Page 4 of A Recipe for Romance

Chapter 3: Kelsi

Kelsi stepped ontothe set ofCulinary Crescendo, her heart pounding in time with the flurry of activity around her. Cameras glided soundlessly along their tracks, makeup artists dashed between contestants, brushes poised like wands, and the air hummed with the sharp scent of spices, anxiety, and ambition.

Her grip tightened on her phone, the cool metal small and inadequate in the face of the towering production around her.Wow. This was on a different level than her DIY shoots in her tiny kitchen. Her pulse quickened. Did everyone else notice the chasm between her scrappy videos and this gleaming, high-stakes set?

Zak appeared at her side, his easy grin grounding her in the swirl of newness. “Pretty cool, right? Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.”

Kelsi nodded, her mind already racing ahead. As Zak led her through the maze of stations, introducing her to crew members, she mentally planned her first TikTok. The gleaming countertops, perfectly plated dishes, and frantic choreography of chefs behind the scenes—it was a goldmine of content waiting to be captured. She could already see it: a story her followers would love, one that would bring them into the heart ofCulinary Crescendo.

“And this,” Zak said, stopping in front of a futuristic kitchen setup that looked like it belonged in a high-tech movie, “is where the magic happens.”

Her fingers twitched with the urge to touch, to explore the gleaming appliances that probably cost more than her apartment. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed, already envisioning the endless possibilities of what she could create in a kitchen like this. For a brief moment, she forgot her insecurities, lost in the excitement.

“Glad you approve,” a gruff voice interrupted, shattering her momentary reverie.

Kelsi turned to find a man looming behind them—broad-shouldered, dark-haired, with silver streaking his temples. Tattoos ran up his arms, disappearing beneath rolled-up sleeves. But it was his eyes that struck her—sharp, assessing, and unmistakably laced with disdain.

“Kelsi, meet Drew Carlson,” Zak said, his forced cheerfulness cutting through the tension like a knife. “Drew, this is Kelsi, our new content creator.”

Drew’s eyebrow arched, a small movement loaded with skepticism. “Content creator?” His voice carried a bitter edge. “What, we’re not cooking anymore? Just here to make pretty pictures for the internet?”

The words hit Kelsi like ice water, her pulse jumping. Years of handling online trolls had trained her to stand her ground, but this was different. This wasDrew Carlson—a culinary legend, however jaded—and he was dismissing her before she even had a chance to prove herself.

She met his gaze, chin lifted. “Actually, I do cook. And bake. And I create recipes people can use in their real, everyday kitchens.” Her voice came out steady, though her heart was racing beneath the surface. A small victory.

Drew’s lips curled, his tone cutting. “You’re the content creator, right? What, no time for real cooking?" Drew’s eyes flicked over her in one dismissive glance, but there was a spark of curiosity in his gaze, a challenge.

Before Kelsi could respond, Zak stepped in with a weak grin. “You’ll get used to Drew,” he said, though Kelsi could see the unease flicker in his eyes. “He’s all bark, no bite... most of the time.”

Kelsi shot Zak a look that told him she didn’t need the help. She had fought her own battles before, and she wasn’t backing down now. “You know what, Chef Carlson?” she said, keeping her eyes locked on his. “I may not have Michelin stars, but I know how to connect with people. When’s the last time you did that?”

Her words hung in the air, a challenge neither of them had expected. For a second, the bustling kitchen faded into silence, the tension between them taut as a wire. Kelsi could feel Zak shifting beside her, but she didn’t break eye contact. She wasn’t about to let Drew see her flinch.

Drew’s lips twitched, a fleeting expression she couldn’t quite place—was it amusement, or annoyance? It vanished almost as soon as it appeared, leaving only the sharp edge of his voice. “At least you’ve got spirit,” he said. “We’ll see how long that lasts in a real kitchen.”

With that, he turned and strode off, leaving Kelsi standing there, heart still pounding from the exchange. She exhaled slowly, resisting the urge to lean against the spotless countertop for support.

“I’m sorry about that,” Zak said, running a hand through his hair, the gesture making him look younger and more vulnerable than usual. “Drew can be... intense. I should’ve warned you.”

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