Cupcakes and Christmas - R.J. Scott Page 0,31

no cameras.”

Ivan laughed, and it was loud. Kristen bounced a little as she smiled with him.

“I tasted your cake,” Kristen said, leaning forward to share her confidence. “It wasn’t dry at all.”

I know they were just being kind, but it was nice to have the votes of confidence.

“Damn you found my hiding place,” Brody muttered from outside our cocoon of safety. “Can I squeeze in?” Ivan moved to the edge with Kristen holding on, and Brody slid in between me and Ivan. He was warm against me. His scent a mix of Christmas and citrus, but he leaned away from me and toward Ivan as if he didn’t want to touch me. Why would he, I’d implied we could have a fake flirtation and while that was in my arsenal to get likes, Brody was a straight-up guy. Well, not straight, but I knew what I meant. Feeling awkward with him next to me was just another down in my day because he was a nice guy.

I pressed an elbow against him, but he didn’t look at me, so I did it again.

Finally, he looked at me, but he was wary. I swear if he could have joined Kristen on Ivan’s lap, he would have.

“Sorry.”

His wariness was still there, but at least he gave me an understanding smile. “’S’okay.”

“Still on for coffee?”

“Maybe.”

We didn’t have a chance to say anything else because Shauna appeared at the opening to our space, her eyes bright, her smile tremulous. “I like it in here,” she announced. Ivan pushed up against Brody, who in turn was closer to me, but at least he was relaxed, and it was all one moment of fun as she perched on the end. That may have been the worst kind of slap from Brody, but I deserved every damn syllable of the word.

“So we all found this same kind of hiding hole on the sound stage in L.A.?” Brody asked.

“I was season one, so I found it first,” I joked, but everyone fell silent for a moment, and I began to squirm. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d misread an audience, but Shauna snorted a laugh.

“Me second, so surely I’m eligible for more chair space,” Shauna joked, and it was the first time I’d seen her laugh properly since we arrived. She was clutching her phone to her chest, and from the way she held it, I was convinced she’d been catching up with someone special to put that smile on her face.

“Third season, so I’m next, although I’m quite happy not having any space at all,” Kristen wrapped her arms around Ivan’s neck as the big man laughed.

“Fourth,” Brody pointed out. “So I get less room than you but more than Ivan, clearly.”

Ivan huffed. “Yet I’m the one with a lap full of giggling baker.”

“Not sure we could fit Clare in as well,” Shauna commented and shot a mischievous glance my way. God, how much I wanted to say that Clare was probably out there losing her temper with someone. I restrained myself.

“Selfie?” I asked, and we all peered up into the camera. I captured a cool picture of the five of us, posting it and hash tagging it with all kinds of nonsense but including a couple of new ones #WhereIsClare #ClareIsMissing. It was a bit like Where’s Wally, but Where’s Clare. I could make it run as long as I was in the competition. Which at the rate I was going might well be one freaking week.

“So who’s ready for the blind challenge?” Kristen addressed the elephant in the room with far too much brightness in her tone.

“It can’t be any worse than fondant volcanoes and popping candy,” Ivan muttered.

We all mumbled in agreement. The season five showcase had been a disaster of epic proportions for everyone who tried. The theme was Earth. Ivan had chosen to make a cake volcano, including a ton of thin blood-red icing, but it had ended up exploding all over Venetia and Lewis, which was hilarious.

“I remember that episode,” Brody snapped his fingers. “I couldn’t believe they didn’t cut and go to the next scene, and Venetia was wearing that white dress.”

“And her expression!” Kristen added, and we couldn’t stop laughing because this was gallows humor. All of us were facing the blind bake where we didn’t know what we were going to be given to make, and none of us were in a strong position yet because this was week one.

I just hoped it was something simple because