everything Ky said just to flatter him. No, Morgan was the type of girl to ask questions and interrupt the conversation if she didn’t understand what someone was talking about. That was something Brinkley would never, ever, have had the courage to do.
She was always kicking herself because she went along with what everyone else said in a conversation. She didn’t want to make waves, and she didn’t want to look stupid. It wasn’t because she was so self-obsessed. It was more so because she was taught that women should be seen and not heard.
So it had become a bad habit to nod, smile, and laugh in the right places in a conversation. If she didn’t understand something Cooper said about football, she would just smile and nod at him. Even though she had no clue what a corner back or a running back or a full back or any of that stuff was.
The rest of the afternoon got pretty fuzzy after that. She didn’t know exactly what was in the rum punch. Rum , of course, but what else? But she’d never really had rum before, except in a piña colada at a Polynesian restaurant near her house. But Samantha kept pouring her glass after glass, and she kept drinking.
She didn’t know why she’d been so opposed to drinking before. Of course, it was frowned upon in her church, but her parents always had wine with dinner. And Cooper normally finished an entire six-pack during an afternoon football game.
She didn’t like the taste of beer, so that had been her excuse. But the rum punch was delicious. And it tasted better and better with every glass.
She finally felt like she was on vacation. She was relaxed, she had made a new friend in Samantha, and she felt optimistic about her chances with Ky. He must’ve kept her for a reason. She just had to figure out why.
Chapter 6
Morgan
Morgan’s Confessional: Was I surprised to win the group date? Actually, I was. I really didn’t know what to expect. We spent the afternoon on a jungle hike with a picnic in the rainforest, and I think I was the only girl that really enjoyed it. I didn’t get to talk to Ky as much as I would’ve liked, but I guess we have tonight for that, right? I want to get to know him better to see if we really are compatible. If we’re not, I don’t want to waste his time.
Morgan fluffed her hair in the mirror for the second time. What was she doing? She normally was a wash-and-go type of girl. She didn’t take hours and hours to finish her hair and makeup, something that all of her boyfriends had complimented her on in the past. No, she would leave the excessive grooming to Harper, thank you very much.
But she did want to look good for this special date, especially since every moment was going to be captured on camera. That still took a little getting used to. She found herself thinking before she spoke—something she’d never done before—since there always seemed to be a cameraman lurking on the sidelines.
And who knew what they were going to edit and what they were going to air? She didn’t want to say something that was going to embarrass herself or her family or get her in trouble with her boss. But she still had to be herself, didn’t she?
Good enough, she thought as she took one last look in the mirror. She slathered on some lightly tinted lip-gloss and headed down to the lobby of the hotel, where Ky said he would meet her to pick her up for their date.
She was surprised that she had won the mini-group date. She was even more surprised that she had been chosen for the “Jungle Adventure,” or whatever it was called. Although winning the group date kind of made sense.
After all, she was head-to-head with a few prima donnas who seemed like they absolutely hated being in the rainforest. If these women weren’t into the adventure part of the show, then why had they signed up in the first place?
In Morgan’s opinion, the jungle hike and picnic in the rainforest had been the best part of the trip so far. She’d actually seen a monkey
Anne Conley
Robert T. Jeschonek
Chris Lynch
Jessica Morrison
Sally Beauman
Debbie Macomber
Jeanne Bannon
Carla Kelly
Fiona Quinn
Paul Henke