ALTHOUGH DAKOTA HAD SEEN most of the episodes of True Love or Fool’s Gold with Finn, tonight was different. While he was comfortably sprawled on the sofa, with Hannah on his chest, Dakota found herself restless and uneasy. No doubt it was the secret she was keeping. Being pregnant had a way of changing a woman’s perspective. She was thrilled about the thought of having a baby. Two months ago she’d thought she might never have a family, and now she had a beautiful baby girl and another child on the way. What was that old phrase? An embarrassment of riches?
But there was always another side to any situation. In this case, it was telling Finn that he was the father of her child. Something she knew he didn’t want.
“Have I mentioned Geoff isn’t one of my favorite people?” Finn asked. “He specifically told me to watch tonight’s episode and so far it hasn’t been very interesting. Or maybe that’s just me.” He glanced at her. “Am I the wrong demographic?”
It took Dakota a second to realize what he was talking about. “I’ve heard the ratings aren’t very good. Karen, one of the production assistants, told me that Geoff was really sweating the numbers. I think it’s the show’s premise. I’m a big fan of reality television, but this concept doesn’t make sense to me. We all want to see people falling in love, but this feels fake.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I don’t want to watch people falling in love.”
She smiled. “Okay, okay. It’s a girl thing. A while ago on Biggest Loser two of the contestants fell in love. It was just the best. My sisters and I couldn’t stop calling each other about it.”
“But you don’t know them. Why does it matter if they get involved?”
“It just does. It’s fun to watch people fall in love. Which should make the show more interesting. I guess that’s the problem. No one is falling in love.”
She glanced back at the screen and saw Sasha and Lani. “Here they are,” she said.
Finn turned his attention to the television. Dakota found herself watching him rather than the show. He was a good man. Kind and responsible. He was also pretty fabulous in bed, but that shouldn’t matter. She smiled. Even though it sort of did.
He turned up the volume on the remote with one hand while keeping the other on Hannah’s back. The baby was sleeping on his chest, her head on his shoulder, her nose pressing against his neck. It was the kind of image that turned even the most sensible of women’s hearts to mush. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to resist.
“This is interesting,” Finn said.
Dakota glanced at the screen. Sasha and Lani were in the park. Sasha sat on a bench while Lani sat on the grass in front of him. They were in deep conversation.
“You’re such a baby,” Lani said. “Why aren’t you visualizing every day? It’s the best way to get what you want. Sure, you have to do the work, but this allows you to be in the right place at the right time. When you visualize and practice, you prepare yourself for success. I’ve been visualizing myself winning an Oscar since I was fourteen years old.”
She stood and walked over to the bench, then sat next to Sasha. “I don’t know anyone in the business,” she told him. “I don’t have a lot of experience or friends I can ask. I’m doing this all on my own. This is how I make it real. This is how I get through the day. If you want it, Sasha, you have to believe in yourself. Most of the time no one else will believe in you.” She sighed. “I imagined myself on a reality show. I should have been more specific. I can’t get anyone to tell me ratings numbers. Have you heard anything?”
Dakota blinked. She didn’t know a whole lot about the entertainment business, but she was pretty sure contestants on a show weren’t supposed to talk about ratings.
“What are you talking about?” Sasha asked.
She groaned. “How is the show doing? Are the advertisers happy with the number of viewers? That kind of information is important. We want the show to be successful.”
“What does it matter if it isn’t? We’ll be gone.”
“It’s important because if we’re going to put it on a resume, somebody has to have heard about it. There’s no point in claiming stardom on a show no one saw.” She stared at him. “You make me crazy, and not in a good way.”
“Part of my charm,” he told her and grinned.
“You are not all that.” She looked past him. “For all we know, one of the camera guys has followed us. We should probably make out for a little bit, just in case.”
As Dakota watched, they went into each other’s arms with practiced ease. But little or no romance. It was painfully obvious that they were simply going through the motions to get more show time.
She winced. “Geoff made a huge mistake in showing that. I’m sure he’s going to think it will get people talking, but the viewers are going to feel like they’ve been tricked.”
“Which means my brother is about to be voted off,” Finn said.
She couldn’t tell if he was happy or not. “And then what?”