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had seen in the papers, she would surely lose her nerve.
    Instead, she reached out and grabbed the colorful handkerchief sticking out of the breast pocket of his suit jacket. He must have sensed the slight tug because the lines around his eyes creased.
    Renee made use of the handkerchief, wiping it firmly across her lips. “You’ve heard a lot of things from a lot of women in your life.” She wiped her eyes between words. “You’ve listened to plenty even today.” Renee paused and folded the cloth in a different way to have clean space with which to work. “What you are going to hear from me,” she continued as she spit into the handkerchief, “is the truth. Nothing but the truth.”
    At the sound of the spitting, Ben opened his eyes without Renee’s permission. He looked from her to his handkerchief and back at her. She wiped the spit-laden fabric across her cheek, removing more of the makeup.
    “This,” Renee said, circling her face. “This isn’t me. I want to make sure you understand what you see is what you get.” She wiped her other cheek again. “The truth.” She folded the cloth and stuffed it into his breast pocket.
    Ben opened his mouth as Renee brushed past him and walked into the dark on the other side of the set.

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    Ben ran his hand through his dark hair, feeling the gel the production crew had placed before the taping began. It was crunchy and not the way he liked it. He was halfway through meeting the twelve women who would participate in the dating game show, and he was perplexed.
    He remembered Renee Lockhart from her audition, and the several times he studied her picture since. She was a fresh-faced woman who puzzled him, though he didn’t know much about her yet. When he heard her voice from across the studio stage, he was excited to see her again. He was intrigued by what she might do or say when she wanted him to close his eyes. However, when she came out onto the studio floor and stood before him, she wiped off all her makeup right in front of him. What kind of woman did that? On TV, no less.
    Ben didn’t know what to think, but knew he would have a hard time concentrating on the next six bachelorettes when all he wanted to do was move on to the next stage where he could talk to the few women he already met…specifically Renee. He had a burning desire to find out what made her tick. If nothing else resulted from this little program, he would figure her out.
    * * *
     
    Renee crossed and uncrossed her legs. The dress she picked was certainly more comfortable than the one Janice recommended she wear, but it wasn’t something she enjoyed lounging around in. She waited on the second set with half a dozen others as additional contestants began trickling in after the short taping break ended. Renee felt a little silly and definitely out of her league. Being the only one without makeup made her feel naked. In radio, she often spoke her mind. But no one recorded radio broadcasts. On TV, anything she spoke could be played over and over again. She needed to be careful.
    And though she wondered what kind of impression she made on Ben and how the viewers would see her, Renee also did not regret her actions. She had a moment of clarity before walking out to meet Ben. She wanted to raise her public profile, yes, but she started to regret the goal. She didn’t know Ben McConnell, and it wasn’t right for her to judge him before they got acquainted. Perhaps he really wanted to find love. Renee was single…there was nothing wrong with giving him a chance. Who knew? Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone.
    Renee would never apologize for being herself. Wearing makeup and fussy clothing and heels wasn’t her. If Ben wanted her to stick around, he needed to understand that upfront. The more Renee thought about how she presented herself, the more pride she felt. She probably came off as an oddball, but maybe she would stand out. The rest of the women seemed similar with their