“You guys looked great on the screen. This one turned out even better than the last one,” Amira said.

Reena shrugged. “I know. But man, watching that messed with my mind.”

“Hearing him say you feel like home?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “The first one stung to watch because it seemed real, even though we weren’t actually together. He’s a good actor. This time … ” Her voice trailed off.

“This time all that talk might be real.”

“Yep.”

Amira was silent a moment. “What’s next?”

“If we move on, we go to the FoodTV studio.”

“You are moving on. Seriously. The Jeffs have nothing on you.”

Reena shrugged.

“What, you don’t want to go to the studio? You wanted this.”

“I know. I do. It’s just … ” She sighed. “I know we’re supposed to be just casually ‘dating’ and not seriously committed, but this damn contest is making it feel so much more real. And we’ve only done short videos. If we go to the studio, we’ll have to pretend for longer and in front of real people. I’m not sure I can recover from that.”

“Do you want to be seriously committed?”

“I don’t know. Even if I did, it’s impossible. Those two on the screen have a happy, loving relationship with a full life in front of them. They don’t have our … crap.”

“Everyone has crap. Life is full of piles and piles of shit. I told you last night about everything Duncan and I still deal with.”

“I know.”

“But the difference is, we let each other see the shit.”

“This metaphor is getting a little gross.”

Amira laughed. “Reena, this could work for you! Watching you two together, the way he looks at you. It’s not like any of your other relationships. And I think you know that. But I can’t be the only person in the world who gets to see you … all of you. You won’t scare him away.”

Wouldn’t she, though? The Reena she let people see enjoyed drinks at the bar, fresh bread at home, and no drama. Who’d want the real Reena—the neurotic mess with maladaptive coping skills? Who couldn’t manage to keep a job she hated? With a family who never, ever let her be free. None of the other twelve guys had been interested in sticking around once her true self began to emerge.

Amira didn’t say anything for a while as she looked at Reena with a soft expression. “Reena, are you in love?”

Loaded question. She didn’t know if she even knew the answer to that one.

She squeezed her lips together. “I don’t know.”

“I know your impulse is always to deflect and distract, but I think you need to stop doing that. Give him a chance. Give yourself a chance.” Amira took both Reena’s hands in her own. “You deserve it. Even though I know you don’t think you do.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

One week later Reena was still no closer to gainful employment. She didn’t hear about the Top Crust job, but she also didn’t hear from her mother about her unemployment or Mum’s covert gambling habits, so Reena considered it a draw.