Chapter Five
No, that couldn’t be. It just couldn’t.
Alexis blinked. And then blinked again. She was pretty sure the lantern light was playing tricks on her eyes because that couldn’t be Birdie, could it?
The woman she’d taken to a hotel room instead of to her home.
The woman who’d taken control on that plush king bed, who had given her a business card which Alexis hadn’t even bothered looking at before she’d chucked it into the bin near the hotel reception desk.
And yet, there she was. Birdie. Walking down the path, cheeks pink, wearing a forest green midi dress that skimmed her body like liquid silk. Her brown hair was cut into a sleek bob with her bangs perfectly styled. She looked nothing, yet everything, like the woman from Portland.
Alexis’s hands went clammy. Every thought in her brain scattered in different directions.
Do I say something? Do I act like I don’t know her?
Do I pretend she’s just another contestant, like the show expects, or do I let myself freak out because this is Birdie from Portland, and Birdie is here, and Birdie is walking right toward me?
The cameras were rolling. The crew was watching and capturing every step, every word.
Alexis couldn’t hesitate. She couldn’t let this turn into a sloppy mess.
This was her redemption. She finally had a chance to prove that she had a heart, even if it was a little charred at the edges.
She couldn’t possibly let all of America know that she’d slept with this woman and led her on for a few lovely, and rather short, minutes.
And then after that, she had never intended to see her again.
Not that there was anything wrong with that.
She’d done it plenty of times before, but just that this was about her image.
Birdie stopped just a few feet away, and Alexis forced a smooth, neutral, and probably a little too cold smile. “Hi,” she said, trying her best to remain calm and collected when she felt the complete opposite. “It seems you’re the last contestant.”
Birdie opened her mouth, then closed it again.
She looked like she’d just walked into a dream that didn’t belong to her.
Her eyes were wide, and her rosebud lips were pressed into a thin, flat line.
She blinked once, then twice, then swallowed so hard it looked almost audible. But still, she said nothing.
Alexis’s stomach knotted. She couldn’t let Birdie freeze because she couldn’t risk anyone finding out that they knew each other. There was too much riding on this. If Elise found out, she had no idea what would happen, but it wasn’t worth the risk.
And so, Alexis cleared her throat and went with plan A. “It’s lovely to meet you,” she said, sticking out her hand, which felt kind of strange since she’d greeted every other contestant with a kiss or a hug. “Welcome to Provence.”
Birdie glanced down at her hand, paused as if she was rebooting, and then nodded her head like a frantic little bird but still said nothing. All Alexis could think about in that moment were the invisible crickets that were echoing through her head and her life imploding right in front of her.
“What did you say your name was?” Alexis asked quickly to fill the silence. She stared Birdie dead in the eye, in those gorgeous brown eyes the color of tea, and tried to will her to speak.
“Ummm…,” Birdie managed, which was a lot more than silence.
But still not enough.
Alexis was suddenly terrified that Birdie wouldn’t play along. But then she took Alexis’s hand in hers and muttered, “I’m Birdie Sinclair.”
Sinclair. At least that was new information. Alexis smiled, but it felt so unnatural it was like her lips weren’t her own anymore.
“Birdie Sinclair,” she repeated as if she were hearing it for the first time.
“Mmm-hmm.” Birdie nodded again, twice, then three times. She was still gripping Alexis’s hand as if it was the only thing tethering her to earth. Her palm was warm, trembling, and Alexis had to force herself not to squeeze like she’d done when she had led Birdie through Ninety-Two to the exit.
“Lovely name,” Alexis said. Her words sounded polished. Maybe too polished. “It’s unique.”
“Thanks,” Birdie breathed, finally releasing her.
Only then did Alexis realize how close they were standing. Too close. Close enough that the faintest whiff of Birdie’s perfume—she suspected Dolce Gabbana—curled up into her nose and dragged her back to that hotel room in one traitorous flash.
She stepped back a bit, but not enough to act weird, and forced the conversation.
“Well, Birdie,” she said, projecting her voice for the cameras. She was doing everything the way Marla had taught her to do last season. “Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.”
It became painfully apparent that Birdie wasn’t going to wow her with a poem or a gift or a quirky little anecdote about her hometown. She was barely even speaking at all. She was simply staring at Alexis like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Well, Birdie, I can’t believe it either, Alexis thought.
“Cut!” Elise’s voice cracked through the night air like a whip.
Alexis flinched just as Elise stepped out from behind a camera and headed toward them.
She stopped just in front of them, her dark eyes sweeping over Alexis, then Birdie, then back again.
She didn’t say anything. Not a word. She simply arched one eyebrow—a look that screamed What the hell was that—before she snapped her tablet open.
“We’ll set up for the next scene,” Elise announced, already turning back toward the crew. “Gather everyone in the solarium for drinks and a mingle. Ten minutes, people.”
Vivian swept in right after Elise retreated.
She was beaming as if she hadn’t noticed the implosion of awkward that had just taken place.
She slid an arm around Birdie’s shoulder and said, “Come with me, darling. I’ll show you the way.
” But before she headed down the path with Birdie in tow, she glanced back over her shoulder and met Alexis’s gaze.
“You’ll follow in five. We want you to make a grand entrance, alright? ”
Alexis nodded, but she barely registered what she was nodding for. She was hardly listening. Alexis watched Vivian guide Birdie down the path and should’ve felt some sense of relief now that there was distance between them, but instead she was lost in a series of facts she didn’t want to admit.
