Page 80 of The Baking Games

“Yes, it definitely is. Cake decorating isn’t my top skill.”

He looks at me and chuckles. “Don’t you decorate birthday cakes in a bakery?”

“Not well,” I respond as I pour the ingredients for my Swiss buttercream icing into the mixer.

The next ninety minutes are a whirlwind as I try to recreate the cake on the screen. Every little detail matters. The gold-encrusted star on the top. The red and green ball ornaments. The meticulously crafted angel ornaments. Even the Christmas tree skirt at the bottom has a detailed Christmas village scene.

This is hard. Whoever wins this reward deserves it.

When the bell chimes, we all step back and drop what we’re holding. There’s nothing left to do.

The judges are impressed with everyone, but they’re looking for the two people who came closest to the picture on the screen.

“Lainey, yours looks beautiful, but you forgot to put the gold leaf on your star,” Chef Alain says, making a tsk sound.

“Dang it!” Lainey isn’t happy. She hasn’t won anything this season, but viewers keep her around as either eye candy or a source of amusement.

“Let’s take a look at Connor’s,” Tessa says, craning her head in every direction as she looks at his cake. I swear, I think Tessa flirts with Connor sometimes. If she only knew what a dirtbag he is. “You did a wonderful job with the detailing on the tree skirt.” Connor smiles. I can tell he’s been using his teeth-whitening strips. If the lights go out, we can use his teeth to find our way back to our rooms.

“Still, the ornaments don’t quite match the original photo,” Marco says, leaning in. It looks like they might use a magnifying glass to point out the differences. Connor is fuming, which makes me want to laugh. Instead, I stick out my tongue like a three-year-old. That’s when I hear Rhett snicker beside me.

The judges continue making their way around until they get to Rhett. They rave about his craftsmanship and how he duplicated everything so exactly.

“Look at this ornament. So delicate and fragile, yet you totally made it look like the original,” Tessa says. She outwardly flirts with Rhett. There’s no question about it. But he told me she’s not his type and that her fingers are too long. I didn’t know that was something men looked for—normal-length fingers. Learn something new every day.

“Wonderful!” Chef Alain says, and I know Rhett has to be one of the winners. I’m happy for him, which is something I never thought I’d hear myself say.

They move to my station, and I feel butterflies zipping around in my stomach. Why do I care about this one? It’s just a reward challenge, but I really want to win it for some reason.

All three judges stand there for a moment, looking at my cake. Time seems to stand still because they aren’t moving. They’re just staring and then looking up at the image on the screen.

“Is everything okay?” I finally ask.

Marco smiles. “It’s identical, isn’t it?” He looks at the other judges.

“Savannah, your work here is superb!” Chef Alain says, his French accent on full display. “Our winner!”

I can’t help but grin as Chef Alain grabs my hand—which is way too covered in icing—and thrusts it into the air. He pulls me from behind my station and walks toward Rhett. When he grabs Rhett’s hand and pushes it upward, too, I know we’ve both won.

“Congratulations to Savannah and Rhett!”

Most of the contestants cheer for us, except for Lainey and Connor. Typical.

Once Chef Alain lets go of our hands, the judges return to the end of the room where Dan is standing.

“Congratulations to our winners! I’m sure you two want to know what your prize is?”

“Of course,” I say, smiling. I’m so proud of us.

“You two have each won a five-minute video chat from a loved one!”

I immediately start jumping up and down, squealing with delight. I cannot wait to see Sadie’s face. I can’t wait to hear what she’s been up to and just hear her happy little voice.

That’s when I notice Rhett. He’s smiling, but it’s a fake smile. That’s not his real smile. He looks embarrassed or sad. I can’t pinpoint what it is.

“…right now!” I only hear the tail end of what Dan just said, but suddenly, production is moving us toward the house.

“Where are we going?” I ask Rhett as we move.

---