Four Keeps

Because this will be the first ceremony, and because there are so many men here, I have to send eight of them home, which doesn’t seem fair when I’ve only just met them. As a viewer, I usually see a few guys who should be eliminated right away – men who are definitely not on the show for the right reasons – but no one has struck me that way yet. Am I missing something as a participant that I’d see as a viewer?

Natalie exits as quickly as she appeared, and I move through the remaining singles, meeting Christian, a slim artist with nearly white-blonde hair, and Zack, a high school teacher with brown skin and closely-trimmed black hair.

I finish with the middle row, and then, moving back up front and not watching where I’m going, I turn and come face-to-face with … a bowtie. It’s a bold, blue paisley pattern, crisply knotted above a gray sweater vest. My eyes lift to find a handsome, dark face smiling down at me.

“Hi, I’m Samuel,” he says, offering me his hand. Behind tortoise-shell glasses, his warm brown eyes are topped with thick black brows, and his grin is framed with a neatly-trimmed mustache and beard.

From his clothing – about as far from bad boy as you can get – I want to label him “Not My Type” but his warm expression gives me pause. The feeling I get when my hand meets his is further reason not to judge him too quickly. Despite his buttoned-up appearance, I need to add Samuel to the sparks list.

“It’s nice to meet you, Samuel. I like your bowtie.”

Confusion flickers in his eyes for a second before his grin widens. “Thanks. I really like your dress.”

We stand there admiring each other for several long moments before he says, “I know you have some hard decisions to make tonight, so there’s something I need to tell you, in the interest of full disclosure.”

One of my brows arches. “Oh, is that right?” I hope he’s not about to confess some sort of dealbreaker, because I think there could be something special about him. Maybe he’s going to tell me that he has a kid. That’s certainly not a problem.

When he leans close, a flood of warmth rushes through me. His deep voice softens to a whisper. “I don’t usually wear bowties.”

I put on a very serious expression and frown. “Oh. Well. Thank you for telling me. That certainly gives me a lot to think about tonight.”

He plays along. “I’m sorry to have misled you. The show picked out the tie and insisted that I wear it. I think they want to make it super clear that I’m a nerd.”

“Oh, you’re a nerd.” Unable to resist getting closer to him, I reach out and stroke my thumb over the silky fabric of the bowtie, before drawing my hand back. “That changes everything all over again. What kind of nerd are you?”

“The kind who invents things.”

“Oh, really? What, like Rube Goldberg machines?”

When he smiles again, I realize that I want to keep saying things that let me see his gorgeous grin. “No, nothing nearly as interesting as that. I’ve patented several machine fittings used in manufacturing. Very nerdy. Very boring.”

Samuel is definitely not boring. He’s going to be a keeper tonight, bowtie or not.

Catching sight of a camera again, I remind myself that there are more men to meet. “I’ll see you later, Samuel. Maybe you can tell me more about your boring work.”

He nods, and my insides do all sorts of funny things as I notice how the corners of his eyes crinkle when he smiles.

I work my way through the remainder of the men, many of them starting to blur together. As I search the crowd to see who I may have missed, some of the men I’ve already talked with approach me, and the wedding setup turns into a garden cocktail party as I circulate, trying to decide who should stay and who should go.

I didn’t realize how hard it would be to try to keep track of so many men.

During the excitement of the introductions, I’d paid no attention to how my toes were feeling in my shoes, but now that the initial buzz has passed, I’m painfully aware of my tight heels.

This has been such a long day, and I’ve been running on adrenaline, but the supply seems to be dwindling. As I’m looking around for a place I might be able to sit, Natalie materializes at my side. “Olivia, it’s time to get ready for the commitment ceremony.”

4

The first of many

As a For Keeps fan, I’d often wondered what went on behind the scenes at the commitment ceremonies, and now I’m about to find out. Natalie leads me to an area in the big production tent where the men’s headshots are all displayed on a panel.