“Um… just because you said you were dating me? I’ll tell them you aren’t. That it was a joke.” This is all getting out of control. How did we go from one-night stand to paparazzi stalking me in less than twenty-four hours?
“It doesn’t matter. The damage was done in that one minute.”
I’m not sure what he wants from me, but Jen walks down the street and Trent flags her. They discuss what happened as we walk back into the studio. I follow like a loser and just as he’s about to go back to the judges area he turns to say something to me, but Olive comes around the corner at the same time, so I dip into the press room without a word.
8
Sophie
Ian’s eyes are zeroed in on me my entire walk from the door to the seat next to him.
I hold my hand up in the air when I sit down before he has a chance to ask me a question. “Not now.”
My phone vibrates and I ignore it because my life is spinning out of control and I need to ground myself before continuing the day. My head falls into my hands and I glance over at a concerned Ian. “Tell me that’s the last break?”
He clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “Nope. One more but it’s short. Another hour or so I think.”
I nod. “I need out of this place like now.”
“Your phone is going off again.”
“I know.” I close my eyes and sigh.
“You sure you’re okay?” His hand falls to my back and he runs it up and down. “Is this about your coffee date earlier?”
“Are you dating Calder?” The woman from earlier asks.
Ian’s mouth drops open.
“If she was dating him, why would she be in here?” her friend says. “He was totally eye fucking you earlier in the hall.”
I roll my eyes. These two women are exactly who I’d have to deal with on a continued basis if I agree to date Trent. And that’s not something my psyche is able to handle.
“I saw you leaving with him,” the woman says.
“You knew he was looking at Beth,” the woman’s friend says sounding like she’s ready to crack her knuckles so we can get in a hair pulling fight. What the hell?
Either I out us for having a one-night stand or I ignore them. But they have yet to turn back around to face the set. I close my eyes wishing the show would start. Someone must be on my side because Olive peeks her head into the room, her eyes glued to mine, saying they’re about to start and there are no bathroom breaks until this is over.
“She hates me. I’m never being asked back,” I whisper to Ian.
“Oh please. She’s always a bitch.”
That puts a small smile on my face.
The judges come out and Trent again looks to the mirror and that feeling from last night resurrects inside me. God, I like him. I really like him. He thinks his stunt from eight months ago would deter me but if anything I feel like we have something in common. But then he was so freaked out by one picture.
He says he wants a relationship with me, but we barely know anything about one another.
My mind is spinning, and I really need Teegan to help make sense of this right now.
The judges go to each station to check out each contestant’s creations. They taste each one and I’m amazed at how Trent just flips the switch into being the funny guy. If I’m being honest that might scare me the most. He’s not an actor, he wasn’t trained to put on a mask and be someone else. But it seems like he’s good at it.
By the time they call the next segment for the poor bakers to prepare their last and final treat, I’ve broken out in a sweat and I’m nauseated. When I go to the bathroom, I have company again. Sara is in the stall next to me, throwing up.
“I swear this will be my only child. I don’t think I could handle this again.”
“I’m sorry, it must suck to have to put on a smile and eat those gingerbread cookies.”
“They’re good when I eat them but the molasses coming back up isn’t so great.” She comes out of the bathroom stall and I pass her some white paper towels. “Thanks for this. If it wasn’t for you today, I’m not sure I’d make it through.” She laughs. “I’m not a gossiper but I saw you with Calder. Are you two an item?” Again her eyes fall to my press lanyard.
“No. Yes. I have no idea to tell you the truth.”
She finger combs her cute strawberry blonde bob. “Distract me then.” She props up on the counter and I lean against the wall.
I don’t even know her. I can’t just give her information about Trent without his permission.
She must recognize my trepidation because she shakes her head. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I just feel like you’re struggling as much as I am today.” She chuckles.
“No it’s just… I mean, you’re not going to tell anyone right?”
She laughs. “No one in my circle much cares about Calder except for drooling over his pictures.”
“I met him last night without knowing who he was. I only found that out when I got here. My boss is on my ass and I think he’s looking for a reason to fire me. Then Trent…” her eyes narrow. “Calder asked me to lunch. And he’s kind of implying like he’d like us to date. But I mean he’s him and I’m me and I don’t do relationships. I don’t see how it could ever work.”
She laughs at me.
“What?”
“The whole ‘I don’t do’ relationships.” Her hair falls over her face.
“Both my parents cheated. I’m a product of divorce.” I shrug.
She nods. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be insensitive, but you know you can’t stay away from relationships forever?”
“Why not?”
“Because.” Her voice goes up an octave. “It’s not healthy. Eventually you’re going to meet someone you want more with.”
“It’s not healthy to be a crazed lunatic following her boyfriend around, convinced he’s cheating either. Believe me, for everyone involved, it’s better this way.”
She checks her watch and my phone vibrates in my bag with a text message. I’m not answering it. I don’t care who it is.
“How will ever learn to trust a man if you don’t ever try? You seem like a take-charge kind of gal. Similar to me. How can you allow yourself to just remain scared like that?” I open my mouth, but she continues. “Get this, I tell my husband, I don’t do kids. Because I had a mother who was a nightmare. She yelled, she hit, she verbally abused me my entire life. From birth to when I finally cut her out of my life. I don’t want that to trickle down to my kids, so I say I don’t do kids. And my husband humored me. Told me he was good with that decision. Then a couple years go by and my friends start having kids, my sister has one and I see that she’s not like my mom, but still I say I’m a career focused and don’t want them. I continue to lie to myself until my husband sits me down and says, he’s completely fine if we don’t have kids, but he thinks I’m missing out on a huge part of my life just because I’m scared. He promised to hold my hand and tell me if I’m turning into my mother. That he wouldn’t allow me to ever treat our child like that. But he kisses me on the cheek and tells me the decision is mine.”