Where There's a Whisk

by Sarah J. Schmitt

  “Really?”

  “Oh yeah. It’s good Adam and Malik are cooking because I’ve even been known to make it in the microwave from time to time.”

  “Wow,” he says, leaning away from me, taking the warmth of his arm with him. “Microwave mac and cheese is so bad compared with stove top.”

  “I know, but desperate times being what they are…” I say, letting my words fade away.

  “You work in a restaurant back home?” he asks.

  Had I told him that? “Um, what?”

  “You said you work in a kitchen to make food for other people, so I guess you must work back home.”

  “Oh yeah. I mean it’s just part-time, after school and sometimes on the weekends. I mostly make the pies.” I leave out the part about waitressing so I can help Mom with the bills. I know Caitlin wants me to play up my life back home, but in this moment I feel awkward. Like playing to an audience is one thing, but doing it to Hakulani feels so forced.

  “Yeah, I have a part-time job back home, too.”

  “Doing what?” I ask.

  “Working in a kitchen.” He grins. “What else? It’s not one of the three-star Michelin places, but it’s still a good place to work. Plus, the chef has been giving me tips. But after this show, I hope I’ll catch the attention of some of the top chefs on the islands.”

  “But when will you surf?” I ask, grinning.

  He looks down at me, his brow furrowed. “There’s always time for surfing.” He smiles again. “You should come visit. I could teach you how.”

  “Surf or cook?”

  “You pick. I could also teach you how to hula.”

  The blush that spreads over my entire body is a full-out sprint. Hakulani, perhaps one of the most attractive people I have ever met, is definitely flirting with me.

  With him so near, I struggle to find words. “I can barely work a Hula-Hoop, so I’m pretty sure hula dancing is out of the question.”

  “You never know. A good teacher might be able to change your mind.”

  Did he just use such a cheesy line? Out in the open? Where every word and gesture is being picked up by the camera? Oh no, the cameras. The mere thought of this conversation being captured right now breaks the moment and I shift uncomfortably.

  Hakulani, to his credit, notices my discomfort and asks, “You okay? I didn’t mean to be that guy.”

  “That guy?” I ask, pushing away from the railing and taking a seat on one of the patio chairs nearby. A seat for one. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yeah, you do. You know, the guy who takes an innocent situation and says just enough to turn everything creepy?” He sits down on the seat across from me, the firepit separating us.

  “That’s not what you did.”

  “It’s a little bit what I did,” he says.

  We are both quiet for a moment, the sounds of the city below drifting between us.

  “I have to be honest,” he says.

  “About what?”

  He motions to the camera perched by the stairs, pointing straight at us. “These things make me nervous. And when I get nervous, I tend to say stupid things.”

  “It’s fine,” I say.

  “No,” he insists. “I’m not the kind of guy who goes around and offers hula lessons to girls I’ve just met.”

  “So the camera made you do it?” I ask, trying to make it come out playful, but utterly failing.

  “Yes.” He pauses. “And maybe no.”

  We look at each other, and I give him a small smile, hoping it’s enough to let him know that it’s okay. After a second, he smiles back, albeit a little apologetically. “So, was I wrong?”

  “About what?” I ask, not sure what he’s talking about.

  He nods back to the railing. “Before. We were having a moment, right?”

  I mean, in my head, we went from talking about judging burgers to suddenly having him offer to teach me how to hula dance, and it completely caught me off guard. I haven’t really dated, like ever, because when would I have had the time or the extra money, so I’m not exactly the best judge when it comes to romance. Was that a moment? Then, in the back of my mind, another question creeps in. And even if it was, was it a real one or was it all for the show?

  By the grace of whatever deity is looking out for me, I don’t get a chance to answer him because Adam and Malik burst through the door with their food ready to put on the grill.

  “Keep your cow carcass on your half of the grill,” Adam says, but his face is lit up with a good-natured smile.

