The cameraman zoomed in on her treats as Rico described them in great detail. “Now, judges, feel free to comment.”
“Nice color, honey.” Dolly reached over and snagged a macaroon, splitting it in half. “Not too moist, too.”
“Good texture.” Marcus nodded.
“And flavor.” Noah chewed. “Subtle hint of vanilla, right?”
She smiled tightly, remaining silent. Or more like she was tongue-tied around him, watching his lips move. She recalled what they’d felt like. Hot! To the max and back!
“Next up.” Rico’s voice broke through her haze.
Time stretched. Her heart thumped. Her head grew lighter. She swore she swayed. As if far away, she watched the judges proceed with each cookie, talking, debating the merits, until she was sure she’d faint.
“I like the way you incorporated King’s here in the design and even your attempt at the lavender crystal sugar.” Marcus’s words of praise pierced her muddled brain.
“Good job,” Noah said softly.
“Noah, is that her?! Look, Bethy, tell me I’m not seeing things. It’s her, isn’t it, Noah? That woman we caught you kissing last night?” Mrs. Blackstock practically yelled it from across the country; it echoed in the dead silence over and over again.
Gretchen froze. She actually felt the color drain from her face and rush through her body.
Her legs buckled.
Please let me faint. Now!
Chapter 16
“You can’t disqualify her.” Icy fear raced through Noah’s veins as he faced the other judges, Griffin, Peg scribbling notes, and Charlie in the conference room. “She’s damn good. Better than good. Have you tried her lemon cake with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting?”
Why had his parents shown up when he’d specifically texted Bethy to take them back to the hotel to avoid the chaos of the live feed and airing their public bickerings? At least she’d looked chagrined after the debacle.
His heart twisted for Gretchen. The agony in her beautiful blue eyes ripped him apart. He’d done that to her.
And he’d told her he’d take care of it. Yeah, right! His family had ruined everything.
“It’s either she’s out of the contest or you are, Noah.” Charlie’s calm didn’t soothe the remaining members of her team.
“You were sure cooking up something with her behind the scenes, honey!” Dolly chuckled, nudging Marcus. “Hot, hot, hot!”
“The contest is compromised otherwise.” Griffin stood, pushed back his open suit jacket, and then jammed his fists on his hips.
“I’ll drop out.” His mind made up, he’d walk away.
“That means the deal with Blackstock Winery is off.” Griff didn’t pull any punches.
Dread, dark and heavy, sat in his gut. They’d structured the finishing touches on the contract just a few days ago, adding the addendum to judge in the contest in exchange for highlighting the wine in the baking show and heavily prompting the dessert edition. Signed. Sealed. Delivered. What would this mean for the winery? Lost? Contracts being pulled? Business drying up? It didn’t matter. He had to do the right thing for her.
At the time, he’d have guaranteed he’d follow through. How could he have broken so many rules for Gretchen? His heart leapt to his throat. No! Not going to the edge of that cliff.
“She deserves this chance.”
“You understand, she can’t win this, right?” Charlie leaned forward, clasping her hands together on the wood table. “King’s reputation is also at stake.”
“So if you leave her in, it’s just what—a joke?”
“Honestly, I don’t see how we can be objective now.” Marcus sighed.
“Too bad. I loved her triple chocolate.” Dolly nodded. “Hey, her macaroons weren’t shabby, either.”
The loud knock on the door sounded, bringing the conversation to a bitter end. “Charlie! Charlie! It’s moi! Got a sec?” Rico didn’t wait; he barged in, dragging a very pale, shaking Gretchen behind him.
Noah lurched to his feet. “Are you all right?” He reached out. When she shook her head, he dropped his outstretched hand. Something hard clamped down in his chest.
“I…wanted to apologize. In person.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I never meant to do anything wrong.” She glanced at Noah and then looked back at Charlie. “If you’d be so kind, I’d like to say a few words, to the audience that is, and then I’ll disqualify myself.”
