‘They’ve moved back to town to settle down.’ Her eyes do a little roll. ‘Can’t say I’m thrilled about having to see them all the time.’

Darcy isn’t sure how she’d feel if she were in the same situation, but it’s hard to imagine when she doesn’t have an ex to begin with. Like Ed said, her six-week romance with Nick Simmons in year eight doesn’t compare to this type of thing. How would she cope if she and Drew broke up and then he decided to marry another girl from back home?

She’d quite possibly be a little psycho. Probably even a lot psycho.

Unless she was in another relationship, maybe she wouldn’t care then …

And it suddenly hits her why Bonnie was motivated to come on The One. She wants to get over her ex.

Chapter 23

23

‘So, what’s the problem you couldn’t solve on your own?’ Alice marches into the editing suite where Darcy has spent the last hour or so with Max, one of the editors.

Darcy tries not to let her face falter at Alice’s comment. ‘We’re not sure what angle to take with Ty and Jodie’s date.’

Alice raises her eyebrows as though pained she has to use her skills and experience.

Darcy doesn’t waste her words trying to explain. She looks to Max. ‘Can you play it?’

Max lets the footage roll. The one-on-one date involves Ty and Jodie on a mountain hike. It’s something of a non-event. They both sailed up it easily, their conversation a little dull, but the problem comes when they get to the top and sit down for a champagne picnic. Jodie gets emotional as she tells Ty the last time she hiked was with her ex-boyfriend.

‘The whole way up I kept thinking he was about to propose,’ Jodie says on screen. ‘But when we got to the top he broke things off.’

Darcy had known this from Jodie’s application form and it was the main reason she was chosen for the date. Darcy had been hoping Jodie would have a bit of a breakdown and that Ty would swoop in and be a romantic hero, comforting her.

‘I hadn’t even seen it coming,’ Jodie says, her face in a close-up shot, her eyes brimming with tears. ‘I felt like such an idiot. I was totally in love with him, ready to get engaged, but he didn’t want to be with me.’

Alice looks at Darcy, annoyed her time is being wasted. ‘What’s the problem? This is fine, good in fact.’

Darcy wishes she could allow herself the luxury of enjoying the small compliment but indicates back to the screen. ‘Keep watching.’