"I didn't say that you were." Her chin jutted out, and without another word, she turned her attention to the items in front of her. The tension was so thick the sharpest knife couldn't cut through it.
Beside her, Xavier peeled apples in angry, fast strokes. At the rate he was going, he'd be finished well before the dough had a chance to chill. Either that or he could lose a few layers of skin to the blade.
She moved to the opposite side of the station and started combining ingredients for the second pie. The ricotta pie. His mother's recipe that he'd been so excited to use. Eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. All combined and ready to be poured into a pastry shell.
Xavier focused on unrolling the refrigerated pie crust. He pressed it into the pie plate then pushed the plate toward her. She poured the batter into the crust.
Working around her, Xavier began laying the strips of dough across the top, creating a lattice pattern. She adjusted a few of them, making sure they were evenly spaced apart.
No smiles. No touches. No words of encouragement. They were like two strangers. If strangers were shooting off waves of anger.
She checked the dough in the fridge, taking a moment to peek at the other teams. Too many competing scents filled the room. She couldn't tell what the others were baking.
Hopefully, her mom's apple pie would be a hit.
When she returned to the workstation, Xavier held the rolling pin. She gestured for him to hand it over. "I think I should roll out the crust. You can cut the apples instead. Just try to keep the size of the slices relatively the same."
He crossed his arms over his chest, locking the pin in his hold. "I rolled it out when we made a pie at the bakery. You said I did a great job then, so why don't you want me to do it now?"
She set the dough on the counter and grabbed the other end of the pin. "Because I do this for a living and I need that pie crust to be perfect."
A single brow lifted and the corners of his mouth turned down. "And you don't trust me."
"I didn't say that." She pulled the pin toward her, but he didn't relinquish his hold. Instead, he tightened his grip and narrowed his eyes.
She grabbed hold with her other hand. And yanked hard. He didn't budge. "Let go."
The light of battle flashed in his gaze. "No."
She spoke through gritted teeth, "This isn't funny."
"I'm not laughing." He towered over her, nearly a foot taller. If he yanked it up and over his head, she'd never have a chance.
They both pulled in a ridiculous tug-of-war.
The cameraman wheeled into view, with Everson in tow. "Who says baking isn't a full-contact sport? Team Bliss Bakery, what's going on?"
Heat rushed into her face. The potentially millions of people who viewed this show were going to see her practically wrestling over a rolling pin. Embarrassed didn't even begin to cover how she felt. "This is silly."
Xavier's brow quirked again, and a muscle jumped in his jaw. "So, let go."
"Fine." She pushed the pin into his chest and turned her attention to the bowl of peeled apples. And the large knife. It flashed as it caught the overhead lights. She began cutting the apples into perfect slices. Each thwack! of her knife sounded louder than the last.
Xavier set up next to her. "You better be careful. We don't need you bleeding all over the apples. We don't have any extras."
"Oh, I'm fine." Thwack! Taking out her frustration on the apples helped. She slammed the knife on the table and set the tray of slices next to Xavier.
He rolled out his second crust. She flexed her wrists and fingers and bent to examine the first crust. Hovering a few inches over the counter, she inspected it for flaws and begrudgingly admitted to herself that he'd done a damn good job. "Not bad. Can you pass me the pie plate?"
The glass plate landed next to her with a bang, swiveling inches from her face. Ashley jumped back as the crowd gasped. "Hey, no need to throw it."
The rest of her annoyed retort disappeared at the pained expression on his face. "What happened?"
Clasping one hand over the other, he grimaced and drew his hands to his chest. "I'm fine."
She grabbed his arm. And her stomach rolled at the thin trickle of red. "You cut yourself? Let me see."
He pulled away, eyes somehow icy cold and yet burning with anger. "I'll handle it. Where are the towels?"
A medic rushed into their station and examined Xavier's hand. Ashley couldn't keep working, not until she knew the status. But the blood made her queasy. She focused on the medic's face. And then her words to Xavier. "It's not deep enough for stitches. We'll clean it and get you a bandage and a glove to wear."
"Good. Wouldn't want anything else to get in the way today."
Then she raised her gaze to Ashley. "You know, from the way you were chopping the apples, I figured you would be the one in need of my attention. In any case, be mindful of where you leave sharp objects in the future."
"Right. I will." Ashley nodded and turned away, thoroughly chastised. She mixed the apples with the sugar and cinnamon and berated herself for leaving the knife out and losing control of her temper.
Xavier joined her when she was in the middle of laying the apples in the pie plate in an even uniform pattern. One-handed, he helped her complete the task.
She risked a glance at his stormy expression. "I'm sorry I left the knife in a bad place."
He didn't crack even a semblance of a smile and returned his focus to the plate. "I should've paid better attention when I grabbed the plate."
She drizzled the apples with lemon juice, and Xavier followed, sprinkling in walnuts and raisins. Then Ashley