“No, Gretchen. You need this. You want this. Your wedding cake dream!” Even if it were only to bring customers to Just Desserts, this was her golden opportunity. I’ll give this up for you. Let me help you here!
***
Gretchen’s heartbeat drummed in her ears, loud and wild. Noah’s look of concern crushed her. The others’ stares drilled into her. She shrugged. “Gone. Poof!” The snap of her fingers rent through the air. “Like that. Dreams up in smoke.”
Her business was doomed now more than ever. The scandal would ruin her and it. Why had she ever thought she could pull off the comeback of the century? What little she had remaining would disappear overnight. She blew out a hot breath, nearly doubling over at the stunning realization she’d close up her beloved shop in a few short days. Swiping away fast-falling tears, she held out her hands. “If you’d let me know what you decide, about the speaking part…” Gretchen went to turn away.
“Wait,” Charlie called out softly. Standing, she came around the table and halted in front of Gretchen, putting her hands on her upper arms. The gentle weight and compassion in her eyes sucked the air from Gretchen’s lungs. “You can have the air time.”
“Ah, Boss 1, scriptola? She’s not so good with words.” Peg’s reminder brought a chuckle around the room.
“No, Peg. She can wing this. I trust she’ll do us right.”
“Really?” Gretchen and Griffin asked at the same time.
“According to Noah, you’re better than good. He’s been in here championing you.”
“Noah?” Why would he do that? Guilt? He’d suffered, too. The strain showed around his eyes—those gorgeous, hypnotizing green eyes.
No one had ever had such faith in her, especially when so much was at stake. She could flub this. Stutter. Stumble. Fall. Why not? When she was breaking apart by walking away from Noah. Yes, he deserved to rebuild his winery, without being distracted by her.
“Charlie, remember this is a live feed.” Griffin’s warning pounded in the charged air.
“That’s just the chance we’ll have to take, Griff.” She dropped her hands and touched Gretchen’s. “You’re so cold. We’ll get you a sweater—a King’s original—and something warm to drink. Then, Miss Hart, you have ten minutes to do your thing.”
“I’m so sorry I let you down.”
“Sometimes gambles pay off in a different way than you imagined, Gretchen.”
“I owe you.”
“Not so much me.” She tilted her head toward Noah. “Him. He believes in you. I think more than you’ll ever realize.”
How could this man believe in her with great confidence when she didn’t trust herself?
She stared at him. Concern etched his features, lines around his mouth, and those eyes—green with those brown flecks in them that flared. They were from two different worlds—eons apart. Would she ever get to be this close to him again? To gaze into his eyes ever again? Something behind her ribcage clutched.
A wave of understanding washed over and through Gretchen. Her heart lurched to her throat. She tugged away, pressing her hands to her mouth, and searched Noah’s endearing face.
No, I can’t love him!
***
A hush spread, muting the constant chattering of the audience members.
Gretchen blinked, perched atop a tall stool near the station she’d so recently called her own on set. Hot lights beat down on her, but still the chill invading her bones would not go away.
Off to the side, the other contestants sat, huddled together. Jana sniffed loudly an
d then blew her nose. Beyond them stood the executives, well—with Charlie on a similar stool as hers.
Noah and the two other judges were slightly distanced from them. She felt his intense stare.
“Gretch? You okay, sis?” Harrison called out. Lola’s cry matched her own inner one. She figured Jana must have contacted him. Silently, she sent up her thanks to her friend; she needed all the support she could get at the moment.
“He’s good, Samson. Let him through.” Max directed security.
“Come on, Harrison. You can sit with me.” Danny’s offer made her smile.
Still she remained silent and shaking. Cameras were very, very bad for her. So why risk it? She sought and found Noah’s gaze. Yep, your heart just did a backflip, girl!
“Ready, sweetie?” Rico gave her a swift, bone-crushing hug and an air kiss, and then he held his mic up.
The guy behind the camera pointed at Rico. “And go!”
