It had been a nightmare for Alice watching that unfold and unable to do a damn thing about it. It was bad enough that she intervened when he’d worn the deer in the headlight look of indecision.
“And you didn’t think to tell me? That wasn’t very nice,” he said.
“No, it wasn’t very nice of me but those are the rules.” Grace’s bubbly laughter sounded over the microphone. Alice’s heart melted for a different reason. She missed Grace on a professional level. Her friend was such a natural in front of the camera and although she’d moved on to her own show, they partnered well together. Perhaps she could convince Grace to produce a different show with her. Maybe Niko’s?
Niko unrolled the chocolate tubes, each a perfect cylinder, and laid them on the open end.
“Ask him what he’s making.” Alice had been with him for countless hours in the kitchen, observing his process. Although he’d choked at the beginning, he’d recovered well. Would he recover as easily once she was out of his life? He worked too much by his own admission. That didn’t mean there weren’t opportunities for him to meet someone. Like the brunette from the bar. She was pretty.
Bitch.
Meow.
She bit back a laugh at her own petty jealousy. The pressure was getting to her. It had to be. Except there was a better explanation and it had a lot to do with strong emotions that she had no right to feel.
“What are you making? It looks complicated.”
“It is complicated but the worst part is over.” He pulled the warmed pan off the stove. Taking the rolled tube, he rested it on the heated bottom, melting the chocolate before he settled it on to the chocolate saucer.
“It’s a cup, wow, a chocolate cup. Yum, make one for me.” Grace shook her head, amazement lightening her eyes. “This looks like an awful lot of work. Do you think you’re going to have enough time to finish after your mishap?”
Niko performed the same process on the pan bottom for the delicate handle he’d crafted out of chocolate, before he pressed it onto the side of the cup. “I could use a few more minutes if you want to turn back the clock.”
“Me too,” Diana called out, her face streaked with powdered sugar. The audience laughed and Grace’s smile deepened. “Nice try, you two.”
Alice couldn’t have asked for finalists that were more personable. In her experience, it made for a better received show. While the tough chefs like Beau garnered attention with their bravado, the quiet ones put their skill behind their words. “Get ready to call the ten-minute mark in five, four, three….”
“Ten minutes contestants.”
Alice crossed her legs and gripped the seat’s armrest when Niko nearly collided with Diana. She was going to need an entire bottle of wine by the time this show ended.
Or better yet, a few shots of rum with Niko and a repeat of their first night together.
“Better not burn them again,” Diana said, dodging his elbow.
“I’ll try not to.” He spun on his heel, turned the corner into his station, and lifted the cookies out of the oven with a folded kitchen towel.
Please be done, please be done.
He placed them on the cooling rack, a grin lighting his face.
Alice slumped back against the cushion and gave the direction to roll the montage of the kids making decorations, this time focusing on Henry, Beau’s son. The boy’s mother sat near his wheelchair parked next to the Christmas tree. His father had refused to come on set, thus missing the joy on his son’s face when he saw himself on camera holding the Christmas kitten. He was a sweet boy and deserved better than Beau.
How different Alice’s life would have been had she kept her daughter. She wouldn’t have been able to spend twenty-hour days on the job, or travel from city to city with just herself to care for. Twenty-year-old Alice had been naïve and ambitious. She was still ambitious but in a different way. Being around Chloe had made her realize how short life was and how she’d wasted many hours on things that meant nothing now yet seemed like everything at the time. Older not wiser.
The montage ended and Alice issued instructions to the crew to broadcast some social media posts and tweets. She’d given Brooke strict instructions to keep them family friendly. Diana’s were above-board. Many of Niko’s were somewhat raunchy. He’d definitely get his own show. Alice had received several hits on her email from various studios inquiring about him. She’d answered back a noncommittal response, promising to forward their emails to him.
Part of her wanted to erase them all and selfishly keep him to herself. She couldn’t. Alice owed it to him to let his career soar. He might not be able to travel but he could be like Grace and get his own local, internet, or satellite show. Chocolate was his life. Television would pay his bills.
Assuming he wanted to follow a career in broadcasting.
“Let’s go to commercial,” she said.
From his excitement at her proposal, he was interested. If she weren’t personally involved, she’d even co-produce one with Grace. They’d gotten 3Square off the ground together, with Grace as the host, and Alice as the director. It was fun for the first year, until Grace moved to Seattle. Now she had her own show and was happy in her new life.
Alice had been born in Washington but her mother moved them to California after Brooke was born. She’d gotten a partial scholarship to Washington State University and had jumped at the opportunity to escape her mother’s house at the first opportunity. After graduation, she’d returned home to intern at EN, determined to put the trauma with Lance and her pregnancy behind her. She’d thrown herself into work until she met Richard. Once she’d become engaged, she’d ignored his suggestion to move in together, or even to relocate to the east coast. In hindsight, she was grossly unfair to him. She owed Richard a big apology, along with the return of her engagement ring.
“Seven minutes,” Grace called out.
