Page 17 of Someone Like You

She nods. ‘About thefavour.’ She loads the word ‘favour’ with meaning, only I have no idea what that meaning is.

‘You’ve lost me.’

She purses her lips, then guides me by the elbow into a darker corner of the studio.

‘You see, Rafferty’s win is a hot topic, so saying yes to the interview was a no-brainer – it’s a huge coup forNouveau Life. And I’ll be asking him all sorts of questions to help flesh out his biography forPoppy. But you know about the other thing, right? The favour? Poppy says you’ve been looped in.’

As confusion mars her pretty face, I finally understand what she’s talking about: the main objective for the interview.

‘Yeah, totally. Sorry, thefavour.’ I shake my head at myself and she sighs with relief. ‘So, how are you planning to bring it up?’ I whisper.

‘I won’t come right out with it, of course – too jarring. I’ll be framing the question under the guise of exploring Rafferty’s “sex symbol” status.’

I laugh loudly, then clap a hand over my mouth. When I glance at the set, both Jan and Raff are looking my way. ‘Sorry,’ I call out, and they resume the photoshoot.

‘It’s associating the words “sex symbol” with Raff,’ I tell her quietly. ‘And it’s not only me – Raff thinks it’s ridiculous.’

‘Even so, he has become one.’

‘Right.’

I glance at the set again, seeing Raff through this additional lens. Heishandsome – even though I’ve never thought of him that way – but I’d say it’s his personality that makes him most attractive. He’s just a decent, kind, and often funny guy.

There were countless times on the baking show when he would stop working on his own creation to help someone who was having a hard time. Andsomany tears on that show – you would have thought it was a show about dating, not baking – but Raff was always there to give a hug and some words of encouragement.

I’m now determined to do whatever I can to help him find someone who’s worthy of him.

‘You’re staying for the interview, right?’ Greta asks me.

‘Hell, yeah. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

5

GABY

Because of my role at Global Reach, this isn’t the first time I’ve sat in on an interview. But this is the first time I’ve sat in on an interview with someone I know, especially as well as I know Raff.

Unfortunately, the ease he displayed during the photoshoot has vanished and even though Greta has been lobbing him softballs, such as asking about his favourite recipes, he’s fidgeting like a middle-schooler who’s been called to the principal’s office.

Still, Greta is a pro, navigating the interview perfectly, and it’s not long before Raff’s shoulders begin to drop a quarter inch at a time.

‘And I understand that it was your Aunt CiCi who taught you how to bake?’ she asks, something that was made public when the show started airing.

‘That’s right. My father was a diplomat – he’s retired now – but he and my mother lived overseas for my entire childhood – they still do, actually. I lived with them for the first few years, but once it was time for me to start prep, I went to live with Aunt CiCi and her husband, Devin. They couldn’t have any children of their own –even though they wanted them – so they offered me a stable home, which allowed me to go to school in Surrey, rather than hopping about from country to country and school to school every time my parents were posted somewhere new. It worked out well for everyone,’ he adds, and I catch the slight waver in his voice.

Because RafflovesCiCi and Devin – more than he loves his parents, he once shared with me – but it’s still got to hurt knowing your parents thought it was more convenient for you to live with someone else –for your entire childhood.

‘Anyway, some of my earliest memories are of Aunt CiCi in the kitchen, me standing on a chair at her side and proudly taking on small tasks like cracking an egg or stirring the batter. And I always volunteered to lick the bowl,’ he adds with a smile.

‘Until I was about twelve, she operated a small baking business from home, specialising in scones. She’d bake them in her kitchen while I was at school and sell to friends and friends of friends, and eventually to local cafés and shops. And after an unexpected windfall – an unearthed art treasure that my uncle sold through Sotheby’s – they were able to open a proper shop on Weybridge High Street.

‘And, as Devin was an accountant specialising in small businesses, he became her unofficial business manager. When her shop took off, with people coming from miles around to buy her scones, he joined her fulltime and twenty years on, Baked to Perfection is one of the largest bakery companies in England.’

‘That’s quite the success story,’ says Greta.

‘It is – a testament to hard work, determination, and following one’s passion.’

‘Let’s explore that avenue for a moment,’ she says. ‘So, you grew up baking at your aunt’s side… At what stage did baking becomeyourpassion?’

---