The Search For My One And Only

Tyler Reyes had hosted plenty of things in his life, but never anything that mattered this much to the people in it. He stood on the mansion's terrace as the light went out of the sky, the lanterns along the drive coming on one by one. Somewhere behind the hedges a crew member whispered into a headset. Tyler turned to the lens and smiled the way he had practiced in the car. "Welcome to the very first season of The Search For: My One And Only. Ten single ladies, ready to put their hearts on the line. For one man, with the possibility of falling in love." He let his voice drop. "The journey is real. There will be company dates, and solo ones. But at the end of each week, our searcher has to send one of them home. Tears will fall. Hearts will be broken. But for those who remain, the chance of finding true love becomes tantalizingly real." The red light held steady. "Now, let's take a sneak peek at our very first searcher." The beach was empty except for the wind and a man walking through the shallows, trousers rolled, shirt open at the collar. Hunter Vale had run a company for six years. He had sat across from bankers who tried to bully him and lawyers who tried to charm him, and he had never felt the way he felt now, standing in the surf while a stranger adjusted a light and asked him to say his name. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd become the searcher," he said. "Let alone the first one." He laughed and shook his head. "I'm thirty years old, and I'm a CEO. People ask why I joined. Honestly? I got tired of being single. My calendar is full months ahead, and by the time I get home there's nobody to tell about my day." He shrugged. "And I'm not getting any younger. I hope I'm making the right decision." The sea kept coming in behind him. That night he stood on the terrace in a dark suit, hands shoved in his pockets so nobody could see them shake. Tyler shook his hand, and something in Hunter's chest loosened. "So, how are you feeling?" "Excited. And nervous. It's something I've never done before. Ever." "Do you have faith you can find your one and only here?" "Of course," Hunter said. "I wouldn't be here otherwise." Tyler grinned. "Then here comes the first woman. I'll leave them all in your hands." He winked and stepped back. Ali crossed the gravel slowly, as if the walk itself were an event, and greeted him with a wave that was half shy, half sure of itself. "Hello! It's so nice to meet you!" "Hi there." He had meant to say something clever. "Your smile is... beautiful." Color rose in her cheeks. "Thanks. I'm Ali. My dad's Aussie and my mom's French, so I'm half Good day, half Bonne journée." He burst out laughing, and so did she. Later she would sit alone in front of a black backdrop, twisting her hands, and say that he was everything she had been looking for in a man. Then she giggled at herself, because she couldn't help it. Julia arrived in a plum-colored dress and waved as if she were flagging down a ship. "You look so beautiful," Hunter told her, and when she ducked her head he added, "Hey, don't be shy. I'm only telling the truth." "Anyway, I've got something for you." From behind her back she produced a pale blue box tied with white ribbon. He worked the ribbon loose and lifted the lid. Inside, on tissue paper, lay a single rose sculpted from chocolate cookie, every petal thin and curled at the edge. "Did you make this yourself?" "Of course." She crossed her arms, then uncrossed them. "You'll be handing out roses all through this show, and you'll probably never get one. So I wanted you to be the first to feel special." For once he had nothing clever to say. "See you inside!" she called, and left him holding the box. Anya studied him openly when she walked up. "I can't believe you're real." Then, before he could answer: "What do you do for a living? I want your hobbies, your likes, everything." Hunter blinked. Nobody had asked him that tonight, or in a long time, not as if they wanted the answer. "You're the first one interested in my job," he said. "I'm a CEO." "What an established man you are," Anya said. "And a very busy one, too." They laughed, and it felt as though they had known each other much longer than three minutes. The rest of the arrivals ran together the way a good night does. Rachel came up the drive with a bright hello and a smile too quick for her nerves. Daniela made a joke he never saw coming, and he had to bend over and hold his knee. Eliza talked with such easy warmth that he lost count of the stories they'd traded. Lara stepped out of her car with her chin up, as if she had already decided to like him. "I can't ask for a better batch of searchees," he told the camera later. Then he stopped and looked at the floor. "And then I met this one very unique woman." Jodilly walked up the drive as though it belonged to her, dragging a fingertip along her lower lip. "Hi, there. I'm Jodilly." A slow smile. "But for you, just Jojo." She winked. "Okay?" said Hunter. "We're so distant from each other. I don't like it!" She closed the space in three unhurried steps and looked him up and down. "You know what I call someone like you? The... Man." She trailed a finger across his chest, spun into a sudden dance, and threw a "Bye, sexy man!" over her shoulder. "She was a bit touchy," Hunter admitted afterward, wincing. "That's a red flag." He put his face in his hand. Natalia