by Jennifer Yen
James proceeds to tickle me until I break free, running over to Ben and Grace and using them as shields. I try to fake right, but he catches on and captures me in his arms, effectively ending my escape.
“Gotcha!”
I reach up and brush the hair off his brow, and he goes in for another kiss. It’s a while before my feet land back on the ground.
“I see you guys have made up too,” Grace says with a chuckle.
Ben smirks. “And not a moment too soon. He was driving me up a wall.”
“I was getting tired of Liza’s moping myself.”
“Hey!” James and I protest at the same time.
“See? Totally made for each other,” Ben teases.
The four of us walk around the park, sticking to the shade of the oak trees. My phone rings suddenly. It’s Mom. Oh no.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” I say before she can start in on me. “I should have called earlier. I’m out with Grace at the Water Wall, and I’m fine.”
I don’t mention Ben or James. I’d like to keep the latter to myself a little longer. Rather than yelling at me like she usually would, Mom sounds oddly calm over the phone.
“I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried. Jeannie said you two had an argument.”
I lean against a tree trunk. “Yeah, we did. It’s a long story.”
“Are you going to come home soon?”
“I’ll leave in a minute.”
“Dinner will be waiting,” she tells me before hanging up.
Grace eyes me. “You gonna survive?”
“Sounds like it, but I should probably go home anyway.”
“Ben and I can drop you off,” James offers. “It’s not out of the way.”
As much as I’d love a few more minutes with him, I’m not ready to tempt fate just yet.
“Actually, I’m going to ride with Grace, if that’s okay.”
Somehow, James guesses what’s on my mind. “I thought you said your mom would approve of us dating.”
“I think she would, but with everything that’s happened with the contest . . .”
I freeze. Wait a second. The contest. I glance from Ben to James and back. Grace touches me on the arm.
“You think Nathan might be the one who stole the recipe book and trashed the bakeshop, don’t you?”
I nod. The two cousins exchange a look.
“Now that I think about it, it could also explain why I had salt in my sugar jar on cake day,” James says.
“I definitely wouldn’t put it past him,” Ben adds, staring across the grassy lawn. “Especially if he thought it would help him get back at us . . . or at least, back at James.”
“Why would ruining Mom’s contest do anything to James?” I ask.
Ben raises his eyebrows at me. “Because.”
I follow the path of his eyes over to James, who’s giving the buttons of his shirt rapt attention. As I watch, he turns more crimson by the minute.
Oh. Oh.
I thread my fingers through his, and he gives me a lopsided smile. I turn back to Ben.
“If he’s really the culprit, how are we going to prove it? I’ve already tried talking sense into Jeannie. She won’t listen.”
James brings my hand up to press a kiss to my knuckles.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
Chapter 25
After returning home from the Water Wall, I spend most of the night waiting for a lecture that never comes. We even make it through an entire family dinner without Mom offering a single criticism. I’m totally weirded out by this kinder, more trusting version of her, even though I’ve wanted this my whole life. Jeannie and I still aren’t talking, so I can’t really ask her about it.
When I glance across the table at Dad, he only shrugs. Half of me expects to wake up in the middle of the night to her standing over my bed with a butcher knife. Needless to say, I don’t get much sleep. It’s just as well, because I’m super anxious about telling Mom and Dad about Nathan.
The next day, I pull them into the kitchen before Jeannie gets up and confess my suspicions about his sabotaging the contest. Dad’s so stunned he can only shake his head.
Mom rubs her face and frowns. “Are you sure Nathan is to blame for this? He seems so . . .”
“Perfect?”
Her eye twitches before she replies. “I was going to say nice.”
“I’m sure that’s how he gets away with doing these things.”
With a little pleading, Mom agrees to help me convince Jeannie to hear Ben out. Within a couple of hours, Ben and Jeannie are sitting in the study with the door closed. Grace is perched on the couch, staring blankly at the fireplace while wrapped in her own thoughts. She wanted to be there in case Jeannie had any questions. James, who insisted on coming with Ben too, moves to stand by me. He’s wearing a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, paired with slim-cut jeans. I glance at him.
“Do you always dress like this?”
He winks. “Only if I’m trying to impress someone.”
“So . . . this is your ‘meet-the-mom’ outfit?”
His grin melts my insides. “Do you think it’ll work?”
“It’s working on someone,” Grace quips.
I scowl at her, but it’s rendered ineffective by the flush of my cheeks.
James laughs. “I’ll have to keep that in mind for the future.”
I go to shove him, but he captures my hand in his and tugs me closer. My head tilts automatically, but we’re interrupted.
“Liza.”
I twirl around at the sound of Mom’s voice. She gestures for me to join her in the kitchen, but I’m rooted to the spot.
James touches my arm. “Are you going to be okay?”
“She’s not going to murder me with guests present, if that’s what you’re asking,” I half joke.
“Seriously, Liza. Do you want me to go with you?”
I smile and cover his hand with mine. “Thanks, I’ll be okay.”