“Well, hello, handsome! Oh, and you, too, all my girlfriends out there.”
A ripple of nervous laughter rumbled through the audience.
“See, I still got it.” He nudged her. “Right?”
Nothing but crickets.
He waved a hand in front of her. She didn’t blink. “Zombie in the house?” he asked under his breath. “So, some of you might be wondering what in the world is going on at King’s. Well, let me tell you. It’s always an adventure here. Did I ever fill you in about the time—”
Nerves stretched, Gretchen snatched the mic from his hand. “Th…anks, Rico.”
“Seriously? You just did that? To moi?” He huffed.
His outraged look made her chuckle, releasing a pinch of built-up tension. “I’ll bake you a whiskey cake to make up for it.”
“Oh, now you’re talking, girl!” He held up his hand.
She high-fived him.
“Ouch! You got muscle.” He moved out of camera range.
“It’s the stirring. Builds up upper body strength.” She flexed her bicep, covered by the gorgeous blue sweater Charlie had sent for.
The little tittering of laughs reached her.
Gulping hard, she heard the sound over the mic. “Oh, geez! Did I do that?”
Now, Danny’s laugh and others rained down on her.
“Note to self, check with sound guy.” She blew out a pent-up breath. It whistled through the room. “See? I forgot to write it down.”
With each new well-received statement, Gretchen realized what she had to do. Opening up in front of the hundred or so people and the thousands or more viewing, she shored up her reserves and finally let go. Trust yourself!
“So, a funny thing happened on the way to entering King’s baking contest…” She shifted the mic away for a second, so she could swallow the lump in her throat. “Ladies, I met this guy,” she whispered into the mic now.
A smattering of oohs and ahhs sprinkled through the room.
“Oh, yeah!”
This time, hearty chuckles followed.
“He is more than hot—well, smoking hot, is more like it. Tall. Dark hair. Oh, let me tell you, if feels like silk through your fingers.” She sighed, recalling the feel of it. However, she refused to look in his direction to discover his reaction. “And his eyes—not just green, but with those beautiful brown flecks in them that flare. Okay, we can all melt together now.”
Laughter erupted.
“I told you! Well, I’m waiting for this delivery person to show up at my shop because I have this order I must—I tell you, absolutely must—get to the client so I can pay the daycare for my niece that week. You moms can empathize, right? Even if they’re sick and don’t go, you still have to pay.”
The groans of understanding echoed around her.
“And lo and behold, this amazingly stunning guy shows up. Out of nowhere. I’m speechless, too. Because, I tell you, hot guys do not just drop out of the sky for me. Ever.”
Gretchen smiled, a real genuine smile, and shifted so she wasn’t on the edge of her seat any longer.
“I’m like, oh, wow! But, you have to hold it together, too. Which I didn’t do. Ugh!” Pressing her hand to her face, she shook her head. Peeking through her fingers, she asked, “It’s not just me, is it?”
“Noooo!” several women called out.
“Phew!” She dropped her hand and looked beyond the lights and camera. “I geeked out. Totally.”
Another collective groan rose.
“I’ve got my niece in the baby carrier on my back, spitting up all over me and he’s an eyewitness. Can I just die?! Like a true gentleman, he helps clean her up for me.”
“Ahhhhh….”
“Yep, got you, too. I knew it. And what do I do?”
“What, honey? Tell us,” Dolly called out.
“I squirt him with hand sanitizer! Like a big, honking glob!”
Laughter burst out.
Heat whooshed into her cheeks at the memory. “I am such a loser. I haven’t dated in nearly a year. What do you say to someone after that? Here, let me write my number in the goo I just splattered you with?”
“Good one, Gretch!” Danny called out.
“Thanks, Danny. That’s my friend over there. Sorry, Dan, I couldn’t even tell you about him.”
“Like I couldn’t guess?” He snorted. “Fat chance when you two are in the same universe together.”
