“I know,” I said unhappily. “He was the last person I’d have chosen.”
“You know the rest of the house is going to be gunning for him and Katy and Liam,” he whispered back. “They already won money on another show.”
Brodie didn’t win, I wanted to point out, but Brodie was, well, Brodie. No one wanted him around for long. So I nodded.
“Don’t worry,” Jendan said, nudging my shoulder. “I’ve got your back.”
“Thanks.” I nudged him back, and grimaced when my clothing stuck to his. “Man, we are really gross.”
“We are,” he agreed. “But I’m used to getting dirty in my line of work.”
“Oh?” I smiled politely as the older woman with the crazy hair came and sat down next to us, eavesdropping on our conversation. “What do you do outside of the house, Jendan?”
“I’m a stuntman,” he said proudly, and he nodded at the newcomer as way of greeting. “You need someone lit on fire for a scene or someone to jump out of a burning building? That’s me.”
“Wow.” I was impressed. “That’s such a cool job. What are you doing here on a reality TV show?” Jimmy’s words before the show rang through my head—superfans, mactors, or broke-ass bitches. Jendan didn’t seem giddy with excitement about being on the show, unlike Jayme or Mickey. That meant Jendan was a broke-ass bitch or a mactor. I studied him. He was good looking. Mactor?
“Same thing as you,” Jendan said. “I want the money. You can’t be a stuntman forever.” He turned to the new woman and extended his red-splattered hand. “I’m Jendan, by the way.”
“I’m Lenore.” She took his hand and gave him a smile, revealing a gap between her front teeth
Broke-ass bitch, I categorized automatically and then felt a twinge of guilt. “What do you do, Lenore?”
“I’m a psychic.”
I laughed, surprised. “A psychic, huh?”
She focused her gaze on me, sharp and bird-like. “Don’t believe me? I can tell your future. Give me your hand.”
Oh boy. Here we go. I obediently extended my dirty hand, giving Jendan a wry look. First we were rooming in a haunted house, and now one of the House Guests was a psychic. What next?
Lenore’s finger traced down the center of my palm. “You’re very athletic and you love to dance.”
I snatched my hand away, giving a nervous laugh. “You got that wrong. I’m a klutz. Jendan will tell you all about how I fell on him.” God, way to sell me out on day one, lady.
“So what do you do for a living, Kandis?” Jendan asked me.
“I’m a student,” I lied.
“No, you’re not,” Lenore said.
I wondered how bad it would look if I attacked a psychic on the first day? I just kept smiling tightly and ignored her. “Whatever you say, Lenore.”
“You’re also going to find your true love in this house,” Lenore told me. “I know these kinds of things.”
“I’m not here to fall in love,” I protested, and that was the truth. I wanted that money.
Lenore shrugged and wandered away.
Jendan and I exchanged a look, and I twirled a finger at my ear, indicating questionable sanity. “So I thought Brodie would be the worst one to partner with. Now I’m not so sure.”
Jendan chuckled at my words. “She does seem a few bats shy of a belfry. Speaking of, where is your partner?”
“Somewhere out there flirting with Sunnie.” I shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, I’m playing this game solo.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Oh?” I perked up. Jendan looked as if he was here to play the game to win, just like me. Some of the people here seemed as if they were on the show to hang out or hook up. Mactors. Jendan was here with ambition—it was evident in every line of his face. He was a kindred spirit. “What are you suggesting?”
He gave me a subtle smile, glancing around to see if anyone else was looking our way. No one was. “You have to have someone to trust in this game. You and me—final two deal. Secret alliance. We take each other to the end.”
“I like the way you think.”
“Like I said, I’ve got your back,” Jendan said.
“I’ve got yours,” I agreed quietly, and then I leaned in. “So who’s your partner?”
“Marla,” he said. “Short hair. About thirty.”
“Soccer mom?”
“That’s her,” he said, grinning. “She’s nice. I just worry she won’t be great in challenges.”
“You don’t know that,” I told him, glancing at the showers again. They were still in there. And men said women took a long time showering? They’d clearly never met Mickey or Casper.
“Well, look out for Marla. She’s spear-heading the ‘get out Katy, Liam, and Brodie’ movement.”
“I’ll look out for her,” I told him. “Thanks for the heads up.”
I wanted them gone as much as the next person, but since I was saddled with Brodie, I needed them around. As long as Katy and Liam were here, they’d be a bigger target than Brodie because they’d already won money. And I didn’t want to be the first one out the door.
“Kandis, please come to the confession booth,” a voice piped in through the intercom. “Kandis, please come to the confession booth.”
“Ugh. I can’t even shower first?” I made a face and hopped down from the counter. “Save me some hot water, Jendan.”
“No promises,” he called back after me, and I padded through the house in dirty, bare feet, a towel wrapped around my dirty, sticky body.
