Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Bryce’s apartment
Bachelors on the Beach grand finale
“Merde!” Camille swore as her left foot found the last of the missing tailors pins. The sharp prick into the soft padding of her big toe sent piercing pain shooting up her leg. How many times had her father told her to never work on a carpeted floor?
Pins disappeared into rugs and fabric. Any dressmaker or tailor worth their salt would tell you to always work on a wooden floor.
In the seven weeks since she’d arrived in New York City, Camille had been busy working out of Bryce’s Manhattan apartment. As soon as he’d finalized the last of Camille’s employment and visa formalities, her cousin had flown back to his job in London. She was now set up to launch her fashion design career.
Her father had finally calmed down, and offered to reinstate her line of credit, but Camille had politely refused. She had her own official US bank account. She’d transferred enough of her personal savings into it to cover the purchase costs of a new sewing machine and two mannequins. There was no going back.
Come tomorrow afternoon her company Camille Royal Designs would be the legal tenant of a design studio and private apartment on West 28 th Street. But before she left Bryce’s apartment for the final time, Camille had one important task left to do.
“Actually make that two,” she muttered turning on the flashlight of her cell phone and shining it on the carpet. The dress makers pin which had attacked her, glistened under the light. She bent and picked it up. “No more working on carpet.”
Now for the last but very important task of the day.
Quickly checking the time, she dashed over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of Billecart-Salmon champagne. Setting it on the kitchen counter, Camille popped the cork, making sure not to spill a drop, then poured herself a long drink. She smiled at the galaxy of bubbles which rose in the glass.
As she bent to retrieve the tray of perfectly formed sushi which had been delivered a little earlier from the nearby Royal Resorts Manhattan hotel, something caught her eye, and she stopped. Camille’s gaze took in her clothes. Her bare feet.
Seven weeks in the US and she had already grown comfortable with loose t-shirts and leisure pants. If her parents could see her now, they would be shocked at the transformation. Paris chic to New York City comfort.
She snapped a quick picture and messaged it to her twin sister, Sophie.
Not sure if they will let me in the EU line at airport customs in these baggy pants.
Sophie’s reply came back quickfire.
Who are you and what have you done with my sister?
It was after midnight in France, but knowing Sophie she’d be out partying in a nightclub somewhere in central Paris. They might be twins, but the differences between the two of them were stark. Camille loved to bop along to modern pop music, while Sophie was all about classic 80’s and 90’s dance tracks.
Next step is wearing a baseball cap backwards. Thoughts?
Sorry wrong number.
I’ll pay you 50 euros to show up on the island at Christmas wearing a I NYC t-shirt
Camille laughed softly. “Maybe I will go to the island at Christmas. Stir up the family.”
It would be worth it just to see their father’s face when he took in the sight of his wayward daughter in her tacky tourist shirt.
Worth every damn penny.
Thoughts of her father and his repeated demands for her to give up on her American dream and come home to France would just have to wait.
“Sorry Papa, but two hunky American men are waiting for me.”
Tonight was the night for the live televised finale of Bachelors on the Beach, and for Camille nothing else mattered.
“And welcome to the grand finale of Bachelors on the Beach! Tonight one lucky gentleman will be going home with the delightful Kaylee, while the other…well let’s just say it’s going to be a long and lonely night for our runner up,” cooed Derick Stad’s voice over the airwaves.
Ryan shivered as the cool evening breeze blew in from over the water. Dressed in a sage linen suit and white button down shirt, he was standing on a beach somewhere in the wilds of Florida. He wasn’t entirely sure where, as the producers had gone to great lengths to keep the location a secret. They were doing everything they could in order to keep the show’s enormous and at times rabid fan base well away from where they were filming.
His cell phone had been taken from him earlier this morning, and no one on the live set was permitted to use any electronic devices.
These people could have faked the moon landing, and no one would have been the wiser.
Early June was oppressively warm, and it had rained most days since he and the remaining members of the tv crew had arrived back in Florida to shoot the grand finale. An assistant was standing just out of camera shot with a large photographers reflector pointed at him. They didn’t want to use artificial lighting as the generators made too much noise.
In his earpiece Ryan could hear Derick Stad rambling on about the show, and doing yet another recap of all the contestants who’d been voted off previously. No doubt the viewers at home would be getting treated to a tear jerker montage of the fallen tributes. Sometimes this whole show had felt like an episode of the Hunger Games . Derick had even perfected the host with a lunatic laugh thing.
How the hell did I end up here as one of the two final contestants?
The showrunner had thought to make a joke out of him, but viewer responses had shown the public loved Ryan. During the several months of downtime between recording the early shows and tonight’s live event, he’d had time to check his social media.
Ryan was well versed in all the funny Thor memes. And then there had been the Tik Tok hair dye challenge which had apparently gone viral. All across America young guys, and quite a few girls had gone with the Ryan Collins is Thor, blond hair look.
If he won tonight—if a yacht appeared around the nearby head of the small cove, and Kaylee chose him—he would be contractually bound to keep his hair like this for the next twelve months.
