More than Fashion

23

CHAPTER NINE

I managed to avoid Gavin for the next two days, which was the only way I got through the third challenge without being tempted to kiss him…or kill him. My urges flipped back and forth every fifteen minutes, usually triggered by him looking hot and then saying something arrogant. One second he’d stretch and show off his sexy tattooed arms, and then he’d open his mouth and ruin it all.

For the third challenge, we had to design an outfit for a “real” woman, not a model—and her dog. I made a short, princess-cut dress out of a gorgeous print with stark gray vines, then layered it with a long black vest. The dog got a matching vest with a strip of the print running along the sides.

The judges put me in the middle again, but I was just glad to get through it without my finger getting chomped off. I loved dogs, but I’d gotten a pampered Chihuahua that liked to nip, and his owner hadn’t seen a problem with that at all. Not that I was surprised, since she’d decked him out in a collar studded with diamonds and named him Prince. She was even more difficult to work with than her dog.

But the worst part about the challenge? Gavin won.

***

Back in the Loft, I grabbed some dinner from the buffet they’d set up in the kitchen and sat with Trina and Dawn at one of the tables. I hoped Molly would grab the last seat, but instead Gavin took it. Since he’d won the challenge, he could have spent dinner in his private suite, but no. And now Molly was forced to sit at another table. Thanks a lot, asshole.

“Congratulations,” Dawn said to Gavin, giving him a friendly smile. “Both your looks were great. I was so impressed with everything you did in such a short time.”

Gavin had created an awesome chainmail jacket for his dog, a short-haired dachshund, along with an off-the-shoulder top and cropped pants with chainmail trim for the owner. He’d made the chainmail himself, painstakingly crafting it by connecting different aluminum rings with a pair of pliers. I had no clue how he’d managed to get it done in time.

“Thanks, although I think they should have given it to Julie.”

“No, you deserved it,” I said, stabbing my salad with my fork. I kept waiting for the guy to screw up, to not make something amazing, but he kept letting me down. “How did you learn to make chainmail?”

“I watched some YouTube videos and taught myself. It was a great way to pass the time while my sister made me watch TV with her hour after hour.”

Wow, I’d learned something personal about him. “Is she back in England?”

He paused, fork halfway to his mouth, and his brow creased. “She’s…home, yes.”

Okay, that was awkward. There was obviously more to the story there, but for once, the guy looked uncomfortable. I was torn between reveling in his discomfort and wanting to make him feel better somehow. Stupid emotions, always causing me trouble.

“Gavin deserved the win, but I’m sure going to miss the private suite tonight,” Trina said, in an obvious attempt at changing the subject. Today she wore a purple bow tie that was the same color as her hair. “I’m not looking forward to sleeping in the women’s room again.”

“Why’s that?” Gavin asked. He’d finished eating and now stacked mini cups of coffee creamer into a pyramid, higher and higher.

She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Let’s just say one of the women snores like a donkey being strangled.”

Dawn lightly smacked her hand. “Trina, that’s not polite!”

“Sorry, but it’s true.” Trina laughed, and I noticed their hands lingered on each other. Was something going on between them? I knew Trina was into Dawn, but this was the first hint I’d seen that Dawn might return the feelings.

“She’s right,” I said. Trina was talking about Molly, and the description was spot on. “I think I need to invest in some earplugs if I’m going to get through the next few weeks.”

“I’d be happy to share the private suite tonight,” Gavin said, giving me a sly smile.

“You wish.”

“Thanks, but I don’t sleep with d***s,” Trina said, and we all chuckled at her double entendre.

“Touché,” Gavin said. “I would have taken the couch anyway.”

“Wow, such a gentleman,” I said. “But I’ll still pass.” I flicked a finger at his coffee creamer pyramid and knocked it over. Bitchy? Maybe. But the guy got under my skin like no one else ever had.

“Pity.” He grinned and grabbed the cups rolling across the table and began stacking them again. The urge to mess up his pyramid a second time was hard to resist, but I restrained myself. Barely.

“I’m sure you’ll win a challenge soon,” Dawn said, smiling at me.

“The next one, for sure,” Trina added.

I waved my hand dismissively. “Whatever. I’m just happy I wasn’t in the bottom again. The middle is good enough.”

“No, you deserved to be in the top on the last two challenges,” Gavin said. “Your wedding gown was unique, with that ombré effect. And both your looks today were brilliant.”

His praise was almost enough to make me feel better, but not quite. “Thanks, but you guys don’t need to cheer me up. I was just lucky to get through this challenge without any bite marks. Mostly from the woman, not her dog.”

The others laughed and launched into stories about the dogs they’d worked with. I laughed with them, but all throughout dinner, I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was sitting at a table with three winners, while I felt like the biggest loser ever.