“Yes, well, that is something to consider,” Mansi quietly said, and flipped the first page of the contract. Her eyes continued to scan.
TJ popped up out of his seat. “Think about it,” he said, and spread his hands like one did when asking others to envision something. “A new direction forName Your Price. I mean, I love seeing a city girl shovel pig shit, or a shy gamer dragged from his basement to join the dating race, butthis. I saw the chemistry you guys had on the street—Ifeltit, and our viewers will too! We’ve never had a couples segment before. What could be better than a pair of combustible exes trying to live together? The sponsors will bebeggingfor airtime on this episode.”
“You’re actually serious,” Olivia heard herself say. The words slipped out. She was in too much shock to control her mouth.
TJ skipped around the table to her side. He spun her chair and leaned down to her eye level. His were brown but bright. His musky cologne hit her in a rush. “Yes, Olivia.” He stood and kept one hand on her chair and used the other to point down the table. “Why deny the facts? You and Chuck are abeautiful couple, and peoplelovebeautiful couples. Putting the two of you on TV is a ratings guarantee.” He clapped his hands together and smiled around the room.
Olivia frowned up at him. “You left out the part where we can’t stand each other.”
He dropped his gaze back to her and leaned in with a rush that made her lean back in surprise. “That’s the point, Olivia! That’s what people will come to see.” He stood back up, and Olivia tried not to get dizzy from all his movement. He looked over at Chuck and winked. “And if the two of you maybe find a little spark of magic, a littletemptationto rekindle that flame we saw on the sidewalk, then we’ll tune in for that too.”
Olivia’s face heated. Her brain was screamingdisasterat her with the enthusiasm of a drunk football fan. She scrambled for an excuse to escape what was clearly a terrible idea. “I have a full-time job. I can’t just—” she started to say, but stopped when she felt Mansi’s hand gently land on her arm and squeeze.
“Your description of the living arrangements and filming location is vague. Can you elaborate?” she asked.
TJ gestured at Parker to respond. “The house is in Pacific Palisades. We just confirmed it today, after the contracts were printed. It will have all necessary accommodations for a temporary but continuous stay—pool, gym, grocery delivery. You’ll be set up for the full month. The camera crew will come and go, but you’ll have no reason to need to leave.”
“Wait,” Olivia said, gaping at them. “We can’tleave?”
TheName Your Priceteam exchanged looks with one another. TJ was the one to finally speak, and he did it with a grin that put an uneasy feeling in Olivia’s gut.
“That’s the object of the game, Olivia. If you and Chuck can figure out how to stand each other in close quarters for onemonth after that fantastic breakup we witnessed in all its glory, you win the money.”
His words landed, and an invisible bomb exploded in Olivia’s brain. She unstuck her tongue from her dry mouth. “And if we don’t make it?”
TJ casually sat on the table’s edge and grinned. “Game over.”
Game over.She honestly didn’t know if she had it in her.
“And, of course, you’ll be presented with a set of challenges while you’re in the house,” TJ added.
“Challenges?” Olivia asked as Mansi flipped another page of the contract, surely looking for this part.
“Yes,” TJ said. “We’re not going to film you doing nothing all day. This isn’tKeeping Up with the Kardashians.”
Olivia could only imagine what horrors they had in store for them.
It occurred to her that Chuck hadn’t said anything this whole time, which led her to realize that he had already agreed. This whole meeting was happening to convince one person to say yes.
Her.
She leaned forward so that he could see her from the other end of the table. “Can I talk to you outside, please?”
He met her eyes with a flash of guilt and nodded.
They both rose from the table, and he opened the door for her to leave first. She walked out of the conference room and then kept going all the way outside. Not only did she need fresh air, but she also needed to make sure no one in that room could hear them.
They stopped under a shady tree back on the pathway where they’d earlier met. Olivia couldn’t help but notice the flecks ofgreen the backdrop brought out when she looked up into Chuck’s eyes.
“Did you already agree to this?” she asked him.
“No. I can’t without you.”
“But you knew what they were offering.”
He paused and raked a hand through his hair. “Yes.”
She threw her head back and groaned. “Chuck!How did you let me walk into that? I wouldn’t have even considered it if I’d known they had some elaborateBig Brother–Love Islandknockoff planned. Why didn’t you tell me?”