Liam who was standing a few yards away gave Ryan a friendly wave. His brother wasn’t allowed to get any closer, otherwise they would have to brush away his footprints from the sand.
Win or lose tonight, he and his older sibling would soon both be out of debt. Liam had made a ton of great business connections over the past months, and his photographic assignment diary was booked well into the new year.
But the money and his brother’s career were no longer the most important things about tonight. The beautiful Kaylee was constantly in Ryan’s thoughts.
A producer’s voice clicked into Ryan’s ear piece. “Ok, now Ryan. We need you to turn and face the sea. A look of hopeful love needs to be on your face the whole time. Just remember that moment when you and Kaylee kissed last episode. I want to see that glint of forever love in your eyes.”
Ryan’s thoughts turned once more to that kiss, and hope grew in his heart. He’d fallen hard for Kaylee, and the kiss they’d shared had been nothing short of pure magic. The sparks between them setting his world alight.
I can’t wait to see Kaylee again, to hold her in my arms.
The show would soon be over, and then he and Kaylee could begin their new life together.
I love her. She loves me. This is the beginning of my happily ever after.
Seated on the couch, with her tray of sushi on the coffee table in front of her, Camille picked up her chop sticks. She lifted the first of the fresh tuna to her lips and groaned. It was so fresh. So perfect. The sushi chef at Royal Resorts Manhattan had been poached from a major Tokyo hotel and the food he prepared was beyond amazing.
Sushi and champagne. I am a very lucky girl.
There was also the not so minor fact that at present she wasn’t expected to pay for any of these delicious goodies out of her own pocket. While her uncle Edward was officially siding with her father, in the background he and her aunt Alice made sure that Camille had everything she needed. Every day a food delivery came to Bryce’s apartment from the kitchens of the nearby family owned hotel.
But once she moved to her new apartment, then she’d be expected to earn the money to pay her own way.
Thoughts of food, family, and money were pushed to the back of her mind as the familiar dulcet tones of Derick Stad filled the room.
“And now for the show twenty million viewers have been waiting all week to watch, folks it’s the grand finale of Bachelors on the Beach!”
Camille gleefully clapped her hands together and squealed. “Yesss!!!”
She leaned forward taking in every second as a six-minute montage of the former contestants played on screen. As one of the early favorites appeared, she sighed. “Oh, Grant, Kaylee was stupid to have gotten rid of you. Big mistake. Big mistake. You should have made it past episode five.”
The gorgeous commercial architect from Chicago had been voted off on the fifth night, after which Camille had been forced to find a new favorite to root for on the show. At first, she’d dismissed the blond Ryan Collins as a bit of joke. The guy’s hair was a disaster, and the producers seemed willing to go to every length in order to make fun of him.
But Ryan baby you are still there. You shook off all the Thor gags and made it all the way to the end.
There was something about the barista from New Jersey which she found charming. A fresh and honest guy who seemed genuinely in love with Kaylee. Who deserved to find his happily ever after.
She didn’t mind the other finalist, a handsome tech entrepreneur named Steven McDowall, but in her opinion, he was far too slick. Too well put together. Every time the show had put him in a tight spot, he’d somehow managed to wriggle his way out of it.
By episode four, Camille had begun to suspect he was being openly groomed for the final. He’d inexplicably known what sort of color roses Kaylee loved best, and that she had a weak spot for cream pie.
The music and memories all faded away replaced by a tuxedo clad host. Derick was standing on the deck of a black and silver maxi yacht, with the dark-haired Kaylee by his side. The bachelorette was dressed in a long flowing cream dress, which to Camille’s mind gave off serious wedding gown vibes.
“It’s been seven long and loving weeks Kaylee, but now it’s time for you to go and choose your man.”
Taking her hand, Derick raised it to his lips. “Good luck Kaylee. We hope your heart finds its home. I’m going to get off this boat and let you sail away.” He turned to the camera and smiled. “Don’t go away folks. After this short commercial break we will return to see which one of our handsome finalists will be crowned the winner of Bachelors on the Beach. ”
The show cut to a car commercial, and Camille went back to her sushi and champagne.
There was a cacophony of noise in Ryan’s ear. People all talking at once. At times the behind-the-scenes chaos of the show had driven his task orientated brain to the edge of madness.
The showrunner was shouting his instructions. Crew members were all adding in their comments. Too many opinions being voiced, and not enough people focused on their own jobs. Ryan could barely understand anything that was being said.
And then came a sudden silence. For a moment he wasn’t sure which he preferred. The noise or the deathly void.
Ryan let out a slow breath. The sound of his heart thumping hard in his chest filled his ears. He’d been told to expect this, the rush of adrenaline. To help stop from throwing up he was taking long deep breathes, and doing everything in his power to remain calm.
And keep smiling.
He glanced down at his suit. With his long white hair and the sage green fabric, he wondered if the wardrobe department had deliberately dressed him to look like a pistachio ice cream cone.
I wouldn’t put it past them.
His ear piece crackled, and a voice came on the line. “Ok Ryan. We are coming out of a commercial break in twenty seconds. The show is live, and there won’t be a second take. So just remember, look toward the water and smile.”