Chapter 15 by Belle (44)

"You want a what???????"  Chris's voice could be heard outside the door to his cabin. 

Some of the birds were lined up on the sill outside the open window, looking through the screen.  They were chirping up a storm.  Mary Anne had fled to the men's bunkhouse, where Gilles was giving her a lesson in making crepes.

We aren't going to sugar coat this, readers.  This meeting between Chris and Emily is going to be the Most. Contentious. Ever!

"He's a foot masseur,"  Emily explained.

"Good grief!  What in the world do you want with him?  We've never had one of those before."  Chris shook his head.

Emily unleashed her inner tyrant.  "Well, you might want one yourself if you had to wear those stupid glass shoes all day long.  I don't care what kind of designer label they have.  They're uncomfortable.  They have no cushioning inside or out.  They keep me off balance.  Half the time I feel if I even take a step they'll shatter into a million pieces.  I can't believe how much I have to suffer just because they're pretty.  I could strangle that silly stylist Isabelle.  She's always talking about her ridiculous flights of fancy.  She's about as real as this show."

"I'm sorry, dear girl; it isn't in the budget."  Chris has his priorities straight.

"What do you mean, it isn't in the budget?" Emily retorted.  "Mike Fleiss said I could have anything I wanted."

Now Chris is getting a bit condescending.  "Take a look at your contract.  Section 7, Part 3, Paragraph 9, Clause (A)(4)(g)(viii) defines 'anything' for purposes of this show."

Emily felt defeated.  She didn't have the energy to comb through the fine print.  She sighed.  "Well, what if we just made him a contestant?  They're already in the budget, aren't they?"

Having asserted his authority, Chris was feeling magnanimous.  "If you send one of the other men home, you can have the foot guy."

Emily squealed in delight.  "Shut up!"

Russell Crow echoed, "Shut up!"

Chris was thinking, "Shut up?  I should tell Emily to shut up.  First she disrupts my lines at the rose ceremony; now she challenges my authority.  Pretty soon I'll lose my role as love therapist.  And if this goes far enough, who knows?  She'll start wanting a Fairy Godmother!"

Instead, he simply mumbled, "Just tread lightly.  We don't want you doing anything that could lead to your demise."

Emily barely heard him; she was already out the door and running to meet Tanner.