“Yeah,” Matt said. “I guess we should.”
72
Matt
What the fuck, Hensley?
She had sent me almost fifty text messages last night and had called me over and over again.
I didn’t want to even give Hensley the satisfaction of a response from me. I ended up just blocking her number and deleting the messages. I wasn’t going to let my ex ruin the happiness I had with Merrie.
I hoped that Merrie didn’t know my ex was texting me.
Unfortunately, Merrie seemed less than thrilled when I walked up to her at the last episode ofThe Great Christmas Bake-Offthe next morning.
“Don’t worry,” I whispered to her. “We’re going to win. We have a bigger fan base.”
Merrie chewed on her lip and nodded.
I took stock of the competition. Hensley and Brody were still in the bake-off along with a team of two male pastry chefs.
“Welcome to the final episode ofThe Great Christmas Bake-Off,”Anastasia announced when the producer gave her the signal.
“We’re in the final stretch before Christmas. As everyone who is planning Christmas dinner knows, a showpiece dessert can really put a ribbon on your holiday party. Unfortunately, before we start baking, we have to say goodbye to one of our teams. Jason and Kit, we’re sorry, your judges’ scores and fan votes put you at the bottom this week.”
After hugging the two men, Anastasia said, “Matt and Merrie, Hensley and Brody, congratulations, you are our finalists. So, get those rolling pins ready and keep in mind that this event is live. We look forward to seeing your show-stopping dessert in two hours.”
“Two hours!” Merrie was frantic. “I can’t make anything in two hours!”
“Make a cake and decorate it. Everyone likes a pretty cake.” I rested a hand on her back to try to calm her down, but she just stiffened.
“I guess I’ll make a winter wonderland cake,” she finally said. “I’ll decorate it with gingerbread cookies.”
“What do you need from the pantry?” I offered.
“Chocolate, cherries, berries, vanilla bean, sea salt,” she rattled off. “I’m making a five-tiered cake.”
“I’ll grab those for you.” I gave her my best smile.
She just nodded.
What the hell was going on with Merrie? Was she mad about my parents? Was she mad about Hensley? But Merrie had thrown an éclair at her, so she clearly knew I had not wanted to kiss her.
Maybe she found someone else.
There was no one else.
What about Brody?
It couldn’t be.
You’re being paranoid and crazy. Merrie is worried about the bake-off. You just have to win, and she’ll be back to her old bubbly self.
I selected the best-looking cartons of berries—big fat dark cherries, plump raspberries, and the rich dark chocolate she would use for the ganache.
If she was decorating the cake with cookies, we would win for sure. People came from all over the state to line up for her cookies.
“Why didn’t you answer my messages?”
