43
I WISH HE’D SAID DATING
ISLA
In the morning, I pace through the Sugar Plum Bakery like a coach giving a pep talk. I am all focus. “This is our wheelhouse. This is our chance to shine, isn’t it, ladies?”
“Damn right it is,” Eloise says, her game face on, right along with her apron.
“If anyone beats me, I will retire,” Aurora declares theatrically.
I point at her. “Do not ever say such an awful thing. You will bake delicious goodies till the end of time.”
Aurora grins. “True. I may even serve cake in the afterlife.”
“And I will visit your eternal bakery. For now, in this life, we’re going to win,” I say, then gesture to the door. “Let’s go to the North Pole Nook and Tavern.”
We gather our ingredients for the competition today. It’s one of the last ones—Cocoa and Cocktails. The trick is to make the best hot cocoa and then a version of it spiked. The judges taste test both versions to ensure the liquor isn’t masking the flavor. It’s like the long and short program in ice skating. You need to nail both.
Since I’ve got a baker on my team, I’m betting on us. Plus, Mabel’s here in town as a sort of honorary coach. She’ll be helping out at our station as a volunteer, so if I need a piece of advice here or there, I can ask her.
Our team is in second place, but we’re inches away from the first team on the leaderboard—the Ice Queens. With a strong finish, we can take home the prize after the final competition, and give twenty thousand dollars to charity.
My jaw tightens as I think about how badly I want the victory—and I’m not even the one competing.
For the salted caramels.
For the charity.
But also…so I don’t walk away from Evergreen Falls with nothing to show for it.
After we pack up the ingredients, with Aurora handing the store reins on a busy day to her trusted employees, we head to the North Pole Nook. I tighten my coat. It’s chillier than usual. Along the way, the air bites my cheeks, but the cold isn’t the reason my chest is a metal ball of anxiety and want.
I hate failing. I’ve always expected the best from myself. I excelled in school. I succeeded at work. I built my podcast into one of the top dating podcasts around. I used it as a launching pad for Cupid’s Confidante, which has been wildly successful. Have I matched everyone? No. But my record is in the top tier of matchmakers—in just one year.
Then, I worked with Rowan.
And I didn’t finish the job.
My stomach plummets.
On top of that, I’m going to leave this town with a breakup on my track record.My own.Fine, we’ll say we’rebetter off as friends, but anyone who saw us kissing each other’s faces off yesterday would know there’s nothing just friendly about the two of us. They’ll know our romance fizzled. And I’ll look like I don’t know what I’m doing in the dating department.
Ugh. Why didn’t I think on that more deeply before I said yes to his wild fake-dating scheme?
Because you wanted him too much to weigh up the consequences.
And I still do. Especially after the way he surprised me last night.
With those dark thoughts nagging at me, we head inside, where other teams are setting up at tables in the tavern. Best to put aside all this…anxiety. It won’t help me.
Time to dominate.
At our table, I reach into my canvas bag and hand out aprons to my teammates. I just had them made in town this week. They saySugar Plum Ladiesand have nutcracker designs on the front.
“You did not,” Eloise says, her jaw agape.
“I so did,” I say.
