Some Like It Spicy

by Robbie Terman

  “Have you ever made one before?”

  “No,” she admitted. “But I’ve made cakes before. This is just a few alterations to my recipe.” She didn’t say that “her” recipe was actually Chloe’s and the first time she’d tried it had only been a few days ago.

  The actual cooking time for the individual-sized cakes was only fifteen minutes plus a few to cool, so after she’d finished prepping, Ashton made whipped cream for a garnish. She wanted the cake to be warm when served, so she had to time it perfectly. She didn’t want it so hot it crumbled or melted the whipped cream, but she also didn’t want it to be so cool it was beginning to harden.

  With five minutes on the clock, she took the cakes out of the oven. They smelled—and looked—heavenly. Chloe would be proud, she reflected with a smile.

  With a minute and a half on the clock, she ran a knife around the individual molds and inverted them on plates. She topped each cake with a dollop of whipped cream and Mint Surprise Cookie crumbles as a garnish.

  “Time!” Ty yelled. “Chefs, please bring your desserts into the dining room.”

  The dining room was next door to the kitchen and the girls had been grouped into threes. Each group would share one of each of the chef’s creations. Ty, Andrea, and Claude would also share.

  Ashton was the first to serve.

  “This looks delicious,” Andrea said. “Tell us about your dessert, Ashton.”

  Ashton shifted so she could address both the judges and the children. “This was inspired by the Mint Surprise Cookies. It’s a chocolate lava cake with homemade whipped cream and Mint Surprise Cookies crumbled on top. Enjoy.”

  She watched them take a bite, looked for ecstasy on their faces. Andrea’s face held the closest reaction to what she was looking for: eyes closing, lips smacking, digging her fork in for more. Claude and Ty kept their reactions close to the vests.

  The girls were chattering about the dish as she stepped back, but the highest praise she heard was, “It’s good.” For all she knew about kid speak, their reaction could have been anywhere between love and hatred.

  Jolene presented next. “Hi y’all,” she said, flashing a wide smile and white teeth. “I have for you a delicious and nutritious dessert.”

  Ashton was secretly delighted to hear a few groans from the kids.

  “My inspiration was the Peanut Butter Chip Cookies. Peanut butter is a wonderful food, filled with good fats like monounsaturated, and it’s a source of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins B3 and E. I made a peanut butter sorbet, with chocolate shavings and a wafer thin chocolate cookie as garnish.”

  Jolene’s dish seemed to be a hit with the kids; they devoured the plates and asked for more. Ashton’s nerves, which had been in the safe zone, now climbed toward danger.

  “I also used Mint Surprise Cookies,” Duffy said next.

  Ashton bit back a gasp until it clogged her throat. Crap! Now they would compare the two desserts, and the loser would probably be sent home.

  “I made a chocolate bread pudding with a mint glaze,” Duffy said.

  Ashton’s gaze fell on the judges, looking for a reaction. Just as with her dish, she didn’t get much. She kept her stare on Ty the longest, willing him to look at her. But if he felt her gaze, he didn’t acknowledge it.

  Jin was the last chef to present his dish. “My inspiration was the Coconut Caramel Cookie,” he said. “I made a seven-layer cake. The cake layers are vanilla and the filling layers are caramel and coconut. I topped it with chocolate frosting.”

  “Thank you, chefs,” Ty said after taking a bite. “We’ll speak to our guest judges before the elimination.”

  The chefs were herded to the Wreck Room to await the elimination.

  “I hope this doesn’t take long,” Duffy said, popping the cap off a beer. “The waiting is the worst part.”

  “I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long today,” Ashton said. “Ty has to be at a book signing in Brooklyn.”

  As the words left her mouth, she realized Duffy and Jin were staring at her. “What?”

  “How do you know Ty’s schedule?” Duffy asked, eyebrow raised.

  “I… S-Sally told us,” Ashton stammered.

  Jin shook his head. “No, she just said we had an early start. She didn’t say why.”

  Ashton’s mind raced, searching for a plausible explanation, one other than Ty telling her during one of the numerous times they’d talked on the phone. It was as if all thought had fled her head. She looked at Jolene pleadingly.

