Thank You, Next (The Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection #9)

Chapter 2

Three weeks later

Molly hated her job, but she loved the three women she worked with, who were currently looking at her expectantly.

‘Come on, Moll, don’t keep us in suspense.’ Ava waved her sandwich at her. ‘You promised us a picnic in the park and something juicy. Besides the melon,’ she added with an ironic smile. ‘So far you’ve only delivered on the picnic.’

Molly had asked them if they wanted to go to the park for lunch. Something they tried to do a lot in the summer because it provided a welcome escape from the drab four walls of their office.

‘Okay.’ She sucked in a deep breath, still giddy over the call she’d had that morning. ‘You know Duncan and I split up?—’

‘Because Dunc the Hunk was asked to go on that dating show,’ Penny filled in for her. ‘And you’re happy for him, but secretly you’re also really miserable ’cos you’re scared he’s going to fall for whoever he’s matched with, though we all know he’s never going to find anyone better than you.’

‘Aw, thank you.’ Molly smiled at her friend. ‘So anyway, the thing is, this assistant producer from the show, Rachel, phoned me this morning and asked if I’d be interested in going on, too.’

‘OMG.’ Even Emma, the quietest of their group, had her hand over her mouth.

‘Why you?’ Ava demanded. ‘What did she say?’

‘They found out Duncan used to date me and thought it would add a dramatic twist to the show to get me to go on it. You know, feuding exes.’ She gave them a sly smile. ‘Or the possibility of second chances.’

‘So you’re going to be partnered with him?’ Ava gushed.

‘Well, it’s not guaranteed, but from the way she kept going on about adding some tension to the couple dynamics, it’s pretty obvious they’ll put us together.’

‘Do you think that’s what he’ll want though?’ Emma asked, her expression full of concern.

It was the question Molly had wrestled with, and still didn’t have an answer. ‘I don’t know, but the way I see it, I can leave him to go on the show and get matched with someone they believe would be a perfect fit for him. Potentially fall for them. Marry them.’ A lump rose into her throat and she swallowed it down. ‘Or I can use this opportunity to take fate into my own hands and join him. Fight for him.’ She pointed down at her body. ‘I’ve lost weight since he started me on this health and exercise trip and I look the best I’ve ever done. Maybe this is my chance to prove that we really are meant to be together. I mean we’ve talked of getting married, but it’s always been something that might happen in the future. Now it’s going to be there, at the end of the four weeks.’ Her pulse kicked up a gear. ‘A real option.’

‘But what happens if you’re not matched together?’ Emma asked softly. ‘It could be really hard for you to be in the same house as him and watch while he dates someone else.’

‘I know.’ Unconsciously she rubbed at the place on her chest, over her heart. ‘But I really think Duncan and I are meant to be, you know? What did you call us, Penny?’

‘Two peas in a pod.’

‘Exactly. So the odds are good that we’ll get matched together. And even if we’re not, there’ll be a chance to swop after two weeks.’ She pushed the doubts to one side and focussed on the end goal. ‘By the end of the show we could actually be husband and wife.’ The thought was enough to stir the butterflies in her belly.

‘You’d say I do to him?’ Ava asked. ‘For real?’

‘You know I would.’ Molly glanced curiously over at Ava. ‘What is it with you and marriage? Why are you so against it?’

‘I’m not against it,’ Ava protested. ‘I just don’t see why you’re so keen on it. Why tie yourself down to one guy?’

‘Because he’s perfect for me. Because I can’t imagine ever wanting anyone else.’ Briefly the image of a guy with dark hair, model good looks and a devastating smile flashed across her mind, but she shook it away. That experience only went to prove how right for her Duncan was. A man who actually talked about his feelings, who opened up to her.

‘But you can still have perfect-for-you Duncan without actually having to marry him,’ Ava insisted.

‘Could I? Or would he only be on loan to me. Ready to be loaned to someone else the moment he’d had enough.’ Her heart twisted and Molly stared down at her half-eaten sandwich. She sounded insecure and needy, which she hated, but her friends would never understand how important that piece of paper was to her. The legal promise that she was not going to be abandoned on a whim. ‘Besides he wants to get married, too. His parents are kind of religious and he’s the only child. They keep hinting at him that it’s time he settled down and started a family.’

A hand curled around her arm and she looked up to find Penny smiling kindly at her. ‘We’re getting ahead of ourselves here. All we know for certain is you’re going to be on your favourite TV show and so is Duncan. That’s enough freaking excitement for one afternoon.’

‘You’re right.’ Molly let the reality of that sink in. ‘I was a basket case when Rachel asked me. I couldn’t stop babbling, telling her how honoured I was, how I was sure they’d match me with The One because I totally believed in the show and was thrilled to get the chance to marry my soulmate. I bet she has me down as a total goofball.’ A thought occurred to her ‘Oh my God, I’m going to have to ask for a leave of absence from work. I wonder if they’ll give it to me?’

‘If they don’t, just leave.’ Ava shrugged. ‘Fuck ’em, fuck the job. You hate it anyway.’

‘I do.’ That curl of excitement started again in her belly. ‘This is going to be mega. A month away from work, staying in a posh mansion with Duncan and going on lots of fun dates with him.’ There was just one potential fly in the ointment. ‘I wonder what Duncan will think when he sees me?’

‘He definitely doesn’t know you’re joining him?’ Emma asked.

‘He phoned me the day after we split and said he needed a clean break to clear his head before he went on the show so I’ve not been in contact with him since. Rachel said they weren’t going to tell anyone we’d dated, not the viewers or the contestants, because they want it to come out naturally so they get a proper reaction on film.’ It was hard not to feel panicked when she thought of what his reaction could be. ‘By the time we meet up it will have been over two months since we parted ways.’

Would he be happy to see her? Or would he see it as her interfering with his gig, his chance to shine in front of the cameras? Maybe his chance to find someone better to marry and have his kids?

Emma must have read her fear because she slipped her arms around Molly. ‘Hey, if he really loves you, he’ll be thrilled to see you. And if he’s not, then it’s best to find out now. Who knows, between this fancy dating algorithm the show always bangs on about, and the professional matchmakers, you might find yourself partnered with someone even more perfect for you.’

Emma was trying to help, so Molly kept quiet, but the truth was, even if more perfect existed, she wasn’t interested. She wanted Duncan. He was the one who’d helped put the broken pieces of her heart back together and made her believe in love again. Duncan also wanted what she wanted. Marriage, stability. A family.