Nothing and no one would deter her.
“Speaking of guys,” Chloe said, plopping on the leather couch next to Ashton, “tell us about Ty Cates.”
“Oh, my God! You’re blushing!” Jenna accused.
Ashton’s hands flew to her cheeks to cover them. “No, I’m not.”
She’d managed to make it nearly two days without thinking about Ty. Her luck had to run out sometime.
“I barely met him,” she lied. “There are about a hundred people on the set. He runs in to film and then sits in his office.”
“He’s got an office there?” Jenna scrunched up her nose. “Why?”
“Well, last season it was probably so he could get a booty call from Amanda Conrad between takes,” Chloe said. “But she backed out this season. She got her own reality show. Something about the hardships of daily life for a model.” She made a gagging noise.
“Modeling is harder than you’d think,” Jenna put in.
“Sure.” Ashton and Chloe rolled their eyes at each other and smiled.
“I wouldn’t mind spending a little couch time with Ty Cates,” Chloe said with a sigh. “Hey, it would be like he was getting two models at once—or one woman who’s the size of two models.”
“Chloe, stop,” Ashton said.
“I’m okay with that,” she replied, popping a chocolate truffle in her mouth. “All women are the size of two models.”
“Actually,” Ashton said, “Ty is nicer than I thought he’d be. I mean, he’s infuriating, but nice, too.”
Jenna turned to Chloe. “Does it sound like something is going on we should know about?”
Chloe tilted her head as her eyebrows furrowed. “I think so. Ashton, what is going on between you and Ty Cates?”
“Nothing,” Ashton insisted. “And stop referring to him as Ty Cates all the time. It’s weird. Why do people always refer to celebrities by their first and last name instead of just their first?”
“To dehumanize them,” Chloe said matter-of-factly. “Put them on a pedestal. So have you kissed Ty Cates?”
“Chloe! No, I haven’t.” She’d wanted to, but wanting didn’t count. “There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Ty Cates. I mean, Ty.” She grabbed the remote and turned on the television. “The show is about to start.”
When the words The Next Celebrity Chef flashed across the screen, Chloe and Jenna clapped and cheered.
Although nerves had been wreaking havoc on her insides all day, all of a sudden, a calm came over Ashton. She may not have won the first challenge, but she’d still finished on top. She had nothing to be embarrassed about.
“On tonight’s episode of The Next Celebrity Chef ,” came a voice-over, “we have a contestant break down.” They cut to a shot of Elena weeping in the Wreck Room.
Ashton’s stomach gurgled. Why hadn’t she remembered from past seasons that there was a camera in the Wreck Room? Prickles ran down her spine.
“We have a former Miss Texas.” Jolene’s face flashed across the screen.
“She’s gorgeous,” Chloe said with awe.
Jenna shrugged, unimpressed. “She’s okay.”
“I’ll bet she didn’t get eliminated,” Chloe added.
Ashton threw her a scowl.
“And,” the voice-over continued, “we have a chef give in to the pressure—all over celebrity chef Ty Cates’s feet.”
“Oh, crap!” Ashton covered her eyes with her hands. “Please tell me this isn’t happening.”
“You mean you puking on Ty Cates?” Chloe asked. “Sorry, but it kind of is.”
Ashton spread her fingers and peeked through the index and middle. Sure enough, there she was, bent in half over Ty.
“I guess when you said you’d barely talked to Ty, this just slipped your mind,” Jenna commented. She bit into a chocolate-covered strawberry, looking way too smug.
“I was drunk,” Ashton snapped. “We weren’t exactly having stimulating conversation. Oh, God. Are they going to show me drunk?”
“Probably.” Chloe laughed.
“I can’t watch.” Ashton grabbed the remote and hit
“Speaking of guys,” Chloe said, plopping on the leather couch next to Ashton, “tell us about Ty Cates.”
“Oh, my God! You’re blushing!” Jenna accused.
Ashton’s hands flew to her cheeks to cover them. “No, I’m not.”
She’d managed to make it nearly two days without thinking about Ty. Her luck had to run out sometime.
“I barely met him,” she lied. “There are about a hundred people on the set. He runs in to film and then sits in his office.”
“He’s got an office there?” Jenna scrunched up her nose. “Why?”
“Well, last season it was probably so he could get a booty call from Amanda Conrad between takes,” Chloe said. “But she backed out this season. She got her own reality show. Something about the hardships of daily life for a model.” She made a gagging noise.
“Modeling is harder than you’d think,” Jenna put in.
“Sure.” Ashton and Chloe rolled their eyes at each other and smiled.
“I wouldn’t mind spending a little couch time with Ty Cates,” Chloe said with a sigh. “Hey, it would be like he was getting two models at once—or one woman who’s the size of two models.”
“Chloe, stop,” Ashton said.
“I’m okay with that,” she replied, popping a chocolate truffle in her mouth. “All women are the size of two models.”
“Actually,” Ashton said, “Ty is nicer than I thought he’d be. I mean, he’s infuriating, but nice, too.”
Jenna turned to Chloe. “Does it sound like something is going on we should know about?”
Chloe tilted her head as her eyebrows furrowed. “I think so. Ashton, what is going on between you and Ty Cates?”
“Nothing,” Ashton insisted. “And stop referring to him as Ty Cates all the time. It’s weird. Why do people always refer to celebrities by their first and last name instead of just their first?”
“To dehumanize them,” Chloe said matter-of-factly. “Put them on a pedestal. So have you kissed Ty Cates?”
“Chloe! No, I haven’t.” She’d wanted to, but wanting didn’t count. “There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Ty Cates. I mean, Ty.” She grabbed the remote and turned on the television. “The show is about to start.”
When the words The Next Celebrity Chef flashed across the screen, Chloe and Jenna clapped and cheered.
Although nerves had been wreaking havoc on her insides all day, all of a sudden, a calm came over Ashton. She may not have won the first challenge, but she’d still finished on top. She had nothing to be embarrassed about.
“On tonight’s episode of The Next Celebrity Chef ,” came a voice-over, “we have a contestant break down.” They cut to a shot of Elena weeping in the Wreck Room.
Ashton’s stomach gurgled. Why hadn’t she remembered from past seasons that there was a camera in the Wreck Room? Prickles ran down her spine.
“We have a former Miss Texas.” Jolene’s face flashed across the screen.
“She’s gorgeous,” Chloe said with awe.
Jenna shrugged, unimpressed. “She’s okay.”
“I’ll bet she didn’t get eliminated,” Chloe added.
Ashton threw her a scowl.
“And,” the voice-over continued, “we have a chef give in to the pressure—all over celebrity chef Ty Cates’s feet.”
“Oh, crap!” Ashton covered her eyes with her hands. “Please tell me this isn’t happening.”
“You mean you puking on Ty Cates?” Chloe asked. “Sorry, but it kind of is.”
Ashton spread her fingers and peeked through the index and middle. Sure enough, there she was, bent in half over Ty.
“I guess when you said you’d barely talked to Ty, this just slipped your mind,” Jenna commented. She bit into a chocolate-covered strawberry, looking way too smug.
“I was drunk,” Ashton snapped. “We weren’t exactly having stimulating conversation. Oh, God. Are they going to show me drunk?”
“Probably.” Chloe laughed.
“I can’t watch.” Ashton grabbed the remote and hit
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