Love for Dessert (Contemporary Romance) (6 page)

But he looked crushed. The look in his eyes made her want to take back everything she had just said but there was no chance of that happening. “I…” he mumbled in a quiet voice. “I understand.” She could see how hard he was trying to stay strong and she respected him for it. He was a genuine man, and she knew how much rejection hurt.

She picked up her purse, which had been lying on the sofa in front of them. “I’m sorry, Daniel,” she murmured as she headed out the door, not looking back once.

When Anastasia finally reached her apartment, it was late. She collapsed onto her sofa and curled up into a ball as she felt her phone vibrate again. “Who could that be?” Ariana and Peter were probably still at the movies, and Erica was busy with George. It was from Daniel.
I’m sorry for overreacting, Anastasia. You’re a wonderful woman, and I hope that we can be friends.

Anastasia pressed her lips together as she chose not to answer for now. She poured herself a glass of wine, and eventually fell asleep on the couch, dreaming of her bakery.

**

The weeks sped by and pretty soon, it was the day before the baking contest. Anastasia felt completely prepared, and everyone that tried her cake had told her it was delicious. She was confident that she would at least win a secondary prize, if not first. She was excited to meet her competition and was sure that she would learn from them.

The opening day of the bakery drew near. It was set for a couple days after the contest had been completely wrapped up. It was mostly ready, and everything had gone smoothly, save for a little disagreement between Ariana and one of the painters about color. Anastasia was putting the finishing touches on the menu, adding little personal touches here and there.

She had finally texted Daniel back a couple days later, letting him know that she was open to the idea of remaining on friendly terms. He wasn’t a bad guy, it was just the fact that there was no chemistry between them. Anastasia smiled as he texted her back something clever. She was having dinner with her mother that night, to meet George, Erica’s fiancé. Anastasia picked out a simple blue dress that brought out her eyes, and applied gentle makeup.

Her phone rang. It was Erica. “Hi, Mom.”

“Honey, are you heading to the restaurant now? George and I are already here.” Erica paused, then said in a quieter tone, “George, not now, I’m on the phone with Ana!” She giggled.

Anastasia winced. “Mom, I don’t need to hear this stuff, okay? I’ll be there soon.”

“Uh-huh, okay, sweetie. See you!” Erica laughed before hanging up.

Anastasia rolled her eyes. Erica was so crazy and always acted half her age. She headed out the door and headed towards the restaurant, not wanting to give her mother another excuse to call her again.

Anastasia’s first impression of George was exactly what she had expected. He was an older gentleman, yes, but he was still rather handsome. His jaw was chiseled, his eyes sharp. He wore an expensive Rolex on his left wrist. Oh, he was just her mother’s usual type. “Hello, I’m Anastasia.” She smiled warmly as she shook George’s hand.

“Good evening, Anastasia. I’m George.” He returned her smile with an equally bright one. Erica watched this happily.

“Sit down, Ana. We already ordered some appetizers. Hope you like calamari.”

Erica’s eyes never left George the entire night. Anastasia could tell how much she really loved him and judging by the size of the rock on her ring finger, he felt the same way towards her. She found herself actually enjoying George’s company. He had traveled far and wide, and had many stories to tell about the whole experience.

She learned that he had been married many times, too. And when Erica left the table to go “powder her nose,” George had confided in Anastasia that he really felt like her mother was the one. Anastasia had happily given him her blessing.

All of a sudden it seemed like everyone around her was getting married, and Anastasia was the only one being left in the dust. To be completely honest, she was a little scared that she would never find another man that she would feel as much love for as she had for Aaron. But she kept her hopes up.

“Well, Mother, it’s getting rather late and I do have that contest to attend tomorrow. I should be heading out.” Anastasia swung her bag over her shoulder. “It was really nice to meet you, George.” She gave her mother a hug and George a handshake.

“Alright, honey, knock them dead tomorrow! I’m so proud of you.” Erica smiled as she linked arms with George again.

“Thanks, Mom.” Anastasia grinned. “Goodnight!” She headed out of the restaurant and towards her apartment, determined to get a good night’s rest before the big contest. She needed to win, for the sake of her bakery, and herself.

**

Anastasia awoke the next morning full of energy. She was eager and looking forward to the competition. She was confident. Anastasia picked out a simple black top, and stylish tribal-patterned joggers. It was all about the comfort today. It was eleven o’clock, and the contest started at twelve thirty. So she hurried to the biggest park in the city, where the contest was to be held, her hands tingling with excitement.

The park was already abuzz with activity, as camera operators and reporters hurried around the park, interviewing citizens. The contest organizers had already set up the ovens and such. Anastasia moved towards the person she assumed was the head coordinator. “Hi, are you a competitor?” He shook her hand warmly. “I’m Eddie.”

