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The shot was taken at Destiny. She wouldn’t do that. She wasn’t going to even make a comment about needing more time or wishing she didn’t use it to get water.
She shook her head and said, “I might have overextended myself, but I wouldn’t change a thing other than take my scallops off twenty seconds sooner. I stand by my dish.”
The three judges looked at each other and lifted the lid and Tony’s name was there. She let out a breath. She felt she’d dodged a bullet and was surprised she was so nervous about being eliminated when she wasn’t even positive she wanted to be here.
Tony took his leave and the four of them were shuttled back to the van to drive to the studio. She’d seen Lincoln on the walk out. She’d noticed him in a distance before the cooking started but then put it from her mind.
He wouldn’t have been able to see what the results were, but the fact she was still with the group gave him the answers.
“I need a shower,” she said when they were all buckled in. “I’m sure I stink too.”
“We all do,” Sam said. He was pretty quiet from the West Coast, but she knew he’d been rolling his eyes over Destiny and Tony bickering.
“Speak for yourself,” Destiny said. “I’m fine and am ready to take on the next challenge.”
“As long as it’s in air conditioning,” Pierre said, “I don’t care what it is.”
“I bet you it’s desserts,” Destiny said. “That is big now at weddings. Having more than the cake. I’ve been looking forward to this.”
Grace tried to keep the snarl from her face. Desserts weren’t her thing. She could do it, but she didn’t think she was strong at it. All she could hope for was that it wasn’t desserts.
Five hours later, she was opening the door to the hotel room with her shoulders dragging.
“I need a shower,” she said.
“You looked great out there,” Lincoln said.
“Thanks.” She was stripping where she stood and Lincoln moved past her to turn the water on for her in the bathroom.
“Here,” he said. “Drink it.”
It was a sports drink. Not her favorite thing, but she probably needed it too.
“Thanks,” she said, downing half of it before she took a breath.
“Do you not want to talk about it?” he asked.
“Bottom two twice today. How I managed to stay in it is beyond me.”
“Wow,” he said. “Good for you.”
“I’m beat,” she said. “Mentally beat. I would have gone home if Sam’s panna cotta had set. But it didn’t and it’s the only thing that saved me. I played it too safe making a berry tartlet and knew it. I didn’t want to take a risk again and run out of time like I had this morning.”
“That was the only critique?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “And this far into it, that is enough. I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite me when it’s aired that I didn’t do something more adventurous.”
Lincoln laughed. She was naked at this point and pulling her hair out of her ponytail.
“You have pastry chefs and other people who specialize in that, right? Even I know that.”
“Good point,” she said. “I just can’t think right now.”
“Go shower. Did you eat?”
“Not much,” she said.
“I’ll order us food,” he said.
