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“Standup,” Gavin confirmed.
As the trio continued down the hallway toward the ballroom and Gavin and Sabrina discussed how not funny their host was and how giving him the green light to improv could seriously damage the show, Avery breathed a sigh of relief and said a silent thank you to Lance Sparrow’s improv aspirations. They’d saved her from having to come clean to her best friend by telling her that she had a past, and maybe present with the man she was banking on being the golden goose of her show.
Avery knew she would tell Sabrina about Keaton one day, but she was glad that day was not today.
* * *
“Iheard about last night,” Iris whispered conspiratorially as she finished steaming Vic’s suit jacket beside Keaton.
The last person he wanted to discuss last night with was his niece. How in the hell had she found out about it? The only person that even knew he’d been on the roof was Chuck. He’d seen him when Keaton was going back to his room. Even if the security guard suspected that he’d been on the roof with Avery, he didn’t think he’d go around gossiping about it. Chuck was good people.
“Last night?” Keaton repeated.
“Yeah, Heather said you were missing for an hour. She practically had a heart attack before Chuck radioed that he saw you going back to your room.”
“Oh, yeah.” Keaton exhaled in relief that his niece was whispering conspiratorially about ‘last night’ because he’d broken the rules and snuck out, and not because she’d known what happened. “I just needed some fresh air.”
Iris set the steamer down and gave him a hug. A tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.
When she stepped back, he asked. “What was that for?”
“For doing this show. I know you hate it, so if I haven’t told you enough, thank you, Uncle Keat. You are one of the best three uncles a girl could ever have.”
He grinned. “No worries.”
She’d just picked up the steamer again when her walkie talkie went off, calling her to the ballroom.
“Duty calls,” she said as she unplugged the steamer and wrapped up the cord. Before she left, she patted his chest. “Oh, and by the way, you clean up nice. Very handsome.”
Keaton glanced at himself in the mirror. He had worn more suits and tuxes in the past two weeks than he had in the past two years. He was way more comfortable in sweats and jeans. But he had to admit, he looked alright.
Once Iris left, he walked out of the changing area and into the men’s holding room. As soon as he entered, he could feel the tension in the air as Luca explained why he thought he and Ariel should stay on for another week.
“We’ve barely started to get to know each other. She was so shy the first few days, but I really feel like we’re getting somewhere now.”
Out of all the guys there, he thought Luca and Vic were the sincerest in wanting to find love. Not to say that the other guys didn’t like the women they were with, but Luca and Vic were definitely true romantics at heart.
If Keaton had to guess, he’d say Harlan was just there for a good time and he wasn’t quite sure what Elijah’s motives for doing the show were. Not that Keaton had any room to judge.
While all the guys were discussing what they thought everyone’s chances were, Keaton was hoping that he’d get sent home. As much as he wanted to be there for Zara, he wanted to be with Avery more. In his life, he’d learned that timing is everything.
Last time they were together, the timing hadn’t been right. He didn’t want to miss his chance this time by wasting her stay in Whisper Lake by being on this show. He was sure that Zara had this in the bag whether or not he was at her side. The woman was made for reality TV. She’d studied it. She had a serious game plan, which he was sure included contingency plans.
“I heard that the couples might be the ones voting off who leaves,” Harlan relayed. “Just like last season.”
Keaton had never watched the first season of Fairytale Love. He’d been dealing with a broken heart after Avery had ghosted him. Watching all the scenes being filmed in the castle had brought up too many memories.
“If one of us has to go, I’m fine to leave. No hard feelings,” Keaton offered.
The guys all stared at him in confusion.
“Seriously, if you have to vote for someone, it’s fine if it’s me.”
“What are you talking about?” Harlan asked. “You and Zara are for sure going to be in the finale. You’ve won couple of the day every day. You guys are perfect for each other.”
Vic and Luca agreed as Maura popped her head in the doorway. “Alright, lords, follow me!”
The men all headed down the maze of hallways to the ballroom. On the way, Keaton kept an eye out for Avery. He was hoping to even just catch a glimpse of her. He missed her. Even if he couldn’t talk to her, he just wanted toseeher. Sadly, he had no Avery sightings.
