Chapter 27
T he day was bright when Clem arrived at the hotel and spa to find out the results with Sylvie.
It wasn’t quite as hot as the day of the fire, but still extremely warm.
As they walked toward the entrance – the same path where she’d run into Lucas months ago before the auditions – she drew in a long, fulfilling breath of clean summer air.
Her chest was feeling much better now, and she was glad to finally have stopped coughing, but there was a lingering feeling of unease that followed her around, like she hadn’t quite shaken off the events of the fire. She hadn’t been sleeping too well.
The sky was a pale blue canvas smeared with lines of white chalk, and a passing aeroplane tracked a long, ridged streak through it.
It was warm, and she’d chosen a plain light summer dress.
Cat-themed accessories glinted in the sunshine on her wrists and around her neck.
Sylvie, too, had accessorised with little cats for good luck – her bun was poked through with a glittery cat hairclip, and her flat shoes were stamped with two happy red cat faces.
She smiled at Clem as they approached the reception, stepping into the cool, air-conditioned space. ‘Remember,’ she said, ‘I’m proud of you whether we win or not. Okay?’
Clem smiled in return. ‘I know.’
They were directed to the same big hall where auditions had been held, cooled and freshened by the air-con.
There were no workstations set up here today – only the stage and podium.
The Whisked Away crew had, of course, brought the trophies for the winner and second and third place, shining atop a table on the stage.
The judges were already here, milling about with the camera crew off the stage and having their make-up touched up. Viviana was having her face powdered and Jonathan was tapping away on his phone, talking to Laurette.
‘Ah, you’re here!’ Ronan called to them.
A woman was fixing his curls. He smiled and shooed her away good-naturedly.
When he turned to Sylvie and Clem, Clem thought his smile looked strained, and under the layers of make-up, there were grey-tinted bags beneath his eyes.
‘I hope you’re feeling okay?’ he said to Clem.
‘I’m alright, thanks,’ she replied. ‘No real harm done.’
‘It was horrible, what happened. It shouldn’t have happened. I can’t apologise to you enough . . .’ He scratched the back of his head. Even his clothing was less sunny and polished. He was wearing a grey suit, and the only hint of colour was the baby-pink tie.
‘It wasn’t your fault,’ said Clem. She knew how he felt – he looked as bad as she’d been in the aftermath.
He was about to respond, but footsteps padded into the hall behind Clem and Sylvie. Lucas, Dwayne and Dinah and her partner had arrived. Clem turned; she hadn’t seen Lucas since the day they’d been taken to hospital. She’d mainly been at home resting with Misha.
To her relief, he looked okay – more than okay.
He looked handsome. There was colour in his cheeks, as if his paleness had been tinted slightly red by the sun, and his hair was brushed behind his ears, spiking out below his earlobes.
He wore a dark navy tee with dark jeans.
She wanted to run at him, wrap her arms around him and never let go, sprinkle kisses over his jaw.
Had it only been a short time since they’d seen each other?
He’d saved her life. How could she ever thank him?
The judges asked them to line up in front of the stage, on white X’s marked on the carpet with tape.
It was a much less grand affair than what would have happened if the fire hadn’t occurred.
There was no live audience, no family members watching with anticipation.
Maybe Ronan thought it best to keep things understated?
Even though the Whisked Away fans wanted the results, many blamed the contest for what had happened and Clem imagined a splashier finale wouldn’t go down well, or do much for his reputation.
When the cameras were rolling and the judges were side by side on the stage, Ronan glanced around, smiling. It didn’t reach his eyes.
‘Welcome!’ he called. ‘I’m so glad you’re all here, and that Clem and Lucas in particular are healthy and doing well.
’ He cleared his throat. ‘As you know, a full investigation is being conducted into what happened at the tent – and we hope whoever is responsible will be held accountable.’ He continued for a few minutes about how the safety of his contestants was paramount, and Whisked Away took this very seriously.
‘But let’s move on to what everyone’s been waiting for – the winner!
