THIRTY EIGHT

Justine

I stare at the face of the woman in the brightly lit mirror in front of me. She looks far more like the elegant person they made me into for the filming of Married for a Day than the real me. The more I see footage and pictures from the show and the promo around, the more I feel a distance between me and her.

Behind me, the young man doing my hair gives it one more sweep with the rounded brush, curling my bangs perfectly so they bounce into perfect angles framing my eyes. The light rouge over my cheeks is subtle compared with my normal beet red color. My lashes are long and fake.

The woman doing my makeup has the most dramatic eyeliner I've ever seen. The long wings curl out from her eyes making them look like cat's eyes. She looks down her long nose at me as she assesses the two lipsticks she's holding.

"Is Tabitha good to work with?" Tabitha Redman is the host of the Morning Show. Before she came to work for Bullseye Media, the werewolf used to run a blog called Tabitha Spills the Tea. She's famous all over the country for her warm demeanor and her love for gossip. I hope she's as good at making me feel relaxed as she seems to be with other guests.

The woman sniffs. "Dunno. I only do the guests."

"Oh." I tuck my hands between my thighs to hide the way they're shaking. I open my mouth to ask another question, but she cuts me off.

"Keep still." She applies the lipstick, then turns and sets it down on the table beside her. Without another word, she walks away.

I wish Ronan was back here with me. He's in another dressing room getting done whatever it is they do to minotaurs to get them ready for television. I wish he'd sit beside me and squeeze my thigh, or tell me to stop blushing. Just something to make me smile instead of want to throw up.

I don't know why this is so different to being filmed for the show. Maybe because I was so immersed in the fake marriage. Or maybe because we were on location.

The studio feels so sterile. On set, everything is two dimensional and plastic. You have to look out beyond the cameras to the audience sitting there watching. Judging.

What if I stuff this up?

Ronan assures me I won't. His team gave me a thorough briefing. I've been given lines to say about my experience on the show. I even helped his PR guy write them so they'd sound more natural. I just know in the heat of the moment, I'll forget everything and say whatever stupid thing comes into my head in my panic.

"Starting in ten!" The middle-aged centaur at the door holds up ten fingers to reinforce his statement. "Let's get cracking."

I stand on wobbly legs and make my way out to the set.

The host, Tabitha Redman, is sitting on her iconic leather armchair, heels off and bare feet tucked up under her as she chats with Ronan.

When she spots me, she gives me a warm smile and beckons me over. "Hi, Justine! We were just talking about you. I can't tell you how excited I am to have you both on the program. You know I'm a huge fan of Married for a Day and this is the best season yet!"

I return her smile, already feeling better. "Me, too. I'm so glad you think so."

I concentrate on walking carefully up the three steps rather than tripping. Then I see Ronan and I almost trip anyway. He's sitting there in his smart casual shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the front unbuttoned to reveal a hint of his furry chest.

I can't believe he's mine—well, sort of. I mean we're both our own people. No one can belong to someone else, can they? The knowledge he's not seeing anyone else still makes me all warm inside. For the moment, it's enough to distract me from the rows and rows of people sitting in the audience. Eeek! I didn't even know they could fit so many people inside a television studio. There were so many more on the street outside, though. They had to blockade off the square outside the building for the crowd.

"Hello, Justine." His tone is perfectly pleasant. Why does it make me hesitate to greet him?

"Hi." I take my seat beside him.

A dryad with a long train of trailing vines walks up the steps to hand some cards to Tabitha. Someone hands me a glass of water that I almost spill.

Ronan takes it from me and places it on the table in front of us.

"Thanks," I murmur.

Then a huge light in front of the audience switches on and the centaur is back. "Ready to go in five, four..." He mouths the rest of the countdown while he backs off the stage.

Loud theme music plays. The audience cheers.

Then the music dies and Tabitha looks at the camera. "Good morning! I'm Tabitha Redman and welcome to the Morning Show."

The music surges. There's a final wave of cheers and then quiet.

Tabitha smiles. "I'm joined today by Ronan Kernos and Justine Delany, TV's latest darlings, and stars of this season of Married for a Day. Ronan Kernos of course is also the minotaur in charge of Bullseye Media and last year's Heartstone Times's bachelor of the year."

Whistles from the audience. Ronan's tail flicks against my ankle, but his smile stays in place.

Tabitha turns to him. "So, Ronan, what did it feel like to go on your own program? And is reality TV the same on both sides of the camera?"

Ronan slings his arm over the back of the sofa, crossing a hoof over his leg. He looks so relaxed. I hate that he's sitting so close but we're not touching. "Funny you should ask that, Tabitha. I must admit, it was very different to what I anticipated."

Her eyes twinkle and she leans forward with a canine grin. "Oh, really? Tell me more. You know I love to spill the tea."

The audience laughs at the reference to her blog.

Ronan huffs. "Well, let's just say I got more than I bargained for." He glances around at me and I squirm in my seat. Is he going to publicly acknowledge our relationship? He hasn't done anything to conceal the fact that we see each other regularly. But since the show aired, we haven't been together anywhere in public.

I thought when the show finished and they aired the final episode, he might relax more, but he has been busy lately. Mostly, I go to see him at his apartment.

Tabitha wags her finger at him. "I'm going to ask you more about that in a moment, but Justine, I'm curious to hear from you, too. Welcome to the show."

"Hi." My voice comes out all croaky. I have to clear my throat.

"Do I have it right that you are a big fan of Married for a Day?"

I nod.

"What was it like to be on the show after watching it for years?"

This is easy. I've practiced this one. "I was so excited! I can't believe they picked me. And everything was just so amazing. The place we stayed! All the activities."

"And Ronan?" Tabitha gives me a knowing look.

I flush, but there's no point hiding it. "Yeah. He's amazing, too."

"Heartstone Times's bachelor of the year. You must have been excited to be paired with him."

"I was."

Ronan casts me another smile, more knowing and more dangerous this time. My heart does its normal little dance.

"So if he's so amazing," Tabitha leans forward, "Why did you write no during home stay week?"

My mouth drops open. I have an answer to this, too, but it's harder to pull off. Because it's a lie.