For the first time since the beginning of the game, Laura wondered if she had made a mistake. She had been steadily sending home bachelors each week. Laura had been careful not to lead any of them on, hating the idea of potentially hurting anyone. And it wasn't exactly a secret within the mansion that her heart was with Bill. For those reasons, she was completely blindsided during her date with Wally.
The day had begun ordinarily enough—ordinary in terms of the show, anyway. She woke up in the hotel room. Room service brought her coffee and an asparagus omelet, grits, and scrapple—her favorite breakfast combination in the worlds. As she ate, someone slipped her date card under the hotel room door. Laura finished eating and rose from the bed to retrieve the card. At that point, Laura anticipated what it would say. She was to be outside the hotel entrance in an hour, the limo would pick her up, and she'd spend the day with Wally and his family.
Laura quickly showered and chose an outfit. That was the difficult part. She wanted to be conservative but not too conservative. It was important to send Wally the right message. And meeting his family could be tricky. At his age, he's been a bachelor longer than the other men, and he was never married. His family would likely be excited by the notion of him bringing a woman home. Laura was dreading the possible disappointment they'd feel when they learned the truth. She felt nothing but warm regard for the man and sincerely hoped he'd find someone who would make him as happy as Bill made her. With these thoughts moving through her head, Laura found a dress she thought would be appropriate and got dressed.
The limo arrived right on time. She sat beside Wally in the back. The look on Wally's face as she sat down told her she hadn't gone conservative enough. He was staring at her almost as appreciatively as Bill always did. This was quite consternating. Laura was uneasy about how the day would go.
He didn't notice her unease and proceeded to greet her warmly. She returned the greeting, having decided diplomacy was the best strategy in the situation. Laura would enjoy the day as best she could. She was prepared for the worst but hoped for the best.
The limo was headed for Delphi, where his family lived. The ride would be between 30 min and an hour, depending on traffic. Laura couldn't very well sit in silence for that long a time. While she was never afraid of quiet, she preferred to avoid awkward silences. So she started a conversation she hoped would be harmless enough. Work was always an easy topic in a jam. She hoped Wally would decide she was too much of a workaholic or too boring, or whatever, and would lose interest in her. That would make her job much easier.
Their discussion led to several revelations. Laura had known that Wally worked in Adar's administration too. They worked in separate departments, so they hadn't seen much of each other, but, evidently, Laura had caught Wally's eye years ago. He had never had the opportunity to really talk to her or ask her out, and he was thrilled they were both part of the show. Laura got the sense the man wanted to bring out the big guns and propose to her in the limo. And she instantly felt bad for the man, who clearly had no idea it wasn't going to happen for them. But she knew what she had to do.
"Wally, you're a wonderful man."
"I sense a 'but,' coming."
"But, I'm already in love with Bill."
"What can I do to change your mind?"
"Nothing."
"What's he got that I don't?"
"It's not about what he has or doesn't have. It's about the man he is, how he feels about me, and how I feel about him. I can't explain it, except that we just fit."
"I'm supposed to bring you home to my family."
"I think, under the circumstances, that's a bad idea. I won't be the cause of anymore disappointment."
"You just don't want to face them."
"That might be right too. But do you really want to bring a woman home to meet your family, when you know we're not going to work?"
"You went home with Lee and Karl."
"That was different."
"They already knew."
"Yes."
"I'm such a fool."
"No."
"I should have asked you out years ago."
"I would have said yes in a heart beat."
"Really?"
"Yes, of course."
"What should we do?"
"Have the limo pull over. The producers will bring me back to the hotel. And you might as well go home. No point in stringing you along further."
"Good luck with everything, Laura."
"You too."
The limo pulled over, and the producers and camera crew picked her up immediately. They were thrilled with the turn of events, knowing it would be the most talked about episode yet. Laura didn't mind the fact that she'd be portrayed as a heartbreaker. She knew she had done the right thing. A less honorable person would have strung him along until the rose ceremony, when he'd be completely blindsided.
For the second week in a row, Laura wouldn't have to send anyone home during the ceremony. She could just enjoy her time with Bill and his boys. The SUV dropped her off at the hotel. For the first time in weeks, Laura truly had the day to herself. She went to the pool for a swim, enjoyed a quiet lunch in the dining room, and spent the afternoon and evening reading Blood Runs at Midnight in her room. She even broke down and watched the vid screen for a time. She had never really spent a lot of time watching it. There weren't many shows that she thought were worth her time, but occasionally it was a luxury.
After she ate dinner in her room, she packed her items because she'd be returning to the the main house the next day. Then, she'd go to the mansion for the ceremony. Laura read the next chapter of Searider Falcon and fell asleep, thinking the next week would be much better