“Sit right here next to Bliss.”
“Oh, I don’t want to be on camera. I’ll just wait until you’re all finished.”
The host jumped up and said, “Please. It will help Bliss tremendously if we tell the
Drake smiled at Bliss. “Okay, then. If it’ll help Bliss, I’ll do my best.” He settled in next to her and took her hand. Malinda perched on the arm of the sofa next to Drake. She patted his shoulder and said, “This is the fireman who saved our daughter’s life.” She sniffed and dabbed at fake tears. “When I think about what could have happened…”
“Hold that thought,” the director interjected. He checked to see that the cameras were ready and said, “Roll ’em.”
Judith jumped up, strode over to Drake, and shook his hand. “We have a real, live hero in our midst! It’s an honor to meet you, sir. Bliss, do you want to tell us who this special guy is?”
“Sure. This is my boyfriend, Drake. He’s the firefighter who saved my life.”
“Really? How incredible! Did you know each other before the fire?”
“No. We met in the middle of the smoke. I couldn’t see to find my way out, so he picked me up and carried me to safety.”
The host slapped a hand over her heart. “How romantic.”
Bliss couldn’t imagine the embarrassment Drake must be feeling, but to his credit he didn’t blush. She hoped no one commented on his strange red and yellow streaks, but just in case, she shot her brothers a pointed glare.
Instead her father piped up and said, “You’ve got some punk rock hairdo there, son.”
“Romeo! Don’t be rude. This is the man who saved Blissy’s life!”
Drake just laughed. “It’s weird, I know.”
Mr. Russo humphed but thankfully let it drop.
The hostess returned to her seat and begged Drake to tell his side of the story.
“You don’t have to do that.” Bliss implored him with her eyes. She hoped he wouldn’t tell them about going in after her computer and getting suspended for it.
“It was just another job,” he said, and shrugged. Then he looked directly into Bliss’s eyes. “Until I met this beautiful lady.”
“Awww… Tell us about that,” Judith urged.
“Oh, don’t make him go through it all again,” Bliss said.
The director yelled, “Cut.”
Judith’s eyes narrowed. “Why not? Do you have something to hide?”
“Of course not! I just don’t want Drake to feel like he’s being cross-examined.”
“It’s okay, Bliss. I mean, there’s not much to tell. It was a typical job.” He winked at her and she breathed a sigh. He seemed to know she didn’t want him to tell the world what an idiot she had been over her stupid computer—especially when it was too late to save it.
“Okay, then. Maybe we’ll talk more about that later. Right now I’ll get back to how it impacted Bliss in the competition.”
The director called for the cameras to roll again, and the host acted as if she hadn’t missed a beat. “So, you saw her through the smoke and knew she was in trouble. Tell us about that.”
Drake draped an arm around Bliss’s shoulder. “We help anyone we come across in a fire. We have protective gear, so we—”
The host rolled her eyes and the director yelled, “Cut.”
Judith looked at Drake as if he were an errant child. “People don’t want to hear about what you do for everyone. They want to know about Bliss… and the romance. Can’t you elaborate on how she felt in your arms or something?”
“Uh… I guess so.”
Bliss jumped up. “Look. My family and friends aren’t used to being directed for TV. How about if you cut them a break. Let them say whatever the hell they want. If you don’t like it, you can edit it later.”
Judith and the director exchanged stares. Finally Bo nodded. “That’s fine. We want them to seem as natural as possible.”
“Good.” Bliss sat down again.
Malinda wrung her hands. “We should probably eat dinner soon. I turned off the oven, but the chicken could dry out if it’s left too long.”
Judith waved away the comment. “Oh, I won’t really be eating with you. I’m on a very strict diet and it doesn’t include Italian food. We’ll just smear some sauce on a plate and make it look like I did.”
Malinda rose and crossed her arms. “Are you saying my dinner isn’t good enough for you?”
“Ma, I’m sure she doesn’t mean it that way.”
“Then why should we waste my excellent gravy on a plate if she doesn’t want to eat it?”
Judith rose and looked as if she was going to stroll over to Malinda but thought better of it. “Mrs. Russo, this is TV. I can’t take the chance of smearing my lipstick or having a spot of red sauce on my chin.”
Ricky spoke up. “Ma, nothing on reality TV is real. Didn’t you know that?”
Malinda huffed. “No, I did
“You know what?” Judith said to Bo. “I think we should just finish up the interview with Bliss and her boyfriend. Then we can be on our way.”
Malinda lifted her nose in the air. “I think that’s a good idea. Everyone else… let’s eat.”
Chapter 19
The cameramen, hostess, and director followed the couple into the backyard, which gently sloped down to a private dock. They strolled toward some deck furniture casually grouped together on the grass.
As soon as they were all seated, Judith said, “So, where are your designs? I’m excited to see them.”
“They’re still on my computer.” Bliss knew what was coming. This was the part where the host would pretend to be shocked by the news of the second fire.
Judith halted and faced Bliss head-on. “Still on your computer! But your entire line is due soon. Don’t you have any finished that you can show us?”
Drake squeezed Bliss’s hand, giving her some much-needed empathy.
“I know you expected to see some finished products, but I don’t have any.”
“Well? Why are you so behind?”
“I had nearly all of them redone a couple weeks after the fire. I even saved the designs on a disk and locked it in a safe-deposit box—that time.”
“Okay…”
Judith had said to drag it out for dramatic effect, but Bliss really didn’t feel like reliving the past few weeks in gory detail. Still… when had she ever had a choice when it came to this damn show?
She took a deep breath and continued. “Well, as you know, I had to relocate, so I moved to an apartment over a bar where my friend worked. She gave me a job there so I could pay the rent without dipping into the money you gave me to create the line.”
Judith raised her perfect eyebrows. “You were working as a cocktail waitress the whole time you had to recreate your designs?”
Bliss had to give herself a mental warning not to roll her eyes. “Yes. But it was okay. I was back on track
