Chapter Twenty-One
With only five contestants left, it was time for the inevitable cooking challenge.
Nothing guaranteed drama quite like handing people knives and hot pans while cameras zoomed in on every awkward laugh, mess, and dropped utensil.
Skye had always enjoyed the cooking part of it, but only because there were always leftovers.
This afternoon, however, she wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.
All she wanted was to get Lucy alone to talk about what had happened last night and what it meant.
And then she wanted to come up with a plan to get Alexis off their backs.
Unfortunately, Alexis was a leech.
“You look lovely this morning,” Alexis whispered in Skye’s ear when they stepped into the bright and airy cooking pavilion by the beach.
Skye ignored her.
“Aren’t you going to compliment me back?”
“I like your top,” Skye responded forcefully and instead concentrated on the space.
There were three long wooden counters stretched across it, each lined with shiny cutting boards, rows of knives, and colorful bowls of neatly pre-measured ingredients.
The benches were arranged so that the contestants faced each other.
It was an easy way for the cameras to capture every micro-expression without having to do a lot of back and forth.
“Oh, come on, are you really ignoring me?” Alexis whispered under her breath.
Skye was just about to say something, but then the host, Chef Marco Valenti—a Food Network host with a British accent and a reputation for yelling at contestants—walked to the center of the room. He had been hand-selected by Marla months ago.
“You’ll each be cooking a Hawaiian-inspired seafood dish in pairs,” he announced, flicking his dark ponytail.
“At the end, I’ll decide who made the most delicious plate.
The winners will go on a date with our gorgeous bachelorette.
” He flourished his hand in her direction, and Skye managed a practiced smile while her stomach pulled into knots.
There was a smattering of nervous laughter, and a few claps.
“Now,” Chef Marco continued, dragging the moment out.
“You’ll be choosing your partners with the classic names in a hat game.
” He offered it first to Skye, who dipped her hand in, silently praying to every queer deity that she could think of that she’d end up next to Lucy.
But when she unfolded the slip of paper and saw Alexis’s name printed on it, she barely managed not to groan out loud.
Of course she would draw Alexis. Clearly, the universe was out to punish her.
“Skye and Alexis,” Marco called. “You two are at station one.”
Alexis shot her a smug smile that made Skye’s skin crawl. “This must be my lucky day,” she said and winked at the camera before she walked off to their station.
Skye followed, but not before she risked a glance across the room to where Lucy was drawing a name out of the hat.
Last night’s tryst in the ocean, and sex in her bed, was still humming under her skin, electric and hot in a way she hadn’t managed to shake off yet.
Lucy caught her eye and, for a heartbeat, her lips curved like she was thinking about it too.
“Come on,” Alexis hissed. She glanced back over her shoulder and caught the tail end of the look between Skye and Lucy.
Her brows lifted, and her smirk widened like a cat who’d just cornered something delicious to eat.
A mouse probably. Skye was the mouse. She then flicked her gaze forward and added, “We should probably discuss what we’ll be making.
It’s a competition, and as you know, I do love to win. ”
Skye rolled her eyes but followed obediently. Now wasn’t the time to provoke Alexis. She had an uneasy feeling that Alexis was a ticking time bomb. One wrong look or one careless word, and Alexis might explode, spilling Skye’s secrets onto the floor.
When she reached her bench, Skye focused all of her attention on the woven basket of ingredients: mahi mahi fillets, fresh pineapple, bell peppers, scallions, ginger, and a tiny container of sesame oil.
Beside her, Alexis blabbed on and on about the different ways they could prepare the mahi mahi and whether the pineapple should be caramelized or diced raw.
But Skye wasn’t really listening. She didn’t really care all that much.
All she wanted was a minute or two alone with Lucy.
“So, what do you think?” Alexis said.
“About what?”
Chef Marco suddenly appeared behind them, rubbing his hands together. “So, ladies, what’s the plan? What are we cooking today?”
Skye opened her mouth to admit they hadn’t had time to agree on something yet, but Alexis beat her to it. “We’re thinking a ginger-soy glaze over seared mahi mahi,” she said smoothly. “With a pineapple and bell pepper stir-fry on the side.”
