been looking at some of the footage, Ben. It’s clear you still have a thing for Molly. So what the blazes are you doing hiding up here like some saddo, letting guys like Duncan hog her attention?
It would have been helpful if she’d mentioned Duncan being Molly’s fucking ex.
‘I’m going to start with you, Duncan.’ Natalie’s question dragged Ben’s focus back to the present. ‘Why don’t you tell us how you felt when you found you’d been matched with Jasmine instead of Molly?’
‘Well, they’re both knockouts,’ Duncan replied with his usual eloquence. ‘I mean, me and Molls, we only split up because I got invited onto the show.’
And the bombshells kept on coming. Snippets of the conversation he’d had with Molly on the coach floated back to him. She’d talked of splitting up with a guy only a few months ago. Of watching dating shows with him. Apparently not only had Molly dated Duncan until recently, their relationship hadn’t really ended. It had just been conveniently paused while the man sought fame and fortune on the show.
As the realisation burrowed its way into his consciousness, anger and frustration burned in his gut. His chances of trying again with Molly had just shrivelled to dust.
‘Can’t say I was disappointed to find I was paired with this one, mind,’ Duncan added, wrapping a huge paw of a hand around Jasmine’s. ‘I mean, look at her. What bloke in his right mind isn’t going to give a relationship with this babe a real shot?’
Molly inhaled sharply and when Ben turned to look at her, the desolation on her face cut him to the quick. She had genuine feelings for Duncan. Feelings she must have believed were returned.
‘And how about you, Molly?’ Natalie turned her focus to their sofa, the cameras following suit. ‘You told us you came on the show to find your soulmate. Did you believe that was Duncan?’
‘Yes.’ Her voice sounded shaky and she must have realised it because she cleared her throat. ‘When Duncan ended our relationship to come on here, I was upset. Then I was invited on and I figured it was an opportunity to see if we really were meant to be together.’ She smiled brightly at the camera. Too brightly. ‘Plus I got to take part in my favourite show.’
Invited to come on? So this had been a fucking set up from the start, and he’d just been a pawn in the producers’ … in his sister’s little game.
‘Then you found yourself paired with Ben.’
Molly let out a heavy breath at Natalie’s statement. ‘Yes. I definitely wasn’t expecting that.’ She slid him a look. ‘It was like a double whammy. I didn’t get paired with the man I’d hoped to be matched with…’
‘Instead you got lumbered with the last person you’d choose to spend a month with,’ he filled in for her.
Molly frowned. ‘That’s not… Lumbered isn’t the word I’d use. Well, I suppose I would have used it, or something worse when I first found out, but I’ve got that out of my system now.’ She paused, eyes darting once more to his before focussing back on the camera. ‘It’s safe to say things haven’t worked out as I’d have liked, which is kind of putting it mildly, considering I’m sort of living with two guys who’ve decided to break up with me.’ Her gaze dropped to her hands. ‘Maybe I’m not cut out for a relationship. For love.’
There was a wobble to her voice that made Ben’s protective instincts come out in full force. ‘Bollocks.’
The camera, and Natalie, turned towards him. ‘What do you mean by that, Ben?’
Damn it, what happened to his famous keep shtum motto? ‘Relationships, love … they’re hard for everyone.’ Too personal. Abruptly he rose to his feet. ‘Excuse us, it’s been a long day.’ He held out his hand to Molly, willing her to take it and not just because he’d look like a total chump if she didn’t.
If ever there was a person who needed to get away and lick her wounds in private for a while, it was Molly.