Darn Knit All - Sneak Peek

 

Mai

I think I want to climb a mountain

Theo

You hate physical exercise

Mai

Says who?

Theo

You. You literally complained the entire time I took you hiking

Mai

Your version of hiking involved snakes, wolves and a snowstorm. I feel my protests were justified

Theo

It wasn’t that bad

Mai

Tell that to the rangers who had to carry you out…

Theo

And here I was thinking you liked adventure

 

Airport security always took forever when I traveled. They’d spend extra time doing pat downs and chemical testing to make sure I wasn’t smuggling drugs or ammunition in through my prosthetic.

“And arms,” the bored security guard said, gesturing for me to lift them.

“Don’t worry, the only thing I’m packing is a shit-ton of cheese in my bag,” I told him with a wink.

The guard ignored me, completing his examination.

Guess he didn’t enjoy my cheese jokes.

With a few swipes of some pads, he checked for chemical residue, then dismissed me.

“Next,” he called, turning away.

Free to go, I picked up my bag and made my way to where Mai stood, fiddling anxiously as she glanced around the airport.

“All done?” she asked.

I nodded, watching as she tapped the fingertips of one hand against the ring I’d given her. The Morse-code-like movement had become a tell for her stress levels.

I caught her hand, gently squeezing until her fingers relaxed.

“We’re down here,” I said, leading her toward the terminal. “But you already knew that.”

Her cheeks flushed and she dipped her head, hiding her face behind her curtain of ebony hair. “I may have glanced at the board.”

Mai never left anything to chance. She did better with certainties, working through her anxiety by understanding how things were laid out, what was expected of her, how she should dress or behave. Her overpreparation had saved my bacon a time or two, but I knew it cost her mentally and physically.

Following an uneventful plane ride, we were met at the airport by a smiling, peppy young man with the unexpected name of Bruce. Bruces in my opinion were men who sprouted from the earth at the age of forty, with peppered beards, pot bellies and who only drank beer that came in cans.

This Bruce seemed determined to shake my belief in the name to the core. He appeared to be no older than twenty-one, had lime-green hair with a single flop of ice white at his left temple that contrasted sharply with his fake tan. He wore the shit out of a crisp flowing dress that looked like it came from a scene in The Devil Wears Prada.

I glanced down at my own simple plaid button-up and jeans. We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Mai clutched my hand as we followed him.

“This way!” Bruce said, quickly navigating the crowds of the airport. “We’ll need to hurry if we’re going to make it on time. The other couples all landed yesterday, but there was an issue booking your tickets so late—that’s what happens when you’re a last-minute addition.”

Mai stumbled and I caught her, holding her close.

“An addition?” she repeated.

“Yeah.” Bruce nodded. “The other couple broke up. Completely understandable—they were nightmares throughout this whole casting process. We were desperate and you two seemed like the best option to replace them at short notice.”

He held the door open for us and we stepped into the midafternoon sun.

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

“You’re from a small town, determined to make it big. You’re unknowns on the fashion circuit, and while your design samples were good….” He made a gesture with his hands that I took to mean he wasn’t overly impressed with Mai’s efforts.

I bristled. “Are you saying that—”

“Here it is,” Bruce interrupted, ignoring me.

A black limo slid into the pickup space, idling by the curb.

“Theo.”

I glanced down at Mai, my jaw clenched. She smiled up at me, her expression serene.

“It’s okay,” she assured me, squeezing my hand. “We knew coming in we were the underdogs. It’s not a problem.”

I blew out a breath. “You’re right.” I forced a smile. “Should we make underdog t-shirts to wear on our first day? Perhaps a hound dog expression with ‘Underdogs are the best dogs’ written above it.”

Mai snorted. “We’d be tossed out.”

“You say that, and yet I’ve seen some of the things celebrities wear.” I helped her slide into the back of the limo. “Our shirt would be iconic.”

“I doubt that very much.”

Bruce followed me in then shut the door, sealing us into the dim interior.

I’d never traveled in a limo before and was surprised to find it… underwhelming. Oh, sure there were snacks, interesting lighting, and a cool partition that separated us from the driver, but otherwise, it was just a car. And cars didn’t hold any appeal for me.

The woman seated beside me, dressed in a cute sundress of her own making, however…

“Theo!”

I pulled my hand back from the control panel, flashing Mai a sheepish grin. “What?”

She inclined her head toward the driver. “I’m sure they don’t enjoy you opening and closing the partition repeatedly.”

I muttered something petulant under my breath but leaned back in my seat.

Bruce laughed, holding up his phone. “You mind scooting closer together? I want to snap a picture of you two for our socials.”

We exchanged a glance but did as asked. Bruce twisted this way and that, taking picture after picture, directing us to “look natural” and “smile more.”

How one smiled with all their teeth while looking natural I would never know.