There was a locked door in the living room with a red light on it. It flicked to green as I watched, and I tested the handle. It opened, and I stepped through, eyeing my surroundings. There was a long, shadowy hall, and at the far end of the hall, there was a door labeled “PRIVATE”.
The confessional. I headed toward it and knocked. No answer. I tested the handle, opened the door, and saw a comfy chair seated in front of a half a dozen cameras and a TV screen with the House Guests logo, just like in the living room. I unwrapped my towel, laid it on the chair so I wouldn’t get it dirty, and then thumped into the seat.
“Kandis,” the voice piped in. “This is the confessional booth. It’s completely sound proof, so feel free to share your private thoughts and let us know what you’re thinking. Your castmates will not see any confessional information.”
I drummed my fingers, feeling twitchy. “Got it.”
“So tell us what your initial thoughts are.”
I smiled tightly at the cameras. “My initial thoughts? If I have to depend on Brodie for a partner? I am completely and utterly screwed.”
~~ * ~~
An hour later, my confessional had been taped, I’d gotten my turn in the shower, and I’d changed into a pair of dark blue yoga pants and a white sweatshirt with a loose collar that left one shoulder bare. My wet hair was pulled into a loose knot atop my head, and I’d scrubbed off all the heavy makeup that casting had put on me.
I was in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water, when hands touched my shoulders and began to rub.
I yelped, jerking around in shock.
It was Mickey with a sexy—or at least, I figured it was his version of sexy—smile on his face. Mickey had curly reddish hair, big ears, and a wide, square jaw. He looked unusual and friendly, but I was wary of any guy that grabbed chicks when their back was turned.
“Did I scare you?” he asked, his voice implying that he was amused more than apologetic.
“You startled me,” I admitted, rubbing my shoulder to get rid of the creeped-out goosebumps covering my skin.
“Sorry,” he said in a voice that seemed anything but. “The others told me to come get you. We’re having a house meeting in the living room.”
“Already? Is something wrong?”
“Liam wants everyone to get to know each other.” Mickey grinned at me and nudged me with his hip. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know a few of my castmates better.”
Ugh. Creepster. I kept the smile on my face, though it was difficult. “Shall we go to the living room, then?”
He offered me the crook of his arm, like he wanted to escort me. Well, crap. If I turned it down, he might get offended, and it was still day one. I couldn’t afford to piss anyone off. Not if I was partnered with the living libido, Brodie.
So I clamped down my distaste and slipped my hand into his arm, wishing I was anywhere but at his side.
We headed to the living room, and most of the castmates were already there. Three large sofas were set up in the living room, and one had Brodie sitting on the far end, by himself. Marla, Jendan, Casper, and Jayme were squeezed onto another sofa, while Lenore and Fido sat on the nomination loveseat. Across from the loveseat, Liam and Katy sat on the fireplace hearth. Liam sat with his back against the stone, his legs spread, and Katy sat between them, leaning back against Liam and hugged tight in his arms.
I moved to sit next to Brodie, since the spot had clearly been left for me. To my dismay, Mickey immediately squeezed in next to me, ignoring the fact that there was an entire half of the couch left for someone else to sit on. He sat so close that his thigh touched mine.
Sandwiched on a couch on TV between Brodie and Mickey. I was surely paying for some sort of hellish karma. Maybe because I’d thrown the challenge, the House Guests gods were paying me back in kind. I took a deep breath and kept the poker-face smile on my cheeks, determined to make the best of things.
“Are we all here?” Liam asked.
“Sunnie’s coming,” Fido said.
Sure enough, Sunnie swanned into the room (there was really no other way to describe it), her hair and makeup perfect. She was wearing a cute pink slip-dress, and as soon as she saw Brodie, she squealed and bounded over to him, tossing herself onto his lap.
Welp, I’d definitely racked up some shit karma somewhere along the way. This just kept getting worse.
Mickey put a hand on the back of my neck and began to massage it.
I stifled my whimper and shivered away, leaning in toward Brodie and Sunnie. Brodie immediately put an arm around my shoulders. “Hands off my hot team-mate, Mickey. Get your own girl.”
“You’re hogging all of them,” Mickey said.
Sunnie giggled from her perch on Brodie’s lap.
I shot Jendan a ‘dear god help me’ look.
“Keep it in your pants, Brodie,” Katy said, her voice a soft drawl. “Nobody wants to see you hook up all summer.”
“You sure?” Brodie joked, but his arm slid off my shoulder, as if making a small concession to his sister.
“Katy and I called everyone in here,” Liam began, propping his chin on his girlfriend’s shoulder, “because we wanted to get a chance to meet everyone. We figured a big group setting to get all the introductions out of the way might be the best.”
“Sounds good,” someone said.