Page 28 of Sugar and Spice (Glitter and Sparkle #3)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Riley runs from the truck and wraps me in a tight hug. It’s one in the morning, and she and Linus drove all the way to Denver to pick me up at the little airport we flew into. Fortunately, we gained two hours on the way back to Colorado.
My sister holds me so tightly, it should hurt. But I don’t feel much, at least not yet. “I know you can’t see it now, but the whole thing is crazy romantic.”
I pull back and scowl. “I’ve ruined my chances in the competition—Worse, I’ve ruined Sadie’s chances in the competition. Mason spent an hour and a half on the phone with Tammy, and even though I only heard his side, I know she’s livid.”
I hate it when people are angry with me. And even though I know I didn’t really do anything wrong, with HBN seething and Clark looking at me like I’m far more trouble than I’m worth, it feels like it.
Riley holds my shoulders, making me look at her. “I know it seems bad—and it is,” she adds quickly when I’m about to argue. “But it will work out.”
She’s right, I suppose. But it all seems too big right now, too impossible.
Determined to do damage control, Clark forbid we arrive at the lodge together. Mason’s with his people, and I’m with mine.
We were doomed from the start.
“It’s cold,” Linus says gently. “Let’s get to the truck.”
I’m still in the dress. It was a whirlwind of chaos after Yvonne picked us up, and we were whisked on the jet so quickly, I didn’t even get a chance to ask about the roses that were back in my room.
Honestly, I’m surprised Clark let me on the jet. I’m sure he would have preferred to leave me stranded in New York. He argued with Mason in hushed whispers the entire return flight.
The Christmas special’s camera crew spotted me in the crowd, so we were ruined before we stepped foot in Rockefeller Center. Clark wasn’t informed until after we’d left the building, and Riley couldn’t get a hold of me because I’d silenced my phone.
When the jet landed, Mason and I barely got two seconds together before they separated us, and Mason looked ticked. He refused to leave until Riley texted to let us know that she and Linus had arrived.
“It will be all right,” he promised before they escorted him away. “I’ll take care of it.”
But how?
I’m officially considered a conflict of interest for Mason, and there’s not a thing we can do about it. It doesn’t matter that Mason’s not a judge—he’s representing the show.
The moment I’m in the truck, I yank my heels off. Then I stare out the window, numb.
Thankfully, the sky is clear, so we’re not dealing with snowy roads on top of everything else. Riley and Linus attempt to keep up happy, light-hearted small talk, but I brood in the backseat.
Just as we begin to climb into the mountains, my phone rings. I glance at it, wondering if it’s Mason.
But it’s not Mason.
I stare at the name on the screen. Finally, knowing I’m about to get the lecture of my life, I answer. “Brandon.”
I mentally prepare myself, and my shoulders stiffen before he even begins to speak.
“How are you holding up?” he asks.
Startled, I hesitate, wondering if the question is a trick. “I’m peachy.”
“No, you’re not. Where are you at?”
My shoulders sag.
“With Riley and Linus. We’re on I-70, just west of Denver.” I pause. “How’s Sadie?”
When she figures out who I’m talking to, Riley shoots me a concerned look from the front seat.
Brandon’s quiet for several seconds. “Well, you know Sadie.”
But I really don’t.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“She’s worried they’re going to kick you guys out of the competition, but she’s dealing with it.
Chrissy and Christy have blown the whole thing out of proportion, so we’ve mostly been hanging out in her room to avoid the other teams. I’m back at the hotel now, but I plan to return to the lodge first thing in the morning. ”
I realize that the thought of them together doesn’t sting like it did a few days ago. There’s a chance, if I hadn’t botched this all up, that Sadie and I might have found a way to be friends.
Sighing, I settle back in the seat. “Why did you call, Brandon?”
“We were worried about you. I was worried about you. I know things didn’t work out between us the way we thought they would, but I still care about you. You’re one of my best friends.”
