Okay, I guess we’re already at the hugging stage.
I patted his back and shifted in my seat, not wanting to offend him but needing to end this hug.
“May I have your attention, everyone,” Pascal called out.
Using the distraction as my escape, I sat upright and pulled my blouse back into place. Turned out Charlie was a fierce hugger. I’d have to make sure not to get too close next time.
“Thank you so much, everyone, for coming out tonight. I love seeing so many familiar faces and can’t wait to kick off the show tomorrow.”
My eyes fell on a familiar face seated next to Pascal, and my body froze. He lifted his gaze, and all the air left my lungs. Surely, my luck couldn’t be this bad. There were millions of people living in America. What were the chances that we’d run into each other?
Turned out the odds were not in my favor, because I was currently locked in a stare down with familiar—and once irresistible—hazelnut eyes. His gaze was shuttered, but he’d definitely recognized me.
My hair might be shorter, and I’d dropped a few pounds, but there was no hiding the scar over my eyebrow or my sky-blue eyes.
His attention was diverted when the woman next to him put her hand on his arm. He leaned down to talk to her, but I couldn’t stop staring at him.
Is it hot in here? And why is it so hard to swallow? I need a drink.
Scratch that. I need to get out of here. Now.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” I whispered to Charlie and Philipa.
I stumbled over my chair when I stood up, pushing it back with a loud screech. Heads turned my way, and I felt eyes follow me all the way out of the room. I couldn’t help but look back when I was at the door.
Grayson was looking at me, the woman next to him still talking. I almost forgot why I was so eager to get away from him. His attention was all I’d ever wanted, after all. But that was then. And I’d learned my lesson.
Two
Turned out participating in a reality TV show was a lot of preparation and not much baking. It was almost one in the afternoon, and all I’d done so far was stand in front of the counter I would bake on while everyone flitted around me, setting up lights and other equipment.
They’d buffed and polished me to within an inch of my life. Scared to breathe too much in fear of blowing off some of the makeup that had been scraped onto my face by an eager artist, I took shallow inhales. Blinking was a whole other matter, since the fake eyelashes weighed so much. I constantly fought the urge to give in and close my eyes.
For the first time since deciding to take part in the show, I wondered if I’d made the right call. But I’d come too far to give up without even having turned on a mixer.
And if there was one thing I knew how to do, it was bake. I loved it, had done it since I was old enough to hold a spoon. My sister taught me everything I knew, and she’d been the best baker I’d known.
Her dream had always been to open a bakery. When she died, her dream became my single focus in life. Everything I’d done was with purpose and to get me one step closer to owning a bakery.
I’d accomplished what I set out to do, and I was proud of my bakery, Sweet Dreams. But it hadn’t been as fulfilling as I’d thought it would be. I was still restless. I still wasn’t happy. And I’d always felt like I’d been living someone else’s dream.
So I focused on a new dream. One that included opening another bakery in Denver. But I needed capital first. So when I heard about the prize money forShake That Cake, I filled out an application faster than Willa ate one of my cupcakes.
“I can’t wait for our first challenge.” Mae appeared at my side, a faraway look on her face. “I hope I don’t forget any of the ingredients.”
I smiled at her, trying to put her at ease. It was impossible to see her as the competition. She was too damn nice. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t rush things.”
Her tinkling laugh sounded clear, even among the noise of the film crew and instructions the photographer kept barking at George, one of the other contestants. “I’m terribly impatient and rush through everything. My mom always called me ‘roadrunner’ because I never walked anywhere when I was a child, only ran.”
“Well, good thing you have me, then. I’ve never forgotten a recipe. So if you forget an ingredient, ask me.”
She threw herself at me and squeezed me tight. I hugged her back, smiling.
“Mae, Rayna, they want you in front of the giant cupcake for the group shot,” one of the assistants called out. There were so many of them, it was hard to keep track.
At least they were easy to identify since they frantically raced around the place, constantly talking into their headsets, wearing giant lanyards around their necks.
Mae released me and took my hand, leading me over to where the other contestants had already gathered. She probably thought I’d make a break for it since I’d long given up keeping a smile on my face.
