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too,” Lindsey said.
    Ella peeled the top off a cup of yogurt. “I know we kind of
left things open, but I’d really like to spend time with you while we’re…while
we’re here. If that’s okay with you.”
    “Better than okay,” Lindsey blurted, thrilled about the
opportunity of getting naked with this sexy woman again.
    “Mornin’ y’all,” Marquita said as she sat her tray laden
high with syrupy, buttery waffles on the table.
    Ella’s eyes widened at the stack of carbs and sugar. “Oh my
God! How do you stay so fit and eat all that?”
    “High metabolism,” Marquita said with a grin. “Plus I did an
hour on the treadmill this morning.” She dove into the waffles. “Did you hear
about that business with Ashley Lowrey?”
    One of Ella’s fair eyebrows arched. “No. What?”
    Marquita’s smile faded. “She got DQed.”
    “Disqualified?” Ella asked in shock. “Why?”
    “Somebody sent the judges a link to a picture of her
handstanding with a beer bong that somebody’d tagged her in on Facebook.”
    “You’re kidding?”
    Marquita pursed her lips and shook her head.
    “Damn, you girls are cutthroat,” Lindsey said.
    “Oh, you have no idea,” Marquita said. “A lot of these
girls’ll do anything to get a leg up on the competition.”
    Lindsey leaned back in her chair and sipped her coffee. She
scanned the room for the other woman who’d agreed to be filmed. “Where’s Chelsea?”
    “Speaking of catty?” Ella joked as she shrugged.
    Marquita raised an eyebrow. “She probably won’t be sitting
with us.”
    “I take it she’s the type who’d do whatever it took to win?”
Lindsey asked.
    Marquita nodded solemnly. “I probably shouldn’t say anything
but in this day and time people like her need to get over their prejudices.”
    “Seriously,” Lindsey added. “Jeez. How do you deal with
people like that?”
    Marquita halted the waffles in mid-journey to her mouth.
“Not me, honey. You.”
    Lindsey’s lips parted. She snorted. She’d always worn her
sexuality like a badge. It didn’t define her but it was part of her. The way
she dressed, wore her hair and talked was just her personality. She never would
have been able to hide it and because of that she’d garnered her share of crass
comments and disapproving looks. Because of her openness, she’d never really
suffered the mean-spirited speculation Reagan had though.
    But when Ella’s lashes lowered and she averted her gaze,
Lindsey wanted to smack Chelsea.
    “It’s people like her that make it hard for closet lesbians
to come out,” Lindsey said. “It’s too bad she feels that way.”
    She reached in her back pocket and pulled out the schedule,
unfolded it and read over it. “Looks like you three will be up first in the
interviews because we’re filming.” She grinned at Marquita. “You better gobble
up them waffles, girl.”
    Marquita shoved a giant forkful into her mouth. “I’m eatin’
as fast as I can,” she mumbled. “Y’all go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
    Lindsey stood. “I’m gonna get another cup of this rotgut
before we go.” She collected her banana peel and flung it in a trash can on her
way to the coffee counter.
    Ella dashed her refuse in the can and put her cup down next
to Lindsey’s.
    Lindsey angled the pot over Ella’s cup. “Buy ya a cup of
coffee?”
    “Please and thank you,” Ella said with a sexy smile.
    Lindsey filled them both and they left together on the way
to the ballroom.
    “So…I take it none of these folks know about you,” Lindsey
said softly.
    Ella shook her head. “I’m not proud of hiding it. But…I’m
just not ready to take that step. I guess you think I’m a coward, eh?”
    “No,” Lindsey said quickly. “I just didn’t want to
accidentally out you.”
    “Thanks,” Ella whispered as she pushed open the door to the
ballroom.
    Maurice had already set up the lights and put the camera on
the tripod. A panel of judges sat behind a table, drinking coffee and