“Wonderful!” Malin clapped her hands with delight.
Outside the snow had begun to fall, thick, heavy flakes drifting slowly to the ground. The world was like a snow globe that had just been shaken. Henrik made his way to the restaurant. An open fire was crackling inside, and Don was already waiting at a corner table with a lowball glass in front of him. He stood up and held out his hand as Henrik approached.
“I’m drinking an old-fashioned—what would you like?”
Henrik shook hands, then turned to the waitress, who had just arrived with their menus. “I’ll have the same, please.”
“Good to see you,” Don said, rubbing a hand over his bald head. “Okay, let’s cut to the chase. I want to start by saying thatLet’s Get Bakingis a good show. We’ve had several fantastic seasons. But as I mentioned earlier, we need to liven it up this season. We want something tohappen, which is why I think we have to make the best possible use of Nora Jansson.”
“Are you sure?Let’s Get Bakinghas been popular for several years now, and the concept works.”
“What can I say? The competition is fierce, and we need higher viewer ratings. We need something extra to make the show stand out, something that makes viewersengage. And Nora has character. Feisty as fuck. It could work.”
“And is there a particular reason why you’re so focused on the ratings right now?”
“We’re always focused on ratings.”
“I heard through the grapevine that you’re not happy with the numbers.”
Don put down his glass. “Okay, I’ll be honest with you. TV24 isn’t too happy with the fall season’s ratings.”
Although Henrik had already heard the same thing from his father, and Elnaz had confirmed it, he still found it tough to hear it from Don—who actually represented TV24.
“Why haven’t you said anything until now?”
“We didn’t want to make things worse; the plan is to work on taking the show to a new level. Obviously we were going to share our thoughts with you. I was planning to bring it up with Camilla, but since we’re sitting here, I decided I might as well talk to you about it directly.”
Henrik nodded, studying the young executive producer. Don looked significantly older than he was, with his shaven head and slightly old-mannish clothing. He was ambitious and would no doubt be working on the channel’s biggest shows in a few years. His penchant for creating controversy might cause him some trouble, though, especially if he refused to drop the reality thread. “While we’re being so honest, are you lining up any new shows for next fall?” Henrik asked.
Don’s pause and sharp intake of breath confirmed Henrik’s fears.
“We’re in discussions with a production company about a new baking show, yes. But nothing has been decided yet.” Don leaned closer. “I mean, what can I say? The success of the Christmas special is crucial. We have to give viewers what they want.” He sat back and finished off his drink. “So it’s in both our interests to make this year’s Christmas special as good as it can be.” He grinned at Henrik, picked up the menu. “Agreed?”
Henrik nodded slowly, even though he didn’t quite know why. Had he just agreed to try to makeLet’s Get Bakingthe next big reality show?
Ahmat offered to drive Nora home with all the decorations, but she needed the ride home in the cold November night to clear her mind. Bea promised to bring the boxes over later in the week.
The sky was clear and filled with stars. Nora cycled fast, enjoying the feeling of the icy air tearing at her lungs.
When she reached the kiosk on the corner next to the patisserie, she slowed down.Celebrity Baker Chooses Västerviksaid the placard for one of the evening papers. So her participation in the show had hit the headlines in town.
She was about to stop when she saw a man standing outside the patisserie, looking up at her windows. Unfortunately, it was Mange Lund, a guy she’d hooked up with now and again. He’d wanted something more serious, which had made her break off the whole thing. She braked sharply, then turned into the first alleyway she came to. Someone appeared out of nowhere. She braked again, lost her balance, and wobbled precariously.
“Whoa!” The deep voice belonged to the man she had almost crashed into; fortunately, he caught her and stopped her from falling.
Unfortunately, he turned out to be Henrik Eklund.
She couldn’t help registering how solid his torso was. He held her firmly to keep the bike from tipping over.
“Sorry,” she whispered. She freed herself from his grip and got off, her legs trembling.
“Are you okay?”
“Ssh!”She put a finger to her lips.
“Why are we whispering?”
“Because there’s someone I don’t want to talk to just around the corner.” She moved over to the wall, where the glow of the streetlamps didn’t quite reach and she was hidden by the shadows. Henrik followed her, raised his eyebrows. “And what is this someone doing there?”
