Chapter 4
Cole
I must admit that I’m hooked. Since the night Kacy introduced me to Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em, I binged watched the show like my eyes were dying for even the slightest glimpse of her.
My initial thought all those months ago was accurate.
She is gorgeous. Even though she is on my television, I felt warmth from her smile when she gushed over the cuteness of some of the couples.
Her laugh is adorable and the silly part of me wants to make her laugh all of the time.
Between the resort and Elevated, I’ve been burning my energy both ways. I never thought a reality television dating show would be the way I’d unwind. After I completed the first season, I’d gone back and watched the other seasons she hosted. That slow motion entrance gets me every time.
I even tuned in to the reunion. Yes, I also wanted to know the updates on the contestants and hear their reactions to watching the show, but looking at Jessamine was my main goal.
Ever since the news broke about Adán El Rey’s new relationship, I’ve been starved for new posts from Jessamine.
Almost three weeks after the announcement and still nothing.
All of the previous posts' comments were turned off after Shira’s fanbase started flooding the comments with nonsense.
The thing that didn’t sit right with me were Adán’s fans claiming that Jessamine was the problem in their relationship.
It is blasphemy. I was there at the last moments of their relationship and he was definitely the problem.
Fame was getting to his head, she simply exited to do what was best for her.
Now, I’m on location in Dallas, working to go over all of the finishing touches. Kacy has been working hard trying to reach Jessamine’s team and I can’t help but notice how it was such bad timing for the Adán news to break. I’m sure they’re overwhelmed with damage control.
I thought the statement Jessamine released after the reunion about not being concerned about her ex’s business was well stated.
She made eye contact with the camera and there wasn't anything deceptive in her body language yet it still wasn’t good enough for the public. I’m not sure what they want from her.
There is the gnawing need inside of me that wants to protect her- the same feeling that prompted me to give her my car in California. It’s an added frustration that I’ve placed on top of my work concerns. If I had her number, I would have called her by now.
We’ve narrowed down our chef search to two people. Surprisingly, both are women. The only reason it was surprising was because the majority of our applicants were male. I need a chef who can switch seamlessly across the most common dietary restrictions and still make it tasty.
The ladies present us with their vegetarian soup offerings.
Kacy rubs her hands together in anticipation as she stares down at her vegetable pho.
We dress our soup the way she prompts and it’s delicious but Clementine’s vegetable pot pie soup is still on my mind.
After I finish the sample bowl, I pull Kacy to the side.
“Oh, I know that look, Cole. You’re having one of those aha moments but before you speak I must say I really love Lan’s food.”
I chuckle. “I can tell BUT she still keeps her comfort zone in Vietnamese cuisine, which I love BUT we need a variety.”
Kacy rolls her eyes because she hates when I start emphasizing ‘but’ when I’m saying something positive.
“Okay, let’s hear the bright idea.”
“Clementine is my choice BUT,” I start when she begins to pout. “We also need a sous chef. I think they should work with each other.”
Kacy perks up at the suggestion. “I like that. I must say a nature retreat with a head chef named Clementine does seem somehow fitting.”
I lean into her space, a bad habit of mine when I’m excited about something. “Want to know something even cooler?”
Kacy’s sapphire eyes scan me cautiously. “What?”
“Lan means Orchid."
“Look at you studying plant names.”
I shrug, “Well when I learned that my mom gave us plant names that weren’t obvious, I’ve remained curious about them. Timothy is a type of grass, Ambrose is a plant, and I’m a type of crop.” I turn my palms up to the air. “I’m basically a cabbage.”
Kacy tilts her head with a playful gleam in her eyes. “That’s somehow fitting.”
I push her with a wink. “Maybe this cabbage will forget to sign your paycheck.” Her horrified look is hilarious but I shoo her in the opposite direction. “Go secure our girls.”
“It’s giving, belittling.” she shoots back.
“It’s giving, I can’t find my pen.”
Kacy starts walking backwards in the opposite direction. “I’ll get right on that boss.”
I’m still smiling as she disappears but my mind has already moved back to Jessamine. I want to see her again without acting like a stalker and popping up to an event where she’s scheduled to appear. It is still an option depending on the day. I’d rather not be that guy but I can be.
Dating for me has been sporadic at best prior to meeting Jessamine and It’s gotten worse since.
I’d gone on a couple of dates after but the women didn’t hold my attention.
I didn’t get past the first date and I’m well out of the fuck-for-fun phase.
My reaction to seeing Jessamine on the television screen was the first flicker of sexual attraction I’ve felt in a long time.
The goal is to not be impulsive about chasing that spark. Scaring her off is the last thing I’d want to do.
My phone pings the moment I sit down in my vehicle. I have alerts turned on for all things Jessamine. The article loads and the headline for it hurts my feelings.
Jessamine Roe Seen Pushing a Child!
I shake my head with irritation because I find that so hard to believe. The video plays and it’s obvious to me that she’s trying to move away from whomever was talking to her and didn’t see the child.
The horror on her face is also evident although the article says otherwise. It’s obviously rage bait but the comments are mainly negative sprinkled with a few people who saw the same as me. It’s an innocent collision.
“When will this stop?” I grumble to myself as I start my car.
I’m off to visit a mixologist to craft mocktails for my line. The plan is to do a media roll out by sending the kits to a few key influencers. I also have media teams in place with people from all my target ages.
We’ve had a few sample parties and the majority of the reviews were positive. Now, we have to increase the buzz for the hard push.
Kacy calls while I’m stuck in traffic. “Hey Cole, I haven’t heard from Jessamine’s team about Elevated Botanicals so I plan to pivot by dangling a free week at the resort. I’m thinking with all the press lately, a week here with no one else around would sound like bliss.”
I like the sound of it more than she realizes.
“That’s a good idea. I say go ahead with the offer. If she cannot come this week, aim for the week I’ll be testing all the amenities since full staff will be in place.”
“Makes sense. We don’t want to push back the opening any longer.”
“Okay, good. Let me know how it goes.”
I disconnected before my excitement could show. This is Kacy’s idea and that’s how the story needs to remain. At this rate, I’ll have to give her a raise if this works out. As infatuated as I am, it never occurred to me to bring her to the resort.
If this works, I’ll have her all to myself for a full week. The possibilities thrill me.