CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The rooster crowed with urgency from what sounded like right outside my door. I lifted my head from Aiden’s chest and gazed at his sleepy face. The calmness I felt was quickly replaced with panic.
“Aiden!” I exclaimed. “Aiden, you have to go.”
His eyes barely opened, and his tongue rolled across his lips as he focused his view on me. “Good morning to you too,” he said with a chuckle.
“This isn’t funny,” I said as he continued to grin at me. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer as I squirmed to be released.
“Relax, darlin’,” he said calmly.
I couldn’t relax. Last night was the first night here that nothing bad had happened. I desperately wanted it to stay that way.
“I don’t want anyone seeing you leave my camper this early,” I pleaded.
“Okay, okay, I’m going,” he said, rolling out of the bed and reaching for his clothes.
I peeked out the window and noticed the sun pushing from the earth, threatening to spotlight my indiscretions.
Aiden dressed and pulled me from the mattress. His lips pressed hard against mine, unsuccessfully working to release the tension that flowed through me. “I had fun last night,” he said softly.
“I did too,” I admitted. “Now go!”
He laughed as I pushed him out the door of my camper, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at my, what he considered, irrational behavior.
I watched as he walked across the field and to his own camper. It looked as though everyone was still asleep, with the exception of Lance, the cameraman Aiden had befriended. Aiden stopped to talk to him as Lance crushed a cigarette into the ground. My heart raced, wondering what they were talking about, and when Lance looked up and towards my window, I ducked to avoid being seen. Lance knew we were sleeping together, so I didn’t care about that, but their conversation seemed a bit more serious than a typical “yeah I tapped that” morning praise.
I took a quick shower to wash the scent of Aiden from my skin and dressed in a pair of cut-off shorts and a tank top. The crew was already setting up breakfast as I walked out into the warm Vermont air.
Aiden was still busy socializing with Lance and a couple other cameramen while the two other male competitors were sitting away from the staff, both with donuts in their hands. Janine waved and tossed me a fake smile as I looked around for Elle.
“How did you sleep last night?” Janine asked.
“Good,” I replied, eyeing her and wondering what she meant by that. Had she done something I missed?
“I love these cool Vermont nights,” she said. “I sleep like a baby.”
Maybe she hadn’t done anything. Maybe she was just making small talk. Maybe I was being paranoid.
Her lips were bright pink, the same shade that had been plastered on my mirror. I smirked and let my eyes linger on her lips while she continued to go on and on about how much better it was sleeping here than in Florida.
“I love that lipstick,” I said. “I’ve never seen that shade of pink before.”
Her mouth stopped moving, and her eyes softened as they met mine. “Thank you, Claire,” she said. “Yes, it is unique. I special order it from a boutique in New York.”
She seemed oblivious to my discreet accusations. What was going on? It had to have been her who destroyed my camper the other night and wrote on my mirror in that exact shade of pink. Wow, she’s a good actress if she’s guilty.
“Good morning.” Elle leaned in from behind me and placed her chin on my shoulder.
“Good morning,” I replied.
“I was hoping for a real breakfast,” Elle grumbled as she pushed in front of me and grabbed a jelly donut and a container of orange juice.
Janine had a bowl of fruit and a can of tomato juice and was already making her way to one of the tables. I grabbed an orange juice and two glazed donuts and looked back at Elle. “I don’t really want to sit with Barbie this morning.”
“You still think she’s the one who’s sabotaging you?” Elle asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Yes, who else has that shade of pink lipstick?” I whispered. “She probably has a suitcase full of them in her camper.”
Elle shook her head and laughed as she pulled me towards the only other empty table. “So, what’s going on with you?” she asked seriously. “You seem like you’ve lost your edge here.”
“That’s because everyone here is on edge… because of me,” I complained. “I’m thinking about just calling it quits and going home.”
“Why would you do that?” Elle exclaimed. “You’re one of the best chefs here. You actually have a chance at winning this competition.”
“It’s just not what I signed up for,” I admitted. “All this drama and me being right in the middle of it is why I left Los Angeles.”
“Claire, you’re being foolish,” Elle warned. “Don’t walk away from your dream.”
“I don’t even know if this is my dream.” I blinked back a rush of tears. “I came here to figure out what I wanted more than anything, and all I know for certain is that I don’t want any more drama.”
Elle reached across the table to grasp my hand. “If it really is little miss Barbie doll causing you grief, do you really want to give her the satisfaction of running you off?” Elle asked.
“No,” I mumbled. “But, it’s not just her.”
I looked around at the crew, some of them were huddled together whispering, and I couldn’t help but feel it was about me. Everyone had treated me coldly this week, and I knew the filming was being edited to make me out to be a huge slut. I couldn’t bear for my friends and family back home to see any more of this. I’d done enough damage; it was time to go home.
“Don’t leave, Claire. You’ll end up regretting it for the rest of your life,” Elle insisted. “See how the competition goes today at least, please.”
I nodded and agreed to stay on, at least for the final competition here in Vermont. I still wasn’t sure what I would do after it was over or if it mattered what happened to Janine. If she was sent home, would I stay?
Gretchen walked around with her clipboard, taking notes as we finished our breakfast. The production crew moved tables and folded chairs as she pointed, following her orders like she was their queen. As she moved towards us, her glasses pushed down on her nose.
“We have about thirty minutes before the competition if you need to get dressed.”
Her eyes lingered on my shorts and then to the low cut tank top I wore. Elle was wearing the same type clothing, and her smaller, perkier breasts were actually more revealing in her thin tank top than mine were in the one I had chosen.
“Are you saying this is inappropriate?” I asked coolly.
