“My what?” Alice asked. He was standing inches from her and she could smell his soap and the chocolate that clung to him. Without having to ask, she was certain he’d been making candy up until the time he had to come on set. Or perhaps practicing some dishes in preparation for the show.
“Your Santa hat. This is a Christmas show,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.
Was he joking with her? Thank God, he wasn’t mad. She almost laughed but kept her response in check. “It’s in the same place as your chef’s coat. This is a cooking show.” Unlike the other competitors, he’d opted for a black, fitted CG T-shirt, and signature 3Square red apron. His hair was pulled back and he’d shaved. She wanted to stand on her toes, brush her lips across the smooth flesh, and press her body into his hard one. Like she had in his apartment.
“I’m not a chef.” He looped his thumb in the apron strings, his middle finger tapping the stiff fabric with nervous energy.
“And I’m not Santa.” Alice glanced at her watch and settled the notebook close to her chest. She’d done countless episodes of 3Square and each one had its own challenges. Out of one hundred plus shows, she’d never encountered a contestant that she’d had any real sexual interest in. Then again, nothing regarding this show or this contestant was normal.
Niko laid a hand on her forearm, the heat of his fingers warming her entire being. “You are to me. Because of you, I have a better chance to help Chloe and my family.”
She met his earnest gaze and swallowed, unsure of what to say. He’d put his faith in her and once he found out the truth, he’d never look at her the same again. She cleared her throat, her stomach churning. “Don’t thank me yet. The show hasn’t even started. Speaking of which, I’d better get to work.”
He squeezed her arm one last time before he dropped his hand and faced forward. What she wouldn’t give to kiss him good luck but she was certain that wouldn’t go over well with the other contestants.
“Alice are we ready?” Grace asked, straightening and adjusting her wide, black belt.
“Give me a minute and then we’ll begin.” Alice rushed to the makeshift editing room behind the kitchen and checked all camera angles one last time.
Niko appeared in frame and she flipped to the next station in a bid for self-preservation. She couldn’t concentrate on Niko. She had a job to do and it wasn’t to obsess over him. Turning on her mic, she returned to the judges’ table, wary of looking at the contestants while she addressed the crowd. “All right everyone, quiet on the set. I’d like to start by introducing our host, Grace Chen. You might recognize her from Seattle Now.”
Grace waved and the audience applauded.
“I want to start out by thanking you for watching the show. Tonight’s production is part one of our first holiday special. The rules will be similar but instead of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we’ll be giving each chef a holiday theme, and the contestants will be required to interpret that theme. Can I get a round of applause for our contestants?” And a prayer for Niko. He’d need all the help he could get.
Alice clicked on a button and the image of a Christmas tree appeared.
“And the icon is showing above your station.” Grace said.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Niko looked down at his Chucks and inhaled, anxious to begin. He’d managed a few hours of sleep the night before but mostly, he’d spent the night surfing the internet, looking for ideas and trying to forget the interlude with Alice. He’d even watched an episode of 3Square but it hadn’t given him any inspiration other than the desire to get on set and prove he was as good as the other contestants. While he’d be getting ten thousand for competing, he wanted to be the last man standing. It wasn’t all about the money. Pride and the thrill of competition – whether it was fighting off a brutal opponent or cooking against seasoned professionals – played a huge part.
“Contestants, the timer starts…now,” Grace said.
He spun around to see the icon broadcast on the screen behind the stations. A Christmas tree. He angled his head and studied the way the branches of the blue spruce floated above each other; the needles defined in explicit detail.
Think. Think. Think.
The other chefs were racing around the kitchen, running to the pantry for ingredients. Niko already had his main ingredient, chocolate. Picking up the pace, he hurried to the dish area, snatched several glass mixing bowls, and an 18 x 26 baking pan. Dropping them on the countertop at his station, he put two pans of water on the stove before he lined the baking pan with parchment paper.
Prep done, he raced to the pantry, narrowly avoiding Field whose arms were full of flour, allspice, and cornstarch. Mind spinning, he surveyed the tall, metal shelving units stocked with everything one would need to make desserts. An entire shelf was dedicated to chocolate. Decent but none of them compared to his own recipe. He snatched up candy canes, peppermint extract, and dashed to the refrigerator for some heavy cream.
Returning to his station, he washed his hands and donned a pair of gloves before he grabbed the bowl of dark chocolate. The show had provided each contestant with cooking utensils and assorted tools required for baking. His hand was less than steady as he gripped the rubber spatula, willing himself to relax. Probably shouldn’t have had that last energy drink. After mixing his ingredients, he stirred the melting chocolate with one hand while he took a mallet to the candy canes, crushing the red and white sticks into small chunks.
With his chocolate ready, Niko glanced at the clock. Big mistake. Time flew but he was used to making his chocolates fast. Only, in his own kitchen, if he made a mistake, he could fix it. He folded the crushed candy into the chocolate and added the peppermint oil. In a competition, a mistake could be the the difference between standing upright or finding yourself ass-down on the mat. No pressure, right? Focus. He dipped the tip of a spoon into the chocolate, brought it to his mouth and rolled it on this tongue. The peppermint oil enhanced the flavor to perfection, boosting his confidence level.
He rolled a piece of parchment, fitted a piping tip on the end, and spooned melted chocolate into the cone. On the baking sheet, he made a series of circles, each larger than the last until he had enough for the four trees. Of course, the chef on the videos he’d watched for research made it look so easy. He took the fork tine and dragged it from the middle out, creating the pine needle effect. In a normal environment, he’d have put the chocolate into the refrigerator to cool but this wasn’t normal and he opted for the blast chiller freezer instead.
Using a new bowl, he starting melting the white chocolate. Not truly chocolate since it lacked cocoa solids but that was a moot point. Most people didn’t know the difference and Niko couldn’t afford to be a chocolate snob at this juncture. He grabbed a new piece of parchment and pastry tip, and spooned in the white chocolate. Niko had a lot riding on this for Chloe’s sake and for the future of CG. Money had never been as important to him as it had been in the past six months. He hated the desperation that fueled his need to obtain more and despaired over the reasons why.
“Looks yummy, Niko. Are you making peppermint bark?” Grace asked, coming to stand beside him.
“Yes,” he said, not daring to lose his concentration.
“This looks pretty intense; will you have enough time to finish?”
“Hope springs eternal.” Inspecting his progress, his level of certainty increased. But he couldn’t claim success until the dessert was sitting in front of the judges. “Want to help? I have plenty of parchment paper.”
