She grinned. "Just going over everything."
"Camera three picked up on how cozy you guys were earlier. Cute angle for our show. The audience loves that sort of thing."
Xavier straightened to full height, placed a protective hand on her back, and stepped forward. "Now wait a minute."
Looking alarmed, Gary held up his hands and backed up two steps. "Relax, buddy. We didn't shoot anything inappropriate." He flashed a quick smile. "Gotta get back to work."
Xavier's hard stare bore holes through Gary as he retreated to the safety of his camera. Ashley leaned into Xavier's side. What would she see if she watched the footage? Did it capture their shared smiles and private glances? Or, the tender moments of their apologies to each other during the second round? Would the viewers be able to tell that she was falling in love with him?
His fist rested on the counter. She grazed her fingers across the back of his hand. When his gaze met hers and softened, she continued her calming caress. "Don't let that upset you. Whatever they captured doesn't change anything, does it?"
"I guess not." He frowned at the camera, then turned his searching gaze to her. "Ashley... Before we go through this round, there's something I want to say."
Her pulse thudded harder. "Yes?"
"No matter what happens—"
Music blared from the speakers. The crowd cheered as the show's host entered the room. "Are we ready for the final round?"
More cheers echoed in response.
"Then let's get started. Bakers, you've worked hard during rounds one and two, and have survived to bake another day. But only one of you will have the sweet taste of victory after this round. The judges are ready, the audience is ready, and I hope you're ready too. The theme ingredient for round three is coconut. You'll have two hours to create a cake worthy of the one hundred thousand dollar grand prize. Time starts... now!"
Ashley turned to Xavier. "What do you want to do?"
"You're the expert here."
"Let's go big. I'm thinking seven tiers. My mother's recipe for coconut cake would work well. But we need a tie-in for your mom too. Did she have a favorite flower? I can create some to place on the cake."
A line formed between Xavier's brows. "She liked lotus flowers. She wore a necklace with one on it all the time."
"I can make those out of modeling chocolate." She focused on the time clock. They couldn't afford to waste one moment. She squeezed Xavier's hand once more for good luck. "Start by separating the eggs. Then whip the egg whites. I'll get the buttermilk, sugar, and flour."
Only one team could win the contest. If they weren't lucky enough to pull it off, would it drive a wedge between them? The unsettling thought ached like a heavy meal overindulged. She rubbed her hand over her heart. She wanted more than the win. She wanted him too.
She plodded through the recipe, triple-checking herself and Xavier before adding in each ingredient. They couldn't afford any mistakes, any missteps. After adding sugar and vanilla to the butter, she turned on her mixer. Happy with the texture, she added whipped egg whites, then alternately added flour and buttermilk.
The white cake would have been whiter if they used shortening instead of butter, but her mom had always baked this cake with butter and sticking to her recipe felt right. She measured out the coconut flakes, sprinkled them into the batter and slowly mixed. Evenly distributed flakes were important; she didn't want clumps of coconut ruining their chances.
Xavier poured the batter into pans and placed them in the oven.
While the cake baked, she concocted the frosting, heating milk, sugar, and butter until it bubbled. Xavier added coconut to the thickened mixture and paused with the last ingredient in hand. With a wink, he handed it to her. "You do it."
Almost on cue, the cameraman came into view, moving closer, focusing on her hands. Ashley shakily added the chopped pecans and slowly stirred, forcing herself to smile brightly until Gary moved on to the next station.
She covered the frosting and glanced at Xavier. He'd moved fluidly, exuding confidence and determination as he'd worked. He turned from the oven and met her gaze. Her breath caught, and her heartbeat fluttered at the intensity of his expression. The tiniest hint of a smile flashed across his firm jaw, turning her insides to jelly.
But just because she was falling in love with him didn't mean he had to, or would, return the feeling. If he didn't... well, she at least had her sister and hopefully, the bakery if they were lucky enough to win.
When the oven timer beeped, she tore her gaze from his, slipped on her oven mitts and opened the door. Heat greeted her, blasting out with fiery force. Ashley grimaced and leaned back as Xavier inserted the cake tester. They both breathed a sigh when it came out clean. So far, everything ran on schedule. She slid the pan from the oven and onto the cooling rack. The golden color was perfect. The scent of coconut wafted throughout, giving the area a tropical air.
Xavier pulled the remaining cakes from the oven. He looked in her direction and with brows raised, tipped a pan toward her.
Pleased with the even, light brown color, she smiled and nodded. When he looked away, she bit her lip. She wouldn't be able to relax until she knew it how it tasted.
While the cakes cooled, she focused on crafting the lotus flowers out of modeling chocolate. Xavier cleaned up the rest of the station as he volleyed jokes back and forth with his teammates. All of the eliminated teams had been invited back to watch the final round, and all of the players had taken a turn doing either an audience interview or taking a peek into the remaining competitors' stations.
When the cakes were cool enough to remove from the pans, she carefully cut across
