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“And your girlfriend didn’t?” I ask, feeling intrigued by his past.
“No. She wasn’t happy about me taking the initial contract, let alone my decision to make something long-term of it. She made it clear she thought I was being selfish, as well as professionally short-sighted, and that she wasn’t going to come with me.”
“So, what did you do?”
“I came anyway.”
“You broke up with her?”
“Yes.” He doesn’t seem very upset about that, but I guess if they weren’t that close, he wouldn’t be, would he? The thought that he might have been close to her – or anyone else for that matter – is surprisingly difficult to contemplate, so I don’t, and instead I get up, reaching for his plate.
“We should probably clear away.”
“Let me,” he says, standing up too. “Clearing up is the one thing I do well in the kitchen.”
I can’t help chuckling and he smiles down at me, taking the plates and carrying them to the island unit.
It’s been lovely getting to know him.
I just wish we didn’t have to stop so soon.
Blake cleans the dishes, while I wipe down the countertops, and between us we get the kitchen back to normal in no time at all, which is just as well, because he’s only just put everything away when Ruby comes in the door. She’s followed by several other people, including Vivian, and although I hadn’t been feeling that nervous before, I am now. There’s something about Vivian’s presence that just sets me on edge.
Ruby comes straight over to me, looking around. “Have you prepared everything Blain will need?”
I nod my head. “It’s all in the refrigerator.”
She frowns. “What about the cooked versions?”
“Cooked versions?”
“Yes. When we do the show for real, you’ll have cooked a set of everything in advance so Blain can magically pull it from the oven.” Her brow furrows. “Are you telling me all the food is still raw?”
I could kick myself. “Yes.”
“You didn’t wonder why we gave you two of everything?”
“I assumed that was so we could do more than one run-through.”
She sighs. “Okay. It’s not the end of the world. As I explained earlier, we’re gonna need to read through the script at least a couple of times for the technical set-up. You can cook one complete set of each dish in the meantime, can’t you?”
“Sure.”
She nods her head and I realize she’s waiting for me to get on with it. I can’t bring myself to look at anyone, although I catch Vivian’s eye as I’m heading for the refrigerator and notice the smug smile on her lips. It’s well deserved, though. I should have thought of this myself. They gave me additional ingredients for a reason, and I completely ignored the fact that Blake would need to plate up the prepared food, as well as pretending to cook it… all within the space of an hour.
I get busy putting things into the oven, and when I turn around again, I’m surprised to see three cameras in the space between the island unit and the table, and several people I’ve never seen before, all milling around. They seem to know what they’re doing, and are busy going about it, and I stand aside, watching for a moment.
“Are you okay?” Blake’s voice is a whisper in my ear, his breath a dusting against my skin and I turn to find him standing right behind me.
“No. I feel such a fool for forgetting to cook the food.”
“You weren’t to know. And anyway, there’s no harm done, is there?”
“I suppose not.”
“In which case, to repeat your advice to me… don’t beat yourself up over it.” I smile up at him, and our eyes lock, just for a moment, before he looks down at the apron in his hands. “I’m supposed to put this on. Do you think you could help me with the ties at the back? They’re meant to be ‘just right’ according to Kennedy, so the logo is in the middle.”
“Sure.”