A tinge of exhaustion hit me as the limo pulled into the hotel driveway. My residual limb had begun to throb on the plane—no doubt a mixture of swelling from the pressure and from all the walking on slippery surfaces—tiles were the bane of my existence.

“I’m looking forward to room service and bed,” I admitted quietly to Mai as we shuffled to exit the limo.

“Oh, did I not mention tonight’s events?” Bruce asked, overhearing our conversation.

“Mention what?” I asked, straightening from the car.

“We have interviews scheduled followed by welcome drinks. You’ll meet the host and the other teams. It’s compulsory.”

Mai and I exchanged a frustrated look.

“No,” I said tightly. “It must have slipped your mind while you were taking a million pictures of our shoes.”

He chuckled, seemingly oblivious to my sarcasm. “Don’t worry, makeup is on standby and will have you looking incredible before you can even blink.”

“Will there be food?” Mai asked, patting her stomach. “I don’t think I’ll be able to form a sentence if I’m not fed.”

Bruce pulled out his phone, swiping rapidly. “The schedule doesn’t mention eating, but I’ll see that something is delivered. Though” —he sniffed delicately— “you really should have eaten on the plane.”

“How silly of us,” I drawled, clutching a hand to my chest. “We shall make a note to do so next time.”

Mai elbowed me in the side, a not-so-subtle hint.

I glanced down at her, our gazes meeting in a silent conversation.

Play nice.

I frowned, tipping my head toward Bruce.

I don’t want to. The guy is an ass.

She sighed, her expression turning pleading.

Please?

Rolling my eyes, I dropped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her into my side.

“Only for you,” I murmured against her ear. “But if there’s no food in the next fifteen minutes, all bets are off.”

Our bags were handed off to a doorman before Bruce ushered us through the doors of the beautiful hotel, through another set of doors, and into a conference room that had been repurposed into a studio. The second our feet crossed the threshold a whirlwind of activity engulfed us.

“Smile,” an audio tech barked at me as she ripped my shirt from my body and began to strap a microphone to my chest. “You’re about to be a star.”

Microphone strapped down, my shirt was quickly replaced by a different woman who ushered us forward. Tall and lean, she had the kind of mannerisms that reminded me of a person who’d had three cups too many coffee. We followed, listening as she pointed out different areas of the staging. While she moved confidently through the chaos, Mai and I struggled, dodging bustling crew who were more focused on their miles of cables than the fresh meat walking by.

“I’m the director. You’re on my set,” the woman said, flicking dark-brown hair away from her tired face. “Which means I own you. When I say jump, you don’t ask how high, you just jump. Got me?”

I bristled, glancing at Mai. Her expression had blanked, but I read panic in her eyes. That panic was enough to calm whatever annoyance I felt. I was here for her—not me. I needed to check my ego at the door and just go with the flow.

We nodded, Mai’s hand finding mine as we walked.

“Good. We’re going to do couple interviews. You sit on a couch, you answer all the questions, and then you get to go join the other contestants at the party. Got me?”

I shot Mai a teasing look. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

The imposing woman glanced at me over her shoulder, her gaze narrowing. “A joker, are you? We’ll see how much you’re laughing once the competition starts.”

I exchanged a look with Mai, feeling strangely like a scolded schoolboy.

“She doesn’t like you,” Mai whispered, barely containing her laughter. “We’re already off to a horrible start.”

“No one hates me,” I said confidently. “They just don’t know they like me yet.”

“Sit. It’s time to prove you can charm the public.” The director clapped her hands like we were schoolkids and not grown-ass adults.

“What’s your name?” I asked, as we sat.

“Celeste, but you can call me sir.”

I swallowed a laugh. “Yes, sir.”

From seemingly nowhere, makeup artists appeared, plastering my face with creams and dust and something they called setting spray before scurrying off to leave us alone with the host of the show—Michelle Conliam.

Once named one of the most beautiful women in the world, the former model hadn’t lost an ounce of her charisma since her retirement. Her brown skin gleamed under the studio lights, and despite now being in her mid-forties, her close-cropped black hair showed only the faintest of gray in the strands.

She wore a dress that put me in mind of dancing—a red flirty number that clung to her frame and showed off her sinuous, lean limbs.

“Welcome,” she said warmly, clasping first Mai’s hands, then mine. “I’m so pleased to meet you both. Are you excited to be here?”

Mai nodded mutely, forcing me to step in.

“Thrilled,” I said, covering for her. “But a little shell-shocked, if I’m honest. Ain’t every day you’re flown halfway across the country and dropped into a set like this.”

Michelle chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’ll look after you.”

“And, three, two, one, action!” a man with a clapboard yelled, smacking the board before stepping out of view.

Under the glaring lights of the interview set, I could feel every ounce of makeup caked on my face as the host fired questions about our “relationship.”

I shot Mai a quick glance, registering her frozen expression and the vacant look in her eyes.

Fuck.

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