“You’re not going to tell me I was stupid to let this happen?”
“Nah,” he says, and I can almost see him smiling. “There’s plenty of time for that later.”
“Tell Sadie I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“I will. Stay strong, Harper Marie. We’ll see you soon.”
One by one, Tammy slaps tabloids and Internet print-offs on the table between us. Each one is more incriminating than the last.
“What were the two of you thinking?” she demands. For the first time since I’ve met her, her hair isn’t perfect. In fact, it’s thrown up in a hasty knot, and her bangs are going every direction but down.
I rub my face. “We didn’t think anyone would see us together.”
“All you had to do was be discreet for two more days!” Tammy says in a voice that’s just on the edge of yelling. “Two more days!”
Mason lounges in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. He looks at ease, but his jaw and eyes are hard. “If I remember correctly, you encouraged our relationship. Said it was good for ratings.”
“Not like this! We wanted a few mild flirtations on camera. Not the two of you jetting off to New York and kissing passionately in the middle of Rockefeller Center!”
She finishes the tirade with a sharp curse that makes me wince.
“This is enough to make the show look unethical. People are beginning to wonder if the two of you were dating long before the auditions! The show will crash and burn if people think the whole thing is staged. Why watch if it’s nothing but a production?”
“Did we move on?” I ask bluntly, interrupting her before she has an aneurysm. “This doesn’t even matter if Sadie and I came in last in the Russian tea cake competition.”
And if we are in the last place, then I don’t have to feel guilty about ruining this for Sadie.
A vein in Tammy’s neck bulges. “No, you were in the top spot.”
That’s inconvenient.
“What am I going to do?” the producer grasps her head, and I worry she’s going to pull out hair.
“Anne’s practically crippled, you’re obviously out of the show, and I had to send Chrissy and Christy home this evening.
Sarah and Quinn came in last in Tuesday’s episode, so that only leaves Cole and Jerome. The show’s over!”
“Wait,” I lean forward. “Why did you send Chrissy and Christy home?”
Tammy’s too overwhelmed to speak, so Paula leans forward.
Quietly, as if she’s worried Tammy’s actually going to explode, she says, “We found out they’ve been cheating.
Marcus—the man who knocked over your cookie wreath—came to us yesterday, admitting they paid him two thousand dollars to sabotage you in that episode. ”
I am so shocked, I almost forget to be angry.
“And, once we watched the footage from Tuesday’s show, we saw Chrissy purposely plowed into Anne. There was no doubt about it.” Paula’s eyes go almost comically wide. “She was like a hockey player. Anne only didn’t know because Chrissy came up from behind.”
“Give Sarah and Quinn another chance,” Mason says after listening quietly for several minutes. “Send Chrissy and Christy home, and let Sadie and Jessica partner together for the remainder of the competition since their partners are no longer able to compete.”
He turns to me. “That’s what you want most, isn’t it? Sadie to have a chance to finish the competition?”
I watch him for a moment, and then I nod.
Tammy sits in her seat with a huff and taps her fingers on the table, thinking. “We’ve never had a change in partners before.”
“I guarantee with all the fuss we’ve made, you’ll have more people tune into the show than ever before,” Mason says, urging her to consider his proposal. “Use it to your advantage.”
She thinks about it for what seems like forever, and then she turns to me.
“Fine, as long as you agree to do a final interview. You must make sure the viewers are aware the network had no part in this. I want tears. I want apologies. I want the entire story presented like you were broken hearted when you auditioned for the show, but it was love-at-first-sight for the both of you. You were helpless to fight it.”
“The entire story?” I ask. “Including the meeting where you encouraged?—”
“Don’t be sassy. You’re extremely fortunate I’m even considering letting your partner continue.”
The thought of doing that interview makes me ill. Surely Tammy can’t expect me to pour my entire heart out on national television just so Sadie can continue with the competition.
But from the look on her face, I know she does.
Fine.
Feeling ill, I say, “I’ll do it.”