Page 55 of His Choice

“And Mikey and Aaron are wonderful, too,” she added to cheers.

“Keller, your thoughts?” Emilio asked.

“Well, Aaron or Mikey would be cool since they’re from town, but if it were me, I’d be going for the hot daddies—Ted or Brighton.”

“I don’t have a kid!” Ted protested. “Only Brighton does.”

How did Ted not know what Keller meant? Even some customers snickered. Based on interactions so far, I was beginning to question whether Ted was another straight guy the producers had planted.

“Okay, Ted and Brighton, there’s an eager young man right there if Cliff ends up choosing someone other than you,” Emilio joked.

Keller’s eyes went wide. “What? No! I’m with someone.”

Clem chuckled. “Yeah…the chief of police. Careful, boys.”

The crowd laughed. I imagined if Mitch had been nearby, he would have smiled politely, too—before putting a possessive arm around Keller to emphasize his guy was off limits.

“Well, Clem, your thoughts?” Emilio asked.

He rubbed his chin in thought. “You’ll have a hard time finding too many folks hoping for Cliff to choose someone other than one of our own boys. Not just because we’d be happy for them, but because we wouldn’t want Cliff to leave town to be with someone else. We’d miss him too much.” There was some applause from the diners. “But if the man is willing to relocate here, we’d welcome him with open arms and treat him like family.”

“There you have it,” Emilio announced, looking into the camera. “Maybe the next stop on the tour will change some people’s minds or reinforce their opinions. There’s a little sexy surprise in store for our next contestant challenge.”

I groaned. Whatever the producers had planned, it wasn’t something I had been clued into. I could only hope it wasn’t something that would embarrass me.

Chapter Sixteen

Mikey

When Emilio announced that the next stop would be in Hopborough, the shabbier town that bordered White Pines, I wondered what the producers were planning. We learned we’d be making a visit to a shop called One Size Fits All. Apparently, the store sold regular clothes, but there were also sections stocked with adult costumes and naughty wear. I worried, doubting the visit was so we could pick out a discounted dress shirt for Cliff.

Aaron and I sat together on the bus ride over, since we had reconciled earlier. I was relieved about that. I couldn’t bear the thought of another night sleeping next to someone who was ignoring me. It turned out, he had felt the same. Once he had apologized and confessed what Ms. Walker had already suspected, that he had been conflating his own fears about losing our friendship with the possibility I could get hurt, I had immediately forgiven him. How could I be angry with my best friend for wanting what was best for me and for our relationship? I had assured him I would be a big part of his life as long as he wanted. We had hugged, and he had resumed joking with me immediately.

“Have you ever been in this shop?” I asked Aaron, who was staring out of the window, evaluating the bus driver’s ability to park in the tight space in front of the store.

“I could have gotten this thing into the spot a lot quicker,” he said, ignoring my question.

“You’ve driven a bus before?” I asked, surprised.

He looked my way, appearing confused. “No.”

I shook my head. “What do you think they’re going to make us do here?”

Aaron shrugged. “I’d be more concerned about the locals trying to bash our heads in when they realize it’s a bus full of men vying for another guy’s attention.”

I hadn’t thought about that. It wasn’t as if I had ever had a reason to venture into Hopborough. I didn’t know much about it, other than it was where some White Pines residents went to shop at a Walmart, while others purchased illegal drugs now that our town’s chief of police had cracked down on dealers.

“Is this a rough area?” I asked.

Aaron smirked, pointing out of the window. Perhaps the confederate merchandise shack, super-sized liquor mart, smoke shops, plethora of low-budget fast-food joints, neglected apartment complexes, and dollar-value stores should have answered my question.

“Attention, everyone,” Emilio called out to the contestants. “Stay seated for just another moment while I explain the next part of our excursion. Once we discovered this interesting store, we just had to take advantage. If you need to buy yourself some less expensive clothes to hang out in, this is the place. But they also offer sexy attire, especially for people into role play.”

I groaned. “This is going to be so bad.”

“Gentlemen,” Emilio continued, “your mission is to find an outfit that you’d wear on a lazy Sunday with Cliff…when you’re in the mood for some naughty fun.”

“I’d just wear what I’m already wearing,” I muttered to Aaron.