AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You can’t complain about the accommodations,” I whispered to myself. I was already under fire by the editor ofFestive Treasuresfor cutting up one of their favorite chefs last month in an article. I’d only spoken my mind in what I’d written, stating that I found his meal mediocre at best. How was I supposed to know that he was a personal friend of the editor and that we’d been sent there to do a piece on his new restaurant to help him boost ratings and visibility? Her assistant had approved the article the day she was off but the second she’d gotten the call about the article, I’d been pulled into a meeting. She’d paced back and forth, then screamed at me for a full half hour, then decided to send me here to cover this holiday contest. I am sure this had been my punishment.
I pulled out the file on the contestants and began reading about the first entry. I read over her entry and flipped to the next page, doing the same. I was about four contestants in when I flipped to the next page, only to stop as I read the name on the top of the form. The name was familiar. Could it be? Brooke Kinley from school? I vaguely remembered that she lived in some Valley. I quickly opened my laptop and googled her name, hoping that her picture would appear. The first thing that popped up was The Crispy Biscuit website.
I waited forever for the page to load as I looked to the card that sat beside my computer stating lightning fast internet and chuckled to myself. I may not be able to complain about the accommodations, but I could complain about the internet. How did Vicki expect me to get articles uploaded to the office if the internet was garbage? I let out a sigh when finally, the page loaded, and I looked over the website. As I read over her site, I noticed a baking crate link and clicked on it, which took me to her catalogue there. She’d gotten herself on Baking Crate? That alone took skill. I’d done articles on some of the best bakers in the world who couldn’t get an account there. I scrolled up and looked to the top to her rating where she was recommended as one of the featured bakers there. Impressive, I thought to myself, if it were in fact her.
I went back to her website and found an “about us” page. Clicking the link, slowly her picture appeared. It was her. I sat there staring at her picture. She was still very pretty, and her eyes lit up in her photo. Just then my cell phone pinged and I grabbed it and looked at the message. It was Vicki. She was wondering where I was. They were already over at The Crispy Biscuit, and they were waiting for me to arrive. I swore under my breath, shut my laptop, and grabbed my coat from the back of the chair. The snow had caused the sidewalks to be slippery, and I couldn’t find a cab anywhere, so I decided to walk. It took a while, and by the time I’d arrived, they were already finished and were just climbing back into their van.
“Tristan, you’re late—again,” Vicki said as she dumped her purse into the front seat.
I looked to the editor, my boss, and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I guess time just got away from me.”
I could see her clench her jaw. “You know, Tristan, this is a common occurrence with you. Every. Single. Time,” she said, tapping her foot as she looked at me. “I don’t think I need to remind you that this is your last chance. You do realize that, don’t you? Your last chance to prove to me that you can be good at your job?”
Frank, the camera guy, looked over my way and chuckled to himself, shaking his head while he placed the camera back in the case. I’d worked with Frank on almost everything, and it was no surprise to me that he was laughing and shaking his head.
“Look, I said—” Only she cut me off before I could continue.
“Let me guess, you’re sorry, you lost track of time. Well, sorry doesn’t cut it any longer. This is it. You blow this one and you’re out.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” I chuckled and rolled my eyes, not believing that she’d actually have the guts to fire me.
“No, to be honest, I don’t think you do. I mean it, Tristan, blow it and you’ll find out. Now we have a couple of hours, so let’s get over to the next contestant’s place so we can get their story. As it is, you’ll have to go from my notes to write the article on Brooke. I won’t have you interrupt her again for another interview.”
I looked to Frank after Vicki climbed into the front seat. He shook his head. “You better take her seriously. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as mad as she was,” Frank said, then walked around to the driver’s side of the van. Pissed off, I climbed into the back of the van and shut the door and we took off.
* * *
December 1st - The tryouts
I’d been in the small town of Willow Valley for two days, and I still hadn’t set foot into The Crispy Biscuit. I’d been working on her article for the magazine from the notes Vicki had taken. Vicki’s notes were far more extensive than mine would have been, which made it hard to put my own voice on the article. With every word I wrote, the tension in my neck and my jaw grew tighter. She’d become way more successful than me. She’d followed her dreams, and mine—well, mine had been taken out from underneath me due to my parents’ inability to manage their finances correctly.
I’d just deleted the last three paragraphs I’d written when I heard Vicki yell from the hall, “Come on, Tristan, van is leaving in ten minutes!”
I let out a sigh, put my notes down, and grabbed my coat. This morning they were having the tryouts. Since we’d come into such a small town, Vicki thought it would be nice to allow some of the residents to try out as well. A mock contest if you will. So not only were we having the actual contest, but we were holding a smaller version just for fun.
The parking lot to the Willow Valley Town Hall was already packed by the time we’d arrived. I walked in to find the seating on the floor completely full with viewers, talking amongst themselves. I could feel the excitement in the air. I glanced around to see if I could see Brooke, but it was hard with all the people. I followed Vicki up to the stage and took the seat she directed me to.
She walked over to the microphone and gently tapped it, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Good morning, people of Willow Valley. We are very excited to get started. If everyone can take their seats, we will start inviting the contestants up on the stage. For the contestants of the actual event that will be held on the twelfth, please note that what they bring today are not their actual entry items for the contest. This is a simple run-through to make sure everything goes well.”
While everyone took their seat, Vicki walked over to me. “You better have brought your notebook. I want a short article written about each of the smaller contestants as well. We do, after all, have prizes for them.”
I reached into my coat pocket, my eyes never leaving Vicki’s, and pulled out my small notebook, flipping it open. “Happy?”
She gave me the look she always did and then turned and walked back over to the microphone. “Okay, our first contestants are three entries from the local town of Willow Valley. Bessy Tulip, owner of the Willow Valley Bed and Breakfast, she has entered her Mint Chip Cookies. Diana Granger has entered her Butternut Jingle Balls, and Mindi Potts has entered her Santa’s Kisses. Ladies, come on up with your entries and place them on the table for our judges.”
I watched as all three ladies approached the stage and climbed the stairs. Diana and Mindi were up first, and Bessy followed behind. Vicki walked over to the table and took a bite of the first cookie, then moved on to the next and the last, taking her time to taste each one. In a matter of minutes, she announced the winners, and I feverishly marked them down in the order announced. Third place went to Bessy, second to Diana, and the winner of the resident portion of Willow Valley was Mindi. Vicki gave each contestant the appropriate ribbon, followed by a large gift basket, as the crowd cheered.
“Well, that was exciting,” she said into the microphone as she returned to her spot, while clapping as the ladies left the stage.
“Now on to the tryouts for the contestants of theFestive Treasurescontest.” Vicki turned to look in my direction just as I let out a yawn.
I quickly composed myself as her eyes met mine. I could tell from the look that she was pissed.
“All right, first we have Andrea Linden from The Buttery Croissant from New York. Andrea has worked in some of the finest bakeries and restaurants all over the world. She started her venture in 2010. She opened The Buttery Croissant in 2015 and has won numerous awards in the past few years, including 2020’s and 2021’sFestive Treasures Award. She has brought her Linzer Cookies for today. Andrea, please come up on the stage.”
I glanced to the steps, watching as Andrea climbed them carrying her plate of cookies. Then I glanced to the girls who were still in line. I didn’t see Brooke anywhere. I frowned. Had she decided not to bother showing up?
“Next we have Jennifer Weber from The Happening Place in Florida. Jennifer is a self-taught baker. She started The Happening Place in 2019. In 2021 she won the Local Best Bakery Award. This is her first time entering into theFestive Treasurescontest. She has brought her soft and chewy ginger cookies for today. Jennifer…”