  Jolene caught her glance. “I told her. I overheard Ty talking to his agent earlier about it.”

  “Okay,” Duffy said, accepting her explanation. He grabbed a deck of cards out of his backpack and held them up. “Texas hold ’em?”

  “Sure,” Ashton said.

  As Jin and Duffy argued over the rules, Ashton bent close to Jolene. “Thanks,” she whispered.

  Jolene glanced sideways at her, an understanding smile curving half her lip. “No problem. Just…just be careful.”

  Jolene knew. Maybe because they were roommates, maybe because Ashton and Ty hadn’t been as discreet as they’d thought, or maybe just because Jolene was smarter than she’d realized. But she knew.

  Panic clogged Ashton’s throat and radiated in her chest until it hurt to breath. “I-I—” The admission of guilt refused to break free.

  “Don’t.” Jolene put up a hand. “Whatever you want to say, it’s better if you don’t.” She turned to Jin and Duffy. “So, how do we play this?”

  They played cards for an hour before they were called back to the studio. Ashton had no idea if that was a good or bad sign. Had all their dishes been so good, they’d had to pick the tiniest nuance to eliminate by? Or, had the desserts been so awful, more than one of them deserved to go home?

  When they walked into the studio, she saw that there was only one chair in the safe zone; three elimination flames were set up. Each step toward the table became heavier, until she could barely move.

  Ty stood on his mark, waiting for the chefs to get into position. Her heart rate picked up its pace. Was this it? Would she ever be with him again?

  He couldn’t possibly think if she was eliminated, they could go public, did he? At this point in the game, her reputation would be in smithereens if their affair got out. At the same time, she didn’t want him to keep her in the contest at the expense of a better chef, just so he could continue to screw her.

  Unsteady, she stood on her mark and waited.

  Sally yelled action.

  “Today you were tasked with making a dessert based on a Songbird cookie,” Ty said. “Some of you succeeded, and some of you failed. Today, only the winner is safe. The rest of you will be up for elimination.” He turned to the troop of girls. “Girls, why don’t you announce today’s winner.”

  A girl with red hair and a face full of freckles stepped forward. “The winner is…” She looked to her friends and they answered in unison, “Jolene!”

  Jolene clapped her hand over her mouth, stifling a scream, as Ashton nearly collapsed.

  “Jolene,” Claude said. “Your dessert not only had the flavor components of the Peanut Butter Chip Cookies, it was also nutritious and something a parent could feel good about serving to a child. Wonderful job.”

  “Thank you,” Jolene said, eyes shining.

  “As today’s winner,” Andrea said, “your prize an all-expenses-paid trip and front row seat at the Pastry World Cup, where the best pastry chefs in the world compete, this year to be held in Paris.”

  Ashton, Jin, and Duffy politely clapped while Jolene let out a cry. She deserves it, Ashton chanted to herself.

  “Jin, Duffy, Ashton, please take your spots behind a flame,” Ty said.

  Ashton forced her feet to move, placing herself in the middle between Jin and Duffy.

  “Let’s start with Duffy,” Ty said. “While your bread pudding was very good, I didn’t get much of a chocolate taste from it. Did you add cocoa?”

&
nbsp; Ashton could feel Duffy tense beside her. “Yes,” Duffy said through gritted teeth. “Apparently, I could have put in more.”

  “Ashton,” Andrea said. Ashton’s breath stuck in her throat.

  “I loved your dessert.”

  Ashton smiled as she let out a stream of air. “Thank you.”

  “But I think it is the type of dessert only a depressed woman could appreciate.”

  Her smile fell as her pulse began to race.

  “I agree it was very rich,” Claude said. “Also, although the girls liked the minty center, they didn’t care for the dark chocolate.”

  Ashton looked to Ty, waiting for him to comment, but he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he moved on to Jin.

  “Jin, while your concept was interesting, your cake was dry and flavorless.”

  Even Jin, who was as calm a person as Ashton had ever met, squirmed under the criticism.