  “Hey,” Malik says, lifting the grill lid to start our dinner. “I’m letting them be free range.” He waits a beat before adding, “Just kidding. I know vegetarians are sensitive to sharing cooking space with us carnivores.” He pulls out a roll of aluminum foil and proceeds to make a temporary shield that will keep the juices from splashing over to Adam’s side.

  “Thanks,” Adam says, nodding his head and looking at Malik. “I really appreciate that.”

  Malik shrugs. “It’s no big deal.”

  With the addition of two more people, the energy shifts quickly, and the rooftop becomes a boisterous place to be. By the time Adam and Malik have pulled their burgers off the grill, Lola and Dani have joined the party. Lola immediately takes the spot next to Hakulani and begins peppering him with questions about Hawaii.

  With the four of us acting as judges, the winner of the burger cook-off is decidedly a tie. Which is exactly how it should be.

  “I bet Inaaya and Paulie are going to be sorry they missed this,” Dani says. She’s been surprisingly quiet tonight and, while it’s unnerving, it’s also been nice not to have to endure her subtle, and not so subtle, digs.

  Over dinner, Hakulani catches my gaze and gives me a quick, relaxed smile along with an eye roll as Lola continues her never-ending chatter. I have to hand it to her; she can make a full-blown conversation out of small talk like no one I have ever seen before. I sit back, taking in this moment. For one of us, this is going to be the final night, so I want to enjoy every bit of it while I’m here.

  CHAPTER

  FIFTEEN

  WHEN MY ALARM GOES OFF THE NEXT MORNING, I refuse to open my eyes as I try to hit the snooze button. Five minutes later, I do the same thing. By the third time, Inaaya has obviously had enough because she launches one of her pillows across the room and it hits me in the head.

  “Hey,” I say, more out of surprise than anything else.

  “Get up or turn it off. Either way, make it stop.”

  “Well you’re in a good mood,” I say, slowly pulling myself up into a sitting position, gathering my blanket around me.

  Inaaya groans and buries her head in her one remaining pillow. “I was up all night,” she says, her words muffled.

  “Couldn’t sleep?”

  Her head nods into the plush pillow.

  I pick up her other one and gently toss it back on her bed. “Me neither. I kept having this dream that Angelica was chasing me with a stalk of celery.”

  Inaaya’s shoulders shake in the dim light of our room, and I’m pretty sure she’s laughing at me. After a moment, she lifts up her head and turns toward me. “One of us is going home today,” she says quietly.

  “No,” I answer. “One of them is going home. You and me, we’re still going to be here tomorrow.”

  “You sound so sure, but you don’t know.”

  “I have a good feeling,” I say, sounding way more confident than I feel. “Besides, if either of us should be worried, it’s me. I’ve already lost one competition.”

  “You’re trying to inspire me by saying that you’ll go home and leave me here with Dani? Is that supposed to inspire me?”

  “My Grams used to say that if you don’t have the power of positive thinking, you’ve already lost,” I say, scooting back against the wall.

  “So we’re not packing, because we are not going home?” she says.

  “Right, because of the power of positive thinking.”
r />   “You know there’s no scientific proof that you can make something happen because of positive thinking.”

  “Trying to disprove PPT does not make it any less powerful,” I say, shaking my head, then turning to face her, my tone more serious. “Look, do you want to be here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then make it happen.” I am so good at giving advice that I know I won’t take myself.

  She doesn’t look convinced, but instead of arguing with me, she says, “Well, if for no other reason, I want to stick around long enough to find out what’s happening between you and Hakulani.” She pauses, tapping her chin with her finger and looking at the ceiling. “Or is it with you and Paulie?”

  “I don’t—”

  “Oh, please. It’s so obvious that they’re both interested in you. So do you want to see what happens? Yes or no.”

  “What? No,” I say, but I’m not sure she believes me. “Both guys are nice, but I can’t let myself get distracted. This show is the only way I can go to culinary school.”

