Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Daphne
As it turned out, our group date wasn’t all that memorable.
Since I knew we were going to be strolling through the carnival on the boardwalk, I wore a pair of breezy palazzo pants paired with a crocheted tank and flats.
Sarah dressed sensibly as well with a cute patterned skirt that swirled around her knees, a graphic tee and tennis shoes.
Mia, on the other hand, dressed to impress, with a body-hugging red dress and sky-high heels that made her look like a supermodel.
Had she not realized we were going to be doing a lot of walking? I hoped she wouldn’t get blisters.
After Travis and I had parted ways at the hospital earlier, I’d spent the rest of the afternoon trying, in vain, to find the address Portia had given me.
But every time I thought I must be getting close to the place, I turned onto a street and realized it didn’t match up with what the map was telling me.
Then it occurred to me it might be the map. When I’d confronted the hotel concierge about it, the blue-skinned woman with two tiny horns at her temples had told me it was because the address was in Wickedville and that the hotel’s maps were family-friendly.
I’d been more than a little irritated at that. Portia’s talk about dark wizards and bad juju had really shaken me up, and I wanted to get rid of the stupid book as soon as possible.
The concierge had told me it wouldn’t do any good trying to go there during the day, anyway. Most of those shops were only open after dark. I’d have to go another time.
Now, with the camera crew in tow, Mia did everything she could to monopolize Travis’s time. She hooked her arm in his and wouldn’t let go, looking into his face with stars in her eyes, relegating Sarah and me to following along behind them like puppies.
Which gave me a prime view of his ass, though. God, the man was beautiful. From the front and from behind.
He wore the kind of trousers that were cut like jeans but not denim, a collared shirt that showcased his muscular chest and arms perfectly, and leather shoes with athletic-shoe soles.
He could be both an actor in a popular TV show and a CEO in a boardroom.
Or, if my ovaries had their way, a hot dad who’d be ready to jog after his small child on the boardwalk if he had to.
He was with Mia, though. Her child? I balled my hands into fists at the thought.
The Ferris wheel loomed up ahead, a colorful contrast against the inky-black sky and the darkness taking root inside me. Although it had gondola-like cars big enough to hold all of us, Mia pushed Travis on ahead of her and shut the door.
“Sorry, girls,” she whispered to us through the grate.
“With the camera crew, there’s not enough room for all of us.
” When the car started moving, Mia called out disingenuously for it to stop, that two of us hadn’t made it on yet.
To Travis’s credit, he spun around and asked the ride operator for help but was told the Ferris wheel couldn’t go backward.
So, we were stuck riding in the next car.
Despite all of our obvious differences, Sarah and I turned out to have a lot in common.
We talked about books, our pets and our collective anxiety.
Unlike my family, which wasn’t involved much in my life, hers was all up in her business, having put some serious pressure on her to conform to their expectations.
Surely, there had to be a happy medium when it came to one’s relatives.
She was supposed to get married and start having babies, but she wanted to adventure travel and wasn’t sure she even wanted kids.
“If I can “land” Travis,” she said with air-quotes, “I’ll be redeemed in their eyes. So far, I’ve been a disappointment.”
Fuck that, I wanted to tell her. But she’d been homeschooled and probably wouldn’t appreciate any vulgarity. “What kind of adventure traveling do you want to do?”
“Anything to do with rocks,” she said dreamily, a far-off look in her eye. “Rock-hounding, rock-climbing, spelunking.”
“Spelunking? Did you know there are sea caves on the north end of the island?”
Sarah’s head snapped up. “Are you shitting me? Here? On Darkaway?”
Guess she didn’t mind a little vulgarity after all.
“I read an article about it in Paranormal Paradise. You’ve got to time it just right with the high and low tides, but it looks amazing.
They mine moonstones up there too. And there’s good herb foraging.
Maybe when we have some downtime, we can head up there and spend the day.
” Assuming I’d have dealt with the book by then.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and we fist-bumped. “Deal.”
The group date didn’t improve much after the Ferris wheel.
When Travis won a stuffed animal at a target shooting game, Mia plucked it from the attendant’s hands, assuming Travis had won it for her.
And when we stopped to listen to some Scottish street musicians, one of whom was the guy from Midnight Garage and Nails, Travis’s gaze met mine expectantly.
It seemed he was about to ask me to dance, but then Mia suddenly pulled him away.
With the cameras rolling, the crowd clapped in time with the beat as they twirled around on the cobblestones.
It was really cute, really romantic. If you were into that sort of thing.
I don’t think Sarah or I said more than a few words to Travis all night, although we both got charms at the ceremony. Because we were closet bitches, she and I secretly hoped he was sending Mia home—we were so over her—but alas, he bid adieu to Shannon and Cora instead.
“These reality dating shows need to have a villain,” Sarah muttered to me as we stood on the vine-draped veranda when Mia’s name was called. “I’ve heard it makes for better ratings.”
Afterwards, Jada announced Travis had some business on the set of Secret Shadows and would be flying up to Vancouver. That meant all official Date-A-Wolf activities would be suspended the next day. She didn’t seem at all happy about it.
Sarah turned to me, a hopeful look in her eyes. “Tomorrow?”
Although I didn’t want to let my new friend down, that creepy book was really weighing on me. I needed to figure out what the heck was going on. Who knew when I’d get another chance like this? “Unfortunately, I’ve got some important errands I need to run.”
From the way she slumped her shoulders, I could tell she’d been let down a lot and that she expected it. Which, to be honest, made me feel pretty shitty. I vowed to make it up to her.
“Another time then,” she said, her gaze not meeting mine.
“On our next free day, I’m totally down for it.” I’d never been spelunking and was truly excited to go.
She smiled, but I could tell she didn’t quite believe me.
As I made my way back to my villa, I should’ve been relieved to have an unexpected day off from the contest, but I wasn’t. Not exactly. I couldn’t help thinking how it would’ve been fun to spend a little more time with Travis.