For the Love of Cake (7 page)

The cameras had stopped rolling, and Eric announced a break for lunch before the afternoon’s elimination challenge. He instructed them to be back in the kitchen in thirty minutes. Wayne and Jacques immediately headed for their dressing rooms, expecting a production assistant to bring their lunch to them. But Maya didn’t feel like being closed up in four walls. So when the PA tried to steer her toward her own room, she dismissed her. The PA’s brows drew together. Obviously no one had ever resisted the usual order of things.

But Maya brushed her off and followed the contestants to catering. During her own season, Maya’s time had seemed to pass in a blur of nerves, excitement, and competition. But now, as a mentor, she spent much more time waiting—for the chefs to receive instructions from Hugh, for them to complete challenges, or for cameras to set up for another shot. Boxing herself in during the breaks would only amplify the restlessness of that inactivity.

For the sake of efficiency, a spread of sandwiches, deli-style sides, bags of chips, and a variety of fresh fruit had been laid out on a long table. She hung back and let the others go first, then shuffled along behind, gathering a sandwich, a scoop of cold pasta salad, and a bottle of apple juice.

She found most of her team seated together. Damien had settled with a group of the guys, but her women had claimed a table with one remaining chair.

“Mind if I join you guys?”

“Of course not.” Alice jumped in and answered for the group. “Do you mind if we pick your brain? There’s obviously so much we can learn from you, and it seems like we have so little time. I mean, it’s only three weeks until the break. And that’s if we get all the way to the end, which would be amazing.”

Maya had paused halfway through Alice’s rambling answer, still holding her lunch, and instantly regretted her decision.

“Alice, let’s not talk about work right now. This is supposed to be a break from the madness to regroup before we start again.” Shannon jumped in so quickly that Maya gave her an appreciative look, then let her gaze linger as an adorable flush colored her cheeks.

Maya pulled out the chair next to Shannon, which unfortunately put her directly across from Alice. She nodded at Lucia and received a warm smile.

“Sure, okay. What should we talk about then? Perhaps we could share some stories about our hometowns. Since we’re all from such different backgrounds.”

Beside her, Shannon sighed, then seemed to try to cover it with a cough.

Undeterred, Alice continued. “I imagine my rural Georgia upbringing was very different from yours in New York City.”

“Actually, she’s from Albany,” Shannon muttered, then blushed even deeper.

“That’s right.” Maya met Shannon’s eyes and smiled, hoping to ease whatever was making her uncomfortable. Maya’s bio was quite accessible on the Internet or any number of interviews she’d done over the years. She’d grown used to fans of the show talking to her about childhood, her education, and even her personal life. For some, nothing was off-limits. While Maya was quick to shut down inquiries that became too personal, she’d learned to accept a degree of curiosity. Shannon’s knowledge of where she was raised wasn’t nearly as surprising as Alice’s obvious ignorance of it. She recalled from Shannon’s application that she’d grown up in the Nashville area. “I suppose that makes you the big-city girl at this table.”

“Hardly. Despite where we were born, anyone could look at us and tell who has more life experience.” Shannon scoffed. “I got cast on a national television show and still couldn’t get out of this town.”

“Is it weird living in a hotel in your own hometown?”

“A little. But I’m sure it’ll give me a different perspective on the city. I typically only come downtown to go to work, then go back to my apartment in the suburbs. I don’t like crowds.”

“There sure weren’t many crowds where I’m from,” Alice said, obviously eager to get back into the conversation.

“Mmm hmm.” Maya angled her chair slightly away from Alice and spoke to Shannon. “You seemed uncomfortable during the challenge today.”

“I was nervous. And out of my element. The cameras and lights don’t simulate my usual environment for being creative.”

“And what would that be?”

“Well, these days I work in a little bakery about seven blocks from here. When we don’t have any customers in the shop, I like listening to music while I decorate. I try to pick songs that set the mood I’m trying to convey.” Shannon’s voice lifted with passion for her work, and her eyes lit up as if she could actually hear the music in her head.

“Your theme today centered around me. So what songs would you pick?”

“I thought you didn’t want to talk about work?”