  “Good,” she says, crawling back under her covers. “Because I am not wasting valuable time handing you tissues when it all blows up in your face.”

  “Wow, that’s supportive,” I say with a laugh. I glance at the clock and spring out of bed. “We’re going to be late.”

  Inaaya races out of her bed and to the bathroom. “I’ll make it quick.”

  “You better hurry or you’ll miss our ride to the studio.”

  Hoping that I have time to grab some breakfast before she finishes, I step into the hallway, checking to see if anyone is coming. When I reach the kitchen, I find Adam leaning over a bowl.

  “Hey,” I say. Out of everyone here, Adam is the only person I can’t seem to read. Not even a little.

  He motions to a basket of bagels and pastries. “The PA elves dropped these off this morning.”

  “Are you ready for today?”

  He shrugs. “What’s going to happen is going to happen, right?”

  How can he be so nonchalant about this? By the end of the day, one of us will have our hopes crushed while the others drink sparkling grape juice on their proverbial grave.

  “Yeah, but it’s the first elimination,” I say. “I wonder what kind of challenges they’re going to throw at us. You know they love to throw in a twist—it makes for good ratings.”

  “Yeah, ratings,” he scoffs. “It’s all about the ratings.”

  There is a knock at the front door and I jump.

  “Relax,” Adam says, spooning his last bite of cereal and slurping down the almond milk. “Time to go.”

  I assumed everyone was going to be a bundle of nerves and anxiety like me as we got closer to the studio and that the bus ride would be a hotbed of silent fidgeting. Instead, everyone else is laughing and joking around.

  “Well,” Dani says, giving Paulie a rueful smile, “just be glad the judges aren’t judging on biceps or Hakulani would be wiping the floor with you.”

  Everyone laughs, including Paulie, but it feels like I’ve landed in an alternate universe. Yesterday, he would have growled at Dani for saying something like that, but today he is just nodding and smiling. And Dani sure as hell wouldn’t be missing a chance to slam me, but instead she seems to be completely ignoring me now. When we arrive at the studio, Paulie slides out of the bus, turning around to help me out. “Are you ready for this?”

  “You bet,” I say, trying to not think of the million things that could go wrong today. I could poison the judges or set the building on fire. Or, a very tiny voice in my head says, you could wow the judges and secure a spot in the next round. I roll my neck, trying to release the tension. Inaaya turns from the front of the group and gives me a sly thumbs-up as we head into the studio.

  After a quick trip to my dressing room to get dressed in my turquoise chef’s jacket and black pants, I head to hair and makeup, before finally walking to the set. Adam is already there rearranging everything at his station when I enter. “Hey,” I say.

  “What’s up, Peyton?” he asks, looking up at me. “You ready for this challenge?”

  I shake my head. “No, but then again, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. Are you?”

  “No, but it doesn’t matter.” There is a quiet beat before he adds, “Like you said, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. I just have to have faith and know that I’ve done everything I can to win while still being true to myself.”

  I give him the best smile I can manage, but his words and his overall attitude aren’t like the Adam I’ve gotten to know the last couple days. When I met him, he always had a calm, collected personality, and last night he was fun to be with because it felt like he wasn’t here to prove anything—he was just comfortable being himself. Now his energy seems different, and I wish I could think of something deep or thoughtful to say to cheer him up or encourage him a little. But of course I’m way too nervous, so I spout off the first thing that comes into my head. “Well, I’ve spent most of my time here in last place and trying to not burn down the building when I bake a pie. Not sure that means anything, but hopefully it will save lives.” I hold up my crossed fingers.

  He gives me a polite laugh as some of the others start to come onto the set and take their places. “We just have to remember that we’re here to cook,” he says. “If my cooking isn’t good enough, then they’ll send me home. If it is, then I’ll stay.”

  A PA begins to make the rounds, telling us it’s time to take our marks, and we all hustle to the front of the set. Once we’re all in place, Jessica stands in front of the camera and starts beaming at us in her usual upbeat way. But my mind is replaying Adam’s words.

