"I like it. The frosting is thick but smooth. A perfect accompaniment."
Relief rushed through Ashley. She barely resisted reaching for Xavier's hand. "Thank you, judges."
She noticed that no one joked during the deliberation period. She looked over at Xavier, concern clouding her excitement. He'd seemed to shed his nerves as the round had worn on, gaining confidence even as she'd let stress and worry take hold. And he had been incredibly sweet in trying to calm her down. The pressure would only build from here. How could she manage to make sure that they both kept it together, going forward?
The crowd hushed when the show's host came back, waving a hand. Ashley wiped her brow and nervously watched as he made his way to the front of the room. He called for silence. Her heart thudded louder in response.
"Six teams will survive to bake another day. The first team to continue on to round two is Blackstone's Bakery and quarterback Tyson Williams."
With each team name that was called out, Ashley inched closer to Xavier. With the final spot remaining, she gripped his hand, and focused all attention on the host, willing him to call out their name.
Xavier squeezed back and then he laced their fingers together. "Come on. Come on. Pick us."
"And, finally, our last team continuing on to Round Two will be... Bliss Bakery and tight end Xavier Brennan. Thank you all for your participation. As a reminder, round two starts at eight o'clock on Saturday evening. Please enjoy the festivities of the Food and Wine festival, and we'll see you back here in two days."
"We did it." Xavier's arms banded around her and he lifted her off her feet.
Heart pounding, grinning, and breathless, she held on as happiness and relief washed over her.
Xavier slowly lowered her to the floor. When he stepped back, he grinned. "Nice job."
"You too. We're one step closer." Ashley's gaze wandered over to Blackstone. He looked relaxed and happy as he spoke to some of the television crew. Frustrated with herself, she deliberately turned her back on him. It didn't matter that he'd advanced too.
She glanced down at her apron and brushed at the cocoa powder streaks across the center. From the corner of her eye, a flash of movement caught her attention. She looked up. One of the show's producers headed toward their station.
Xavier lifted a gentle hand to her face and brushed his fingers over her cheek. "They're coming over, and you've got flour right there."
Ashley held still as her nerves tingled from his touch. "Thanks."
"How do I look? Any flour? Or chocolate?" His eyes twinkled under the lights as he stepped back and raised his arms out to the side, opening himself up for her inspection.
Her fingers itched to touch him, but they had an audience. "You're lucky. Most of it stayed on the apron."
The producer, a thin, tired-looking woman with sleek brown hair and a beige sweater walked up to their station, followed by one of the cameramen. "Congratulations. My name is Liz, and this is Gary." She gestured to the balding man beside her.
Gary moved in closer. "Just look into the camera. Relax and act natural."
Ashley grinned and extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We're so excited to take part in the competition."
Liz glanced from Ashley to Xavier. "How was working together?"
"Smooth sailing." Maybe they'd encountered a few waves, but all in all, not bad. Yet.
Xavier's warm hand landed on her shoulder. "She's modest. Ashley is very patient with me. I'm really happy we've survived to bake another day."
"Your teammates said that you have a side bet going?"
That was news to her. Ashley swung her gaze to Xavier.
"Oh yeah, that's true. Six of us agreed to each donate ten grand to the winning teammate's charity."
Lips pressed together, Liz studied their t-shirts. "You've got a great name and cute logo." Her voice was thoughtful. She raised her gaze to meet Gary's. He nodded.
Ashley swelled with pride. "Thanks. My mom came up with the color combination and the name. She has—had—a great eye for design."
Xavier's hand tightened on her shoulder again and then rubbed. She lifted her gaze and smiled her thanks.
"Well, good luck the rest of the way, kids." Gary boomed with a laugh. "We need to talk to the other teams who'll be joining you in Round Two."
"Yes," Liz nodded, "I'm looking forward to your creations going forward. Best of luck to you. We'll give you a few minutes to freshen up before you film your post-round interview. You're scheduled to be in Event Room A in fifteen minutes."
"We'll be there."
With a wave, Liz and Gary strolled over to Blackstone's station.
Xavier's hand finally slid away. He leaned his hip against the counter. "They liked you."
"We don't know that..." Ashley glanced around the room. The other teams were mingling with the crowd. The crew remained, laughing, joking and breaking down their equipment.
Time to leave.
The open side of their station faced the open side of Blackstone's. Wanting to avoid the awkwardness of meeting them face-to-face, she pulled out her phone. "Come on, let's get out of here."
She maneuvered her way toward the open side, keeping watch on Blackstone out of the corner of her eye. When she reached the space between their stations, she quickened her pace but sensed Xavier slowing down. Looking to her left, she winced.
He'd stopped and waited for Blackstone and Tyson.
Tyson strolled over and grabbed him in a half-hug, half-handshake. "Nice job. We're both moving on to round two. Too bad Everson didn't, but I guess he can cheer us on now."
Every atom in Ashley's body wanted to get away from Blackstone. "Yep, congratulations. Hey, Xavier, I'll see you later."
"Hold on. I'll walk out with you."
"No. It's fine."
Blackstone stepped back, gesturing for her to go ahead. "Ladies first."
She nodded her thanks and walked past, relieved when Xavier followed her. He guided her over to see Ryan and Everson.
Ryan hugged her. "You guys did great."
"Thanks. I'm so glad we were selected."
