Accept This Dandelion Read online

  If only Renee could have said the same thing. She wished her impressions of Ben were what was important. Instead, she brought up her own iniquities and put the focus on herself. If she hoped to make a reputation, she was doing a pretty good job. But her name might be something people enjoyed laughing over, not one they would want to listen to on the radio.

  Eva grew quiet, and the two women surveyed the others strolling elegantly across the room to the various cameras for their interviews. They laughed, flipped their hair, batted their eyes, and put their hands on their hips with confidence. Before long, everyone finished, and they knew it was almost time for the evening to come to a close. When Ben entered, the producer at his side, the mood in the studio changed.

  “Ladies,” the producer said, “we’ll resume taping in a few minutes. Ben has made his decision, and he will pass out the…dandelions in a few moments. We would like you to come line up at the back of the studio in two rows, and we’ll begin as soon as everything is in order.”

  The contestants lined up as requested as one of the crewmembers rolled in a small tray with bright dandelions. Renee glanced at the dandelions and then at Ben. He caught her eye and gave her a wink and an amused smile. Surely that meant something? At the very least, Renee knew she entertained him. But if she stayed past the night, she wasn’t sure what she could do to top catching fire. She hoped she would get a chance to find out…and to redeem her image. Leaving this early would be humiliating. Maybe, if she laid it on thick, she could talk the producer into cutting her out of the program completely to help her save face. They could start with eleven girls instead of an even dozen…

  Renee played different scenarios through in her head as she took a spot in the back row with five other women. She would have to cross that bridge if…or when…she came to it. Right now, Ben got to decide, and all she could do was stand there, avoid looking for mice, beware of candles, and wait.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Ben stood at the front of the room, the confidence in his voice running down his back as he called one name after another. He had no clue how this dating show would turn out, but he knew what he wanted to do that particular night. A few women interested him, but most did not. He would get rid of two of those and keep the rest, just for the sake of the show. He didn’t want to lead anyone on, especially those he already knew weren’t for him.

  The women he was leery of were those who said and did all the right things…simply because they knew it was what he wanted to hear. Ben suspected those contestants were after his money, his status within the city, his good looks, and the things he could bring to their lives. But he only wanted to bring one thing to a woman’s life…love. His image didn’t allow women to believe that, but it was true.

  “Tracy,” he called as the woman with bright red curly hair stepped forward.

  Her face beamed under the studio lights. “Tracy, will you accept this dandelion?”

  “Of course.”

  After she took her dandelion, Ben picked up another weed and spoke again. “Clara.” Clara was one of the women he didn’t think would last long, but he had to give her another chance because she was so beautiful that people might be suspicious if he let her go on the first night.

  “Clara, will you accept this dandelion?”

  “Will I ever.”

  “Eva.” Ben smiled as Eva made her way to him from the back row. “Accept my dandelion, Eva,” Ben said, as more of a command than a question.

  “I’d love to.” Eva’s eyes sparkled.

  Eva was one of the women Ben thought might have real potential. Not only was she adorable, but she seemed to have layers to her personality. He didn’t know her well yet, but he thought she would be someone he could really talk to and enjoy. She didn’t realize how beautiful she was, and Ben liked that.

  Ben rattled off more names as he wondered what these women would bring to his life and if he might fall in love. He was used to being numb and uncaring, and he wasn’t sure he could handle deep affection for someone.

  When Ben brought himself back into the present, he realized he only had one dandelion left.

  * * *

  “Tracy…Clara…Eva…”

  The elimination ceremony went on and on. Renee’s legs wobbled like they were made of noodles. She was not going to last much longer. There was one weed on the table and three women waiting. One woman was so tall she had to be a professional basketball player, and the other had arms of steel. She obviously worked out way more than Renee did.

  The bachelor paused and took a deep breath. He picked up the last dandelion and held it before him. Renee shuddered as his eyes moved over her. He was taking his sweet time inspecting each remaining option. The flower went from tall and proud to wilted and slumpy as it curled over in his hand. The rest of the weeds stayed upright as if they had a pin running through them. This one, however, had seen its best day and was well on its way out.

  Ben smirked at the dandelion. “It looks like this one is about to turn into white puff.”

  Renee straightened her back. Hadn’t she said something about the white puff of a dandelion in her interview? It was a strange coincidence.

  “Yeah, this is about right,” Ben muttered.

  Renee took a deep breath. “Spit it out already,” she mumbled as two other contestants turned and looked at her.

  “This is my last selection tonight. I want to thank all of you for coming and putting yourself out there. For those of you who remain, I look forward to getting better acquainted.”

  Renee sighed. She really couldn’t take anymore. She swayed on her feet.

  “This last dandelion has to go to…” Ben paused as Renee held her breath. “The girl on fire. Renee Lockhart.”

  Renee blinked and exhaled. He said her name. Was that possible? She was hearing things again, right? A bony elbow press into her side.

  “Go.” Eva smiled. “That’s you. Go.”

  Renee took one step forward and then another. Would her legs hold her this time? They ached, and her head spun from the long, stressful evening.

