I tried to look around as the stagehands swapped out the plates of desserts. Where had they taken Holly's cookies? Surely they didn't toss them. Were they eating them?
“Who do you want to pick as the winner?” Anu asked Chloe as the last contestant was escorted to the greenroom.
“Holly's cookies were just too homemade. They were very lacking in professionalism,” Nick interjected.
“They tasted good at least,” I retorted. “Especially compared to that guy with the purple hair. His cookies tasted like grass.”
“They were vegan,” Chloe added.
“You can make a tasty vegan cookie, but those weren't it,” Anu said with a shudder.
“They were beautifully decorated though,” Chloe said. “But yes, of course it's better to serve something tasty than beautiful and borderline inedible.”
We finished the discussion. Then it was time to announce the decisions.
“Fiona,” Chloe said when the contestants all filed in front of us. “Your cookies were beautiful, tasty, and technically perfect. Congratulations! You win this round! Would Holly and Waldo step forward. Waldo, while we appreciate you trying to bring something different to the world of baking, a kale and applesauce cookie just didn't bring on the Christmas spirit. Holly, your cookies were simply lacking in finesse and aren't what we expect to see at this level of competition,” Anu added.
Holly pursed her mouth angrily. She didn't even seem to be scared of being sent home.
“Holly, you're safe for another round. Step up your game.”
17
Holly
“How dare they?” I fumed after all the contestants had sat in front of the camera as Dana asked for our reactions. “Those are my grandmother's famous sugar cookies,” I said, pacing around the master bedroom in the penthouse. Morticia sat on the bed. “Everyone loves those cookies. You remember Mimi's boyfriend? He was sick, and I sent cookies back with you. Everyone thought he was dying, and the cookies gave him another year to live.”
“It probably was the antibiotics,” Morticia said, flopping back on the bed.
“It was the cookies!” I exclaimed.
“We need to decorate the lobby,” Morticia said in a bored tone. “Fiona just texted me and says she's down there already.”
“And Owen.” I continued to seethe as I followed Morticia downstairs with my decorating kit. Yes, I had a decorating kit. Yes, I was delusional and thought that one day in the near future, a craft room would simply sprout up in my nonexistent dream apartment.
Instead, I was confronted with a sea of boxes when we stepped off the elevator into the tower lobby. More had been delivered since yesterday, and there was a maze of cardboard.
“I can't believe they put him on the judge's board. Isn't that just the worst? Owen Frost is just a pretty face. He has no idea what's going on. You can tell he thinks the whole thing is stupid.” I angrily tore into a nearby box.
Morticia took out a huge knife and started cutting the plastic ties that held the boxes together. We spent the next several hours unboxing and decorating. I even livestreamed some of my decorating to my followers.
Zane also came down and shot footage of the decorating process. Making the lobby into a winter wonderland lifted my mood. Screw those judges if they didn't like my cookies. I was going to enjoy the Christmas season and enjoy baking.
“We made a fair amount of progress,” I said, looking around. It was dark outside, and Quantum Cyber's workers had mostly left for the evening. A few of the hotel guests were milling in the lobby, watching us bring Christmas to the space.
“Come help me position this last tree,” Fiona said.
We rotated it until it was straight. We were still waiting on the giant tree I'd ordered to tower in the atrium space. The garlands were waiting to be hung as soon as a scissor lift was delivered.
“The furniture looks amazing!” Fiona gushed, snapping pictures for her own social media.
“Hey, six figures should get you something nice,” I said, admiring how we'd used the various chairs, ottomans, and benches to create cozy spaces. Fairy lights softly glowed, nestled in the garland that was draped along the walls.
Morticia had put her art degree to good use and had made several metal sculptures in the months before the competition. There were winter scenes with reindeer, elks, and even one with cute penguins. The metal sculptures were lit up, and instead of fake snow, we'd used white fur throws to give a more abstract winter feel.
“It's beautiful,” Fiona sighed.
“I think we need some more plants,” I said. Morticia scowled. “Just some poinsettias,” I told her.
