Page 36 of Bake You Mine (Port Fortune #1)
twenty-five
There was one challenge Liam hadn’t counted on for the Sunrise Washington competition. Aubrey and Gary were morning people. They chattered on, steaming coffee cups in hand, as they made their way to the television studio in Arlington. Liam leaned back, eager for his coffee to kick in.
“Isn’t that right, Liam?” Gary turned around, his eyes bright despite sunrise being hours away.
Liam pointed to his coffee. “You can’t seriously expect me to have a conversation at this hour.”
“You should have gone to bed earlier,” Aubrey said. “I know you didn’t, because I saw your post about the competition going up at ten p.m. last night.”
“Then you were up, too,” he teased. “Worried much?”
“No, I’ve accepted my fate, and I’m just trying not to think about it. I saw it at two a.m. when I posted mine.” She showed him her phone, with a photo of a serving tray covered with a dark cloth, and a question mark drawn on it.
See what #hotchef and I get up to this morning on Sunrise Washington! Tune in at six thirty if you’re up that early, or if you’re a late riser like Liam, catch it on their website after.
Aubrey was better at marketing. Maybe once the competition was over, she could give him some pointers on more than just marketing.
“I got a decent amount of sleep. It’s just not natural to be up this early.”
Thankfully, the conversation turned to someone Gary and Aubrey knew who Liam didn’t know, so he took a nap until they arrived.
Upon arrival, a producer showed them to the culinary stage, far enough from the leading news desk that they could start prepping without interrupting the broadcast.
“I’m sorry they have me on first. It probably makes more sense that way. Savory before sweet,” Liam whispered.
Aubrey’s smile was bright, but false to anyone who knew her. “I’m trying not to think about it. It’ll be over before I know it.” Her eyes were glued to the digital clock above the news desk, the time spinning fast as it counted seconds.
“I believe in you, Aubs.” He glanced around to be sure no one was looking before he squeezed her hand.
She stared at their intertwined hands before squeezing back. “I have to get back to work. That’s one way to keep my mind busy.” She pulled away and walked to the other side of the kitchen set.
It was super weird being here. His mom was a huge Sunrise Washington fan, so it’d always been on in his house growing up.
He double-checked to ensure everything was ready for the first step of the recipe while the other parts of the process either chilled in the fridge or waited on the shelf under the worktop. Now, all he needed was for the next half hour to pass quickly.
Shortly before going on-air, Chip and Diana walked over to introduce themselves. They were consummate professionals, if a little bit too perky for Liam’s taste, especially this early in the morning.
“Try to forget about the cameras. Easier said than done, I know, but keep your eyes on us, okay?” Diana said.
“Why do I feel those words are directed at me?” Aubrey asked.
Diana smiled. “I’ve been on live TV for over a decade. I can always spot a nervous one. You’ll be just fine.”
Aubrey exhaled. He hoped she’d soon see she had nothing to worry about.
“I doubt hot chef is nervous,” Chip said. “With a face like yours, no one will be looking at what you’re cooking anyway, heh?” He gave Liam a good-natured slap on the arm.
Chip was a jovial guy who meant it all in good fun, but his comment underlined why Liam hated all the hot chef BS.
Once the time came, Liam’s nerves settled. Maybe it was his acceptance of the inevitable or that his caffeine had finally kicked in. He aced all six parts of the pasta brain. Only one more part, and the torture would be complete.
“So, you can buy this mold at a craft store or online, Liam?” Diana asked.
The brain had just come out of the oven, and once it had cooled, he needed to remove it from the mold.
“That’s right, Diana. I bought my mold online. You don’t need one as long as you make sure to use the proper amount of noodles to hold the shape and have a good-sized bowl. This mold is big, so you wouldn’t need it if you don’t have a large family like I do and you’re not feeding an army.”
That earned him a well-timed laugh from Diana and Chip.
“And now for the grand reveal!”
Liam put on his potholders and picked up the mold, with a cake stand underneath to hold the brain. It turned upside down with no problem, and Liam breathed a sigh of relief.
Until he lifted the mold away, and instead of revealing a brain-shaped tight cluster of udon noodles, a sloppy mess of ingredients slid off the stand and landed on the countertop with an unceremonious flop .
The sight of Liam’s blank face broke Aubrey’s heart. Mainly because she’d been so worried about humiliating herself, she’d never considered Liam having a mishap of his own. He could still win if he acted quickly. She nudged the producer standing next to her.
“He brought a backup. It’s in the oven warming drawer. I think he’s forgotten.”
The producer sprang into action, and soon enough, the message was relayed to Chip and Diana, who prompted Liam to get the backup.
Then the light switched on inside Liam. He opened the warming drawer, pulled out the backup, and his smile returned.
“This is why you always have a plan B, folks.”
The incident couldn’t have taken more than fifteen seconds, but it seemed much longer.
“You know, Chip and Diana, Aubrey told the producer to remind me I had a backup.”
Diana tittered out a laugh. “But aren’t you two competing? I mean, that’s why you’re here?”
“She’s the kind of person who has everyone’s best interest at heart.”
He looked past the monitor at Aubrey. Their eyes met, and she exhaled. She was glad to help because this contest was meant to be won fair and square.
After a commercial break and a news update, Aubrey’s segment went off without a hitch. Maybe witnessing Liam’s segment not go as planned, and him surviving it, told her silly little brain that this wasn’t a big deal. It hadn’t been a repeat of her teenage nightmare.
All those days of worrying were for nothing.
Chip and Diana cooed over the adorable macarons.
The little trio may not have been a true showstopper like Liam’s pasta brain, but they did look adorable.
She’d settled on the flavors at the last minute, once she’d gotten the shapes and decorations down.
The pumpkins were chai latte flavored, the ghosts were white chocolate macadamia, and Frankenstein’s monster was pistachio chocolate.
While Chip and Diana reported the next news segment, Aubrey and Liam retreated to the green room, where Gary waited.
They’d have one more segment at the end of the hour, where Chip and Diana would make a production of handing over a golden envelope to Gary with their choices, with a reminder that the winner would be announced on Monday’s broadcast. Thank God, they didn’t have to wait that long to find out.
While waiting, Aubrey texted Tom to ensure the Halloween macarons were already in the case and they’d stay stocked with them through October.
Samantha had reported quite a crowd in the shop watching the segment on the tablet she’d set up, and right after, orders started streaming in for the macarons.
“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about my customers asking for that Goddamned brain,” Liam said .
“You never know.” Gary peered at Liam over the top of his copy of The Washington Post .
“Even if they ask, it’s never happening.” He turned to Aubrey. “Thanks for reminding me I had a second brain.”
Gary cocked an eyebrow. “First, you’re calling Aubrey beautiful. Now she’s giving you competition advice. If I didn’t know better, I’d say something was happening between you two.”
She gave Liam a grateful smile before turning to Gary. “We’re both nice people, duh.”
He laughed. “Well, there’s no denying that. But this is a competition, remember?”
One of the producers came in and informed them they needed to be back on set for the final segment.
“To the victor go the spoils,” Liam said.
Her breath went out of her in a whoosh . “Neither of us has won just yet.”
“Soon enough.”
He stood and held out his hand to help her to her feet. The two returned to the stage, with Aubrey feeling more nervous than excited.