Jack snorted, and I realized how close he was behind me. Was I actually able to feel his breath? The goose bumps breaking out over my skin were either caused by a figment of my imagination or he’d moved closer. And why did that excite me so much? It couldn’t. Just because he was hot did not mean he turned me on. Personality mattered.
Did I even like his personality?
The man had many facets, especially when it came to everyone but me. As much as I didn’t want to admit to myawarenessof his interactions, it was glaringly obvious. His campers loved him, and he was playful and amiable with his friends, of whom he had many. I questioned why I’d even noticed this. This was starting to become a problem.
I reminded myself that I had a competition to win, and I was going to rub it in his face when I?—
“For our panel of judges today, we have three Wildwood business owners. Felix, the owner of Beans and Beans. Our favorite Wildwood baker, Kristy. And Cherie, the owner of our antique and secondhand store, the Treasure Trove.”
Everyone cheered, probably for points. Man, I needed to get this competitive streak under control. I was turning into an asshole, just like my nemesis. I had to be better than this. Better than him.
“All right, counselors, you know what to do. One, two, tree!”
Some light chuckling resounded at Bobby’s flair, and I grabbed the recipe book from my station and started flipping through the pages. We didn’t know what we’d be making ahead of time, so this was helpful. Baking was a science, so you needed to know the exact measurements to make sure the batter would turn into a cake, let alone one that tasted good. I scanned each of the pages and found what I hoped to be a crowd-pleaser: a raspberry layered cake. Of course, I’d call it something more Starlight-focused.
“Reminder to preheat your ovens,” Azalea offered.
Bobby jumped on this. “Yeah, batter to be safe than sorry.”
Jack watched me carefully measure my ingredients, and I wondered if he was going to mimic my every movement because he didn’t know what he was doing or if it was for some nefarious purpose. It went without saying that I wouldn’t sabotage anything, but I wasn’t about to broach the “no cheating” discussion. And who knew if he was trying to get me back for wrongs he’d thought I’d committed. The man was ridiculous.
Azalea and Bobby had started their walk-throughs with all the contestants, and I doubled down on my focus. I mixed the batter until it was ready to pour. I bit my lip as I carefully did so, only to find Jack staring. I let go of my lip, and his gaze bounced up, as if he’d been caught. I could never guess what was going on in this man’s brain.
“How are we doing over here?” Azalea asked.
“You can taste the tension,” Bobby said in a voice that sounded like it belonged on a TV show. “I’ll tell you what, Azalea, if their rivalry ruins good cake, it’ll justbakemy heart.”
“Does he always use baking puns in your kitchen?” Jack asked Azalea.
She shrugged. “You get used to it.”
“Aw, you know you’re going to miss me.” Bobby booped her on the nose, and Azalea batted his hand away before smiling lovingly at her friend.
“Always.” She cleared her throat. “Now, what are you making here, Nat?”
“It’s a classic raspberry cake with fruit filling and frosting. It’ll have a Starlight touch, though, I promise.”
Azalea waved her hand, as if wafting the smell toward her. “Can’t wait to try it. Shayne actually picked out these recipes.”
This year’s cooking intern wasn’t here today, but what twenty-two-year-old would be enthralled by this shit show when they could be doing… whatever twenty-two-year-olds did on their days off?
“And you, Jack?”
Charming as ever, Jack walked the judges through his bacon, coffee, and maple syrup concoction. He dropped some of his batter into his pan, but it was looking a little more… soupy than I expected. Maybe this would be his downfall.
“Did you remember to—” Bobby started before Azalea cut him off.
“No helping,” she reminded him.
“Right.” His right hand clenched, as if he were fighting the urge to be his sweet self and come to Jack’s aid.
Jack tilted his head as he stared at the mixture, going back to his recipe and running his finger down the instructions with a puzzled look on his face. I fought back the urge to smile like the Cheshire Cat and turned back to my own batter. I’d added different colors of food coloring to three bowls to simulate different planets. All I had to do was use a rounded scoop to dropthem in the plain batter, and I’d be good. But as I did the first one, it kind of… spread. Was this even going to work?
I glanced around at my competitors, who were already putting their pans in the oven. I was running behind. I plopped the other two planets and poured the remaining plain-colored batter over them before placing them in the oven a little too roughly. I winced. Jack was already standing with his arms crossed. He wasn’t gloating, but I couldn’t quite get a read on him. His furrowed brow did look more pensive than frustrated with me, which was an upgrade.
“Psst,” Emerson whispered.
I subtly glanced at her beside me.
