Gaze glued to the cake, she wrapped her arms around her torso. "It's over."
Regret, frustration, and anger at himself swirled together until he felt like the mess spread all over the floor. All he wanted to do was sweep her away so that he could comfort her and figure out how to fix this. But they had to wait, standing at their empty table while the judges and host made the rounds and inspected the completed cakes.
Xavier wanted to reach for her. But would she welcome his touch? He'd dropped the fucking cake. He dared moving closer. "I'll make it up to you."
She didn't respond.
The judges finally came by. The host spoke first. "You did amazing work through the first two rounds."
Ashley nodded. "Thank you."
The first judge clucked her tongue at the mess. "Your cake looked beautiful on the workstation. I'm really disappointed that this happened and we won't get to taste it."
They'd worked so hard. And none of that mattered. He forced a smile for the cameras. Mixed emotions of need, hope, and worry tumbled through him. What would happen to her, and to him? While the judges deliberated, he sought out his family and their sympathetic expressions. His teammates' faces looked the same.
The host raised his microphone. He smiled at the teams and turned back to the audience. "The winner of our contest and of the one-hundred-thousand-dollar grand prize..." With a dramatic flourish, he lowered then raised his microphone. "Bet you guys are dying to know, right?"
He waited while the cameras moved closer to the two remaining teams, ready to capture the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Xavier turned away. He didn't care who won. But Ashley stared intently at the host, her expression unreadable. As though she felt his stare, she turned her head and met his gaze. Unable to stop himself, he shifted closer to her. He kept his gaze locked on hers as the host began to speak.
"The winner is... Blackstone's Bakery."
Ashley's face fell. Her shoulders sagged. With a sad smile, she touched the logo on her apron. It was like she was saying goodbye. He couldn't let her give up on that dream. While Blackstone and Tyson and the judges and audience celebrated around them, he put his arm around Ashley and steered her out of the room and into an empty alcove off of the hallway. "I'll help you. I promise. I'll take care of it. I'll give you the money to keep the store open."
But she shook her head. "You can't do that. I can't let you."
"Why not?"
"I can't have that hanging over my head. Loaning money to a friend isn't a good idea. Look at what happened with people asking you for money."
"It's not a loan. It's a gift." He didn't have any idea what her rent would be, but he'd cover any cost at all to make up for what had happened. Plus, they were far more than friends, weren't they?
"No. You can't pay my rent and my operating expenses. You're supposed to take care of yourself now, remember? No more bailing people out or funding other people's dreams."
"But you're not just anyone else, Ashley."
"You also can't convince the customers to come back to me." She looked at the closed door where the celebration continued. "I can't compete. Winning this competition might not have saved me anyway."
"I'm the one who dropped the cake."
"Both of us were holding it." She sniffed and blinked rapidly. "I'm more than a foot shorter than you. You couldn't keep it balanced because of me."
That she would even attempt to comfort him... She truly was special. "I'll fix this."
"This is something I'm going to have to do on my own. Thank you for being my partner. I'm sorry we didn't win. I'm sorry your foundation won't get that money."
Desperation overcame him. "It's fine. Listen, I—"
"I have to go."
"I want to help you. Let's go home. We'll make a list. Figure things out, and then we can—"
"No. Your commitment to me ended once that contest buzzer rang. Go on and enjoy your night with your teammates and family."
"My commitment to you didn't end. I care about you. I thought we had the start of something amazing. The past month..."
She was already backing away. "I can't. Not now. I don't know where I'm going to work, let alone live. And it's something I need to figure out. Alone."
"Don't push me away." He reached for her hand, but she eluded his grasp.
"Xavier... My life is a mess. Yours is all together. You have a successful career, family, friends. I don't think I fit in."
"Of course, you fit in."
But that stubborn tilt of her jaw, the crossed arms, and the shuttered gaze said otherwise. "Not from where I'm standing."
She turned, moving fast over the carpet.
He didn't go after her. She wouldn't want to listen.
He wandered further down the hall and found an area with seats and tables by a large window. The city moved below him, cars and pedestrians not having a care that his world was falling apart.
"Dude." Ryan hurried toward him, followed by Everson. "I'm sorry you lost."
Everson dragged over chairs for the two of them. "How's Ashley? We saw her leave, but didn't get the chance to talk."
"Not good." He resumed his stare out the window. "She needed to win. Without that prize money, she'll have to close the bakery. Even with it, Blackstone's is too close."
Another chair dragged over. He raised his gaze. Tyson joined them. "Sorry you guys didn't win. I'm not a fan of Blackstone after spending the week with him. He's a dick. You and the guys don't have to give me the ten grand for our bet. Give it to Ashley. If the six of us do it, she'll get more than the fifty grand that he won."
"She just finished telling me that
