Page 76 of Things We Need to Say
‘Once again,’ Angela said, ‘You’ve all made our job very difficult.’
‘If it was down to us, then all eight of you would be cooking at the banquet,’ Philip continued.
‘But unfortunately we can only put four of you through,’ Angela said. ‘So let us put you out of your misery.’
‘Cooking the starter will be Alan from the red team.’ Philip paused.
‘Cooking the fish course will be . . . Chloe.’
Chloe gasped with joy and Jay grinned at her. He was delighted that she had made it and at least one member of the blue team was through to the banquet.
‘Cooking the main is...’ Philip looked at them all. ‘Rav.’
Rav bowed his head solemnly, but again Jay was thrilled for him. But now came the scary bit. Would he too be going through to the banquet or would he be going home?’
‘And cooking the final dish of the banquet...’ Angela paused dramatically until Jay thought he couldn’t bear it any longer. ‘Will be Jay!’
Jay gasped. In the last few moments, he had convinced himself he’d be going home. If it wasn’t for Rav clapping him on the back he’d have thought he’d misheard Angela. He glanced over to Chen and his heart sank. He looked as though he was about to burst into tears as he realised he was out of the competition. Jay wanted to commiserate with him, but there wasn’t time.
‘Our sincerest commiserations to all of you who haven’t made it through to the banquet, but please go away with the knowledge that you are all very talented chefs.’
The four unlucky chefs wished them all luck and trooped out of the kitchen. Jay tried to give Chen a reassuring smile, and hoped he would see him later. But if not, he would definitely keep in touch with him. Then there was just the four of themand the judges. He wasn’t sure who had made the first move, but suddenly all four chefs were huddled together in a group hug.
‘I think this calls for champagne.’ Angela produced a tray of glasses and a bottle, which Philip opened. Jay was shaking with relief. He’d actually made it through to the banquet. And he was going to be cooking for one hundred people, showcasing the food of the region. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this happy. When the champagne was finished, they made their way to the changing rooms. Jay retrieved his phone from his locker to let everyone know his good news. Emma picked up his call on the third ring.
‘I wasn’t sure whether to phone you at work.’
‘No, it’s fine. I’ve been so nervous waiting to hear. So, tell me then, did you... ?’
‘Yes, I got through. I’m actually cooking at the banquet.’
‘Oh, Jay! I’m so delighted for you. Which dish will you be cooking?’
‘Dessert.’
Emma laughed. ‘I told you that dish was a winner.’
‘You did, so thank you for having faith in both it and me!’
‘I’ll have finished work in an hour. Shall we go out and celebrate?’
‘Actually, I’ve already had a couple of glasses of champagne. As you can imagine, everyone is thrilled. Both Chloe and Rav got through as well, so we were thinking of leaving our cars here overnight and going for a proper drink.’
‘Oh, right... Well, yes, I can see why you’d want to do that. Do you want me to cook something for us later?’
‘No, don’t worry. We’ll probably eat out. Me and you can celebrate tomorrow.’
‘I’m on an early shift tomorrow and then I’m working for Liz in the evening.’
‘Oh, yes, I’d forgotten about that. Maybe the day after, then?’
‘Sure. Have a nice evening.’
Jay frowned as the call ended suddenly. Thinking it was poor reception, he went off to get changed.
* * *
Emma’s hand was trembling as she ended the call and put her phone down on her desk.
