Make Me Over_ Getting Real - Leslie Kelly [21]
She didn’t like catty women and didn’t consider herself one of ’em. Bein’ around men all the time, she was glad for the chance to talk to any livin’ female. That’d be another bright part of stickin’ around this place. There were lotsa females to make friends with.
Deciding to watch her sassy mouth from now on, she glanced around and met the eye of the dark-haired camerawoman. She was laughin’ beneath her breath, and when her stare met Tori’s, her eyes twinkled. The other woman’s grin told Tori she’d been overheard.
Dang them microphones.
“Ladies, may I have your attention, please?”
The producer, Mr. Mueller, tapped his spoon on the side of his glass to get their attention. Tori put down her fork and looked at him. So did everyone else.
Mueller looked just exactly what she’d expect a Hollywood type to look like. Fancy suit with a bit of a shine in the material. Smooth face that’d been under the knife once or twice. Big ole white teeth. Bald and shiny head, kinda big for his shoulders. Yep. He somehow fit the Hollywood she’d always imagined.
“As you know,” he was sayin’, “you’re all about to undergo an intensive crash course in…socialization.” He smiled his big white smile. “We will be breaking you up into smaller groups and rotating you through lessons throughout the day, as outlined in the information packet you received weeks ago.”
Yeah. Tori remembered. Classes from everything on how to talk good, to which fork to use at dinner. Even how to walk.
She couldn’t care less about that. But she did look forward to the grammar and real book-learnin’. Not just because she really wanted to learn those things, but because Drew would most likely be the one teachin’ them.
“What you don’t know,” Mr. Mueller said, “is that we have another agenda. A secret agenda, for all of you. One that could make someone in this room very, very wealthy.”
The girls all sat up straight, ears open as big as their eyes now.
Mueller shared a look with the camerawoman in black. Then he turned his attention back to them. “You see, we’ve decided to truly up the stakes in this transformation game. Now, you’re not only competing for a chance to attend a society gala in New York during the holidays, as well as the wardrobe and jewelry for the trip.” He paused, and all the girls around the table almost held their breath, waitin’ to hear what the man was getting at. “One of you ladies might leave this place at the end of the month with a cool million dollars.”
Tori’s jaw dropped. Sukie muttered a swear word. Ginny whooped. A few others started askin’ questions and gigglin’.
Mueller gave them all a couple of seconds to mull it over, then he held up his hand, askin’ for their attention again. “I know you’re all curious about what might be required of you. In fact, it’s very simple.” He pointed to a big screen hangin’ on the wall just behind him. Nothin’ was showing yet, but one of his tech guys was fiddlin’ with a computer.
While they waited for the picture to flash up there, Mueller looked around the room, nodding to himself. Then, actin’ all calm and quiet in spite of the twinkle in his eye and the way he almost was bouncing in excitement, he dropped the bomb. “All you have to do to win the million dollars,” he said with a broad smile, “is get someone to fall in love with you.”
A bunch of whispers started again, while the computer guy flicked a switch and a big giant computer page appeared on the overhead screen.
“It might sound unusual, but if you look at the target you will certainly agree it shouldn’t be a hardship,” Mueller said softly, pointin’ to the image.
Everyone froze, watching a picture appear.
Tori felt a flutterin’ in her stomach. She didn’t have the second sight, like her cousin Peachy, who’d been born with a caul over her face. Still, sometimes she had a little shine. Intuition or somethin’.
Right now, hers was screamin’ that she knew