“Hi, Eddie, yes, I’m Anastasia! From Ana’s Sweets.”

“Oh, yes, the start-up bakery right? Please, come right over here, we’ve prepared aprons for you already. Did you bring the extra ingredients you need?” Eddie asked as they walked to one counter/oven setup. There were three other ones that Anastasia assumed were for the other contestants.

Two of the other bakers arrived shortly after, and they looked very experienced. Anastasia set down her items as she surveyed the rest of her competition. One of them, a woman, had short red hair, and a rather stumpy looking appearance. She looked like an older woman, and Anastasia guessed her to be around fifty. Her strong features made her look rather Russian.

Anastasia also noticed that all of the stations had individual names posted on the front. Hers was listed as Anastasia – Ana’s Sweets. She leaned over and subtly checked out the red-haired lady. Natalya – Russian Treats, was what it read. Natalya… That was a pretty name. The other competitor’s name was Jack, from CORN, a chain bakery.

The last competitor still hadn’t arrived. For some reason his bakery’s name wasn’t printed on his kitchen space, only his first name, Darren. That name was somewhat familiar to her, but she couldn’t place it.

Pretty soon, the competition was a half an hour away from starting and Anastasia was nervous. She bit her fingernail as she watched the mysterious Darren take his place behind his baking area. She couldn’t get a good look at him, for she was so focused on watching Eddie. But she could tell that Darren was tall.

Eddie walked in front of all the contestants. Anastasia noticed that all the cameras were pointed at them, and quite a crowd had gathered. There were seats that had been set out, and all of them were full. Many people were even standing.

“I didn’t know this was such a big event…” she mumbled to herself as she began to get more nervous. Everyone else seemed calm, or at least Natalya did. This probably wasn’t her first competition. Natalya caught Anastasia looking at her and smiled warmly, like a mother.

Loud, happy music started as Eddie grabbed a microphone and tapped it lightly to make sure it was on. He cleared his throat. “Welcome, everyone, to
So You Think You Can Bake
, the annual baking contest!” He paused, and the audience clapped. “Today, our four talented competitors from various bakeries will be competing for the grand prize of three thousand dollars, plus a news article to be published in the Daily Chronicle. And if that wasn’t good enough…” He paused for dramatic effect. “We’re also sweetening the deal by adding an extra interview with the local news!”

Anastasia grinned as she caught the eye of Ariana, who was standing with Peter beside a tall tree. Ariana smiled widely and gave Anastasia a thumbs-up.

Eddie began to introduce each contestant, which Anastasia only paid a little attention to until he got to her. “Our third competitor is Anastasia Emmott, who’s opening her very own bakery in just a couple of days, called Ana’s Sweets! And as her bakery name implies, she’s best at making sweet desserts! I’m very excited to see what she makes for our judges today!”

As described by Eddie, the three judges today were renowned chefs. “Be warned, competitors!” Eddie laughed. “They may look friendly, but these judges will be tough on your creation!” He walked to the center of all the mini-kitchens. “Alright, competitors, remember that you have an hour and a half to create your masterpiece. Use your time wisely, there are
no
extensions.” He raised his arms up in the air theatrically.

“And now, without further ado… Begin!”

Anastasia felt a wave of pressure on her. Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead as her brow furrowed in concentration. Everything had to be perfect. She started with the easiest parts, beating the egg, mixing everything together. She had to bake the cakes, arrange them, and finally make it look beautiful. That took a while, and she only had an hour and a half. They had huge clocks on the mini-kitchen counters, letting everyone know how much time they had left.

She knew that it would be a bad idea to rush, but she felt like she would have no choice. She glanced over at Natalya, who was whisking and twirling away, in a world of her own. The confidence she had felt that morning was slowly slipping away as she felt like she was messing everything up, though she had made cakes so many times before. It was surreal, how all the camera lights, the constant murmuring of the crowd, the loud music and whatnot made it many times harder to work.

“I can do this…” she murmured to herself. Within twenty minutes, she had made the batter for both cakes, mixed to perfection. She was beginning to calm down by now, and one of her favorite songs came on. Anastasia began to sing quietly, getting into the groove. Pretty soon, as the song hit the chorus, Anastasia started to move her body, grooving to the music. She forgot all about the audience watching her.

Soon, the cakes were in the oven, baking beautifully. Before long, delicious aromas began to emit from several of the ovens. Anastasia had to wait for ten minutes longer, and she relaxed as she mixed the icing. She turned to watch the other competitors, to see what they were making. Natalya seemed to be making some sort of pudding.

Jack was forming little shapes out of fondant, which was used for the little decorations on top of cupcakes and such. He was probably making those. She could barely see Darren’s counter, but he wasn’t doing anything either and was simply waiting for his creation to finish baking, she assumed. He turned his head suddenly, and caught her eye. She blushed as she saw his face for the first time.

