Cupcakes and Christmas - R.J. Scott Page 0,48
the real me.
“I can’t uhmmm… ” Well, there went my ability to talk. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He caught my arm as I passed and pulled me to a stop. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” No.
“I don’t regret kissing you,” he began, but he sounded as if he considered that maybe I did.
“I don’t regret it either. I’m just tired, and we have early filming, and I still haven’t decided for sure on my Christmas lights cupcake theme.”
“Why don’t we go back to the Fairmont and get a drink and maybe talk about us, and what is going on with me and why I want to go slow,” he offered.
And let him find out you’re running on empty and shouldn’t even be here in this competition? No way.
“It’s okay, I understand, you’ve just been through a lot recently. I get it, and it’s not like I’m the sort to stick around.”
“Justin—”
“I promise you it’s okay. I really am tired, and we have a busy day tomorrow.”
Something shifted in Brody’s expression, an understanding, a concern maybe? Why was he concerned about me? I was okay, thank you very much. I waited for him to do more talking, but he crooked his arm for me to take and then as gentlemanly as I’ve ever seen, he escorted me back to the hotel and to the elevator for my room.
And a tiny part of my fragile stupid heart began to mend when he tugged me behind a pillar and gave me a gentle kiss goodnight before going through the door to the stairs.
This was dangerous. I was here to do a job, sell products, give my clients ROI. It was not an event where I lost my heart over some dark-haired serious dude who was a freaking genius with baking.
But what if my heart was cracking just a little and making my brain agree that I wanted more with Brody and that maybe I felt like it was okay for him to see the real me?
Hell, what if Brody saw through every lie I told myself and was the answer to everything I’d ever questioned in my life?
Chapter Fourteen
Monday. Nothing a cupcake can’t fix
Brody
I don’t know how I concentrated this morning, but the cupcake first round had been a huge success for myself, Justin, and Kristen. Not so much for Clare and Ivan, which made Ivan laugh and put Clare into such a mood that she vanished for thirty minutes. She only came back in time for the blind bake part, which horrifically was creating a Schichttorte, layers of cooked batter to form a cake and then covered in chocolate and piped with white icing. This was Ivan’s nemesis, the same cake that had resulted in him nearly leaving the competition in his season as runner up.
“Oh God,” I heard him groan, but I wasn’t sure any deity was going to help us. It was all about working consistently, using impeccable timing so as not to burn a layer, using the chocolate so it was a smooth glaze, making the best white icing that would leave a pattern and not merge into the chocolate. I could make these in my sleep, and it seemed Justin was good with it as well from the way he had mixing bowls in a line and various ingredients split out into separate containers. He was a methodical structured baker, me on the other hand? I wasn’t one to follow recipes, which had been my downfall on the odd occasion. Still, when finished, covered in chocolate with the lines piped smoothly, I produced the best Schichttorte I could in the time given. Ivan’s appeared taller than mine. Kristen’s chocolate wasn’t smooth, but Clare and Justin had matching cakes of perfection.
“Nice,” I whispered to Justin as I passed him on my way to the display table. I placed my Schichttorte in the right place in front of my photo that would be hidden from the judges, and when Justin placed his next to mine, he smiled at me.
“Thank you, yours too,” he returned the compliment.
That was as much communication as we’d managed after last night’s explosion of lust and words and the kiss behind the pillar which had been utterly simple and breathtaking.
I hadn’t seen him at breakfast, and the building embarrassment as to how needy I’d been last night was getting worse by the moment. He’d probably given me that softer kiss just to calm me the hell down.
Justin glanced over at me as I tidied up some more, moving things