  Ty walked up and down the table, stopping in front of each of them.

  Ashton’s heart pounded so loudly, she wouldn’t have been surprised if her microphone picked it up. The world began to get fuzzy. Please don’t faint, she repeated over and over in her head.

  When Ty’s hand raised, she had to grip the table. But the flame he put out wasn’t hers.

  He covered Jin’s flame. “Jin, you can’t take the heat. Get out of the kitchen.”

  Ashton closed her eyes.

  And fainted.

  …

  “Ashton!” Ty dropped to his knees beside her. “Get an ambulance.” He bent forward, putting his head near her mouth and nose to see if she was breathing. To his relief, he could feel warm air hit his cheek. He put two fingers against her carotid artery to check for a pulse.

  “Is she okay?” Jolene asked. She’d knelt beside him and held Ashton’s hand.

  “I don’t know,” he answered. “Ashton, can you hear me?”

  Sally appeared at his side. “Ambulance is on the way.”

  “No ambulance,” Ashton groaned.

  Ty let out air he didn’t know he was holding. He put a palm on her chilled cheek. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  Her eyes were still closed and her skin colorless. “I don’t know. I don’t even remember falling. How long was I out?”

  “Just a few seconds,” Jolene assured her.

  “You’re going to the hospital,” Ty said firmly.

  “No!” Ashton struggled to sit up. Ty put a hand to stop her as Jolene tried to help her on the other side.

  “You need to be checked out by a doctor,” Ty insisted. Seeing her fall like that had scared the life out of him. He wasn’t going to let her stubbornness risk her health.

  Despite his attempts to stop her, she’d risen to her feet with Jolene’s help. “I’m fine. I promise.”

  “Then why’d you faint?” Ty asked.

  Her pale cheeks tinged pink. “I don’t know. I’m probably just dehydrated or something. I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

  Ty opened his mouth to argue, when Sally intervened. “We have a location shoot tomorrow. You want to be a part of it?” she asked.

  “Of course,” Ashton said.

  “We can’t have you getting sick when we’re out in the middle of nowhere. Will you at least let the paramedics check you out? If they say you’re fine, we’ll drop it. But if they want to take you to the hospital, either you go or you don’t participate in the next challenge. Agreed?”

  “Fine,” Ashton grumbled, clearly knowing she didn’t have a choice.

  “You can lie down in my office until they get here,” Ty said. “I’ll take you.”

  He put an arm around her, inanely noting that her being sick was the only reason he would ever be able to touch her in public, and helped her down the hall. He set her on the couch and closed the door.

  He sat next to her, lowered her head to his lap, and stroked the top of her head. “Are you really okay?”

  Her eyes stayed closed as she nodded. “I honestly don’t know what happened. I think, maybe, it was a panic attack.”

  “About getting eliminated?”

  “I wasn’t scared of getting eliminated as much as…” Tears slipped from the creases of her eyes. She lifted her lids. “As much as going home and never seeing you again.”

  He didn’t know what to say. If he admitted he was scared of the same thing, she might think he’d kept her from elimination for that reason. The truth was, her dessert had been overly rich, similar to Morgan’s disastrous breakfast. And a few of the kids hadn’t liked the dark chocolate. If Jin hadn’t made a bigger mistake, she would be going home. And although he truly believed Jin made the worst dish, part of him had considered that if she went home, he might never see her again.

  To hell with it. He had to tell her what he was feeling. What he’d been feeling. That this was more than just a fling, that he saw a future together, if only he could untangle himself from this damnable mess he’d created of his life.

  He cleared his throat. “Ashton—”

  A commotion coming down the hall stopped him. He could hear Jolene, in a loud, high-pitched voice so unlike her usual soft drawl, say, “Ashton is lying down in the office. I can run ahead and have her come out here.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Ty heard a deep voice reply, “But we’ll take it from here.”

  Ty had just enough time to slide Ashton’s head out of his lap and stand beside her before two men in paramedic uniforms, Sally, and Jolene crowded into his office.

  “I’m fine.” Ashton struggled to sit up before anyone touched her.

