"You want me to do what?" Megan Malone tilted her head as she pressed her ear against the cell phone. She needed to hear every word.

"Take my place on the show."

Her sister Molly wasn't asking. It was more of a demand. But that was how Molly operated.

"You're kidding, right? I'm not what they're looking for." Megan paced circles around her couch. She loved her sister and there wasn't much she wouldn't do for her, but go on a reality TV show in her place? Not happening.

Megan could imagine her sister biting her lip. People often thought they were twins. Fraternal twins, of course, since they looked nothing alike. Their hair was the same shade of sandy blonde, but Molly's hair was sleek and straight while Megan's was "wavy" — the hairdresser's nice way of saying "frizzy mess." Megan sported wire-rimmed glasses, which partially hid her blue-gray eyes, especially because her head was usually tilted down. Megan didn't like making eye contact with people. Molly had perfect vision and ocean blue eyes that sparkled even in dim light. Occasional sparks of envy flared when Megan compared her own short stature with Molly's tall, toned one, but Megan wasn't one to hold grudges. Her sister was the most important person in her world.

"Why can't you do it, anyway?" Megan frowned. Being on the local Nebraska version of Survivor was nearly all her sister had talked about for the last month.

Molly sighed. "I wanted to tell you in person ..."

"Come on, Molly, what gives? You've wanted to go on this show since KETO announced they were doing it. Why would you back out now?" Molly had a minor obsession with Survivor, so much so that she had auditioned for the actual show three months ago. Megan remembered how devastated she was after getting cut in the final round of auditions. Luckily, two weeks later the local TV station had announced they were doing a version of Survivor that would feature contestants from their city. Molly had been gushing about it ever since.

"I know, I know, you're right," Molly admitted. "When I auditioned at KETO, all I wanted was a chance to prove I could compete — you know, show those Survivor people what they missed."

"And you got onto the local show. So what's the problem?" Molly was stalling and Megan was ready to get to the bottom of the issue.

"It's not about wanting it or not wanting it. The medic that works for the show ... found something."

Megan stopped pacing and clutched the phone. As much as she complained about her sister, she loved her more than life. Their mother had Megan when Molly was just thirteen months old. They hadn't gotten along in their early years, but when they were twelve and thirteen years old, their mother left their father for a younger man and they were forced to shuttle back and forth between two houses. The sisters began to rely on each other as constants. Megan sometimes felt like she was living in the shadow of her outgoing, beautiful, genuine sister, but she had accepted long ago that being jealous was exhausting. Megan was who she was and while she wasn't always okay with that, the fact that Molly loved her anyway made her sister all that much more special.

"What did he find?"

Silence.

"Molly, come on. You have to tell me." Megan sat on the arm of the couch. The news had to be huge. She needed to prepare for the worst. There was no way Molly would back out of the show without a grim diagnosis of some sort.

Megan tried to imagine Molly, full of life and energy, reduced to a sickbed, gaunt and hairless like their grandmother had been in the final stages of breast cancer. She shook the thought away.

"Molly, tell me this —"

"I'm pregnant." Molly whimpered.

"Pr–pregnant?" Megan stood, her voice almost squeaking at the end of the word. Her heart pounded in her chest, but relief flooded through her. Pregnancy wasn't the end of the world. In fact, it was the beginning of another life. "How can that be? You and Derek have been married for less than a year!"

"It doesn't take a year to make a baby."

Megan giggled. "Of course not, but weren't you, you know, on anything?"

"Geez, Megan, lay it all out there why don't you."

"Sorry." Megan laced her fingers into her knotted hair, where they stuck in a tangle.

Molly sighed. "It's okay. Yes, I was on the pill. But apparently it's not foolproof."

Megan's mind was buzzing. "Are you okay? How do you feel? How far along are you? Is it a boy or a girl? What will you name him ... or her? What if you have twins?"

"Simmer down, Meg. I just found out myself. I'm still trying to take it in."

Megan's feet moved automatically beneath her as she paced around the couch. The path was already worn and she wasn't doing it any justice. "What can I do to help? Do you need some crackers? Saltines are best for nausea, right?"

"You see? This is why I wanted to tell you in person."

Megan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I knew you'd freak out and I really wanted to see it. You're circling the couch, aren't you?"

Megan stopped in her tracks. "No. I'm standing perfectly still, thank you very much." She squinted through the window across from the couch to make sure Molly wasn't sitting out front in her car. The street was empty. She resumed pacing.

"I know you, Megan Malone, and I know you'll be the best aunt in the world — just like you are the best sister. I'm sure I'll be calling for a lot of favors during this pregnancy, but for now I only have one thing to ask."

"What is it? Anything at all."

"The show."

"Right ... the show." Megan had almost forgotten the original topic of their phone call. The big baby news had eclipsed their earlier conversation.

"So? Will you do it?"

The hope in Molly's voice was palpable. Megan sighed and flopped over onto the couch, nearly rolling to the floor on the other side. She was nothing if not graceful.

"Tell me the details." She owed it to her sister to at least hear her out.

"You remember Accept this Dandelion?"

Megan rolled her eyes. "Of course. We watched it together every week!" Watching each episode of the reality show with Molly had been the highlight of her week. In the first season, a local party boy had chosen from twelve women, like on The Bachelor. In the second season, the station switched to The Bachelorette and starred Eva, the woman who came in third on the first season. She was presented with twelve local suitors to date and consider.

Seeing the dates in places she recognized made love seem more attainable to Megan. Attainable and yet oh-so-unlikely. Finding the right man would mean actually leaving her house from time to time.

"Our girl nights were so much fun." Molly giggled. "Anyway, you know the show is like Survivor. KETO picks local people to compete and vote each other out until there is only one person left."

"So there are challenges involved?" Megan winced. She liked The Bachelor because watching people fall in love was easy. Survivor was different. Megan knew plenty about the show since her sister, its number one fan, often spoke of it. But she'd managed to avoid watching it herself. It seemed like the contestants did things she could never even dream of doing.

"You got it. But they won't be as big or hard as the national show. I'm not sure what the exact format will be, but it'll be a...