came in with a look that was all business. "So what are your purposes in joining this show?" "I have no other purpose but to find love. I wouldn't be wasting my time otherwise." "Really nice to hear that," she said, and her whole face brightened. The last car pulled up, and the woman who stepped out kept a hand pressed to her chest as if she were holding something in. "Do you somehow recognize me?" she asked. Hunter frowned. "What do you mean?" "Kat-Kat." It took him a second. His eyes went wide. "Kathleen the actress?" "You got it." She winked. "I just changed my hairstyle a bit." He laughed helplessly. "A celebrity, wanting to date me? Am I dreaming, Kathleen? Please tell me right now." "You're not dreaming at all," she said. "It's just me, no worries." Alone in the hallway afterward, Hunter caught his breath. He thought about Ali's laugh, Julia's cookie rose, Anya's questions. Even Jodilly, whatever she was. "I think they're beautiful," he said quietly. "I truly believe one of them will be my wife." The social party took the women about ninety seconds to divide into territories. "Make the most of your time tonight," Tyler told them. "After the party, you'll go through the selection process." He nodded to Hunter. "Good luck, mate." Eliza was the first to move. "So, shall I talk to you?" "Of course." "I'm feeling a bit annoyed," Natalia cut in, arms folded, "that you're stealing Hunter from all of us." Eliza turned, stunned. "Stealing? We haven't even talked for one minute!" Across the room Ali lowered her glass. "The night is young, and already there's a commotion in the air." "It's bad," Kathleen said, "because we're not giving him a good first impression." Anya rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "Some girls are just too desperate." Hunter crossed to where the three of them sat with their heads together. "Hi, ladies. You all look so beautiful." "Thanks, Hunter," said Kathleen. "Really good to hear that." Anya sat forward. "May I ask you something? Do you think you can find the one here?" It was a fair question, and the kind you could get wrong. "I think I can," he said. "I wouldn't be here otherwise. And look at you three, and all the other girls. You're all beautiful, with great personalities." Ali laughed into her hand, Kathleen looked at the floor, and Anya flushed to the tips of her ears. At the back of the room, Hunter noticed without meaning to that the women were looking at him as if he had said something worth remembering. The stage was lit in amber. Ten women in evening gowns that had looked like armor two hours ago stood in a row, and nobody spoke. "Only nine of you will continue to the villa," Tyler said. "Receiving the first rose means a solo date next week. The next three mean a company date. The next five mean you are safe tonight. Not receiving one means you pack your things and go home immediately." Hunter walked to the center of the stage. Ten faces looked back at him, and not one of them moved. "Thank you for a night I'll never forget," he said, and his voice wavered. "This isn't easy for me. But I have to do it to take one step closer to finding my one and only. The first rose is for you..." He looked left, then right. He looked at the floor, and back up. "Ali." Her hand flew to her mouth. "Me? Really?" "Please accept this rose." "Of course! Thank you!" "Kathleen. Anya. Julia." Each name landed softer than the last. "Daniela. Lara." Lara grinned as she took hers. "Rachel." Rachel let out a tiny cheer. Then, with one rose left in the tray: "Jodilly." Jodilly lowered her eyes with a bashful smile, and for the first time that evening she said absolutely nothing. Eliza and Natalia remained standing, not looking at each other. Each came to the danger room alone. "I'm glad I met you," Eliza said, her hands clasped white. "I will never forget you, no matter what." Natalia hesitated not at all. "You are everything I've been looking for in a man. I think you and I could be a great, great couple." When they stood side by side again, Hunter stepped forward. "Eliza." The name hit her like a slap. She stumbled half a step before she caught herself. "I want you to stay another week," he said. "Please accept this rose." "I would be happy to," she whispered. Natalia was left alone at center stage. "I'm sorry I have to send you home," Hunter said, and his voice cracked. "No need." Natalia shrugged, and it cost her something, but she held it. "You have to send someone home. It happened to be me. Wish you all the best." She hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back longer than the cameras needed. Hunter stood on the empty stage long after the lights dimmed, a single petal clinging to his sleeve, and let out a slow breath. He had come to find love. He was beginning to understand that it might not be simple. The mansion was quiet when the car pulled away from the gate. Natalia watched the lights go out behind her. She had cried a little on the stage, but the tears had stopped somewhere on the drive, and what remained was plainer and harder to name. She had wanted it so badly that the wanting had made her loud. "I regret the way I acted at the social party," she told the camera. "I think that turned Hunter off a bit." She looked down, then up. "But I'm not giving up. I'll keep fighting for love. I hope I find someone who will love me for who I am." The car turned a corner, and the mansion disappeared.