“If that’s what you’re comfortable wearing, it’s fine. I just thought since…” Gretchen’s voice trailed off for a second. “It’s just with everything that’s happened…”
“I’m very comfortable in this outfit, thanks,” I said, lifting my chin.
Elle giggled as Gretchen walked away. “See what you’d miss if you left?”
This was exactly why I wanted to leave, but also partly why I wanted to stay. I wanted to prove myself in this competition and snuff out any rumors that were flying about me sleeping my way to the win.
Two of the crew members appeared next to us. They smiled awkwardly as they nodded towards our table. “Sorry, ladies, we need to get the set constructed.”
Elle rolled her eyes and stood from her chair, leaving her garbage for them to clean. I grabbed my paper towel and empty orange juice carton and followed her.
“Where are you two sneaking off to?” Aiden yelled as he rushed towards us.
“Just getting out of the way,” Elle said sarcastically. It was obvious she was used to being catered to, and that she wasn’t capable of taking shit from anyone. I admired her strong personality, even though it was abrasive at times.
Aiden took my hand and pulled me towards him with so much force my hip bounced into his. I almost tripped over my own feet as I struggled to balance myself. “Hey!” I yelled playfully.
“What, you don’t like it rough?” he asked as his eyes danced down my skin. I wondered if this was a new game I could expect at the next farm. Maybe he would tie me down or want me to spank him? I giggled as I thought about Aiden bent over my knee.
“Claire!” Gretchen called out. I turned to find her waving her arm to motion me towards her. “Phone call!”
My heart stopped for a moment at the urgency in her voice. Our phones had been taken away during the filming to keep the results a secret, so I had been shut out from the outside world for a few weeks. What was wrong? I felt my face pale as my blood all worked towards my fast-beating heart.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” I said to no one in particular and ran towards Gretchen to find out what was so urgent.
There was no expression on Gretchen’s face to offer any hint as to who was waiting on the other end of her phone, or what was wrong. She handed it to me and walked away to give me privacy.
“Hello?”
“Claire?” Lauren’s voice was a welcomed but scary melody to my ears.
“Lauren?” I asked in panic. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Kennedy,” Lauren said calmly. “She collapsed in court and is being rushed to the hospital. I just thought you would want to know.”
I sank to the ground, every horrible scenario possible flashing through my head. “How is she? How’s the baby?”
I knew it was too early for her to deliver, and a pregnant woman collapsing was never a good sign, especially when it was Kennedy, one of the strongest women I knew.
“There is no word on either of their conditions yet,” Lauren said, her voice starting to shake. It was obvious she was scared. I was scared too. “I’m really sorry for bothering you during the show,” she apologized.
I wiped away a tear. “No, don’t be silly, I’m glad you called.”
“Asher and I are heading to Boston now,” Lauren said. “We can let you know more when we arrive.”
“No,” I said and stood back up. “I’ll meet you there.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Lauren said softly. I could tell she wanted me there but hated to interrupt the competition. “I’m only a little over three hours from Boston, I’ll get a car and head that way.”
Lauren seemed relieved to hear I was that close. They were just arriving at the airport, and it would be several hours before they could reach Boston. “But, Claire, don’t rush. Don’t miss out on a competition. If I get there before you, I’ll call to give you an update.”
I pushed my hair back from my face, thinking everything through. “They’re starting one in a few minutes, and then we’re headed to Illinois.” I lowered my voice. “Lauren, I don’t think I want to stay here anyway—”
“No, Claire,” she practically shouted at me. “You’re going to see this through. Compete, win, then come here. There is plenty of time.”
“I don’t need this, Lauren. There’s a lot of, well… drama,” I admitted.
“It’s a reality show. Drama is mandatory.” Her voice softened. “Promise me, Claire. Promise that you won’t leave before the competition.”
I wiped away another damn tear and took a shaky breath. “I promise, then I’ll talk to you when I get there.”
Gretchen began walking towards me the second she saw me disconnect the call. I explained what was happening and told her I wanted to compete then head to Boston. “I can meet you in Illinois,” I said.
I was surprised that she was so gracious. “You can take one of the cars,” she offered. “Let’s get this rolling so you can get to your friend.”
There was no time to talk to Aiden or Elle before we were ushered onto the freshly assembled set. Each of the six stations had grills, a small prep counter, and a basket of fresh produce and meats.
Lights blasted on as the cameramen took their places all around us.
“Make your best burger,” Shep announced.
I stared into my basket and browsed through the contents. There were several types of meat, veal, beef, chicken, and venison as well as loads of fresh vegetables and buns in assorted styles and sizes.
What was the catch?
“The one ingredient you must all use is under your station,” he said with a smirk. We all reached under our stations and pulled out a large white jug of fresh maple syrup. Once I spotted the bacon, I knew this would be a breeze. Sliders with maple candied bacon made with venison and veal blended meat.
I worked quickly, and even though Elle tried to get my attention several times, I pushed through the competition and remained focused on my promise to Lauren.
Janine’s burger was dry, using venison and nothing else. I was certain she would go home until they called on Sam. His burger was raw, his onion too strong, and Shep complained that he hadn’t tasted any maple syrup in the dish since he was only able to take a small bite of the outer edge of the burger. He was sent home, leaving Elle, Aiden, Derick, myself, and of course Janine to continue on to Illinois.
Gretchen rushed me away from the others as soon as the cameras shut off. “Here, your bags will be sent to Illinois,” she said, handing me a set of keys. “Take the last car at the end of the drive. It’s fully gassed.” She handed me my cell phone. “I thought you might need this, but remember to honor your agreement to not speak about anything taking place with the show.” I took the phone and hugged her tightly to thank her before running towards the car she said I could borrow.
I knew Aiden would be worried, wondering where I had taken off to so abruptly, but I assumed Gretchen would fill everyone in on my departure as soon as she could.