“Actually, those were your words.” She’d initially thought avoiding shoptalk was a good idea but found she was interested in hearing more about Shannon’s work. After culinary school, Maya had worked in restaurants for a very short time, then landed the spot on the show. Since then, she’d done cookbooks, and press, and appearances, never again needing a full-time gig. Sometimes all of the traveling made her weary, and the idea of working in a quaint little shop appealed to her. But she’d had experiences so many young chefs could only dream of, and fame didn’t last forever. She’d have plenty of time to settle down later.

“I got the sense you agreed.”

“I did, in theory. But,” she shrugged, “we’re chefs. It’s what we do. Besides, don’t you think the differences in creative process are interesting?”

“I’m definitely interested in your process.” Shannon’s voice dropped and her immediate shocked expression indicated she hadn’t intended to sound so flirtatious. “I mean—I hope to learn as much as I can from you.”

Maya still wanted to know what imaginary playlist Shannon had heard while she decorated a cake for her. But she couldn’t find a way to bring the conversation back to the subject. Instead, to test Shannon’s reaction to brutal honesty, she said, “Look, your cake was good, spot-on for my personality. And I don’t know how you did it because your consultation was a mess. That’s what really hurt you today.”

“I know.” No excuses. Maya gave her points for that. Shannon’s eyes betrayed her worry despite the lift of her chin. She had skills, no doubt. Maya searched her memory for something in Shannon’s bio that explained her lack of confidence, but nothing stood out. She’d have to get to know her better before she figured it out, but that meant Shannon had to stick around.

“So, do better.” Maya’s voice came out more rough than she intended. Realizing she’d leaned even closer as she spoke, she shoved her chair back abruptly, causing the legs to scrape harshly against the floor. She shouldn’t appear to pay Shannon more attention than the others, so she looked at Lucia and Alice before her next statement. “I don’t like to lose.”

Before anyone could respond, Hugh appeared near their table.

“Maya, can I have a minute, please?”

“Sure.” Maya gathered her trash and followed him away from the table.

“What a bitch.” Alice huffed as soon as they were out of earshot.

“What? I think she was perfectly pleasant,” Shannon said.

“Ha. She’s not very friendly. Frankly, not what I expected at all.” Alice shook her head. “Very disappointing.”

Lucia shrugged. “I didn’t see Wayne or Jacques eating lunch with their teams.”

“She’s got a point.” Shannon balled up her napkin and tossed it on her plate on top of the remnants of her lunch. Any appetite she had left after her performance that morning had disappeared when Maya joined them. She still hadn’t fully wrapped her head around the idea that she’d just shared lunch with Maya Vaughn.

When Maya had lowered her voice and spoken only to her, Shannon’s stomach had flipped nervously. First, she’d met Maya’s eyes, but that only intensified the flutter, so, instead, she studied the tattoos on Maya’s arms. Maya had shed her chef’s coat during the break, and Shannon was able to make out some of the designs. The amazingly detailed depiction of an old-fashioned hand mixer that spanned the inside of her left forearm was particularly impressive. A flowing script wrapped around her right wrist, but she hadn’t been able to read the message.

“It doesn’t matter. I guess we’re stuck with her,” Alice grumbled.

Alice’s sudden negativity surprised Shannon, considering her otherwise bubbly personality. She could certainly think of worse fates than being mentored by an amazing chef. The fact that Maya was gorgeous and oozed sex appeal didn’t hurt either.

Despite Sawyer spelling out the exact odds that she’d end up on Maya’s team, Shannon hadn’t let herself hope too much. Given her luck, she’d expected to be mentored by one of the other guys and left to watch Maya from afar. Granted, her concentration might have fared a little better. She’d completely embarrassed herself during that interview, and worse, Maya seemed to know exactly why. She’d probably gotten a good laugh about the pathetic, star-struck lesbian blundering around.

*

“You’re not a contestant this time, Maya,” Hugh said over his shoulder as he strode toward the kitchen set. “You can’t eat lunch with them.”

