“Good evening, ladies,” he says as he takes his place in front of the line of Rolls-Royces prepared to whisk away the disqualified contestants. Beside him is a column that you’d normally expect to display a sculpture or flower arrangement, but instead there’s a perfectly stacked pyramid of scrolls. “It seems that some of you had some very real connections with Henry this evening. What a lucky man. Let’s bring Henry out!”
Henry steps through the doors of the château, and as he makes his way down the steps, a ripple of giggles follows. He shakes hands with Chad and gives us all a smirk and a nod. “Ladies.”
“You had some tough decisions to make tonight,” says Chad.
“I did. I met a lot of really special people.”
“Well, let’s get to it.”
My stomach clenches into a knot. This is it.
Henry clears his throat to call a name, but Wes shouts, “Cut! Hold your places!”
Irina, Ginger, and Ash run out to Henry and quickly primp, tugging on his suit, tousling his hair, and powdering his forehead.
“Talk about ruining the moment,” Stacy whispers behind me, and I snicker.
After Ash, Irina, and Ginger scatter, we’re back and rolling.
“Addison,” calls Henry, making her the first name to be called.
Predictable. I try not to roll my eyes in case the camera is on me.
He calls a few other names, including Jenny, which is a good look for him, because who wants to be the guy to send the girl who crash-landed on her face home? One by one, they each take a scroll and excitedly unroll it.
“Anna,” he says.
My stepsister squeals, but then doubles back to squeeze Drew’s hand.
Anna gives Henry a hug and thanks him for the scroll.
As she takes her place back on the steps, Henry calls Drew’s name, and I see the tension in her shoulders immediately melt.
Name after name. Sara Claire. Stacy. Allison. Jen K. And then some I don’t know. Amelia. Genevieve. Felicity. Morgan.
And then finally—“Cindy.”
My sinking heart floats back up my chest like a drifting balloon. I make my way down the marble staircase, breath held. Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall.
“Will you accept this scroll?” asks Henry as he hands me the final one.
I nod so hard my head could fall off, and then I lean in for a hug, reaching up and sliding an arm around his neck as I casually kiss his cheek, feeling stupidly brave even though my heart is pounding so hard I’m scared he can hear it. “Thank you,” I whisper into his ear.
When I turn back, I find Anna and Drew with wide eyes and slack jaws, while nearly everyone else is shooting mental daggers at my face. Including Addison, whose lips are pursed with irritation.
Girls like Addison have never been threatened by girls like me, and I can’t help it. I love watching these tables turn.
“Well, ladies,” Chad says in his most official host voice. “I’m sorry to say that if you did not receive a scroll tonight, you have been eliminated. Thank you so much for joining us this evening and taking a shot at true love. Please make your way to the front to say your goodbyes to Henry.”
I clutch my paper scroll in my hand as I watch seven women, including Juggling Judith and Brenda the Spanish teacher, say goodbye to Henry and slide into the back seat of a Rolls-Royce.
Beside me, Jenny frowns. “I really liked Judith.”
Behind me, a tall woman with luscious brown curls who I believe is named Amelia says, “Me too. She was my roommate.”
“Well, don’t get too sad, Amelia,” Addison counters. “The sooner other women go home, the longer we stay. Besides, now you have one less person to share a room with.”
Amelia shrugs.
“Okay,” Wes says through the bullhorn like we’re all cattle again, “let’s get all the ladies who are left to make their way down the steps and mingle with Chad and Henry. Music will be playing over your conversation, so no need to be interesting. I know we’re all way past due for some sleep.”
I stifle a yawn and follow down the steps.
“Read your scrolls! Camera two, get me some over-the-shoulder shots of the scrolls,” calls Wes. “Grab a glass of champagne from the trays!”
“Do we have to?” Drew says under her breath. She waits for me at the bottom of the stairs while Anna shimmies her way through the crowd to Henry.
I chuckle, and we make our way to Mallory, who is quickly pouring glass after glass of cheap champagne.
“Maybe I’m still on New York time,” I say with a yawn.
“Do you think Mom even realizes how much they try to get people to drink on set?” Drew asks quietly.
“I doubt it.” But the truth is, I bet the booze mandate comes straight from Erica. She’s the brains behind this whole thing. She’s been lubricating reality television contestants with alcohol since Anna and Drew were in diapers. Even the scrolls were her idea. She said in high school a boy asked her out by pretending to read from a scroll like it was an official decree, and ever since then, she’d found the idea of this funny, a little inside joke to herself. In fact, they even sent out scrolls as the invitation to her and Dad’s wedding. It was a very elaborate affair.
Drew pours her glass on the pavement and turns to me with a fake laugh, as a camera creeps past us.
I want to just give her a hug and walk arm in arm back into the house with her and Anna. I hate that we’re not all in the same room, even though I know it’s for the best.
I open my scroll to read.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE!
You have been invited to stay at the château, where you will compete for a chance at true love at the request of Henry Mackenzie. Congratulations, and good luck in your pursuit. Henry asks for the pleasure of your company later this week. More details to come.
I roll up the scroll for safekeeping. I know it’s just a silly prop, but I feel weirdly sentimental for it already, like it’s the one little souvenir of my time here. At least I’ll always be able to say I made it past the first round. Drew reaches up and pushes a wisp of hair out of my face. “Anna’s got it bad for this guy.”
I cringe a little. “Oof, really?”
Drew laughs. “Anna’s got it bad for every guy we’ve ever met. But don’t worry. As soon as she sees how much you like him, she’ll back off.”
I smile down into my glass of champagne. I’d never admit to having a favorite between the two of my stepsisters, but Drew’s always been just a little more intuitive and easier to talk to than Anna. I love Anna, but she’s a little airy and just a teensy bit self-involved. Her moods and feelings are as fickle as an afternoon rain shower, but even though she can be a little hard to pin down, she’s always been good to me.
I mean, mostly good. Except for those few times back in high school when I was a freshman and Anna and Drew were sophomores. The two of them were busy trying to impress the older popular girls ahead of us. And then one day they were the older popular girls and suddenly, when they had no one to answer to but themselves, having their chubby half sister tag along wasn’t such a social crime.
“Is it that obvious?” I ask. “That I like him?” It’s the first time I’m really admitting it, even to myself.