We won’t draw this out any longer for everybody. ’
Despite his words, he allowed the pause to linger before carrying on.
‘Dinah, your cakes have always been so artistic, and wonderfully flavoured. The judges were so impressed by your use of colour to re-create your cake shop – such vibrant pinks! – and how you managed to make a miniature version of your van.’
‘The detailing was wonderful,’ Viviana interjected.
‘That being said, we thought the cake itself was a little too dry this time,’ Ronan went on, ‘and could have benefitted from more moistness. We’ll be awarding you third place.’
Dinah nodded, her shoulders slightly slumped.
The judges clapped, inviting her and her partner up onto the stage to collect the third-place trophy, which was small enough to fit into one hand.
They also presented her partner with a gift basket stuffed full of treats, wrapped in a big plastic bow, shining and red.
‘Some of your favourite baked goodies and ingredients,’ Jonathan told them, winking. ‘Thanks for all your hard work!’
After Dinah and her partner had accepted the prize, some of the crew took them off to the side of the room to watch the rest of the announcement.
Clem’s throat was pulsating and her ears were roaring with noise, as if she’d held up a shell to her ear to listen to the ocean.
She glanced at Lucas, whose hands were stuffed into his jean pockets.
His jawline looked stiff but, otherwise, his expression gave nothing away.
Dwayne looked calm too, his arms folded over his broad chest.
Instead of feeling excited at the prospect of winning, Clem only felt a mild unease.
Because why did she want to win? She’d told herself she needed the money, to move out.
That hadn’t been true. She’d been making excuses for herself for so long because she’d been afraid.
And she’d always had everything she needed; her mum had been right.
She’d just needed some extra confidence, and to understand that she would be able to cope with whatever life had in store for her, even if she didn’t always feel that way.
‘Lucas, your recreation of Muddy Paws Café was so intricate. We could see how your skills have grown over the course of this competition – how hard you worked. Especially on the level of detail on the building.’
‘And the cake was well and truly delicious,’ Laurette said, her arms folded over her chest. ‘We always knew cakes weren’t your strong suit – you said so on your application – but you accomplished so much with that cake. You have a lot to be proud of.’
‘This was such a close one for us,’ said Ronan, and Viviana and Laurette nodded either side of him.
‘Probably the closest ever, in the history of Whisked Away .’ He gave a long, dramatic pause.
‘It’s just Clem’s was that little bit more polished and accomplished and we loved the representation of Catpurrcino a little more .
. . so we’ll be awarding you second place. Well done, Muddy Paws!’
The roaring ocean in her ears was screaming, and even though she’d felt uneasy about it, a rush of excitement that she’d won – that she’d got this far – nearly knocked her off her feet.
When she turned to Lucas, there was no real change in his demeanour, and he walked up onto the stage to accept his trophy with Dwayne following in his wake.
He took the trophy, the bright stage lights shining down on him, and Dwayne accepted the gift basket, shaking hands with Ronan and the other judges.
Lucas was smiling but his mouth was barely lifting at the corners.
He was gripping the trophy too hard, so tight she could see the lines of his knuckles.
He hurried down from the stage, urged to one side by the staff.
‘Which means . . . we have our winner! Congratulations, Catpurrcino!’
The judges were clapping, calling for her to come up to the stage with Sylvie.
She stumbled forward, the camera capturing her every move, and she couldn’t stop smiling, so wide it hurt her cheeks, though she knew Lucas was watching.
Because she’d proved to herself that she could do this.
She had done it, in spite of all the mistakes and her fears and self-doubts.
She hadn’t had the guts to enter this competition herself because she’d been so afraid, but here she was.
Someone – the Whisked Away team, probably – poured confetti over her, pink like the cherry tree outside Catpurrcino in the spring, like the one she’d made out of marshmallows and coconut.
The first-place trophy was the biggest; she needed two hands to hold it, and they gave Sylvie the gift basket. The judges were patting her, uttering congratulations. She thanked them, the whole moment feeling like a delirious blur.