Page 5 of For Butter or Worse
“I’m sorry, seriously. The taping is almost over,” Leo offered as the countdown continued. “In an hour you can take out the cauldron and cast a hex on me. Then I’ll either be dead, or we’ll have hiatus and you won’t have to see me for months.”
“I don’t plan to see you ever again after this.” Nina didn’t look at him, and instead smiled as the red dot of the camera lit up and they came back from the commercial break.
Didn’t plan to see him again?So dramatic,he thought. He squared his shoulders and smiled alongside Nina as they both read from the teleprompter.
Nina was eerily calm as Freddie, the next contestant, described her entrée of tamarind-and-balsamic-braised beef short ribs, sunchoke-and-truffle puree and sautéed chanterelle mushrooms. The kind of calm in a horror film that serves as the buildup to the first kill. Leo was starting to sweat under the jacket. She was definitely hiding something from him, and he knew it wouldn’t end well.
When they called time on the contestants, Nina and Leo moved into the separate judging room, which was really just a different part of the soundstage with plaster walls. They ate appetizers of seared duck liver and coconut shrimp, the two entrées and basil panna cotta with tomato jam and deconstructed pecan pie for dessert. There were flaws with the dishes, for sure, but overall, each piece was restaurant-quality. Freddie and Samantha would do well beyond the soundstage, and Leo was jealous of their talent.
Taking over his dad’s restaurant had never been a question. Vinny’s was a family business, and his mom wanted to keep it that way, especially after his dad passed. But while hanging around the kitchen made him capable of cooking the recipes, so long as he followed them, he was never inventive enough to craft his own. Gavin had been gifted all the talent for cooking. So Leo had over-indexed on the congeniality, and studied hard in school so that he could master the business portion of running a restaurant. Still, he wished he’d inherited some of his dad’s talent, or any of it, really.
“Freddie’s short ribs were just how I like them, tender and smoky.” Nina’s eyes closed, as if she were savoring the dish all over again.
Leo swallowed. Had the wordstenderandsmokyever sounded so...explicit?
When she opened her eyes, he realized he’d been staring. He cleared his throat and looked away.
“Well...” He searched for a question that didn’t involve asking her to repeatsmokyon a loop. Seriously, why had that sounded so hot? “What about Sam’s panna cotta?”
“The tomato jam overpowered the basil for me,” she said matter-of-factly. “Which is a shame, because she’s usually such an expert with pulling together unusual flavors.”
He let out a big breath, which he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He knew they were back on track. They’d announce the winner, wrap the season and go on hiatus. The show was nearing the end, and they’d managed to put his Nasty Nina comment behind them. Why the hell had he gone and used that in the first place? He wanted to shake his head at himself, but the cameras were still rolling.
“That was a heck of a sigh!” She laughed. “What? You disagree?” She crossed her arms, almost playfully.
He cocked his head. He knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up, but her smile seemed like a win. Getting to look at her directly in the eyes without feeling her bore a hole through his skull also felt good. He decided to roll with the new and improved mood she appeared to be in.
“No, not at all.” He crossed his arms to mirror her. “If I’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that in the end, you’re always right.”
“So are we agreed? We know whoThe Next Cooking Champ!will be?” She practically beamed.
A deciding vote had never come this easily before. They usually spent a solid half hour playing “toss the snarky comment” when it came to judging dishes. He would lob a “You would say that...” and she’d snap back with an “I know you don’t cook, but...” Eventually, they’d land on a decision, but this one was easy. Maybe she’d more than forgiven him. Maybe by mentioning her nickname on-air, he’d somehow released the demon that had followed them around since the second season of the show. Was it possible they could actually be on set and...just be normal?
“We’re agreed.”
Freddie wept when her name was announced. Leo let Nina have the honor of presenting her withThe Next Cooking Champ!chef’s hat, hoping the gesture might alleviate any residual tension.
Then Tiffany signaled for them to wrap the show. They’d practiced the ending and it was going to be a straightforward see-you-next-season spiel.
Only, instead of walking over to Leo, Nina approached the stage. He frowned. Had he misremembered the order of events?
Nina stood in the spot Freddie had occupied moments earlier when giving her acceptance speech. She straightened her shoulders, then leveled Leo with one direct and unwavering look.
A knot formed in his stomach. He should’ve sensed a shift in the air.
Without having said a word, he already knew that Nina hadn’t forgiven him. They weren’t on good terms. Nothing had changed and, in fact, things were about to get significantly worse. This was the part of the horror film where he met his untimely fate.
“Before we end this season, I have an announcement to make.” Her voice boomed across the soundstage, steadfast and resolute in a way that made him nauseous with anticipation of what she was about to say. “I had a realization tonight, thanks to ourfriend, Leo O’Donnell, who reminded me of what’s important.”
Leo twitched. Did she call him a “friend”? And what on earth had he said that remotely stuck with her?
She let out an audible breath, then shook her hands, like she was brushing off some nervous energy. “This will be my final season ofThe Next Cooking Champ!” She smiled tightly, but Leo’s mouth fell open. Was this really happening?
“As you all know, I’m a chef first and foremost. The food is what’s important,” she continued, sure of herself. “So that’s what I’m going to get back to—focusing on the food. And maybe in the future, you’ll see me on a different show. I’d absolutely love nothing more than to come back when the time is right. But for now, if you need to seeNasty Nina, come to Lyon. Thank you so much for the advice, Leo.”
She looked directly at him then, and he tensed under her gaze. This was happening. They were broadcasting live, and Nina had just essentially dropped the mic.
He took a few steps toward her as she continued to walk past the cameras, away from the producers, and toward the exit.
