The Fire Between High & Lo (Elements #2)(89)
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About the Author
Brittainy C. Cherry is a #1 Amazon Bestselling author who has always been in love with words. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelors Degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing. Brittainy lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her family. When she's not running a million errands and crafting stories, she's probably playing with her adorable pets.
Other novels by Brittainy C. Cherry include: The Air He Breathes, Loving Mr. Daniels, Art & Soul, and The Space in Between.
You can find her on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BrittainyCherryAuthor
www.twitter.com/brittainycherry
The One by Danielle Allen
The One Blurb
The cattiness.
The fights.
The shaming.
I don’t generally watch reality television, but I definitely don’t watch reality dating shows. Besides the fact that it’s completely staged, it’s a horrible depiction of people—women especially.
Women are pitted against each other to compete for the affection of a man they “fall in love” with after a week or two.
I call B.S.
It is complete crap.
So when my best friend, Koko, was hired as a makeup artist on the set of the most popular reality dating show, The One, I teased her mercilessly.
She told me that if I didn’t stop teasing her, she would get me back.
And she did…
Which is how I ended up as a contestant on The One.
Chapter 1
“What?” I screeched aloud in the empty room.
I reread the congratulatory letter stapled to the top of the confidentiality agreement and other contractual forms to be a contestant on The One. “This has got to be a joke. This has something to do with Koko.”
Although I didn’t let my best friend forget that she was working for a television program that set women back decades, I was so proud of Koko for following her dreams and landing a big time job on a network TV show.
But what does that have to do with me?
Putting my law degree to work, I carefully read each document addressed to me, starting with the one welcoming me to join the “most popular dating show on TV.” With each line I read, I became uncomfortable.
This almost looks real.
When I finished, I tossed the stack of papers on the wooden coffee table and picked up my cell phone. Standing in the center of the rustic living room of my parents’ Virginia home, I tapped my bare foot against the cold hardwood floor as I pushed the call button. With a hand propped on my hip, I waited for my call to be answered.
I glanced at the clock hanging over the crackling fireplace, calculating the time difference between Virginia and California. It’s only four o’clock over there so she should be—
“Zoe!” My best friend’s light airy voice chirped as she answered the phone. “Oh my God!”
“Kumiko Liane Green,” I barked her full name, walking toward my childhood bedroom and closing the door behind me. I flipped on the light and the oceanic blue walls lit up. “This bullshit has your name written all over it.”
The gasping sound of her laughter was infectious as my suspicions were confirmed.
“You ass!” I exclaimed, my smile taking the bite out of my words.
Koko laughed harder.
“This is not funny,” I argued, stifling my own amusement. “I don’t even watch reality TV so as soon as I saw The One in the first line of the letter, I knew your ass had something to do with it!”
My mass of curly hair flopped around my shoulders with each shake of my head.
“Two months after you are attached to the show, I get this mysterious paperwork in the mail. Tsk tsk. Your pranks are usually a little more elaborate. You have to step your game up, my friend. You’re slipping,” I teased.
She scoffed, her light voice cackled like an evil villain in a cartoon. “Remember when I first got the offer letter to work with Julia Jones on The One and you kept giving me shit?”
I smiled even though my eyes narrowed suspiciously. Standing by my desk, I let my fingers slide across the old leather bound book of poems by Pablo Neruda that I took everywhere.
“Yes,” I replied slowly, before making a beeline to the oversized reading chair in the corner of the room. I tucked my legs underneath me as I got comfortable in the chair. “When my best friend gets hired to work with the Makeup Guru, we celebrate. Even if she’ll be working with her on a show that highlights the death of the feminist movement.”
We both chuckled.
“Do you remember how wasted we were when we celebrated?” Koko asked.
“We?” I laughed, shaking my head at the memory. “Do you remember that night at all? You were the one who got drunk.”
“I was so drunk,” she giggled again. “But do you remember how I kept saying that I was going to get you back once I was sober again?”
“Mm-hm. And the next day you told Ethan that I wanted to hook up with him.”
“No…” She stretched the word out longer than necessary. “Well, yes, I did do that. But that wasn’t to get you back; that was a favor. You need to keep Ethan interested and on your radar. He’s a catch!”
I closed my eyes and groaned. “When are you going to let that go? Ethan is my boss and we are just friends.”