Chef Marco’s eyebrows shot up. “Sounds promising,” he said. “I like it. Let’s see how well you two can execute it.” He clapped Skye a little too hard on the shoulder and moved on.
Skye exhaled slowly and willed herself not to stab Alexis with the cutting knife. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Lucy discussing something with Amy. She was bent over the table, and their heads were close together. When Lucy looked up, she caught Skye watching and grinned.
Heat prickled up Skye’s neck, but she quickly turned back to the cutting board before Alexis could catch that too.
“So, where did you disappear to last night?” Alexis said, reaching for the pineapple.
“I didn’t disappear,” Skye shot back and grabbed a red pepper. She needed to keep her hands busy. And she sure as hell didn’t want Alexis to see the fear in her eyes. “I simply went to the beach for some air.”
“Mmm.” Alexis tilted her head. The knife in her hand glistened from the low-hanging bulbs as she chopped off the pineapple’s spiky crown.
“That’s funny, because Lucy seemed to have vanished from the cocktail party right around the same time you did.
Coincidence?” She arched a brow, and Skye had the sudden urge to smack her hand over Alexis’s mouth before she said anything incriminating since the cameras were right there.
“I have no idea,” Skye replied, keeping her eyes on the table. “Maybe she went to the bathroom or something.”
“Maybe.” Alexis flicked her eyes sideways, her voice thankfully lower than before but not quite low enough for Skye not to feel panicky.
“But I feel like there’s more to it, you know.
I feel like she might’ve followed you out.
” She leaned in just enough for her words to curl quietly between them.
“I hear she’s got quite a proclivity for skinny dipping. Do you know anything about that?”
Skye froze mid-chop and stared at the half-cut pepper in front of her. She knew. Alexis fucking knew! She’d probably even seen them in the surf. Naked, and arms tangled. Mouths crushed together. And yet, for some reason—a miracle maybe—she hadn’t screamed it across the room.
“What the hell do you want from this?” Skye muttered under her breath.
Chef Marco was at the bench adjacent to theirs, where Cleo and Nova were partnered up.
One set of cameras was angled at them, and another was focused on Lucy and Amy, so at least Skye was sure no one had overheard. Or at least she hoped.
Alexis leaned closer. “I want to win,” she whispered. “And that means you’re going to pick me at the final lei ceremony.”
Skye opened her mouth to snap back, but then the cameras swung toward them, and Alexis didn’t even hesitate. She dropped her hand onto Skye’s wrist as she reached for the ginger and leaned in close. “I have to say, there’s nothing quite like cooking with your future partner,” she said loudly.
From across the room, Amy burst out laughing. “Keep dreaming, Alexis.” She shook her head and reached for a whisk, which she then flourished in the air like a wand. “You’ve been acting way too cocky the last few days.”
“She has, hasn’t she?” Nova smirked and then leaned over her station, pointing a spatula in Alexis’s direction. “Hasn’t anyone told you that too much confidence can cause a big head? Careful, Lex. You don’t want to end up looking like the Queen of Hearts.”
Alexis pulled a face. “Better a big head than no crown at all.”
“Oh boy,” Amy said, slipping around Lucy to grab a spoon from the other side of the table. “Looks like she’s already beyond saving.”
“Cute,” Alexis said, flashing a cold smile.
“Oh, come on, Lex,” Nova chuckled. “We’re just pulling your leg.”
“Right,” Alexis snapped back. “Just watch, I’ll be the only one laughing during that final lei ceremony.” She glanced at Skye and winked.
Skye’s blood turned ice cold.
“Shouldn’t we ask the bachelorette what she wants?” Lucy quipped, catching Skye’s eye from across the room. “Isn’t she the one making the final decision?”
Alexis shot Lucy a look that could’ve sliced through steel.
One eyebrow arched like she was daring Lucy to say another word.
Skye felt another chill rush down her spine.
What would it take for Alexis to explode and blurt out what she knew?
Or at least presumed she knew? Would another look from Lucy do it?
