What the crap is going on?
Confused whispers ripple through our group. RaeAnn laughs nervously as she links her arm through mine. Theo grins at the front of the tent like a man who has been waiting all morning for this exact moment. Judy is bouncing on her toes next to him, looking like she’s ready to burst. Cameras are already circling to catch every one of our reactions.
“Welcome to your showstopper challenge for the day,” Judy begins. “As you probably noticed, the tent doesn’t look the same as it has for the past couple of weeks.”
“That’s right, Judy. It sure doesn’t. And if any of you are also math nerds in addition to bakers, you’ll see that we have exactly half the number of stations we need. Can anyone guess what that means?” Theo asks, glancing between Judy and us, the camera trained on him.
“We thought it would be fun to do something a little different today to keep things interesting with apairchallenge!” Judy’s exclamation hits my ears, my stomach churns at her words. “We toyed with the idea of having you draw straws to pick your partner, but that felt a little juvenile, so instead, we just chose for you.”
Brandon and Lila.
Diane and RaeAnn.
Khalil and Chloe.
Which leaves me paired with the prickliest man to ever come out of the Great White North.
Biting my lip, I chance a look his way to gauge his reaction, and my stomach goes on another tilt-a-whirl ride. Maybe anxiety and nerves are rearing their ugly heads. Or maybe it’s excitement? I’m getting to work with one of the most talented bakers in the competition.
I don’t understand my own feelings or reaction to the announcement, and I don’t have time to mull it over. I just know that when our eyes meet, he doesn’t look thrilled.
As we scramble to our new, combined stations, the hosts and judges line up across the front of the tent. I trail my fingers over the edge of the workstation, standing a respectable distance from Alex, who radiates what I can only assume is irritation over our current predicament.
He refuses to look at me.
“Now that you are all settled, last week we announced this week’s showstopper as a Southern celebration spread that includes a cake, a pie, and a cobbler.”
Magnolia’s smile is absolutely radiant as she speaks.
“You each went home and came back with a plan. Part of this pair challenge is that you have to blend both partners’ plans together. We need to see elements from each of you, no boycotting one entire idea in favor of the other. As bakers, we need to be able to pivot and adapt when necessary.”
“Oh!” Theo exclaims like he just remembered what he was about to say. “Because you will pass or fail as a team, this is going to be our only double-elimination of the series.”
“Good luck, bakers!” Judy croons. “Make us proud!”
When we’re released to start baking, my tall, brooding partner turns toward me. I mirror him, and we end up face-to-face. He inhales slowly, his pale blue shirt pulling taut as his chest expands.
“Before we jump into this, we need to take a beat and figure out how we’re going to merge our bakes together.”
“No,” I say, shuffling to the far end of our station where the ingredients are set. “We need to getmoving. Time always runs out faster than it should. Pie crust is pie crust, and a cake base is a cake base. We’ll figure out the details as we go.”
A series of emotions flashes across Alex’s face in rapid succession: confusion, disbelief, calculation, and annoyance.
“Taylor, come on.”
Something in his tone snags in my brain. He’s not angry, but clipped, like this one conversation is already a setback for him. It brings me to an abrupt stop, and I turn to listen.
“I know you like to wing it, but we can’t. We can’t risk moving in different directions. Especially since it’s a double-elimination, and you—”
I take a step forward, squinting and crossing my arms, as he trails off. His eyes hold mine briefly before looking away.
“And I what?”
He leans forward, bracing his hands on the work station with another deep breath, and drops his head down between his shoulders.Is he counting to ten?
“You’ve had some really great feedback,” he starts, forcing his voice into a smooth, calming tone. It’s almost the kind you’d expect from someone that’s coaxing a scared animal out of a corner.
“But there’ve also been some really tough critiques, and I don’t think it’s fair for you to risk a swing and a miss when my fate in this competition is also tied to it. Okay?”
