she said as she slowly walked the table, holding the plate of cookies out. “Oatmeal raisin cookies always remain soft and can make the perfect Santa treat.” She offered us a shy smile as if she was pleased with her joke.
I began to relax in her presence. She had a way of calming me. I wanted her around me now more than ever. She was the steadfast lighthouse in the storm that was my mind right now.
I kept my focus on her as I began to eat the cookie. The soft cinnamon taste exploded in my mouth. She’d insisted on soaking the raisins in apple juice, and that took the cookies to a whole new level. I could hear the murmurs of adoration from the other judges.
Bea looked concerned, but I made a point to give her an encouraging smile when her gaze met mine. Her cheeks flushed, but she pinched her lips together and nodded. I liked seeing her confidence grow as she scanned the judges. She was down on herself because of her baking mishaps in the past, but from what I was tasting right now, those feelings were not justified.
Bea finished and left the judging area. Although my distraction was gone, I felt better. If Bea could face her fears and participate in a bake-off where she felt out of her depth, then I could survive the sudden appearance of my ex.
I could be strong, and right now, I was determined to be.
Scarlet was here, sure. But that didn’t mean I had to let her control me. I could be a strong person if I let myself be strong. I could conquer the pain my ex gave me, and I was going to do that, with the help of Bea.
I just needed to get her on board, first.
14
Beatrice
I stood next to our table with my hands clasped in front of me, watching the judges as they deliberated. I felt sweaty and nervous as I watched them talk in hushed tones. If only I could read lips, I could figure out what they were saying.
“You okay?” Em asked me, snapping me from my concentration.
I glanced over and offered her a sheepish smile when I realized that I had been caught. “Yeah, I’m good,” I said, blowing out my breath.
What was wrong with me? I hadn’t realized how much I cared about this competition. After all, I sucked at baking, so why did I have this desire to win? I tipped my face toward the sky and closed my eyes.
I knew the reason, even if I didn’t want to admit it. The truth was, I needed a win. For so long, my life had just been mediocre. There wasn’t anything particularly special about me. And sure, winning a small-town bake-off wasn’t the same as becoming a New York Times bestselling author, but it was a start. And right now, I needed a start.
I’d allowed myself to get my hopes up when I saw the reaction the judges had to my cookie. They’d looked pleased, and some even finished the entire thing—something they hadn’t done for other competitors. And that response lit a small fire of hope in my chest that I just might pull off a win.
Plus, the pleased smile from Ethan spurred that hope on even more.
Movement by the judges table caught my attention. They peeled apart from the discussion they were having, and an older gentleman made his way over to Shelly and handed her an envelope. She smiled as she took it and then walked up to the microphone.
“The judges have picked their winners!” she announced as if she were on The Price is Right.
A hush fell over the crowd, and I felt myself hold my breath. Then, feeling like a dork, I released that breath and focused on making sure I breathed normally. This was just a baking competition. It wasn’t the rest of my life.
“For second place…” Shelly paused and glanced around. This woman was clearly having way too much fun. “Tilly Langcaster.”
There was a cheer from my left as a petite brown-haired woman, who looked about my age, made her way up to the stage. I could only assume that it was her family who was whooping and hollering as she accepted her gift card and small bouquet of flowers.
Once she was back with her family, Shelly returned to the piece of paper.
“For first place…” Again with the pausing. I rolled my eyes and glanced over at Em, but she was too busy