“Why not? You’d be great at this. You’ve done other contests, haven’t you?”
“Not for a while.”
“Well, let’s hear what Shayne has to say before you make a decision.”
Reena smiled blandly, but she couldn’t imagine any more information that would tempt her. After everything that had happened to her blog, she did not want to be put in the spotlight again in the food world.
Ten minutes later, Shayne wordlessly sat back down on the couch, eyes glistening with excitement.
“Well?” Marley asked, leaning forward.
“Anderson…”Shayne sighed and fanned his face with his hand. “I just absolutely can’t with him. You know what he just told me? He said I was the first person who’d ever—”
“Shayne, the contest!”
He seemed to snap out of his daze. “Right. Yes.” He scanned the room, then grabbed a pad of paper from the coffee table. “Here…this is complicated, you’ll want to take notes.” He tossed the paper and a pen at Reena. “So, this is the mostReenathing that I’ve ever heard about, and if you don’t do it, I will no longer be able to gloat that my friend is the savviest blogger out there. This thing is made for you.”
“Yes…but Shayne, I’m not actually a blogger anymore. I—”
“Ah!” He put his hand out to stop her. “Just listen and trust, Reena. So, it’s called the FoodTVHome Cooking Showdown. It’s not a search for a new network host, per se, but the winners get a one-off special. The buzz is they don’t want to commit to promising a show, but are using the contest as an unofficial open call for new talent.”
Shayne frowned and poked the still-blank paper in Reena’s hand. “You’re not writing!”
She rolled her eyes, but wroteFoodTVHome Cooking Showdownon the sheet.
“How do you apply?” Marley asked.
“You do an audition video to get in. They pick, like, eight contestants or something out of the auditions. Then the contestants make two more videos by themselves from home. And I think they get to go to the FoodTV studios? I kinda zoned out then because I was imagining Anderson wearing one of those headset things on set…I want to play director and innocent ingenue with him…”
“Shayne,” Marley said, laughing.
“Right. So, it’s public voting, not expert judges. Because really, it’s about the personality and what the food looks like, not the taste, or anything.”
“This sounds like a reality show, Shayne.” Reena had no interest in that. None.
He nodded enthusiastically. “Yes!”
“I don’t—”
Shayne grinned. “Here’s the inside scoop that only someone who isintimatelyacquainted with someone on the production team would know—they are really hoping for a bit of diversity in the contestants. They want to showcase all the different food cultures in Canada. They are not going to pick any run-of-the-mill Mike and Michelle McBasic. I think you’d be a shoo-in.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Because I’m brown?”
Shayne nodded. “Yeah, and because you’re the best cook I know. And you’re cute as shit, too. Marley can fluff up your hair a bit and put you in something sexy. And believe me, youwantthe grand prize.”
The more he said, the more Reena was sure that she didn’t want to do this, but Shayne’s expression was so annoyingly smug, she wanted to wipe it off his face. “Okay, fine. I’ll bite. What’s the grand prize?”
He smiled broadly. “Get your pen ready…theHome Cooking Showdownis in conjunction with the Asler Institute of Culinary Arts. The winner gets a ten thousand-dollar scholarship.”
Damn.
Reena stilled. That changed everything. The artisan bread course was at the Asler Institute. With that scholarship, she could finally enroll. Hell, she could take the whole baking and pastry arts program.
She bit her lip. Soooo tempting.
“You have to do it, Reena,” Marley said. “Seriously. We’ll help. Shayne can film it, and I’ll help with your hair and clothes. You don’t need help with the cooking part. We’ll make sure you get this. No one deserves—”
“Cool your jets, Marl,” Shayne interrupted with one hand up. “There is one glitch. There is something Reena doesn’t have that she would need as a contestant.”
