“Giving us the chance to start over.”
“Truly?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, hi there, I’m Staci Rowland.”
“Ah, the cupcake baker. Nice to meet you, cupcake girl,” he said.
She shook her head and smiled at him. It had been so long since he’d called her that. She missed it, she realized.
“I’m Remy....Remy Cruzel,” he said. “I’m the Executive Chef at Gastrophile in New Orleans.”
“Of the famous Cruzels?” she asked.
“One and the same. I’m here to prove I can cook but now that I’m meeting you...cooking is actually the farthest thing from my mind.”
“I didn’t see that in your bio,” she said.
“That’s because I’m keeping my true identity a secret but I have a feeling I can trust you.”
“Trust is a big thing for me,” she said.
“I can understand that,” he said. “I?—”
She fake stumbled into him and he caught her. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek but he turned his head and kissed her full on the lips instead. He held her tenderly in his arms. She had missed the feel of his arms around her, too. He drew her closer to him.
“That’s what I wanted to do when you fell into me that first time,” he said.
“I would have called the cops,” she said.
“Would you have?” he asked. “My kisses are pretty good. Maybe you’ve forgotten.”
He leaned down and kissed her again slowly and passionately and she wrapped her arms around him, wanting to hold him close. But the elevator doors opened and they sprung apart.
“Ladies first,” Remy said.
Heading down the hallway to the studio, they entered and found that the entire cast had been invited back. Staci had a quick catch-up with Vivian and then it was time to get ready for the taping.
They were both miked and had stage make-up put on and then sent to their stations. Staci had been practicing her menu in her mind since the beginning of the week. The dishes they’d prepared throughout the week would be the ones they’d make today. She knew she had to improve on her appetizer course, which she’d lost to both men.
“Welcome, Chefs. It seems like a long time ago when you first stood in this room and now we’re down to two would be Premier Chefs left standing before us. Chef Rowland and Chef Cruzel,” Hamilton said.
“You two have impressed us by winning Quick Cooks and challenges but mostly you’ve won us over with your fabulous dishes,” Lorenz said.
“Today is your last chance to out-do the competition and claim the title of Premier Chef,” Pete said.
“Chefs, it is time to start cooking,” Fatima chimed in. “The cameras are rolling. We’ll begin with appetizers and you will each have thirty minutes to prepare them. Your time starts now.”
Staci cooked her heart out but Remy’s dish won five points and hers only four. The next round was a tie with them both scoring five points each. Staci was nervous and so afraid she might lose but then she thought, as she watched Remy cooking, that she’d gained more the last six weeks than she’d ever expected to.
At the dessert round, she was completely focused and felt confident. Remy went first, presenting his dessert to the judges and after a few minutes they asked for hers. The judges tasted her Crème Freche Torte and sent her and Remy to the main studio to await the final results. There, Remy quickly pulled her into his arms away from the cameras and the audience.
“Now it’s time for me to do what I should have done in New York when we were at the Empire State Building. In my heart I knew then that I loved you more than life itself. Iwanted to tell you but was scared that if I did and you later found out about my lie you would never believe in our love.
“And while it’s too late to change the past,” he said, staring into her eyes. “The future is ours and I mean to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you give me another chance at being the man of your dreams?”
“Yes, Remy,” she said. “I will. I love you, too and can’t think of anything I’d like better than being with you.”