Mom is sitting at the kitchen table when I walk in, and I lower myself into the seat she’s pulled for me. For a few tense minutes, I’m a bug under Mom’s watchful eye. Finally, she tips her head and speaks.
“Are you doing this so I’ll leave you alone?”
It takes my brain a second to deduce what she’s really asking, but then I shake my head.
“No. I really like James.”
There’s another long pause before she nods.
“Good. Then his mom and I approve.”
Wait . . . what?
“You talked to his mom?”
“Of course I did,” she says, arranging the mail Dad left on the table. “When you came home so late that night, I called his parents to check if you were with him. His mom answered the phone.”
“You—” I gasp. “Did you call Ben’s parents too?”
“Why would I do that? It’s obvious he likes Grace.” She laughs at my hanging jaw. “I do pay attention, Liza. Especially when it comes to the people my daughters spend time with.”
My mind circles back to what she said first. “What do you mean James’s mom approves?”
“While we were on the phone, Mrs. Wong kept asking questions about our family, so I asked her why. Apparently, James had explained how the contest worked, and when he mentioned your name, he lit up. Mrs. Wong said she’d never seen him look so happy before.”
My face burns hotter than Szechuan peppers hearing this. If Mom notices, she chooses not to comment. She sets the mail on the kitchen counter behind her.
“Anyway, she asked to hear more about you, so I told her all about the things you’ve accomplished. She was very impressed to hear about your baking skills, by the way. It seems Mrs. Wong’s quite the baker herself. Of course, I asked about James too, and I have to say, he sounds like a
very nice young man.”
I’m speechless. For once, Mom’s matchmaking worked to my advantage. She must be thinking along the same lines because she lets out a triumphant laugh.
“See, Liza? I knew he would be the right one. You should have more faith in your mom.”
Apparently, Mom’s just going to pretend like she didn’t have a whole help-Edward-win-Liza’s-heart scheme, but I’ll let it slide. After all, she did talk me up to Mrs. Wong.
“Thanks for having my back, Mom.”
“You’re welcome.”
Mom goes to check on Jeannie and Ben, while I head back into the living room to update James on our conversation. When I get to the part about what happened between our moms, his cheeks redden.
“They really did that? Shit,” he says a little loudly.
He claps his hand over his mouth. It’s so unexpected, I just about die laughing.
James grins sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck. “Ah, sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Are you kidding?” I poke him in the ribs. “I’ve been waiting for this since the day we met!”
His eyes twinkle as he threads his arm around my waist.
“Is that all you’ve been waiting for?”
I giggle as James dips his head down to meet mine, but the door to the study opens, and we pull apart. My heart sinks when I spot Jeannie. She reminds me of a wilted flower, crumpled and broken. I wanted her to know the truth about Nathan, but seeing her hurt like this makes me question if I did the right thing.
“What he did to you was terrible,” Jeannie tells Ben with fervent eyes. “I swear. I had no idea.”
“I know you didn’t. I’m just glad you were willing to hear me out.”
They share a tentative smile. Then Ben moves over to sit by Grace, while Jeannie looks over at me. I don’t know which of us moves first, but a second later, we’re hugging and talking over each other in the middle of the room.
“I should’ve believed you,” she says. “I should’ve known who to trust.”
“It’s okay,” I answer back. “He’s a really good liar.”
“All those things I said to you . . .”
I shake my head against her cheek. “Already forgotten.”
“Will you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.”
Jeannie squeezes me hard and then steps over to Mom. She bows her head in shame.
“I’m sorry. I’m the one who brought him into this and ruined the contest. He wouldn’t have even come down here if it wasn’t for me.”
Mom strokes her cheek. “It’s not your fault. He was the one who decided to do this. Not you.”
“It certainly seems like he’s been trying to make James and me look like the guilty ones,” Ben adds. “After all, he made sure I was the one who found the trashed bakeshop.”
This only adds to Jeannie’s distress. She pulls her phone out of her pocket.
“I am going to break up with him right now.”
“Actually,” James interjects, “I’d prefer if you waited a while.”
“What? Why?”
Everyone turns to stare at him. He leans casually against the doorway.
“If we’re going to catch Nathan in the act, he can’t know we suspect him. He needs to think you still believe him.”
“James is right,” Grace states. “The only way we’re going to stop him is to have concrete proof he’s behind all this.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“Give him a perfect opportunity to do something more, and get it on video,” James explains.
“Do you think Mrs. Lee is part of this?” Mom interrupts quietly. “Did I make a mistake bringing her on board?”
I’m across the room in the blink of an eye. Jeannie takes one of Mom’s hands in hers.
“Mrs. Lee never knew he tried blackmailing me,” Ben assures. “And honestly, she would never risk her or her company’s reputation like this.”
I smile gratefully at him. Grace slips her hand into his, and he relaxes against her. Jeannie and I exchange a look before she turns to James with a determined set to her jaw.
“What can we do to help?”
