Page 30 of Holly Jolly Cake Fight
“I guess it’s a good thing you got rid of him, then,” Laurin said with a pleased smile, as though he thought his comment was the perfect salve.
Candace nodded silently and turned her attention back to the couple, letting Laurin think his assessment was correct. Truth be told, she would have stayed in that awful marriage forever if she hadn’t been forced out of it. It wasn’t something she was proud of, but it was the truth.
The couple and an additional judge, Food2Love resident wedding expert Natsuki Pop, had a quick discussion before coming to an agreement. They signaled to Kate and Jannie, and the handlers came by to get all the contestants into properformation. With the cue given, Jannie spouted out an intro before deferring to the newlyweds.
“We’re totally blown away by the cakes,” Madison said.
“Really, this was great,” Ronnie agreed. “I don’t think we would have ever come up with some of these designs for ourselves. I think we’d have had a very boring wedding cake if we didn’t have all of these to choose from.”
They bounced back and forth, picking out three cakes and asking who made each one. Patty, Harper, and Mark all took ownership of their cakes and were notified that they were in the middle. They nodded and thanked the couple before stepping back and allowing the four remaining contestants to pull closer together.
Zara took Patty’s place to the side of Candace, Belle to the side of Laurin. The older woman had a satisfied look about her, like she was sure she was in the running to win. Since it was obvious where Laurin and Candace ranked, Belle probably thought the couple didn’t like Zara’s bold style.
Madison giggled about who remained. “Honey, check this out, we have two veterans and two new people. Neat!”
Ronnie didn’t look so pleased. Since the two who had chosen him stood here, he likely thought his two were the failures of the bunch.
“Can I guess who made what?” Madison asked Natsuki, who nodded. “Okay, this stained glass one, is it Zara?”
Zara nodded.
“Sweet! So then the peacock.” She glanced back and forth between the cake and the remaining contestants. “Hmm, they said the cake for this was the second we sampled. It was good,but the icing wasn’t as sweet as I usually like it. Okay, this is crazy, but you . . . uhh, guy? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Laurin.”
“Oh! Okay, I didn’t realize that you were a—anyway, is this yours? Great! But how did you . . . I didn’t mention the peacock thing to anyone.”
Laurin’s laugh was robust as he patted his thigh. “When you spin, your dress flares out. I saw the bottom of your thigh tattoo. I took a guess that it was a peacock. Was I right?”
“Yes! Good eye!”
“You guys had the best cakes,” Ronnie said. “Hands down. Most of the debate we’ve been having is over which is more important, the taste or the look, but you did great on both accounts. I want both to win just so we could cut both cakes.”
“You can,” Kate told them.
“Oh? Well, that makes this easier then. We pick for our wedding cake . . .”
“Laurin’s!” Madison shouted.
There was the usual explosion of chatter, which Jannie silenced with, “Laurin, your prize for winning today’s challenge is a Food2Love-sponsored booth at the wedding expo of your choice.”
“Jeez, that’s a good prize,” Candace said with a whistle. That sponsorship went well beyond a simple booth. There’d be tons of media coverage, and he’d get a spread in at least two wedding magazines. It was one of the most coveted prizes, one they gave out once a year at most. “Congratulations.”
“Hey, save that for later,” Laurin said as he grabbed her hand. “Like, way later.”
Candace thought it was a peculiar thing to say in response to congratulations, but then she felt a wet streak on her cheek and realized he was talking about her tears. She tapped them away before the camera could zoom in. “Damn. I’ve been leaking all day.”
“It’s not over yet.”
“It is. It’s okay.”
“Candace,” Ronnie said. “Your cake was delicious.”
“I was really excited to try something of yours,” Madison said. “And the slice we tried was everything I hoped it would be. Maybe the best cake I’ve ever had.”
“I liked the concept of the decoration, too. But . . .”
Ronnie and Madison frowned at each other, and Candace frowned right along with them. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I let you both down.”