  “Renee, will you accept my dandelion?”

  Renee gazed deeply into Ben’s eyes…and laughed. “I’m sorry.” She stifled her giggle. “It’s just…the way you said that…and the way that weed looks…”

  Ben glanced down at the dandelion, now completely bent over in his hand as he offered it to Renee. He smiled as Renee got herself under control.

  Renee forced a straight face and nodded vigorously. “Yes, Ben,” she said dramatically. “I will accept your dandelion.” She plucked the wilted weed from his grasp and leaned in to give him a brief hug and an air kiss as the other women had.

  As Renee placed her cheek near Ben’s face, he turned his head slightly to the right, and she caught the edge of his mouth with her lips. Her cheeks burned as she paused.

  “I told you,” he whispered into her ear so that the others couldn’t hear, “the next time there’s a fire between us…I’m not putting it out.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  It would be hard to keep the news from everyone at work, especially Janice. The taping certainly hadn’t gone as Renee had expected, but she was through for another week so she met her initial goal. She went about her daily business and took requests on the air. The hardest part was avoiding Janice’s questions.

  “What’s he like? Are you in love? What did he say? What did you answer?”

  Her inquisition was constant, but Renee smiled and shrugged, or nodded and ducked out of the room. She couldn’t tell Janice anything or everyone would know, and she had a non-disclosure contract. The show played on the air in less than a week. They could all wait and see what happened on TV.

  Since Janice failed at getting the scoop from Renee, she put her efforts into organizing a viewing party. Everyone from the station would gather at her house and view Accept this Dandelion when it aired Monday night. The following day, Renee would go on the morning show and talk about the experience. The only problem being, Ren
ee first had to get through the broadcast. She knew one thing for sure…there would be plenty of laughter at her expense.

  When Monday finally rolled around, Renee had nervous energy to the hilt. She couldn’t do anything right all day long. She took a request for one song, but played another. She pushed the on button for the wrong microphone, making it sound like she was in a box across the room. She even let songs run out, leaving plenty of dead air for the listeners to enjoy.

  The entire station buzzed the whole day, but Renee figured it was because she walked the halls, leaving her nerves here and there.

  “You excited for tonight?” Janice asked. She’d finally stopped probing for details when she realized Renee wasn’t going to give any.

  “I’m not sure,” Renee answered. She was definitely more nervous than excited. She wanted a shot at the morning show, and Accept this Dandelion was the center of the opportunity, but she didn’t know how the editing went, and how she would come off on the show.

  “Well, I’m excited.” Janice whooped. “I’m making the popcorn with the old-fashioned popper. We can put real butter on it…salt that puppy up, the whole bit.”

  Renee laughed. Leave it to Janice to take some of the tension out of the viewing by describing her homemade popcorn-making abilities.

  Janice smiled and put her hand on Renee’s shoulder as the two left the station together. “Really, though, Renee,” she said softly, “no matter how it goes, you are who you are.”

  Renee nodded. One of the things she loved about Janice was her ability to see people for who they were and to accept them as such. Janice loved everyone that came through the studio doors. She had a knack for pulling the good sides out of guests and shoving the bad away. Renee hoped a little of Janice would rub off on the entire city that night…just in case she came off as silly as she suspected.

  A few hours later, Renee sat on Janice’s plush pleather couch, waiting for the endless commercials to come to a close. It was the one time when she didn’t mind advertisements taking up her time. She had Chuck, the morning show guy, on one side and Al, a salesman, on the other. Janice stood behind her with the large bowl of popcorn, and the others sat in chairs around the room, waiting for Renee’s big debut.

  When the soft, dramatic music began, the voiceover announcer spoke about the city’s most eligible bachelor. Renee tensed. Here goes nothing.

  The show began harmlessly by showcasing Ben and shots of him around the city. They made it sound like he was all alone in the world and nothing would complete his life except a woman. Renee rolled her eyes. From what she understood about Ben’s dates, he wasn’t lonely. Much less the hopeless bachelor they were making him out to be. But the shots of the city were nice, and the camera crew did a good job.

  The voiceover announcer got to the grit of the matter. “Over the next few weeks, twelve women will compete to win Ben’s heart. In the end, he can only have one, but in the meantime, they will all be dandelions in the field of love.”

  Renee snorted, and Chuck glanced in her direction. Dandelions in the field of love? They may as well call them cheese on a pizza.

  The first commercial break gave Renee a chance to decompress. Her shoulders were wound tighter than ever, and she needed to relax or she would spring across the room against her will. She munched on some popcorn in an effort to appear calm and collected. She really should have viewed the show alone. Not only would the others present be able to watch her antics on screen, but they could also see her reaction to those moments.

  When the program resumed, the announcer briefly talked about each woman, showing headshots of them all. The room erupted in cheers when Renee’s face appeared on the screen, and she tried to enjoy the last moment of pride she would likely have throughout the viewing.

  Before long, the women walked one by one into the studio to meet Ben McConnell. Janice stood nearby making comments. An overdone blonde walked up to Ben. “She’s so fake. And look at that dress.” Her only remark regarding Eva was a quick one. “Cute.”

