CHAPTER FIVE

S ebastian

I was wrong about Luke not resembling Bryce. The sullen gaze he scours the room with is just like Bryce’s, even if it’s directed at the table and ceiling and view instead of me.

If he didn’t want to be the new Mr. Right, he shouldn’t have applied.

Luke’s agent flashes his fancy agent smile. To be honest, it’s more of a smirk, as if he expects to win a prize for guessing which gender I’d rather have in my bed.

I don’t think he’s used to dealing with many gay men, and I hate the wave of insecurity that crashes against my organs, making me eager to sit down. This might be Boston, this might be a team with two gay couples, but both those couples shocked the world when they came out.

I can only imagine what commercials he’ll leverage Luke’s appearance into.

I’m going to be making Luke Hawthorne even richer than he already is, and he doesn’t even appreciate it. The man should have the decency to at least be grateful.

Someone knocks on the door again, and Nate smiles.

“Daniela, Oskar, come inside.” Nate waves his hand, and a pretty redhead swooshes inside, followed by a young man who looks like he’s straight out of college.

“Daniela is the team’s VP of Publicity,” Nate explains.

“And Oskar is my assistant,” Daniela adds. “He’s familiar with the team.”

Oskar shoots a wobbly smile, and Luke gives him a reassuring nod.

So now he’s being nice?

But then I shouldn’t expect a hockey player to have to be nice to me. This is a short special, I remind myself. I’ll be well-compensated. Everything is fine.

I flash my most professional smile and introduce Ella and myself, though Nate is beaming the most. I hope he explains to Luke the financial ramifications of signing up to do this show soon.

“I look forward to working with you,” I announce to the room, making eye contact with everyone besides Luke.

He slinks further into his seat, as if he thinks it’s possible for his 6-foot two-inch, muscular frame to become one with the expensive leather and German design.

“We at Falcon Productions were delighted to receive an application from Mr. Hawthorne to become the new Mr. Right for our Seeking Mr. Right: Christmas Edition ,” I say.

“You gave us quite a surprise, Luke,” Daniela says.

Luke’s cheeks turn a shade of pink that manages to still look appealing, and I snap open my folder and hope no one notices my trembling fingers. Dull gray light enters from the large floor to ceiling windows. No palm trees wave in the distance. The Charles tumbles before us, a mass of murky green. A few people kayak outside, the hoods of their LL Bean jackets drawn up.

I ignore the dullness in my chest and the way it matches the dreariness outside. Instead, I flash my own expensively maintained smile. “I’ll bring you guys up to date. Seeking Mr. Right is a dating show that’s been going on for two decades.”

“Like the Bachelor,” Nate says.

I frown. “We like to not talk about The Bachelor .”

“That’s a different network,” Ella explains unnecessarily.

“It’s different in general,” I say quickly.

“There are no roses,” Ella says.

Nate looks disappointed.

“They have floral crowns,” Luke says. “Which are cooler, because—”

Everyone turns to him, and he looks down and fiddles with the sleeve of his jersey.

“Luke’s correct,” I say. “We do floral crowns. They’re sort of medieval looking.”

“Ah.” Nate nods, but I can tell he prefers red roses.

“Well, other major dating shows do not do Christmas specials,” I say. “We travel around the country, exploring new locations. The Christmas special is always popular, but few people are in a Christmas mood for an entire season, so we don’t film many episodes.”

The others nod.

I glance at Luke. “Of course, it means you’ll only be able to start with ten women instead of the normal twenty.”

Luke’s cheeks redden, and his shoulders droop even more downward.

I frown. Hopefully he’s going to be a bit more gregarious on the camera.

“I-I don’t think this is a good idea,” Luke says, his voice small.

Fuck.

“Of course it’s a good idea,” Nate says sharply, before he sends me an apologetic glance.

“I’m a hockey player,” Luke says. “We have games almost constantly. And when we don’t, I have to train. I don’t have time to meet ten women.”

Luke rises and heads for the door.

Double fuck.

“Sit down, Luke,” Nate says, his voice as firm as any principal in a high-performing boarding school with terrified students in ties.

“I’d rather not do it,” he says.

“Oh.” Daniela frowns, and it’s easy to see the disappointment on her face. “Well, if that’s your wish, Luke. But I have to say, I was looking forward to seeing you on Seeking Mr. Right . It’s become one of the most popular shows in the country.”

Luke nods, but his pallor has turned a green shade when it was clear and bright before.

“I already have a crazy schedule,” he says. “Dating on top of that...”

“We have some thoughts,” Ella says smoothly.

My eyebrows lurch upward, but Ella shakes her head at me subtly.

I know for a fact we have no thoughts about accommodating Luke’s crazy schedule. Ella and I have discussed many things, but not that.

“Do share, Ella,” I say, hoping she’s not bluffing. Because I certainly don’t want to tell Clark that we’ve lost a second Mr. Right.

“You can film all of the reactions scenes after the games,” Ella says.

“So, I’ll only be required to attend the dates,” he says.

Ella nods. “A lot of the show will be the women talking about you. We’ll put you on group dates, so your time goes further.”

“Oh.” Luke blinks.

“That’s a wonderful solution, isn’t it?” Nate asks in the same voice he probably talks to his single-digit children in.

“I, um, guess.” Luke scrunches his lips together.

His demeanor says this is anything but fine.

“This will cut back on a lot of your time,” Ella says authoritatively.

Luke scratches his head. “Maybe. But I don’t know if I want to handle a whole crew.”

“The team travels all over the place for away games,” Oskar explains.

“Sebastian can work with you,” Ella says.

“You want me to travel on away games with Luke?” I ask.

“I mean, I assume you want me to be with the women,” Ella says.

“We can include you on the team transportation,” Daniela says quickly.

“Yes,” Oskar says. “That will be no problem at all. There are always seats left over.”

I close my eyes.

This is bad, bad, bad.

“Do you know how to film?” Luke asks.

I stiffen. “Of course I know how to film.”

“Okay. Sorry. I-I didn’t mean to imply you didn’t. I-I thought you were more of a host.”

“I know how cameras work,” I say.

I’m good at my job. I wouldn’t have risen as high as I did without knowing how every person did their job. It makes me good at talking with the crew. Good at giving direction.

I turn to Oskar. “Coordinate the schedule with Ella. I’ll go to all the away games.”

“Maybe we can give you a single too,” Oskar tells Luke.

Luke’s lips swerve into a smile that wobbles as much as my soul.

This is a terrible, awful idea.

“This was an absolute pleasure,” I lie, and everyone murmurs back the same lie to me.

“Great meeting,” Ella whispers as we leave. “Everything’s working out perfectly.”

I force a smile, thinking of cramped bus rides and hotel corridors and Luke’s eyes following me.

Perfect.

I’ve spent years running from Ashcove, from jocks, from everything Luke reminds me of. And now I’ll be trapped with him.