The wind whips by and it blows my hair all over the place. It makes me wonder how they’re going to do all of the women’s hair so it’s not flying around our faces during tonight’s egg hunt.
Groaning, I lean my forehead on the balcony railing. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
A knock sounds on my hotel room door and I already know who it’s going to be. When it comes to the room though, I can’t complain. I’ve been put up in a spacious suite with a king-sized bed, separate living room, and a small kitchen. I stop at the door and peek through the peephole at my sister, bouncing excitedly on her feet and still wearing the same white sundress I saw her in earlier. Seeing her makes me smile, especially since this whole show is her idea and it’s about to be aired all across the country. I’m proud of her. I’d be even prouder if she hadn’t wrangled me into being on it.
I open the door and she squeals as she runs past me into the room. “Isn’t this exciting?”
“Oh yeah,” I grumble, shutting the door.
Erin crosses her arms over her chest, glaring at me halfheartedly. She knows I’m not mad. “Oh, come on, sis. It’ll be fun.”
I laugh. “If you say so. My stomach is in knots right now.” Being on live TV is nerve-wracking.
Smiling, Erin places her hands on my shoulders. “You’ve got this, Allie. You’re going to be the most beautiful contestant on the show tonight. Everybody in the country is going to want to know who you are.”
I stare at her as if she’s lost her mind. “You give me way too much credit. Nobody’s going to care who I am.”
She waves me off. “Just you wait. I might have a star for a sister when this is all over.” Stepping back, she peers down at my black gym shorts and pink tank top. “Now let’s get you to hair and makeup. The dress we have you wearing tonight is gorgeous.”
One thing about this trip is that I didn’t have to pack much. The show’s providing all of our essential outfits. It’s a good thing because all of my clothes at home are business type attire to wear to the pharmacy and yoga pants to lounge in when I’m not at work. They’re not exactly the kind of clothes you want to wear to the beach to meet new men. Then again, maybe that’s what I need right now. If I can deter Mr. Bachelor away from me, maybe the show will let me go home. The viewers aren’t going to want to watch the disaster that is about to be mine and the bachelor’s relationship.
Erin takes my hand and pulls me to the door. I grab one of the room key cards off the kitchen counter in passing. “The guys arrived not too long ago,” she explains as we head out of the door. “Right now, I’m taking you to the meeting room where all the other female contestants will be. Once all of you are ready, you’ll be given your egg.” We stop at the elevator and her grin widens. “The eggs are so cute. They’re not real though. The ones we have are much larger and painted all sorts of colors with different designs.”
“What does mine look like?” I ask. By the twinkle in her eyes, I know she already knows.
“You’ll see. They’re all designed to portray some aspect of your lives.”
The elevator doors open, and we step inside. “Great. Then mine will have pills all over it. My guy’s going to think I’m a druggie.”
Erin bursts out laughing. “That’s hilarious. It’s a good thing that’s not what’s on your egg.”
Thank God. Once off the elevator, Erin leads me through the hotel lobby and down a long hallway towards the meeting rooms. I can hear a lot of chatter from one of them and when Erin and I walk inside, my mouth drops. The room is filled with people. There are also separate changing stations for each contestant. Several of the women are already in their chairs getting their hair and makeup done.
Erin waves at two people at the back of the room, one is a guy who looks to be in his late twenties with long, dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and the other is a woman with very short, whitish-blonde hair with pink streaks.
“Who are they?” I ask.
Erin starts toward them and I follow her. “They’re only the best hair and makeup duo in the world. I made sure you got them.” She points at the guy. “Ricardo is amazing at hair,” then she points at the blonde, “and that little firecracker is Annabelle Krazinsky. She does make-up for all the high fashion models right now.”
“Wow,” I say, totally impressed. “They’re famous.”
She squeezes my arm. “You can thank me later.”
Erin quickly introduces everyone, and before I know it, I’m sitting in the chair getting my hair and makeup done. Ricardo runs his hands through my hair, and I watch him smile through the reflection in the mirror. “You have gorgeous hair, my dear,” he says, meeting my gaze. “I can do a lot with it.”
Annabelle stands in front of me and nods. “Same with your face. You have the perfect skin tone.”
“Thanks. I’m super nervous about being on the show. I’m only doing it for my sister. She signed me up.”
Annabelle dabs some foundation on my face and rubs it in. “Erin’s sweet. I’ve worked with her before on another show. When she said you were going to be on this one, I knew Ricardo and I needed to get you.”
“I appreciate that. If Erin says you’re the best, then I know you’re the best.” At least I’ll look good on TV.
When Ricardo and Annabelle are done with my hair and makeup, I almost
