The Love Project by Markinson T.B. & MacLeod Miranda

Author:Markinson, T.B. & MacLeod, Miranda
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: T.B. Markinson
Published: 2021-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Hope stared at the porch of her childhood home, murmuring a furtive prayer that the ground might open up and swallow her whole. Would it be scary to be sucked into the earth? Yes. Scarier than what was on the other side of that unassuming front door? The verdict was still out on that one. Normally, Hope welcomed dinner with the Alvarez clan, but knowing she was about to be simultaneously fixed up with not one but four strangers made this night anything but business as usual.

“It’s going to be okay.” As if sensing her distress, Joni brushed her fingers against one of the hands gripping the cake plate. “I’ll be here all night.”

“Yes, filming my utter humiliation so thousands of people I’ve never met can get in on the fun.”

“Actually, millions.”

Hope’s head turned toward Joni so fast she could feel the tendons in her neck strain and pop. “What do you mean by millions?”

“Well, one million, anyway.” Joni stared straight ahead, not making eye contact. “I meant to mention it earlier. Episode one hit a million views.”

“Oh. My. God.” Hope’s stomach plummeted as her panic rose. “The world has already witnessed my speed-dating fiasco, watched me turn swing dancing into a contact sport, and now we’re about to give a million people front row seats to the Alvarez family’s live version of the Mystery Date game.”

“Aw, I remember that game from when I was a kid,” Joni began with a chuckle. “Also, can I say how much I love that you kicking Nick in the shin has become a meme? Not just anyone gets to be a meme.”

Hope gritted her teeth. “Oddly, being a meme was never on my bucket list.”

“Look at you, my little overachiever.” Joni gave Hope a playful nudge with her elbow. “Crossing shit off the list before you even put it on there. That’s some genuine talent.”

Hope squinted. “Are you mocking me?”

“Not at all. I would never.”

“Are you sure?” Hope pressed, even though she could tell by Joni’s expression she was sincere.

“You know I’m your biggest cheerleader.” Joni shook imaginary pom-poms. “Rah, rah, rah.”

As much as she didn’t want to reward Joni for bad behavior, Hope had to laugh. “I can’t believe you talked me into this. I guess we might as well get it over with.”

“That’s the spirit!” Before Hope could stop her, Joni rapped her knuckles on the front door and readied her phone to start filming. “So, Hope, tell me what’s going through your mind right now.”

Hope squeezed her eyes shut and tried to form a coherent thought, only to discover the hamster in charge of powering her brain had fallen asleep while running on his tiny wheel. She gave a helpless shrug.

Joni kept the video going. “That’s okay. You’re still warming up. We can work with this later.”

Hinges squeaked as the door swung open, any chance of a last-minute reprieve gone as Hope’s mother filled the open space. Only the delicious scent of her dad’s cooking wafting through the entryway kept Hope from losing it completely.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.