The Final Rose

Chapter Five: [Slow] burn baby. Burn.

Seven women sat around a long table, decorated with tea lights, desert flowers, and small potted cactus plants. A long-stem rose lay at the center of the long table, adding to the tension of the evening. Jacob was elsewhere with Patience, the blonde woman who'd shot Stephie. Even with a deduction for friendly fire, she'd scored the most points, which meant she had won extra time with Jacob.

The sun was just beginning to set over Santa Fe's high desert, creating a vivid palate of reds, oranges, and pinks splashed across the sky. It was a stunning view from the restaurant's patio, but I was too distracted by my hunger—my stomach growled to the point that I became tempted to eat the table decorations. A server came to take our drink order, but no dinner menus ever appeared.

"Ladies, just continue to talk amongst yourself," one of the show-runners instructed us. "Jacob will be back soon."

Stephie rubbed her arms, more out of habit or nervousness than from the cold. The temperatures had dipped since we'd been driven into the desert for laser tag, but it wasn't cold enough for a jacket.

"Ever been on a date like this?" I asked her.

"You mean have I ever waited in line for the chance to talk to a guy?" she laughed. "No. This is a first."

Jacob walked onto the terra cotta patio where we waited. He had changed out of the t-shirt and jeans from earlier into a blue button-up shirt and dark grey dress pants. His eyes searched our faces before stopping on mine. "Nokomis. Can I steal you for a second?"

I stood and ran my palms over the front of my dress. "Sure thing."

Jacob guided me through a series of corridors to another terrace that overlooked the mountains. The patio was more intimate than the larger outdoor space from whence we'd just come, complete with its own set of camera crew to record our interactions. I noted that we were far enough away from the other women that we'd be in no danger of them overhearing our conversation.

"This is cozy," I remarked, taking a seat on a cushioned bench near a gas fire pit. I gestured to the film crew who quickly worked to rearrange boom mics and overhead spotlights. "But does this ever feel normal?"

"Normal, no," Jacob conceded, sitting beside me. "But it does get easier."

"We're ready whenever you are," the female producer in the khaki pants announced.

"I guess that means our date has officially started,' I joked uneasily. My palms began to sweat, and I rubbed them against the minimal material of my skirt.

"How's your day going?" Jacob opened the conversation.

"It's been an interesting date," I observed with a solemn nod.

"Interesting good or interesting bad?" he worried.

"Mostly good, except for that part where you got me shot," I shrewdly pointed out.

Jacob ducked his head. "Yeah, that's on me. But at least your team still won."

"That's true," I conceded.

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been wanting to talk to you since that first night. Something you said stuck with me that I've wanted to follow up on."

I chewed on my lower lip. "You mean my dad," I anticipated.

Jacob's eyes shifted in his skull in an uncomfortable gesture. "Yeah. Uh, I mean you don't have to."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind talking about it."

I had known when I'd agreed to be on the show that all of the skeletons in my family's closet would be made public. What I was about to share wasn't a secret, but I hadn't expected to speak openly about it so early into this process.