“Why not?” Maya stretched her legs to keep up with him. During Maya’s season, Hugh had been an assistant to one of the producers. And in the ensuing seasons he’d worked his way up to associate producer. As a past winner, her association with the show had never really ended. She’d returned several times for challenges when the show brought back all-stars to compete against the newbies. And in all of those years, he hadn’t slowed down a bit.

“We have a special lunch catered for you and the guys.”

“If I choose to—”

He stopped short and pulled his cell phone from his pocket, apparently in response to a vibrating alert. He touched the screen, his eyes glued to the display. “You’ll have an unfair advantage if you spend more time with your team.”

Maya shrugged. “Wayne and Jacques are free to do the same, aren’t they?”

“Just don’t do it, okay? You’re a mentor—a star—and we want you set apart from the competitors.”

“Okay.” She still didn’t understand what the big deal was, but she’d comply. Of course, none of the mentors on her season had eaten lunch with her team. In fact, they’d pretty much looked at her like she didn’t deserve to be there. Perhaps that’s why she sympathized with the wide-eyed chefs.

C
HAPTER
F
IVE

“Damn it,” Maya muttered to herself as she watched her team bickering.

“What was that?” Wayne asked smugly.

“Nothing.”

Thirty minutes into the elimination challenge and her group had already fallen noticeably behind. The contestants had to work within their teams to design and decorate a cake for a client’s retirement party. Two representatives from each team had met with the client and taken the ideas back to the others. While Lucia and Alice had handled that task, Shannon and Damien had begun gathering balls of fondant, layers of cake for carving, and other supplies.

The problem for Team Vaughn began when the four of them got behind one worktable. They disagreed drastically over design, taking up far too much time deciding what to do. Then when they finally started work, they were too rushed. Damien’s fondant work was sloppy, and the faster he tried to go the worse it got. Alice tried to micro-manage the team and as a result didn’t seem to be getting any of her own tasks done. Shannon let Alice walk all over her, first in the design phase and then while implementing the idea. Lucia worked consistently on her items, but she didn’t participate much with the team.

By the time Eric called time, Maya’s team had already been beaten. Maya almost felt more exhausted than if she’d been the one up there under the lights working. She mostly remained silent during the judging of each cake, letting Wayne and Jacques give the critiques.

Wayne’s team was awarded the win, and he puffed up with pride, leaving the judges’ table to give them all high fives.

“Maya, since your team came in last, one of them will go home.”

Eric dismissed the other two teams and they headed back to the hotel. He sent Maya’s team to the lounge area to await their fate. While the crew reset to shoot the elimination, Maya took her place behind the long, elevated desk designated for judging. Wayne and Jacques joined her.

“Okay, let’s hear it.” She turned to them with a resigned sigh.

“They’re kind of a mess.” Wayne furrowed his brows as if to soften his words.

Maya nodded, biting her lower lip.

“
A mess
would have been preferable.” The slight French lilt to Jacques’ tone made him sound haughty no matter what he said.

Maya tamped down the irrational urge to defend her team. Their performance this afternoon didn’t merit the effort. “Who would you send home?”

“Looking at both challenges?”

“Sure.”

Wayne considered the question for an uncomfortably long moment. Maya’s stomach twisted nervously. “Damien and Shannon are your weakest links. But I think she edged him out this time.”

Jacques nodded in agreement.

“That’s what I figured.” She relaxed a bit. She didn’t want to send Shannon home today.

“Okay, guys, I’m going to bring them in.” Hugh leaned against the edge of the counter and met Maya’s eyes. “Since this is your first time doing this, let me go over a couple of things. These guys can talk it through with you, but we want you to make the final announcement. I know you all probably already know what you want to do. But we want you to play it up. Talk to them, see if you can make them fight it out a little. It makes for good drama that way.”

He didn’t wait for her answer before he headed back to the lounge, presumably to brief the contestants on how the first elimination would go—where to stand, what they should do once Maya announced the chef they would be sending home.

Hugh led the chefs into the room and they stood in a line in front of the mentors. Maya leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, and gave them her best look of disappointment. Alice fidgeted. Hugh turned control over to Eric, who gave a practiced speech for the cameras about the elimination process, providing essentially the same information Hugh had just given the chefs for the viewers.