  The room went from active and loud to quiet when Renee’s voice permeated the screen, asking Ben to close his eyes. Renee stole a glance at Janice, whose eyebrows shot into the air. When Renee walked into view, the room erupted into cheers yet again.

  “Shhh,” Janice commanded. “I’ve got to see this.”

  Renee approached Ben and began methodically wiping the makeup off after jerking the handkerchief from his pocket. She gave her little speech about honesty and then turned and brushed past him, leaving Ben with a look of confusion and awe.

  “Oh no, you didn’t.” Janice slapped her hand down on Renee’s shoulder.

  Renee laughed. Her co-workers reacted well to her introduction. She came off as a girl who knew what she wanted…and one who was honest, upfront, and true to herself. So far, things weren’t going half bad.

  Renee watched as the other women met Ben, and she tried to judge his reaction to them as they paraded their one-liners…and their long legs… in front of him. She couldn’t tell what he thought, but his eyes definitely sparkled when Eva first appeared. He seemed intrigued by Tracy too, but otherwise, his expression was the same every time someone new came out.

  Renee wasn’t one to judge. After all, she just met the man herself. She certainly couldn’t know his tastes. She only hoped she could fit in enough to stick around a while longer. Though she was certain she and Ben wouldn’t be a match, she needed to finish putting her name out there in order to secure the morning show job she longed for. Knowing Ben had a crop of beauties from which to choose alleviated her guilt over being there for her own personal reasons.

  Renee was so lost in her thoughts that she almost tuned the broadcast out entirely. When the room erupted into a fit of laughter, she placed her focus back on the big screen TV. A very large version of herself jumped around in her fancy dress, and squealed with the skirt lifted to her knees. The other women greeted Ben in the background. So they’d caught her little faux pas after all. Renee supposed what she said on camera later made no difference since everyone witnessed her dance firsthand.

  Janice grooved behind the couch, and Renee slumped father down into the seat. Being there with her co-workers had not been a good idea. She should have taken the weeks off completely to hide. And possibly never come out again.

  The women met with Ben alone on screen while Renee’s co-workers commented. She almost couldn’t stand the agony of waiting for her turn, but at the same time, the last thing she wanted was to see the candle incident. When the next commercial aired, she knew she would be next, so she excused herself and took an extra-long time in the bathroom down the hall.

  She could tell by the gasps and laughter leaking through the door that she had avoided her big TV moment. However, her problem was the restroom had no windows. She couldn’t crawl out and return to her car. She had to face the crowd.

  Renee took a deep breath as she washed her hands and studied her face in the mirror. She was used to radio, and she liked that world. She sat in a studio by herself all day, talking to a bunch of people who didn’t talk back. She wasn’t accustomed to having everyone stare at her, and it was hard to think that her experience would be cemented into TV history.

  She dried her hands on the small towel. It was now or never. She slowly opened the bathroom door and walked back down the hall, knowing she had no other choice.

  “Renee, Renee, Renee,” her co-workers chanted. Renee turned to the TV in time to see her interview where she danced yet another jig. The chanting grew louder.

  Renee could rush off in embarrassment, but she had played a part on the TV show, and she had to face it. The best thing to do was to own it. Instead of lowering her head and plopping onto the couch in shame, she simply raised a pretend skirt and began dancing.

  Her co-workers laughed and clapped and settled in to see the rest of the show. The women discussed their meetings with Ben on camera, and Renee thought her eyes would roll out of her head. They all described him like eye candy an
d many said the meeting had gone so well they would surely be his woman at the end. Renee wasn’t sure what bothered her more, the women’s descriptions of Ben or their overconfidence.

  When the screen cut to Ben’s face, Renee sucked in another breath and leaned forward. This she wanted to hear.

  “I’m really lucky to be dating all of these lovely women at once.” Ben gave a cocky grin. “Any man in the city would give anything to take my place right now. I mean, I’ve got twelve women throwing themselves at me.” He chuckled. “One even lit herself on fire. Can you believe it?”

  Renee’s mouth gaped. Her encounter with Ben was short, but she thought he might have some substance to him. How could she be so wrong? He bragged about his conquests and made fun of her all at the same time. Renee no longer had any reason to be guilty regarding her appearance on the show. In fact, now she wanted to get as far as she could in order to give Ben what he deserved…a taste of his own medicine.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Ben watched the show alone. He didn’t have any family in town, and his friends would have shot one-liners his way the whole night. When he realized how the crew edited his comments, he nearly called the producer and backed out of the rest of the taping. He came off like a disrespectful, overconfident jerk. The only thing stopping Ben was the fact that he had indeed said the things they aired. Now, he just needed to continue to attempt to change his image and hopefully find the right woman as well.

  Ben really experienced something special the night he met the women. The sensation was unlike anything he’d had before. He suspected the electric shock that sprang between him and Renee was static, but he wondered if went further. No one else had shocked him that night, and she had done so in more ways than one. First with her surprising makeup reveal and later with her fire trick. No, Ben most certainly couldn’t back out of the show now. He looked forward to what Renee would do next.