* * *
• • • • •
Our plan is put in motion before everyone gathers for the next round of competition. After letting Chef Anthony in on the situation, he agrees to help us spring the trap. Jeannie texts Nathan, pretending to be too busy to meet up because the contest is almost finished. The night before bake day, she texts and asks him to stop by the bakeshop so they can spend some time together. Luckily, he agrees.
* * *
• • • • •
In the morning, everyone gathers around the table in the prep room. A short time later, we hear Jeannie’s voice in the hall.
“I just need to grab my purse,” she says. “You mind coming with me?”
“Sure, babe.”
Jeannie enters first, her face etched with tension. Nathan steps in a second behind her, and his eyes go wide when he sees we’re all inside.
“Nathan?” Mrs. Lee scowls. “What are you doing here?”
“Er . . . Mom! I . . . I . . .” he stammers. “Remember how you wanted me to take some summer courses to catch up on my credits? Well, I found some down here that I could take since I was in town for a shoot.”
I can tell Mrs. Lee is gearing up to yell at him for not telling her sooner, but Mom distracts her by explaining Ben has been disqualified for stealing the recipe book and trashing the bakeshop.
Mrs. Lee’s hand covers her mouth. “Are you sure it was him? I’ve known him and his family for a long time. He’s not the type to cause this sort of trouble.”
I peer at Nathan, and my blood boils at the smirk on his face.
Mom leans against the table. “I’m afraid so. He’s the only person who had the opportunity and time. One of Chef Anthony’s students came forward and told us she saw him in the building thirty minutes earlier than he said he was. Plus, while the rest of us were trying to piece together what happened, Ben excused himself to go to the bathroom. That’s when my recipe book went missing.”
“Did you ask him why he did it?” Mrs. Lee asks.
“All he would say is that he wanted to get back at Nathan for what happened before.”
“What do you mean?” She turns to her son. “What happened? I thought you two were back on good terms.”
Nathan manages an innocent shrug. While I’m glad Mrs. Lee doesn’t know anything, seeing how easily he manipulated everyone makes me even angrier.
“I tried to get Ben to say more,” Chef Anthony adds with a shake of his head. “But he clammed up after I told him I might have to press charges for the damage he caused.”
Mrs. Lee’s eyes harden. “And James?”
“He wasn’t involved. Ben acted alone,” Mom affirms.
Mrs. Lee is less than convinced, but she relents. “What does that mean for us today?”
“I’d like to get ahead of the negative publicity.” Mom presses a hand to her temple. “It’s only a matter of time before word gets out about what happened.”
Chef Anthony jumps in and offers the suggestion we practiced with him early this morning.
“In that case, since we only have three remaining contestants, how would you feel about making the technical the semifinal round? That way, we can have the highlight as the final and crown a winner before anyone catches wind of the situation.”
Mom pretends to consider it before reluctantly agreeing with a heavy sigh.
“I don’t see any other choice, unless you can think of something, Mrs. Lee.”
“I’m just here to judge,” Mrs. Lee defers. “Whatever you think is best.”
There’s not a hint of malice in her reply. I glance between Mom and her. It’s
nice to see the competition has turned them from enemies to friendly competitors over the past weeks.
“We should give them time to prepare. Not to mention for us to make the necessary changes,” Mom states as she walks over to Chef Anthony. “Maybe we should delay the bake until this afternoon.”
“Sounds fair. I guess there’s nothing left but to update the contestants,” he replies.
We file out of the room in somber silence, and I stick to the back of the group as we head toward the bakeshop. Jeannie and Nathan are walking directly in front of me. I’m proud of how well she’s holding up, considering I’m one domino away from full-on collapse.
Jeannie whispers something in Nathan’s ear with a giggle, never giving away the fact that she knows exactly what kind of person he is.
“Oh, really?”
Predictably, he glances over his shoulder and waves me toward them.
“Come on, Liza! Keep up!”
I pick up my pace and force myself not to cringe when he throws an arm over my shoulder.
“Jeannie tells me you’ve got something special planned for the last technical.”
“Yeah. I was saving it for the final, but since we’re cutting things short, it’ll make it easy to weed out the weakest contestant.”
“Who do you think will win?” Jeannie prompts.
I count five steps before answering. “Things could always change, but I think James will take it.”
Nathan’s eyes jerk back to me. “James? How do you figure?”
“Well, I know he didn’t win the bread challenge, but of the three bakers left, he’s been the most consistent.”
“That’s true, and we both know how much Mom loves consistency,” Jeannie adds in a stage-whisper.
I don’t need to read Nathan’s mind to see the wheels turning in his head right now.
“What about Sammy?” he asks. “He won the bread challenge. Or Edward?”
I scoff. “I think Sammy got lucky last time. As for Edward, he’s a solid third place. It would take a lot to knock James off the podium.”
Nathan’s eyes dart over to Mom, and a frown deepens on his face. We arrive at the bakeshop, and Jeannie tugs him inside. Chef Anthony announces us in order; I enter last. My eyes immediately lock on James. I wink at him, knowing Nathan’s watching us from the sidelines. Though it’s for show, my heart flutters at his smile.