Hungry for Love

Hungry for Love Liz Zerkel Copyright Copyright © 2023 by Liz Zerkel All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact [email protected]. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. Book Cover by Christina Mitchell 1st edition 2023 www.LizZerkel.Com Contents Dedication Content Warnings 1. Chapter 1 Siobhan Nelson 2. Chapter 2 Ethan Fitzpatrick 3. Chapter 3 Siobhan Nelson 4. Chapter 4 Siobhan Nelson 5. Chapter 5 Ethan Fitzpatrick 6. Chapter 6 Siobhan Nelson 7. Chapter 7 Ethan Fitzpatrick 8. Chapter 8 Siobhan Nelson 9. Chapter 9 Ethan Fitzpatrick 10. Chapter 10 Siobhan Nelson 11. Chapter 11 Ethan Fitzpatrick 12. Chapter 12 Siobhan Nelson 13. Chapter 13 Ethan Fitzpatrick 14. Chapter 14 Siobhan Nelson 15. Chapter 15 Ethan Fitzpatrick 16. Chapter 16 Siobhan Nelson 17. Chapter 17 Ethan Fitzpatrick 18. Chapter 18 Siobhan Nelson 19. Chapter 19 Ethan Fitzpatrick 20. Chapter 20 Siobhan Nelson 21. Chapter 21 Ethan Fitzpatrick 22. Chapter 22 Siobhan Nelson 23. Chapter 23 Ethan Fitzpatrick 24. Chapter 24 Siobhan Nelson 25. Chapter 25 Ethan Fitzpatrick 26. Chapter 26 Siobhan Nelson 27. Chapter 27 Ethan Fitzpatrick 28. Chapter 28 Siobhan Nelson 29. Chapter 29 Ethan Fitzpatrick 30. Chapter 30 Siobhan Nelson 31. Chapter 31 Siobhan Nelson 32. Chapter 32 Ethan Fitzpatrick 33. Chapter 33 Siobhan Nelson Epilogue Ethan Fitzpatrick: One Year Later Acknowledgments About Author Let's Stay Connected Dedication To Betsy for being my go-to dating reality TV watch buddy: What are we going to watch next? Content Warnings If you, as a reader, don’t feel the need to see content or possible trigger warnings, go ahead and skip ahead. Some people want to go in with no information and find this sort of thing to be spoilers. Go forth and enjoy the book! But, for those who like to know what you’re getting yourself in into, let’s chat real fast. This book is intended for an 18+ audience and includes sexual content, stronger language, and alcohol use. This book is about a bunch of chefs. They talk about, cook, and eat food a lot. There is talk about strained family/friend dynamics. There is a brief medical emergency and a hospital visit. Chapter 1 Siobhan Nelson “Dress like you’re going to a nice beach party,” Georgie said as I pulled out various outfits from my suitcase. I glanced at the woman with a buzzed head who had burst into my hotel room, gripping a massive energy drink minutes ago. She introduced herself as my producer for the show, but I had no idea what that meant. “Okay, I brought a lot of clothing. Can you be a bit more specific?” I wasn’t a thin woman. I made and ate food for a living, and being a single-digit size wasn’t on my long to-do list. Going into this, I assumed I’d be in the minority of not having abs or a flat stomach. But I knew I was hot. Georgie grinned as she went through my clothes. “You’re going to be so fun to work with. The other producers are going to be jealous I have you.” I looked up from my clothing options and blinked. “Oh?” Georgie grabbed a maxi skirt and studied it before giving it a satisfied nod. “This. I especially like the side slit.” I exhaled a long breath and gently placed the outfit on the hotel bed. I quickly packed the other items because they’d soon be transported to the villa. I hadn’t even been in St. Thomas for twenty-four hours, but with the amount of prep work we’d done, it felt like an entire week. “The women will enter the villa first. We’ll want lots of exciting shots of you chatting and getting to know each other. You haven’t met any other contestants, right? None of you were supposed to, but I know a few people accidentally met at the airport already.” I shook my head before shimmying off my yoga pants and into my skirt. I turned to examine my butt in the full-length mirror to check for panty lines. “Nope, just you and a few crew members. I’m almost more anxious to meet the other girls than to meet my partner.” I was here to compete against the other couples, but hoped we’d all get along. I didn’t want to feel stuck walking on eggshells around the other women. That sounded miserable. “That seems normal, but don’t forget this is a dating show. Focus more on getting to know him than on making friends.” I shrugged and put on my top. “Do you honestly think a long-ass blind date can result in a lasting relationship?” Of course, the idea of finding love appealed to me and was one of the reasons I tried this show in particular. I ran a pop-up restaurant, Vee’s Kitchen—named after the v-sound in my name—and between planning new menus nearly weekly, booking locations to set up in, and cooking for my patrons, I had no free time. Georgie raised a well-defined eyebrow. “Do you? Because if you don’t, this is the last time you voice it. I don’t need you saying that while cameras are on you.” Finding my person on this show sounded lovely, but I wasn’t naive enough to think every contestant’s main focus was love when $100,000 was on the line. Hell, I was interested in the money. I wanted to turn Vee’s Kitchen into a food truck so I didn’t have to rely on the schedules of the venues I currently used. I craved that freedom to do more. To more easily travel to other cities or states. And I didn’t want to rely on my family’s small food