"I'm speechless," Nick said. "This is just amazing. The fact that you did all of that in like, what, five or six hours? Incredible."
"It's really like watching a master class on desserts," Anu said. "The attention to detail, the fact that all of the flavors work together. I mean, you made, what, seven different types of desserts to create this? You can feel the complexity. But everything works together like a symphony."
"Also," Nick said, "if you have any of this pear tart left back there that I was only given one small sliver of, I'm going to need the rest of it."
"Thank you," Chloe said then walked out, giving her friend a quick hug as Nina stepped up.
Nina's dessert was just as beautiful.
"It's called Sugar Plum," she said. On the plate sat a chocolate sphere studded with little bits of candied fruits and flowers. She cracked it open, and tendrils of fog crept out, revealing the jewel-like dessert within. The sphere held little pieces of fruitcake and colorful sauces.
"This is very impressive," Anu said. "Both your dessert and Chloe's look like they belong on the cover of a magazine. This is Michelin-star cooking."
"Thank you very much." Nina beamed as she walked back to the holding room.
Anu and Nick chatted about the desserts for the cameras. Then they turned to me.
"They both had wonderful desserts," Nick said. "Nina's, however, was a bit better, we think. It was well thought out and restrained. Chloe's was beautiful and tasty, but there was a lot going on."
"Okay," I said, not understanding why they felt the need to tell me. Normally they just decided who the winner was, since they were the experienced chefs.
"You're not going to be upset?" Anu asked in concern. "I heard you and Chloe are… ah… an item."
"It's fine," I said brusquely. "Chloe's an adult." Even as I said the words, I knew she would be heartbroken. She would probably blame me for not sticking up for her. But I didn't want to cause a scene.
When it was time to announce the winner, Chloe and Nina linked arms as they stood in front of us. I couldn't look at Chloe. She was going to be so unhappy.
"Both of you created excellent desserts," Nick said. "Not just today but the entire competition. Unfortunately, someone has to win, and that person is Nina. Your dish was modern but classical, and we think it just barely edged out Chloe's winter garden."
The crew and the judges applauded.
"Oh my!" Nina said, clasping her hands to her mouth.
Chloe hugged her friend. She was smiling, but I could still see the tears in her eyes.
"Chloe and Nina, thank you for all your hard work," Anastasia said. "TheGreat Christmas Bake-Offfrom Romance Creative is a unique show in that it is hosted only online. This gives fans of the show and of the bakers all unprecedented access. We wanted to acknowledge that, so we had a fan favorite poll going around on social media. Chloe, you are the winner of the fan favorite award. So congratulations on that."
Chloe smiled and mouthed "Thank you" to the camera and blew a kiss.
I breathed a sigh of relief. At least she didn't walk away with nothing.
"Both of you have done an excellent job," Anastasia said. "Thank you for your enthusiasm, thank you judges, and thanks to all the fans of the show for watching."
I didn’t have a chance to see Chloe after the bake-off was officially over. She and Nina were whisked away for interviews, and then, I supposed, they would have to make more rounds on talk shows.
Gunnar came over to me. "We made it!" he whooped. "You made it, I should say. Still have all your teeth? The sugar didn't rot them away?"
"I've had my lifetime supply, I think. Though it wasn't all bad," I added, thinking of Chloe's Austrian wedding cookies.
"I hope you're not upset that Chloe didn't win. She won the fan favorite at least." Gunnar looked thoughtful for a moment, and I could practically see dollar signs spewing out of his eyes. "You know what would be great? Since we're doing the next production as somewhat Valentine's Day-themed, maybe we can convince Chloe to marry one of the men."
Rage. Icy cold rage.
"No," I said.
"But she’s a fan favo—"
"No!Absolutely not!Don't even ask!" I thundered.