Oh lord, was he handsome. His chiseled jaw was strong, yet his eyes were so friendly. As he noticed her watching him, he winked and smiled. She swore she could feel her heart melt. He was wearing a tank top, showing off his strong, muscled arms. It was obvious that he worked out regularly. His eyes were so dark, she couldn’t place the exact color. His hair was cut in a very natural way that she liked. He didn’t look like a baker, but obviously he had to be somewhat good to be selected for the competition.

All of a sudden, Anastasia felt her heart beat faster and her breathing became slightly more agitated as she returned his smile. He held her gaze for a moment longer before turning back to his goods, which were probably done baking. Anastasia kept watching him, in a way that she hoped was subtle. Anastasia thought about his strong sinewy arms wrapped around her, keeping her secure and making her feel very,
very
safe.

Ding!
Anastasia was snapped out of her fantasy by the sound of her oven going off. Oh, her third layer of cake was ready! She happily opened the door to the oven and was greeted by black smoke. “Crap, crap, crap! There’s smoke!” Anastasia went into panic mode as she pulled out the tray of devil’s food cake and discovered that it was completely burnt. “How?!” she exclaimed.

“Damn it!” Anastasia yelled. There was only fifty minutes left on the clock, and she only had the first two alternating layers ready. “Okay, breathe, Ana, you have to breathe and calm down. Just make another batch. It’ll be easy,” she murmured as she began to quickly mix the ingredients. She only had enough special ingredients left to make one more tray of the cake. This was her last chance to make things perfect.

It would be tight, and tough to make it on time, but she was determined to do it.

As she waited, Anastasia began to hurriedly spread the chocolate icing onto the first layer of cake. She could still win, it was just harder. She dumped the angel food cake out as the crowd oohed. “Now, all the contestants only have forty-five minutes left!” Eddie announced. “I hope they’re all ready for presenting soon. Mmm! It all smells so delicious! Hope it tastes as good as it smells!” He laughed gleefully.

Anastasia soon had the first two layers done and ready to go. She still had to make two more layers in addition to the one that was still baking. Thankfully she had already made those batters, and only had to stick them in the oven. She breathed, “I can do this.” Anastasia grinned happily as she pulled out the third layer, and put in the fourth. She was working like a well-oiled machine, and though she longed to look over and stare at Darren forever, she knew that she had to concentrate.

The clock continued to tick on, and pretty soon, there was only fifteen minutes left. Inspiration had hit Anastasia as she saw a jar of peanut butter sitting on the counter, and she had used that mixed with some other ingredients as the filling instead of the icing in between the cakes. She hoped it would add a unique flavor.

Finally, just as the countdown clock hit ten minutes, she had iced almost all of the cake. She just had the top to decorate, and some chocolate shavings to add. She had done an excellent job, and it was clear to the audience that she had skill. Anastasia added a splotch of melted white chocolate onto the cake, and using a toothpick, made a chevron pattern on the top. She grabbed a handful of the chocolate pieces, and artistically arranged them.

“Oh, damn, Anastasia’s cake sure looks good!” Eddie exclaimed as he shot her a smile and watched her inspect her creation. Natalya’s pudding turned out to be multilayered, and looked incredibly complex and rather traditional.

All too soon, the clocks ticked down to zero and an incredibly obnoxious buzzer rung. “Alright, contestants, time is up! Please step away from your kitchen. Our wonderful servers will bring your creations to the judging table.” As he spoke, girls in waitress outfits walked onto the makeshift stage and grabbed the masterpieces, which had been placed on beautiful dessert dishes.

Eddie directed all the contestants to the front of the stage, and everyone turned their heads to watch the judges taste. One of the judges made a little gasp of delight upon cutting open Anastasia’s cake, revealing the wonderfully crafted layers inside. They didn’t take too long to taste the delicious samples. “Alright, let’s hear some comments from our judges!”

The first judge, an older man who didn’t really smile, picked up his microphone. “Well, starting with Anastasia’s delightful ‘Heaven and Hell’ cake…” The judges had nothing but compliments for her. They really loved the peanut butter idea, and thought the layering was a unique twist on the recipe.

They didn’t praise Jack’s cupcakes as much, saying that they were somewhat dry, though the toppings, which consisted of tiny little roses with green leaves, were incredibly cute. Natalya’s pudding was sweet and crunchy, and Anastasia had guessed correctly, it was a traditional Russian dish. And last but not least, they reached Darren’s bread, which looked like a normal garlic toast. But as they cut it open, the judges were delighted to find that there was melted cheese inside, throwing a different taste into the mix.

“Well, while the judges are deliberating, we’ll let the contestants mingle. It won’t take too long! And as for the audience, take your guesses as to be who the winner will be!” The minutes ticked by slowly as Anastasia chatted with Natalya. But she noticed that Darren kept watching her. She longed to do the same, but it wouldn’t do her any good to be too obvious.

