“Until?” Lori had that judgmental look on her face, like she was going to give him unsolicited advice again.
“It’s a long story, but if she calls, I definitely want to know.” The thought of her calling made his mood lift. “And for the record, I want to take that call even if it means I have to give up my shot at winning this show to do it.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kelly woke up to a lovely room-service breakfast in that swanky room feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. There’d even been a nice card from the studio on her tray.
She dressed in a pair of black slacks and a black V-neck T-shirt then finished putting on her makeup and fixing her hair. She’d been so excited to receive the Four Square Cooking Show chef’s jacket, but now that she tried it on, it made her a feel like a bit of a fraud. Not being a trained chef, the jacket was a little off-putting. She preferred to wear a pretty apron.
Kelly straightened the jacket, then twisted to see how it looked in the full-length mirror. The fabric was heavy and constraining. It wasn’t nearly as flattering as her apron either. This would take some getting used to. She only hoped it wouldn’t pull her off her game.
Brenda knocked on the door. “It’s me again. Are you almost ready?”
Kelly pulled open the door. “I think so.”
“You look great.” Brenda propped her hip against the door. “I thought I’d get you over to the studio early, so you have time to check out the kitchen you’ll be working in. That’ll give you a chance to get used to where things are and take a mental inventory of all the supplies, the pots and pans, pantry staples. I’ve never had anyone say there was something they needed that wasn’t there, but there’s always a first.”
“That would be great. I can’t wait to see it.” Every minute counted on timed events, so knowing her surroundings would be key.
“Great. The car is already downstairs.”
Kelly turned around and grabbed her purse, making sure she had her room key in the front pocket. “Then let’s go.”
Brenda put her purse on the seat next to her. “We’re in the hotel closest to the studio. If it weren’t for the weather today, we could’ve walked.”
Traffic was lighter, and the ride was short over to the studio.
Brenda led Kelly inside and down the wide, stark corridors. They stopped in front of a set of double-doors with L2 written on it. “Here we are.” She opened the door and let Kelly go in first.
When they walked inside, Kelly’s breath caught. The space was really bright, and big. Much bigger than she’d expected, but then, most of the space was open so the camera crew had room to do what they needed. She was pretty sure once she got started cooking it wouldn’t matter where she was. She wasn’t picky. She could make do on a propane camp stove if she had to. She’d even made cast-iron Dutch oven desserts at the Pioneer Days celebration two years ago.
“I’m going to leave you to look around.” Brenda put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you going to be okay in here for a bit?”
“Perfectly fine.” Kelly roamed the room, taking in all the appliances first. Open silver racks held all the pantry items. She committed the unusual ingredients to memory in case the chance came up to integrate them. She couldn’t think of anything she’d need that she didn’t see here.
Even the refrigerator was well stocked. She had no worries about being able to bake here.
Two men entered her kitchen, one carrying a camera. “Getting settled in?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“I’m Drake, and I’m going to be taking some publicity shots of you. Freddy here is going to touch up your makeup before we get started.”
“Hi, I’m Kelly. What do you need me to do?”
Freddy whisked her to the edge of the counter. “Hop on this stool.”
She did as she was told. He tipped her chin up and looked at her as if evaluating her. “Eyes closed.”
She sat there with her chin up and eyes closed while Freddy brushed, dabbed, and sponged like an artist on a canvas.
“Eyes open. Good. Now look up.” He swept her lashes with mascara. Then took her chin between his fingers and tilted her head back down. “Look right here.” He tapped his chest bone. “Nice.” A couple of quick fluffs of his fingers through her hair, a spritz of spray, then he yelled, “All set!”
He held up a mirror for her.
“Wow.” Kelly barely recognized herself. “How’d you do that? My skin looks flawless. Thank you.”
Freddy stepped back with a grin. “Makeup is my art, darlin’, but you’re a beauty all by yourself.”
Drake walked over, fidgeting with the controls on his camera. “Okay, I need you to walk through that door and come straight toward me. “
She did as he asked, but it was like all of a sudden she didn’t remember how to walk. Her knees were like Jell-O and her stride felt stiff and awkward.
“Great. Again?”
She ran through that short walk no less than six times before he finally seemed satisfied.
“Now,” Drake said, “I need you to stand near the oven and look over your shoulder toward me.” He snapped off a few shots. “Very good. Pick up a bowl. Smiling, and now serious.” He glanced down at his camera. “Thanks. I think I’ve got all I need right now.”
He and Freddy left as quickly as they’d shown up.
She stood there feeling a little awkward, so she meandered back over to the pantry shelves and tried to memorize everything on each shelf.
Brenda showed up with a bottle of water. “Okay, there’s a shelf below the