She had slept with Birdie in Portland. She’d taken her contact details. But she had never promised to call. Birdie was here in Provence. Birdie was a contestant. Alexis had pretended she didn’t know Birdie when she most certainly did. That about summed it all up.
“Alexis!” Elise called, marching over to her, this time with a can of Diet Pepsi in her hand. “Tonight, we’re doing a rose ceremony, except we’re using bouquets of lavender. Very Provence, don’t you think?”
Alexis gave a single nod that was way too tight.
But at least Elise didn’t seem to notice. “Vivian will guide you as the night goes on, but it’s important that you try to get to know all the contestants a bit.” She said all as if she implied something. “The cameras will follow your every move.”
“Of course,” Alexis replied, trying to sound like her brain wasn’t on fire. “Get to know all the contestants. Be camera-ready at all times. Done.”
“Good,” Elise said. “You’ll have about two hours to mingle before you’re sending someone home.”
“What?” Alexis stammered. “I thought the first ceremony was the first impression flower.”
“Things are different this season,” Elise replied, popping the tab on her Diet Pepsi. “Vivian will explain everything later. All you need to do is choose your favorite nine and send the other one packing.”
Alexis just stared. Pick nine and cut one already?
Tonight? Her stomach did a little backflip, but then realization dawned on her just as relief swept in, nearly knocking her over.
This was her ticket out of this mess. She could send Birdie home before she even unpacked her suitcase.
It would save Alexis’s redemption arc if she could send the woman home before anyone found out about her little secret.
“Okay, I’ll choose nine,” she said finally, nodding as she embraced the relief.
Easy. It couldn’t get any easier. She was going to send Birdie packing, and she was going to stay as the bachelorette with her shiny redemption arc, and everything would be fine.
Elise grinned and then nudged her head toward the path. “Now get going. The girls are waiting, and we wouldn’t want any of them getting restless.”
Alexis’s feet moved before she could consider what a group of ten restless women looked like. Before she knew it, she was already walking through the door of the solarium to claps and cheers.
Vivian flourished an arm in Alexis’s direction. “Ladies, your bachelorette. The woman you’ve all been waiting for,” she beamed.
Alexis gave a smile, but before she could even register the flutter of claps, her attention snagged on the solarium itself.
It was a huge dome of dazzling glass that stretched overhead with tangles of ivy and draping wisteria trailing down.
Potted olive trees lined the edges, their silver leaves catching the flicker of golden votives perched on wrought-iron stands.
The mosaic floor glittered as if someone had broken a thousand champagne bottles and glued them back together.
And the bar overflowed with flutes of champagne.
The contestants stood in a semicircle, each one holding a champagne glass.
Alexis had to fight not to notice Birdie.
But fighting her self-control only did so much.
She risked a glance. Birdie still looked shell-shocked, with wide brown eyes fixed on nothing in particular.
Her lips were parted like she’d forgotten to close her mouth, and her shoulders were a little too rigid for someone who was supposed to be enjoying a glass of bubbles.
Alexis felt heat sweep up her stomach.
But then Vivian clapped her hands together, the sound snapping through the air like a firecracker.
“All right, ladies. Here’s how tonight will go.
First, you’ll get the chance to mingle, have a drink, maybe even steal a moment with Alexis.
” She winked at Alexis, who resisted the urge to wink back.
Panic made her do funny things. “Then, we’ll gather right back here for your first rose ceremony.
Or rather, your lavender ceremony.” She gestured toward a tall table brimming with fragrant bouquets of lavender.
“That’s right. One of you will be going home tonight. ”
A ripple of gasps went through the semicircle.
Alexis tried not to look at the contestants and the panic on their faces.
She knew all too well how they must be feeling: the jitters, the stomach-flipping dread, the sudden, desperate urge to make an impression.
She knew there was an intense desire not to be the first person sent home because, goodness, that would be mortifying, wouldn’t it?
She’d been there herself once, clinging to a cocktail, wondering if she’d said the right thing, smiled enough, or laughed at the right time. It was wild, really, how a show that claimed to be about finding love could leave a person doubting whether they were even worth loving in the first place.
“Already?” Nina, the contestant with the thick doll eyebrows, whispered. She shot a glance at Kinley, whose entire right arm was covered in a rose petal tattoo.
“Yes, tonight,” Vivian chirped, grinning like a cat with a bowl of cream. “I know our bachelorette must be dreading the thought of sending someone home so soon.”
Alexis forced a tight, polite, and even slightly apologetic smile.
But the truth was, she wasn’t dreading the ceremony at all.
If anything, it was a relief, a lifeline.
If Alexis played this right, if she moved quickly and without hesitation, she could get rid of this entire Portland-shaped problem before it had a chance to explode.
“And starting tomorrow, you all will get a chance to go on a date with Alexis. Whether that’s a group date or one-on-one, it will be decided by our viewers.
” She paused, letting the gasps and whispers ripple through the room once again.
“Sorry, girls, but you’ll be at the mercy of The Sapphic Match app that was recently launched,” Vivian went on in a singsong voice, clearly savoring every second.
Even Alexis was slightly stumped. Dates decided by viewers, and one person already going home tonight. Her head was spinning. Or maybe that was just Birdie, who was standing there like a forest-green lighthouse in the crowd, distracting her more than she’d like to admit.
Vivian got everyone’s attention again. “Alright, ladies, mingle. Have a drink. Charm our bachelorette, and remember, she’s watching.
” She wiggled her eyebrows and then swept toward the exit, leaving Alexis standing there in the glittering solarium, ready to put her plan in motion.
She was going to send Birdie packing tonight.