“Alright, we’re back, and our wonderful judges have made a decision!” All the contestants lined up. Anastasia’s hands shook slightly in excitement. Oh, lord, she really hoped she was the winner. “Let’s hear it from the judge herself!”

The female judge in the middle stood up. “Yes, Eddie, thanks. It was hard, but we finally decided. Staring with a very close second place… With a delicious and unique baked good… A big congratulations to Mister Darren King!” The loud applause was deafening as Darren stepped up to claim his prize, a check for the amount of five hundred dollars.

Anastasia crossed her fingers behind her back as she blinked nervously. This was the moment. It was all or nothing.

“And in first place…” The judge obviously had a flair for the dramatic. “Anastasia Emmott! According to the judges, your unique cake was delicious, appealing to the eyes, and completely amazing.” Anastasia’s eyes flew open in surprise.

“I won! I really won!” she yelled as she stared at Ariana with happiness in her eyes.

Ariana smiled crazily as she jumped up and down, clapping her hands, mouthing “yay.” This was an amazing moment, and Anastasia felt like she would never be unhappy again. It was such an amazing opportunity for her and her bakery, and everything was starting off perfectly. Life was looking up. She was starting a new chapter of her life, and she couldn’t be happier.

Eddie pulled out a comically large check that had “three thousand dollars” written on it. Anastasia couldn’t speak, she was so stunned and excited. She walked towards Eddie as he handed her the check. They posed, and smiled widely for the camera. “A very big congratulations to Miss Anastasia Emmott! Please, step right over here, where you will be interviewed by the news crew.”

The loud music started up again as Anastasia followed Eddie off the stage and did her interview. Ariana and Peter waited in the wings for her to finish. After the live interview, the reporters from the newspaper came and talked to her. By the time they finished, it was already getting late, and was nearing dinner time.

“Hey, Ana, girl, I am so proud of you!” Ariana squeezed her friend tightly in an embarrassing hug. “Let’s go celebrate. Food!” She grinned as Peter wrapped an arm around her. It was a simple gesture, one Anastasia saw all the time, but all of a sudden it hit her with a pang that she was still alone. Though she was so happy about winning, and felt that it was truly a blessing, she couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. Ariana continued to speak. “Okay, so…” She paused.

Ariana and Peter smiled coyly as they stopped talking and stepped back a little. “What’s wrong?” Anastasia stepped back and bumped into something. She whirled around, and came face to face with the tall, handsome Darren. “Oh!” She emitted a little yelp as she leapt back. She heard laughter coming from Ariana and Peter behind her.

“Hi,” he said in a deep, husky voice that sent chills down her spine.

“A-ah, hello.” She was startled, but pleasantly surprised that it was Darren she had bumped into. He was even more attractive up close, if that was even possible. He
really
didn’t look like a baker! And she liked it.

“Sorry for startling you…” He crossed his arms, showing off his muscles. She had to focus her eyes on his face, determined not to stare at his muscles, however attractive they were. “I was just coming over to congratulate you on first place.”

Anastasia blushed prettily. “Oh, thank you! Congratulations yourself, on second place! Your bread looked very delicious, it’s a shame that I couldn’t have a taste.” He smiled at her compliment.

“Well, I could always make it for you myself sometime.” Anastasia could hardly think straight. Was this gorgeous man offering to cook for her himself? Possibly on a date? “That is, if you want.” But she did remember Christopher, and how he had charmed her. He too was a good-looking man, and she didn’t want to walk the same path again.

“Oh, that sounds lovely.” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and licked her upper lip, something she only did when she was trying to look nice.

“How about tonight? My place? I promise you, no evil intentions.” He grinned genuinely and for some reason, she found herself believing him completely.

But she was already going out with Ariana and Peter tonight. Or so she thought. She turned back to look at her friends. “Uh…” Before she even spoke, Ariana knew what she was going to say.

“Go!” Ariana grinned.

Anastasia laughed. Ariana already knew what she was thinking before she said it. She truly was her best friend. “Thanks, Ari.”

Ariana stood beside Peter as she watched Anastasia and Darren talk, as proud as a mother at graduation. Darren was a catch, and she and Anastasia both knew it. “I guess I’m free now for the night!” She grinned happily.

“Great. You can drop by my place, say around seven?” He gave her his address. “Don’t eat before then, I’ll be preparing a feast,” he joked and shot her another wink. Oh, she would be content just staring at his face for the entire night, for he was so incredibly good-looking.

“It’s a date!” She laughed as she twirled a piece of her blond hair within her fingers, making her look very cute and young.

“It certainly is. I have to go now, but I’ll see you later tonight?” Darren kept smiling, and she felt rather shy.