She laughed and shook her head, the bell at the end of her hat tinkling. “Nice try, but I’d rather do the tasting.”
“I’ll save you a piece.” He finished the last layer and straightened. Step one done, on to step two.
“I’ve had your chocolate, so I’m holding you to that promise. Fifteen minutes,” she said, before she walked to Field’s station to question her.
Niko began to assemble the first tree by tiering fifteen layers and securing each with chocolate. Once done, he bent down and surveyed his work. The pieces of candy folded throughout the chocolate created color and texture, enhancing the dessert. If he weren’t under the scrutiny of everybody on the set, he’d be jumping up and down. One down, three more to go. Years of practicing his craft had honed his skills and the remaining candy trees came together without a single crack in the chocolate layers. Now it was time to decorate them and make his vision a reality.
“Seven minutes,” Grace said.
Panic tightened his chest and he forced himself to inhale. You can do this. Keep moving. He retrieved his white chocolate covered plates from the chiller, and using a spatula, carefully deposited the delicate Christmas trees into them. In the distance, he could hear the judges talking to Alice. As the director, she was watching the entire show.
Watching him.
The fourth tree shifted to the left, nearly sliding off the plate. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed up his piping bag and fixed it. Niko wanted to forget Alice. She’d made herself clear where he stood with her. But he wasn’t one to give up. If he had to move slowly with her, so be it. And accomplish what? Alice wasn’t sticking around after the show. She was going home.
“Five minutes.”
He unscrewed the top of the edible paint and alternated red, green, and gold, dots onto the white chocolate portion of the layer. Creating the illusion of lights, the trees came to life. “Two minutes.”
Almost there. He painted four star-shaped pieces of chocolate gold and with the piping bag bonded them to the top of the tree.
Time.
Holy shit, he’d done it.
Niko raised his hands and a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. He wiped at it with his forearm before he slipped off his gloves and inspected his dish. They looked beautiful, not as polished as he’d like, but he was confident the flavors were there. He cast a glance at the other contestants who had equally appealing plates. Flexing his hands, he stretched his neck. He’d done what he could. The judges would make their decision. He hoped that his extra bit of flair would make him a stand out.
He needed this win for himself and for Chloe.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Dean’s plates are gone. AD let’s continue on with Niko.”
Alice perched on the edge of her chair and tapped the toe of her shoe in the air. The entire hour and a half had flown by, her heart in her throat for most of it but Niko had pulled through. Each chef was required to set their creation in front of the judges and explain what the dishes were. Niko brought his well-crafted Christmas trees to the table. They were gorgeous and pride for his accomplishments swelled inside her chest. The judges would have to be crazy not to put him through to the next round.
“Before each of you is a peppermint bark Christmas tree with dark and white chocolate infused with peppermint oil. The star tree toppers are edible white chocolate.” Niko smiled at the judges and his innate charm came across through the camera. With his long hair pulled back, tattoo peeking out on his left bicep, he was a rebel, and her rebellious body responded. She uncrossed her legs and stood, unable to sit immobile while she waited for the judge’s responses. She had too much riding on his win. Granted, she’d still be filming at CG but if he didn’t move on, she’d lose valuable time with Chloe.
Frank, a local food critic, tore off the first layer of the tree, inspected the sweet before he popped it into his mouth. He nodded his dark head, lips curling. “Nice, this is nice. It’s the right amount of sweetness and texture.”
Alice shifted on her feet and clutched the notepad in her hand. A good start with positive feedback. “Let’s move to Chef Sven.”
The Swedish chef, and the owner of the largest organic dessert company in Seattle, broke a piece in half. He held it up to the light. “Nice sheen.” Smelling the chocolate, he placed a small piece on his tongue. “High cocoa content, sweet condensed milk. I’m not normally a peppermint fan, but I like this. Well done.”
“Thank you.” Niko’s flexed his shoulders as he clasped his hands behind his back. If he was nervous, he hid it well. Alice was nervous for him. Not a good sign for someone who was supposed to be impartial.
“Move on to Elaine.”
The EN network host and a regular judge on 3Square lifted the plate and inspected her untouched dessert. Unlike the two men, she was a hard one to read. “This is very pretty and inventive. I like the way you went in an unconventional way. I’m reluctant to ruin the dessert by eating it.” She tore off a layer and ate a bite, chewed, and nodded her head. “It tastes as great as it looks. The dark chocolate is exceptional. Well done.”
Yes! Alice plopped back into her seat, more thrilled than she should be. Who was she trying to fool? She wanted him to win and not just for Chloe. For him. He deserved something positive in his life to offset the negative. He was a smart, caring man and she wished she could be the woman for him. She wasn’t.
Niko angled his chin, the dimple in his cheek making an appearance. Elaine arched a well-shaped brow and her glittering eyes inspected him from head to toe. Slut. Alice bit back a laugh at her immediate visceral reaction. While she liked Elaine well enough, over the years, Elaine had slept her way through the show’s contestants. In her defense, she at least waited until the show was over. Not much consolation given the fact that Niko returned her blatant grin with one of his own.
“Ask Niko why he’s competing on the show?” Alice instructed Grace. She was curious to hear what he’d claim were his reasons. He’d sworn he wouldn’t mention anything regarding Chloe until the last segment but he’d also been fighting with her over money. Perhaps he might have changed his mind and give her something to work with.
His jaw tightened the slightest and the flirtatious light in his eyes dimmed. He unlinked his hands from behind his back and settled them on his hips. “My family thought it would be fun to have me compete. My niece is a super fan and never misses a show.”
“Ask him what charity he’s playing for and ask why.” Her attraction to him aside, she had to find out more about Chloe and time was running out. After the special, she’d have no reason to stick around. Unless you have an affair with him. Yes, and she’d win the lottery and solve world peace.
