‘My head is playing games with me, but it’s been a day to remember, that’s for sure.’

‘I guess it’s lucky you got out of the limo then?’

‘I have you to thank for that.’

Ben looks at her steadily before shrugging. ‘I’ll have to tell the bosses they need to pay me more.’

Darcy is watching Ben and Bonnie chat, and makes a note that they need to capture more footage of Bonnie being natural like she is now. She moves in an unguarded way, her smile bigger than it is with the cameras on her. Darcy’s phone buzzes with a call from Ed.

‘Hey,’ she says into her mobile.

‘Hey,’ Ed says. ‘Still at work?’

‘Just finishing up the first one-on-one date.’

‘Oh yeah? Pulling out some rose petals and candles?’

Darcy laughs. ‘Yep, the art department are all over that.’ She watches as some of the crew pack away the props. There’s a whole large box just for the candles.

‘Just checking in, but wanted to say great casting with Imogen. She’s going to set your ratings on fire.’

Darcy’s immediately warmed. ‘You’ve been watching?’

He scoffs. ‘Of course I’m watching!’

‘I like Bonnie,’ Darcy admits. She’d been the one to push for Bonnie to get the first one-on-one date.

‘Yeah—there was some good editing when she came on the screen. Music dipping, slow motion. Pure gold.’

‘I’ll tell the editors you approve.’ Darcy starts shoving her drink bottle and notepad back into her bag.

‘How’s Drew going?’

She thinks back to her phone conversation with him last night. ‘He’s ridiculously happy.’ Drew wanted to tell her everything—all the people he’d seen, that it had taken him an hour to get some milk at the supermarket because he kept running into people he knew.

‘Back home in Kansas, hey?’

‘Like you wouldn’t believe.’ It terrifies her how much he loves it back there.

‘Don’t worry, Darce. He’ll be back.’

‘I know.’ She feels a bit silly but working on a show about love feels harder with him being away. ‘He just messaged to say he’ll be down on the weekend, so we’ll call around for a drink.’

‘Sounds good,’ Ed says. ‘I’ll let you go, but keep your chin up, yeah?’

‘I’ll be fine,’ she tells him. ‘Honestly, there’s so much stuff going on here that it’ll be Friday night before I blink.’

Chapter 17

17

‘Shit, Darce. You’re not about to propose to me, are you?’

The lounge room glows with candlelight, red roses fill tall vases on every surface and soft music hums in the background.

Darcy stands a little straighter, the muscles in her neck tightening. ‘Would that really be such a bad thing?’ She’d been so excited about surprising him with a romantic scene, inspired after Ty’s string of romantic first week dates.