  “Today’s challenge is all about having fun with food,” she says. “With that in mind, the judges would like you to create a full day’s worth of meals for kids in just three hours. That means breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

  “Your dishes will be judged on creative plating, concept, and, of course, taste. And—” she picks up a picnic basket and sets it on the table next to her “—every item in this basket must be used in at least one of your dishes.”

  I stifle a groan. Any time a mystery ingredient is involved, you can bet it’s not going to be something easy like strawberries or eggs. Instead you’re getting stuck with cow tongue or falafel chips.

  “But before we begin, there’s one more thing we need to take care of. Would Dani and Paulie please step forward?”

  She waits as they come up and stand beside her, both looking excited about winning the Landmark Challenge and the advantage that comes with it. Then a PA wheels in a large fishbowl and sets it off to the side near Jessica, who is now looking back and forth between the camera and Paulie and Dani.

  “Inside this bowl are a variety of sabotages you can dish out to any one of the remaining six chefs. However, you can’t use it on each other,” she says, giving them a quick glance. “Step up and choose your sabotage.”

  Dani reaches into the bowl and pulls out a folded piece of white paper. Jessica nods for her to open it. As she reads it, a slow, evil grin spreads across her face.

  “Take away one electric appliance from any opponent and replace it with the hand version.”

  Dani looks up and her eyes roam up and down the line of chefs as if she is trying to decide who she is going to unload her punishment on, but I’m not fooled. She is just buying airtime. I watch her eyes pass over me twice before she finally makes eye contact. “Peyton.”

  Big surprise. She was just toying with the other chefs. But me? She plans to eliminate me.

  “And what appliance?” Jessica asks before giving me and the others a helpless sort of look like, if she could, she would totally rescue me; but since she can’t, oh well.

  “I think Peyton should lose her mixer,” Dani says, and immediately a PA dressed all in black comes on set and takes not only my stand mixer, but my electric hand mixer too. She returns with a hand-crank beater and places it at my station.

  I accept the change wit
h a forced smile. “Thanks, Dani,” I say. I try to tell myself it’s just part of the game and not personal, but it really feels personal. I sense a fire starting inside me, and know I have to win a Landmark Challenge, even if it’s only so I can give Dani a taste of her own medicine. Besides, a little revenge is good for the soul, right?

  Paulie steps up to pick his sabotage. He gets along with everyone, so I have no idea who he is going to pick. As he reads his card, he begins to laugh. After taking a breath to compose himself, he looks right at Hakulani and says, “Sorry, man.” Then he reads, “The chef who receives this sabotage must do all their prep and cooking in a miniature kitchen using only miniature utensils.” He walks over to Hakulani and hands him the card.

  As with my sabotage, the PAs quickly descend, unplugging Hakulani’s entire kitchen unit and wheeling it away while another team brings in what has got to be the smallest working kitchen ever created. No one can stop themselves from laughing as Hakulani tilts his head to one side and then the other as he tries to envision how he is going to fit. I try not to laugh too loud, but once he sits down on the tiny stool provided and puts on a tiny chef’s hat that has a string to go under his chin so it stays on, I can’t help it.

  He looks up at Paulie. “You know this is war, right?” he asks in a good-natured way. At least, it seems good-natured, but his gaze is fiery.

  “Worth it,” Paulie says with a wide grin.

  Hakulani doesn’t look convinced as he starts testing things. However, he does look impressed when water comes out of the mini faucet.

  “Oh yes,” Jessica says, clasping her hands in front of her mouth, probably to keep from laughing. “It’s fully functional.”

  She allows for one more round of giggles before getting us back on track. “All right, chefs, with three hours on the clock, please head to your stations, where your baskets are waiting for you.”

  As I jog back to my station, I watch Hakulani struggle to figure out how to cook three different meals on what is essentially a play kitchen for toddlers, and I decide that losing my mixer isn’t really all that bad.