I’ve been keeping him around on the strength of my attraction to him, and my gut feeling that he’s a good guy, but I really don’t know how he feels about me, or if he could actually see us being together after the show is over.
It’s a beautiful summer day, perfect for our walk along a tree-lined avenue filled with grand, historic homes. “Did you grow up in St. Paul?” I ask.
“We moved around a few times when I was younger, and we came here when I was in eleventh grade. My parents and brother have since moved away, but my sisters and I stayed in town.”
“Is your work based here?”
“A lot of what I do is consulting for manufacturers, and I travel a few times a month. When I’m in town, I work from home.”
Samuel leads us to a bench at the end of a small neighborhood park, and we have a seat. “How do you see a woman fitting into your life?”
He sits facing me, and when I angle toward him, he pulls my legs into his lap, resting his hands on my knees. “It wouldn’t be about someone – you – fitting into my life, it would be about us fitting our lives together.”
“So if I choose you at the end, how do you see things working? What would it look like?”
His hands caress my knee and slide ever so slightly higher on my legs, sending impulses to my core. “ I see us dating more. I love everything I’ve seen about you, but we’re still getting to know each other.”
I like that his answer is realistic and considered. He’s not just saying what he thinks I might want to hear.
“Where we live is flexible,” he continues. “I think we can easily make things work when we’re ready to blend our lives.”
After our walk, we’re taken to a market, where we shop together for ingredients for lunch. Samuel takes the lead, asking my likes and dislikes as we move through the store. The next stop is his house, and I’m excited for the opportunity to see where he lives; a home tells so much about a person.
Samuel’s home tells me he’s a grown man. It’s neat and organized, clean and tastefully decorated – a complete contrast to the homes of men I’ve dated in the past. I feel instantly comfortable here, and Penny the beagle is a huge plus. She gives me a very enthusiastic greeting with energetic tail-wagging and countless doggie kisses.
Though I’m having fun on the show, something about Samuel’s home makes me wish I could stay here for a week, or maybe a month, to rest and recharge. When I tell him this, I get a huge grin in response.
I join Samuel in the kitchen – after more kisses from Penny – and he tasks me with washing salad greens while he has items cooking on both the stove and the grill on his back patio. On top of all that, he whisks up a salad dressing from scratch.
The meal he creates, with very little help from me, is delicious – a creative salad with wild rice, bacon, grilled peaches and goat cheese.
“You are full of surprises,” I tell him after my first couple of bites.
“Do you like it?”
“Love it. It might be the best salad I’ve ever had.”
Penny whimpers near Samuel’s feet as we eat. “She wants bacon,” he explains. “I don’t give her table scraps, but I think my sister does.”
“Spoiled by auntie.”
“Exactly.”
“Do you want kids, or is Penny enough?” I ask, remembering I have things I need to find out on this date.
“I’m open to kids,” he says. “It’s not something I’ve thought a lot about yet, but I guess I’ve always assumed I’d be a dad someday.”
I nod, and after I finish another delicious bite, say, “We talked earlier about how our lives might fit together. I wasn’t sure if you’d thought much about that either. I guess I haven’t really been sure how you feel about me.”
He puts his fork down and takes a sip of water before he replies. “I suppose I’ve been hesitant. You’re dating other guys, and I don’t like a lot of drama in my life.”
“So you decided to come on a reality dating show.”
He laughs softly. “Yeah, makes sense, doesn’t it? No, it was definitely an out-of-character decision for me, and I guess I’ve been holding back, not wanting to fall hard for you if it seemed like you were forming closer bonds with some of the other men.”
“But here you are in the final four,” I point out.
He smiles. “Yes, here I am.”
“I’ll be honest. I do have close bonds with the other three men, but I like you a lot. I’ve liked you from the very first night, and the feeling has only gotten stronger. There’s just something about you.”