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Mac. Damn it. Just the thought of him being forced to leave the academy made me feel ill. A part of me refused to believe that Axel could be so petty and vindictive, but I had to face that fact. He was a narcissistic, spoiled brat who thought the world revolved around him.
Well, I thought as I made my way to the competition tent. I’ll show him. I’ll show him that a girl from Amarillo, Texas could teach him a thing or two.
But the moment I saw him, that smug look on his face, I was suddenly so angry I was shaking.
“Hello, Axel,” I said tightly as I made it to my workstation. “Feeling confident today?”
He glared at me. “As always.”
“No doubt if you can have a professor fired on a whim, you can rig this competition to your advantage.”
At this, he glared at me with ice cold eyes and an uncomfortable grimace.
Once again, Terry introduced the judges and the remaining contestants. Five of us remained. One was to be eliminated after the tasting of the hors d’oeuvre and appetizer, with another one eliminated after the main dish.
Despite this, everyone was expected to work hard and cook the entire meal.
Pressure.
The moment Terry gave the go ahead, I headed to the pantry and refrigerator to get my leg of lamb, juniper berries along with the root vegetables that were to be caramelized and served with it.
Ignoring my hors d’oeuvre and appetizer for the moment, I started preparing the lamb, and once that was set, I got to work on the quick and easy hors d’oeuvre, then the appetizer; a delicate mushroom and shrimp mix in a golden flaky pastry.
Then I quickly prepared a simple but tasty salad and finally I got to work on my dessert. A rich and delicious chocolate mi-cuit, oozing with chocolaty goodness on the inside.
I was in the zone, concentrating on the task at hand and ignoring everything that was going on around me. But when I heard a loud clang, I looked over at Axel’s workstation. He stood there with a whisk in his hand and a stainless steel bowl on the floor with partially whipped cream splattered everywhere.
He glanced up at me and I flashed him a confident smile.
His cheeks were red, and he seemed agitated, but there was also anger in his eyes. He quickly picked up the mess and started up a new batch.
Smiling as I brought my attention back to my own meal, I realized just how rattled he was. Was it just the competition, or the prospect of losing to me?
I took a quick look at his work station and realized that he, too, was making lamb. How interesting.
The time to bring our hors d’oeuvre and appetizers to the judges finally arrived.
“This light and flaky pastry is perfection,” Francois Bellavance said of my shrimp and mushroom appetizer. “Absolute perfection.”
They all loved it and I was thrilled.
Axel was also praised for his appetizer, though his hors d’oeuvre left something to be desired.
With one contestant eliminated, the remaining four participants brought their dinner salad and main course to the judges.
“Juniper berries,” Denis Fitzgibbons said as he tasted my dish. “Love it. And your lamb is cooked perfectly. Not dry and absolutely flavorful.”
I nodded and smiled, then listened attentively as Axel’s lamb was critiqued. While he received much praise, there were also a few criticisms. His lamb was a bit dry and slightly bland compared to mine.
Hmm. Did that mean that I had a chance to win?
One more contestant was eliminated, leaving Thomas Crenshaw, Axel King and little old me.
Thomas brought his dessert up and the judges appeared to love it. Then Axel brought his and was praised.
I suddenly regretted choosing a dessert that was so fickle. It was impossible to know ahead of time if the small chocolate cakes would have their soft, gooey center just right. Darn it. I should have made an extra one to test it out myself. As it stood, I would only know the moment the judges plunged their dessert spoons into the soft chocolaty exterior.
Holding my breath, I watched them all pick up their spoon and dive in. Yes! The first one was perfect. Then another one and another and another. They were all firm on the outside and perfectly soft and runny inside.