“Wow, that obvious, is it?” Once again, something stuck in the back of her throat. “Long story short, ladies and gents, I didn’t find out who this amazing person was until I entered the contest. Yep, right over there, about where the back of the chairs are, I discover that my guy—because, I can’t think of anything but him and me since I met him, so in my head I claimed him—is none other than…drum roll, please…” She turned to see him come out of the shadows. “Yeah, that guy. Noah Blackstock.”
Wild cheers and whistles rang out.
Chapter 17
That night, Gretchen gave her notice to her landlord in writing. She hit the Send button on her email. Done. Finished.
Coming out of her tiny office, her ears still rang with Noah’s mother’s declaration. “She’s not good enough for you!”
Could she yell that any louder so the people on the other side of the world could hear?
After Gretchen had revealed she was dropping out to the audience, the crush of people separated her and Noah. Works for me. Avoiding him and the crazy talk from his mother suited her just fine. No wonder he had family issues!
“You sure about this, sis? We can crunch numbers, cut back…” Harrison’s troubled gaze fell to Jana as they worked side by side at the island, boxing up the orders for tomorrow.
She leaned down, checking on a fussy Lola in the playpen. “It’s over, Harrison.” Her words weighed her down like lead. “Sorry to tell you this, Jana, but you’re fired. You shouldn’t even be seen here, since it may jeopardize your chances with winning the contest.”
“No worries. I didn’t make the cut.”
“What?” Gretchen couldn’t imagine what had gone wrong.
Jana made a disgusted sound. “I wasn’t nearly as good as you with the decorating part. I still have a lot to learn.”
Gretchen blew out a hot breath. “I’ll give you a good recommendation. And I’m going to do special orders from home, if you’d like to help.”
Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red.
Harrison cleared his throat. “Ah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you, sis. Jana and I are dating.”
“Exclusive.” Jana smiled.
“May even move in with us. It will be a little cramped, but we can work it out.”
“Oh my gosh! How great is that?” Gretchen rushed to them, giving them a bear hug, or the best one she could muster. “What are you doing here? Go! Celebrate. I’ll take care of this and clean up.”
“You don’t mind?” Harrison looked from her and to Jana, his eyebrows raised.
“Lola and I will be fine. Now scoot or shoo, whichever it is.”
> They nearly squealed with glee and, after giving her a quick peck on the cheek—one on each side—and Lola a good-bye rub on the back, they were out the back door.
“Lock up after us!” Harrison’s raised voice sounded from the other side.
“Yes, brother, I will.” She clicked the lock into place and leaned her back against the door. “My family,” she whispered. “I’m a lucky girl.”
But her heart squeezed when her mind rushed to Noah. Tears stung her eyes. “Wow, that smarts.” She tried to chuckle, but it came out raw and rough. “Gotta work on that.”
Shoving away from the door, she moved to the playpen. Picking up a crying Lola, she cooed to her. “It’s all right. You are lucky, too. You have your daddy, me, and now Jana who loves you.”
Lola tucked her little head against Gretchen’s neck. The clean, sweet scent of her freshly washed wisps of hair filled Gretchen with such longing. Another round of heartache struck and big, fat tears fell on her cheeks. “Yep, looks like you may be all the baby I get to hold—well, you and whoever your dad and hopefully Jana want to have.”
Four kids to zero! What a day of realizations!
That and Noah Blackstock was way out of her league.
***
Hours after Gretchen’s revelation at King’s, Noah still shook. The large hotel suite his parents and sister were staying in seemed far too small to contain him.
“Son, this is the perfect opportunity for you to take a bride.” His dad’s earnest features begged him to listen. “Carry on the Blackstock name.”
“Is that all you care about?” His mother, newly blonde and sporting a pink strand of pearls, pinched her lips and looked down her nose.
Bethany gazed from them to him, got up, and then nearly dragged him to the French doors that led out to the balcony.
With a resigned air, Noah opened the door and allowed his sister to go ahead of him. He gently closed the door behind him. Fresh air, sweet and warm, rushed up to him. He went to the railing and looked down.
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