I stare at it. “Is that for me?”
Mason gives the cup a teeny jiggle. “No, I was hoping you could hold it for me until I was done with my first.”
Shaking my head and laughing for the first time today, I accept the cup. We stand just outside Tammy’s door, and I take the first sip and sigh. “It’s been the worst morning.”
He glances at the door. “Hold on tight, because I doubt it’s going to get better.”
“You were summoned as well?” I ask.
“Yep.”
I take another fortifying sip of sweet, sweet caffeine, and then I knock. Tammy’s assistant opens the door. I don’t know the woman’s name, but she always looks slightly harried. Of course she does—she works for Tammy.
“Have a seat,” Tammy says instead of a greeting. She shuffles a stack of papers, not even bothering to look up at us. All the producers are here—Tammy, Paula, and a guy named Raoul. This is the first time I’ve seen him that he hasn’t been on the phone.
Like a gentleman, Mason pulls out my chair and then sits in the one to my right.
“Views were at an all-time high last night,” Tammy jumps right in without a preamble. “And our engagement rates were through the roof. We’ve never had this many viewers call in to vote.”
She looks up, almost as if she expects us to say something. Mason’s next to me, lounging in the chair like he owns it, taking in the scene with sharp eyes.
“Okay…?” I say when it becomes clear Mason isn’t going to speak.
“I’m going to be blunt, Harper,” Tammy says, setting her hands on the table. “Mason is here because the show was in trouble, and we made a deal with his agent. The publicity is good for his solo career, and it gives the bake-off a much-needed boost. We were losing viewers. Now we have more than triple what we had last year at this episode.”
I nod. Mason’s good for the show—no kidding.
“Your possible romance has lit a fire in America that we never anticipated. ‘Bake-off Romance’ was the number one trending search yesterday on Twitter, Facebook,andYouTube.”
I blink at her and glance at Mason. He doesn’t seem surprised, so apparently, someone already broke the news to him.
“People like the two of you—and they really like youtogether. We’re going to play this up, but we have to be careful how we go about it. Some of the contestants are already making noise about the two of you?—”
“But Mason’s not even a judge!” I interrupt.
“So you must keep things subtle,” she continues. “On camera, we want our viewers to see glances that last a few moments too long, maybe a few whispered conversations. Sweet exchanges during interviews?—”
“Speaking of interviews,” I practically growl.
Before I can finish my thought, Tammy goes on, completely ignoring me, “But I want limited interaction between the two of you when the camera isn’t rolling. The less the other teams see you together, the better.”
I clench my hand on my coffee cup. “You want us to fake a romance so your ratings will go up?”
Tammy raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Are you faking it, Harper?”
I feel my cheeks flush, and I look down. My life is in an unstable place right now.
“However, please understand, to ensure the integrity of the competition, we will not guarantee your spot,” Tammy finishes. Judging from her tone, I believe we’re reaching the end of this lovely meeting. “And our judges will not be made aware of this conversation.”
I almost laugh when she says “integrity.” I’ve always known reality shows are manipulated, but a cookie competition? It seems wrong.
Tammy stands, showing she’s finished with us. None of the others spoke even once. They sat there like statuesque guards, ensuring we behaved.
“Where did you come up with the interview questions?” I demand as I rise.
“Christy overheard you speaking with Mason,” Tammy says absently, more concerned with a missing piece of paper than me. “And she thought she should bring it to our attention. Perfecttiming too—the viewers love a knight in shining armor coming to the aid of a damsel in distress.”
Christy.It doesn’t surprise me. Who else, besides maybe her wicked partner, would lurk nearby, eavesdropping on a private conversation.
