Page 71 of Bake You Mine
The anxious thoughts of the hamster wheel started squeaking again. No, no, no, not live TV. Anything but that.
She’d had traumatic memories from embarrassing herself on a segment on military television when she was a teenager. It’d been when they’d lived in Japan and involved an unfortunate event with a chopstick—she’d become something of a meme. Thankfully, her “fame” hadn’t expanded beyond her school, but it was traumatic nonetheless.
“You’re pale,” Liam said.
Liam’s features stayed blurry until her gaze snapped to focus. “Yeah, sorry. Hit play, Gary.”
He cast a curious glance between them but did as asked.
“Hello, Liam and Aubrey,” Chip said. “I bet you’re wondering what we’ve got to do with your contest. Well, we’re running a series on day trips from DC, and Port Fortune is our next stop! Thanks to Gary’s insistence, of course.”
Gary paused the video. “Guilty as charged!” He hit play again.
“You two will come to our studio in Arlington to present recipes. The theme is Halloween party showstoppers.”
Aubrey inhaled.Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“We’re super thrilled to have hot chef himself in the studio,” Diana said before diplomatically adding, “Aubrey, I’ve had your macarons; they were out of this world delicious. I can speak from experience, and we’re all thrilled to try whatever you come up with.”
She was an afterthought, but that wasn’t a surprise when dealing with the real star, hot chef.
She braided her fingers together and forced herself to pay attention, all the while feeling like she was at the center of her mind’s storm.
“The good news is you’ll get a break before your third challenge. We’ll see you a week from today in the studio. We’ve got to get back on air, so Gary will fill you in on the particulars. Bye!” Chip and Diana waved at the camera, then the screen went black.
Seven days for her thoughts to spiral. But only if she let them. “You’ve got a face made for TV, so I guess I have my work cut out for me.”
Liam’s laugh was dry. “Gimme a break, Aubs. You know you’re beautiful.”
Gary stood there with a smirk, still wearing that stupid outfit. Aubrey braced herself for an inquisition. None came.
“The segment is slated for six thirty a.m. We’ll drive up to the city together on the day, around two thirty a.m., so make sure you get a good night’s sleep the night before. You’ll each have a sixty-second segment to demo your recipe. Chip and Diana will cast their vote, and I will, too, of course, but it won’t be revealed on camera. Each vote will be worth one point, for a total of three possible points, just like the other challenges.
“They will send a crew for the Port Fortune’s Night Out dinner for the final reveal. The winner will be announced then. But you’ll both need to hold off sharing it on social media until the segment airs that Monday.”
“Ugh, way to delay our misery,” Liam said.
Misery was a good way of looking at it. Aubrey deflated forward.
“It’s a great way to shine a light on the fundraiser. The city council wants to have more fundraising events to help the homeless population, and this segment will help. And, of course, the potential tourist dollars will make the chamber of commerce happy, which is kind of the whole point of this contest, isn’t it?”
“Of course,” Liam said.
“So, Halloween showstoppers. I think I can manage that.” Aubrey’s gaze was fixed on the white wall behind Gary’s head.
Liam groaned. “Way easier for Aubrey than me to come up with something with that theme.”
“Maybe I should make a Halloween-themed chocolate cake,” she shot back, surprising herself with the sass.
Liam snorted. “Point taken. I’ll stop my whining.”
“Good, because you have plenty of time to develop something, my boy. We’ll talk before then, I’m sure. Have fun!” Gary whistled to himself as he left.
She stood, needing to tell Tom everything; she would have to catch him or head straight over to his place since he lived a few blocks away.
“Where are you off to? Isn’t Petit Chou closed? I was hoping we could talk.”
“I have to tie up some loose ends before I head home.”
