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Eddie’s dimples deepened. Rachelle didn’t know what to think.
“That settles it,” Grandma Estelle said, slapping her thigh. “He’s in love with you. Let’s start planning the wedding.”
On-screen, Eddie walked back through the dining room, preparing the tables for the upcoming kitchen rush. Diana sat at the bar, writing in the journal she kept with her, her pen moving quickly.
“What are you writing?” Eddie asked.
Diana froze and looked up, mystified. “I get ideas,” she said after a pause. “For recipes. For new ingredient combinations.”
Eddie smiled sinfully at her. He leaned against the counter beside her and tried to take a peek. Diana placed her hand over it, hiding it away.
“So they’re secret?” Eddie asked.
“In my line of work, it’s important to keep things to yourself,” Diana said.
When had this happened? Rachelle wondered. She’d never seen Diana and Eddie talk to one another. Diana was running around frantically in the kitchen, usually alongside Rachelle. Rachelle hardly ever let Diana out of her sight just in case she needed something.
Jealousy wrapped around Rachelle’s heart. She tried to breathe around it.
Suddenly, on-screen, they showed Rachelle. She was in the kitchen, alone. Her eyes were wet, as though she’d been crying. That wasn’t hard to believe. Rachelle cried at least once per shift, usually for a variety of reasons.
But then, the camera returned to the dining room, where Eddie and Diana talked about the nature of secrets.
Rachelle felt a pang of fear.
The producers wanted to pit Rachelle and Diana against one another in yet another way. They wanted to make it seem like Diana and Rachelle were after the same guy. It was the oldest trick in the book. And it was making Rachelle miserable.
More and more throughout this episode, the events played in that direction. The scenes were haphazardly taken from the past month to create a “storyline” that suggested Eddie had crushes on Rachelle and Diana. And somehow, through creative cutting, they showed Diana and Rachelle having yet another fight—one that was partially about cooking and partially about Eddie.
It was all fake. But it was real to the thousands of people who watched across America.
After the show ended that evening, Darcy got up and turned off the television. The four of them sat in silence. Rachelle blinked back tears. She felt like a fool.
“You said so yourself,” Darcy said. “It’s all fake romance. It’s dumb.”
Rachelle pressed her lips together. Her chest felt heavy.
“Let’s have ice cream,” Estelle urged. “Who wants some?”
“I’ll get it,” Sam said, hopping to her feet, her eyes on Rachelle as she left. She was fearful.
Before she could overthink it, Rachelle was on her feet with her phone pressed to her ear. The call rang and rang until a familiar voice answered.
“Rachelle?”
It was hard for Rachelle to picture where Diana was and how she spent her free time. She could only imagine her in a kitchen.
“Hi,” Rachelle said stiffly, sniffling.
“Hello?” Diana was confused. “Can I help you with something?”
Rachelle’s throat felt horribly tight. “Did you watch the show tonight?”
Diana sighed. “No. I didn’t. And you shouldn’t have, either.”
Rachelle closed her eyes. She felt as though the world was crashing down upon her.
“What did they do?” Diana asked.
