“You’re baking at home?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’m trying a few different recipes until I figure out what I want. Then I’ll duplicate it at Savored.”
“When’s the bake-off?” Gregory wanted to know.
“Friday n
ight,” I told him. It was going to be here before I knew it, and the thought was a little bit sobering to me. Was I really ready for what was about to happen? Part of me thought that I was totally ready, but the rest of me was scared.
I wasn’t going to be the only baker there. I wasn’t even going to be the only cupcake artist. There would be other employees from Savored, and there would be people like Gregory’s late wife who simply loved to bake.
Then there would be Tony.
He was going to be there with his new girlfriend, and I’d have to face them.
Only, I really, really didn’t want to.
6
Gregory
The day of the bake-off arrived, and Bailey and I both promised Kinsley we would come attend. Bailey wanted to bring Liam along, which was perfectly fine with me, and the two of them took off as soon as we got to the event. I chuckled as Bailey took Liam’s hand and they walked away. Liam glanced over his shoulder at me, as if to say that he wasn’t up to anything inappropriate, but I just smiled and waved at them.
I was young once, too, and seeing them together reminded me of how I used to be with Ashley. That felt like a lifetime ago in many ways, but that was okay. I’d learned so much during our time together. Ashley had been an incredible woman, and she’d shown me a lot of love. She’d given me a chance to truly be myself in many ways, and I loved that about her.
I also loved that even now that Kinsley and I were dating, I still felt secure in this choice. I had a feeling that if Ashley was still around, she’d like Kinsley. I thought she’d approve, and that was a good feeling.
The bake-off was held outside of the high school in town. There was a large stage set up in the parking lot where the baking and cooking would take place, as well as booths set up throughout the parking lot. The booths were for competitors who didn’t want to bake on-site. They would receive different awards for their own performances. I appreciated the fact that the competition was set up in such a way. It seemed as though the organizers truly recognized that everyone was a little bit different when it came to their own capabilities.
I found Kinsley standing beside the stage talking to one of the judges.
“What do you mean?” Kinsley asked nervously. She was wringing her hands together, and I could tell exactly what she was feeling.
Anxious.
Afraid.
Scared.
I moved slowly until I was standing beside her, and then I stood here. She glanced over at me for just a second, smiled, and then turned back to the judge.
“It’s all here,” the judge tapped the book. “You’ll be on stage against Lollipop. Tony will be baking his new cupcakes.”
“But he doesn’t bake cupcakes,” Kinsley frowned.
“He does now,” the judge shrugged. “I’m sorry, honey. I know it’s a little awkward, given your past relationship.”
“Relationship?” I asked. The judge seemed to realize she’d said too much because she blushed and walked away. Then everything hit me at once. “He was the guy you dated,” I said.
“Yeah,” Kinsley nodded. “We were together for a few years. I practically ran that candy shop.” She kicked at a little pebble on the ground. “He’s never made cupcakes before in his life. He’s only doing this to beat me.”
“So, don’t let him beat you,” I said.
“What?”
“Don’t let him. Kinsley, you’re fantastic. You’ve got this.”
I smiled at her and nodded. I wanted her to know that I thought she was amazing, and that she was brave, and that facing our pasts was never easy, but that she could do it. There wasn’t enough time before she was supposed to go on stage. I didn’t have long enough to tell her all of the things I wanted to, so I reached for her and tugged her close to me.