  The short, stocky paramedic put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “Let us just check your vitals, make sure everything is okay.”

  Sally’s pointed glare had Ashton slumping back on the couch.

  Ty tapped his feet against the cement floor as the paramedic took Ashton’s pulse and checked her blood pressure. When he felt a soft arm on his shoulder, he jerked his head to the left. Jolene stood beside him, a sympathetic smile on her lips.

  “She’ll be okay,” Jolene whispered, her eyes knowing.

  He should have felt panic or fear or anger that Jolene knew his and Ashton’s secret. But at the moment, his concern for Ashton overrode all other emotion. He didn’t acknowledge Jolene’s suspicions, except for a slight nod of appreciation.

  As he turned his attention back to Ashton, the paramedic stood, brushing off his dusty knees.

  “She’s fine,” the man announced. “Heart rate and blood pressure are normal, and her color is improving. My guess was a panic attack. Given the situation, that isn’t unlikely.”

  Ty was caught between the need to blow out a huge sigh of relief and the desire to throw his arms around Ashton and beg her never to scare him like that again. He settled for thanking the paramedic.

  “So, I don’t have to go to the hospital,” Ashton said.

  The paramedic shook his head. “Just take it easy tonight. You’ll be fine.”

  Sally walked the paramedics out and Jolene followed behind them. She turned to Ashton from the doorway. “I’ll wait outside while you…recover.” She stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind her.

  Immediately, Ty fell to Ashton’s side, picking up her hand and putting it to his lips. “Don’t do that again, okay?”

  She chuckled softly. “I’ll try.”

  “You’re coming home with me tonight. Someone needs to look after you.”

  “You have the book signing,” she reminded him.

  “Fuck!” He ripped his hands through his hair.

  Ashton tsked him. “What would your mama say if she could hear you now?”

  “I don’t fucking care,” he said hotly, making sure to keep his voice down so no one in the hall could hear. “I don’t want to go to the fucking book signing. I want to fucking be with you.”

  “Sometimes you don’t fucking get what you want.” She leaned her head against his chest and he wrapped an arm around her. “Seriously, I’m just going to go home and get into bed
. There is nothing you could do for me anyway. You have a contract, I assume.”

  “Yes,” he said through gritted teeth. Fuck Vic and his contracts.

  “Then you have to do it,” she told him firmly. “Besides, I want to be fresh for tomorrow’s challenge, and after a week apart, I don’t think we could sleep in the same bed without ripping each other’s clothes off.”

  Heat flared in his body at the image. She was right about that. The next time they made it to a bed together, neither of them would be sleeping.

  His phone beeped in his pocket. It was a text from his driver, saying they had to leave now or he’d be late. “Fuck!”

  “Stop saying that,” Ashton scolded, putting a finger over his lips. “It doesn’t sound right, coming from your mouth.”

  “Sorry,” he mumbled against her finger.

  “I forgive you,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “As long as you fuck me later.”

  He laughed. “I can guarantee it.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ashton awoke the next morning refreshed and ready for the day’s challenge. Last night, Jolene had fussed over her, bringing her chicken noodle soup (that Jolene had made from scratch) and hot tea, and making her a cool, lavender-scented compress for her forehead.

  Although two rooms were now empty in the house, neither of them moved. They’d both decided not to jinx themselves by changing their pattern. Besides, Ashton had come to enjoy having Jolene as a roommate. She’d miss her when Jolene went back to Texas and she to Chicago. She would make a point to keep in touch.

  Without so many people, the kitchen was quiet. Duffy read the morning paper at the counter, a half-eaten omelet in front of him. Jolene sat at the table with a pea-green drink and an English muffin with turkey bacon and cheese.

  When Jolene saw her, she pointed to her plate. “Want one? I made an extra.”

  Ashton shook her head.

  “Yes, you do,” Jolene said, her own head nodding. “I was being polite by asking. You’re just going to have to get over your breakfast thing. Do you want to faint again?”

  “No.” She felt like a child being scolded. Of course, it wasn’t worth arguing about, since Jolene was right.