The cameras were back in my face.
"This is a delicate operation!" I screeched. "Sorry, please don't put that in the show!"
Zane laughed. "Too late! You're hilarious when you're harried."
"It's just these macarons. They make me crazy," I said as I carefully assembled the tops, my tongue between my teeth. The shells had to match exactly. They couldn't be even slightly askew. Everything had to be impeccable.
Originally, I had wanted to hand-paint some, but looking at the clock, I saw that I just didn't have the time.
I arranged the macarons carefully in a line down the center of a long rectangular plate. I wasn't going to add any garnish. Each judge would receive a simple, perfect presentation.
The judges applauded when Anastasia called time. Nina rubbed my shoulders as we walked into the holding room. I looked at other people's dishes—they had beautiful, more avant-garde–type desserts. Mine was the most basic.
I chewed on my lip. I hoped the macarons were good enough. I also hoped Jack liked them.
34
Jack
"These are perfect," Anu said as she ate one of Chloe's macarons. "They are quite simply technically perfect."
"Also, can I just say I'm glad you didn't make cute little animals or something," Nick said to Chloe. "These are just perfectly round little bites of flavor. The texture, the variety, the consistency, everything is flawless."
I looked at the macarons. The only thing my mother ever baked were macarons. The rest of the cooking Belle had always done. My mother liked to make macarons because she liked to show off what a great chef she was. I knew what a technically perfect macaron was, because my mother was of course able to produce them. Chloe's macarons were perfect. However—and maybe it was my history—they felt soulless.
"Jack," Nick said. "Comments?"
"I see the Platinum Provisions equipment didn't let you down," I teased.
Chloe blushed. "You heard that?"
"Cut her some slack," Anu said. "Macarons will drive you mad. But you did well, Chloe."
"I need a drink!" she said with a laugh.
"After all that, I would say you deserved it," Nick said.
The rest of the contestants had made amazing dishes. One girl, Chloe's friend Nina, had made a twist on a croquembouche. She had little towers of tiny puff pastries filled with orange cream. The tower was layers of the little tiny puff pastries and little wafers studded with candied cranberries and orange peel then draped with spun caramel. It looked like a tree.
"That dessert was clever," Nate said. "But the macarons were technically perfect."
"That's the name of the challenge," Anu agreed. "And she made technically perfect macarons, and in a variety of flavors that still had the sense of Christmas."
The two judges seemed to like Chloe's macarons the best, so I went along with it. I knew she wanted to win. A guy who had made panaforte was sent home.
It was late, and the contestants still had to sit for post-challenge interviews. I wasn't sure if I would be able to spend time with Chloe that night. Then I saw her coming down the hall towards me.
"Did you like the macarons?" Chloe asked me, her face rosy.
"Uh…" I was such a terrible liar.
Her face fell.
"You know I don't like sweets," I said hastily. "They were great, just, macarons aren't my favorite."
"I worked really hard on them," she said.
"I know you did, and it shows." I felt bad for not being more enthusiastic. There were a ton of people around, so I didn't want to get into the long, drawn-out, painful explanation.