Or maybe a little comment? Would Skye not agreeing with her over the thickness of the diced red pepper be the last straw?
Skye sure as hell wasn’t prepared to find out. There was too much at stake.
“Alright, ladies,” she said, hands up like she was trying to calm a classroom of fifth graders. “We should probably all concentrate on our dishes. We wouldn’t want to disappoint Chef Marco.”
Chef Marco nodded, looking far too entertained by the tension in the room. He cleared his throat. “Yes, let’s get back to work. I want to smell those ginger-soy aromas dancing through the air. And remember, presentation matters just as much as flavor.”
Skye caught sight of Marla hovering behind the bank of cameras.
She mouthed What the hell was that all about, but Skye just ignored her.
There was too much going on already. Skye had way too much on her plate.
Not only did she have to worry about Alexis and the secret she kept on the tip of her tongue, but she was also starting to panic about what was going to happen after the show.
Would she keep her job? Would she have to admit to the winner that she was just the substitute?
Would that even matter if all of this came out?
And most importantly, would she choose Lucy?
Or would she fold and crash and give Alexis what she wanted for the sake of the show?
“We’ll sear the fish first,” Alexis said, standing so close to Skye that the smell of her shampoo filled Skye’s nostrils until she could hardly breathe. “I need you to dice the peppers really thin.”
“Why don’t you dice the peppers so that they are exactly how you want them?” Skye retorted.
“Because I’m head chef,” Alexis replied, already reaching for the fish. “And you’re my sous chef. So, get going, Skye. Chop. Chop.”
The next hour went by in a dizzying blur.
Ginger and sesame oil wafted everywhere.
Alexis continued barking out directions.
Skye chopped and stirred and kept her tongue despite wanting to tell Alexis several times to go fuck herself.
Lucy’s laugh kept floating across the room, and once, Skye had even dropped a teaspoon on the floor hoping Lucy would notice.
Which she had, and they’d shared a small smile that the camera may or may not have picked up.
By the time Marco had called time, their station looked like a tornado had swept through it. But at least their plate of food was ready and presentable.
“Alright, ladies. I’ll be tasting each plate.
” Chef Marco moved around the room, leaning over each station.
He swirled sauces, sniffed plates, and tasted fish.
Skye tried to focus on his expression. She needed him to savor Lucy and Amy’s creation just a little more than Nova and Cleo’s and a hell of a lot more than theirs.
Skye couldn’t risk going on a solo date with Alexis. She just couldn’t.
“Very nice balance,” he said, tapping his fork on the edge of Skye and Alexis’s plate. “I like how the ginger dances with the soy instead of stepping on it, and the pineapple gives it this playful brightness.”
Alexis beamed, and Skye had to keep her disappointment inside. Great. Now they stood a chance of winning. Usually, she liked winning, but not today. Certainly not with her. Frankly, it couldn’t get any worse than this.
“And the winners of this challenge earn a special date with the bachelorette,” Marco announced, raising his hands once he took his spot in the center of the room.
He paused for maximum effect, and Skye could feel Alexis stiffen beside her.
“Lucy and Amy, congratulations, ladies! Those were some perfectly baked mahi mahi parcels.” He gave a salute in their direction.
Amy squealed and pulled Lucy into a hug.
Nova and Cleo clapped politely and mumbled congratulations.
Alexis, on the other hand, was a sore loser.
Not that Skye had expected anything else.
She didn’t clap, and she didn’t congratulate.
She simply stepped closer to Skye and whispered quietly enough into her ear so that no one, not even the cameras, would hear.
“Just remember that I’m not beyond making sure I get what I want. ”
That was the last straw. The one that surely broke the camel’s back. Not that Skye could do anything about it in this moment, and so she simply gave Alexis the side-eye and stepped out from behind her table.
“Well done, you two,” Skye said as she walked over to Amy and Lucy’s bench. “I guess we’ll be going on a date later today.” She stepped forward and hugged Lucy, her mouth inches from Lucy’s ear. “Meet me in an hour on the beach,” she whispered softly. “Same place as last time.”