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With a deep breath, I nod.
Because I am ready.
Terrified, but ready.
With just a few minutes until eleven o’clock, Lisa and I stand in the restroom of the hotel’s banquets area, freshening up before we join the final contestants and the panel of judges I selected for this most important step of the process.
Today, my guys will cook.
The thought fills me with something that teeters between hysteria and mirth. Excited butterflies flutter away in my stomach; there’s a weightless feeling in my head; and my guts won’t stop churning.
But these are all to be expected, and I am beyond grateful to have my best friend by my side.
She swipes beneath my eyes with a wet paper towel now, tending to me as I stare at myself in the mirror and my mind goes a million miles a minute. Yes, I have already cried today. And I expect more tears as this thing gets off the ground.
Tears of joy, fear, and occasionally panic.
“Have I forgotten anything?”
Lisa laughs softly. “No, babe.”
Do I believe her?
Over the next few hours, the final contestants will show off their skills in the kitchen, and as we collectively try their meals, from a starter course on through to desert, we’ll cull the numbers and find our lucky thirteen.
“I’m freaking out.”
Lisa turns to throw the towel in the trashcan, then places her hands on my upper arms and gives me a gentle squeeze. “I know you are. But this is good. Everything is happening.” She looks pointedly into my eyes, widening hers for effect. “You’re a television producer, Sophie. The real deal.”
I make a sound that isn’t quite a laugh and she shakes her head at me.
“This show is going to be epic, Soph. You’re changing dating shows. It’s going to be epic.”
I nod.
“Say it.”
“I’m changing dating shows.”
“Yes, but I want you to tell me how epic this is going to be.”
I laugh self-consciously, then concede. “This is going to be epic.”
“Louder, girl.”
“This is going to be epic!” I shout, and the words echo in the large bathroom.
Lisa ducks her head on a laugh. “See?”
“Unless something goes wrong.”
Growling, Lisa gives me a little shake. “Stop it.” She drops her hands to prop them on her hips instead. “Nothing will go wrong. You’re the most detail-oriented person I know, and you have gone over everything with a fine-toothed comb.” She links her arm through mine and begins to lead me toward the door.
“What if I missed something?”
“You didn’t.”
I sigh as I allow her to lead me out into the long hallway that runs along the length of banquet rooms.
