38
“ Sk?l to Let’s Get Baking !” Elnaz held out her glass of cava toward Nora, who leaned forward and clinked her glass against Elnaz’s. She reached up to touch her hair, which was still warm from the stylist’s efforts.
“No no no—don’t touch! You’ll spoil it. We need some spray, I think.” The young woman who had done Nora’s hair grabbed a can and enveloped Nora in a fragrant cloud. Nora coughed. Elnaz had suggested they should go to the salon for a blow-dry, because it was more festive than trying to do their own hair in the middle of all the hectic preparations for the press launch. Sara would pick out their clothes and do their makeup.
“Top-up?” The stylist held up the bottle of cava and smiled.
“Not for me, thanks.” Nora didn’t want to take any risks before the launch; she had drunk just enough to keep her nerves in check. Although she might need a whole bottle before her conversation with Henrik.
She had remained undecided about whether to talk to him until the very last minute. They hadn’t been in touch since their walk through town after the gingerbread competition, but he had been on her mind the whole time.
She owed him an explanation, because what she had said wasn’t true. What they had wasn’t a one-off fling.
And now she was sitting here in Stockholm with a glass of fizzy, ice-cold cava and freshly styled hair, ready for the press launch. After that she hoped to get some time alone with Henrik and ask for a second chance.
“It’s going to be a fantastic launch, I can feel it,” Elnaz said. Then she suddenly put down her glass. “Hello, what have we here?” She picked up the gossip magazine lying next to Nora’s mirror. Nora had hoped that Elnaz wouldn’t notice it—which she hadn’t, until now.
She held it up, beaming. Henrik Eklund in Love with Small-Town Baker. “Have you read it?”
Nora nodded. She must have read the article twenty times, but it was still just as weird to see her face on the cover—being kissed by Henrik onstage in the middle of her town square.
“I assume that both TV24 and the production team have been high-fiving each other until their palms hurt,” Nora said.
“Something like that,” Elnaz admitted. “This is the best PR the show could possibly have. We’re perfectly positioned for the premiere next week.”
Nora nodded; she couldn’t help smiling too. After all the twists and turns during filming, she actually felt quite good; it was going to be a really good show.
“Henrik’s had a busy time with the press over the past few days,” Nora said. She didn’t normally gossip like this—maybe it was the cava talking—but she wanted to know what Elnaz thought of the statement Henrik had made earlier in the week.
Elnaz nodded. “I think it was generous of him to do what he did.”
Henrik had posted on social media about the part he had played in Bente’s downfall. How wrong it had been of him not to defend her when she was attacked by the press. I was feeling hurt and chose to keep quiet. What upsets me most is that my career was boosted by what happened to her, which shows how skewed the TV world can be. I want to apologize to Bente for the fact that I never attempted to stand up for her.
It was the first time he had spoken about their separation, and it had attracted a great deal of attention. Nora couldn’t help wondering how Bente had reacted—what if they got back together? Maybe they were already seeing each other. What if Nora was too late?
They finished their drinks and left the salon. The city was shrouded in snow, which made everything eerily quiet. Magnificent thick green garlands, swathes of fir, and shining red ornaments hung down over the street as they walked to the venue where the launch was to take place.
When they arrived, Nora was directed to a small conference room for clothes and makeup. As she made her way along the corridor, she looked around for Henrik. She felt as though she was holding her breath. What should she say when she saw him? Did he even want to talk to her?
Sara was already waiting for her when she arrived; a large mirror was propped against one wall.
“Perfect timing—I’ve just finished with Henrik.”
Nora’s heart gave a little leap. He was already here!
“Wow, your hair looks fantastic!” Sara said, then got to work on her makeup. Then it was time to get dressed. “These are the clothes I’ve picked out for you—what do you think?”
Nora admired the dark-blue velvet pantsuit with a wraparound jacket. It felt festive and upscale, but trendy at the same time.
Nora changed and put on a pair of high-heeled pumps. When she looked in the mirror, she couldn’t help smiling. Then Elnaz came in, accompanied by a man about the same age as Nora. “This is Adrian, who handles all the publicity for the show. He’ll be running the press launch today.”
“We’re starting in fifteen minutes, but you’re welcome to get something to eat and mingle a bit until then,” Adrian said to Nora.
She followed them into the main room, which was already crowded with journalists, photographers, members of the production team, and representatives from TV24. The corner room had amazing views over the waters of Nybroviken and the Royal Dramatic Theater. She looked around. In one corner was a table laden with steaming glasses of mulled wine and soda. Fir garlands and gold ornaments adorned the room, and the large Advent stars hanging in the windows provided a warm glow while Christmas music played in the background.
Elnaz greeted someone she knew, exchanged air-kisses with someone else, then drew Nora in and introduced her. “This is Nora, who’s appearing in the Christmas special of Let’s Get Baking . She’s an amazing baker, and a real star on TV.”
Nora smiled; she wasn’t convinced that this was true, but it sounded good. As they moved slowly through the room, she looked around for Henrik.
When she saw him, she stopped dead. Just seeing him was painful, because she felt so uncertain about their future. He was wearing a white shirt and a pair of dark-blue jeans. His dark hair was carelessly brushed back. How she loved that thick, slightly coarse hair, and the feeling of it beneath her fingers! He was chatting with another man, laughing in a way that lit up his whole face. Then he noticed her, stopped laughing—and smiled.
A moment later, they were standing in front of Henrik. Elnaz gave him a hug, and he and Nora gazed at each other in silence.
The man next to Henrik introduced himself to Nora as the CEO of the production company. When Elnaz started talking to him, Nora took a step closer to Henrik. There was something she had to say.
“I’m sorry for what I said about us,” she murmured. “Have you got time to talk after the launch?”
He nodded. “Of course.” Then he placed a hand on her shoulder and drew her slowly into a hug. She laid her head on his chest, she could hear the steady beating of his heart, and she let out a long breath. Everything was going to be all right.
A loud voice interrupted them. Nora stepped away and turned around. It was Hasse Eklund.
“Good evening, Henrik.” Hasse was beaming. Henrik’s expression was uncertain.
“Didn’t you know I was coming? They wanted me here—apparently they’ve included a couple of scenes from Christmas with the Eklunds , and thought it would be good if I showed up.”
Nora could see the tension in Henrik’s body; his entire posture had changed. After everything she had heard about Hasse, she couldn’t imagine that his presence here was in any way a good thing. This was Henrik’s show, not his.
Then he turned to her. “So you’re the one my son is hanging out with these days? If the press is to be believed, that is.”
She didn’t know how to respond, but Hasse didn’t give her the opportunity to come up with anything. “Hasse. Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand.
“Nora. Likewise.” His handshake was firm.
“I hear that filming was a triumph, thanks to Nora.” He looked at Henrik, then back at her. “And your little romance. I hope the season is a success.”
Adrian came over. “Time to get started.” They followed him to three small tables at the front of the room, and Adrian showed them where to stand.
“Welcome, everyone! I thought we’d start by taking a look at some clips from the show, and then we’ll move on to the interviews and any questions you might have.” He turned away from the journalists to face the big screen behind them.
Elnaz had explained that the launch would feature a long trailer, and Nora took a deep breath as the first clip began to run. She and Henrik were in the middle of something that looked like an argument, which made her smile, and in the next clip they were laughing and exchanging an intimate glance. There were a few shots of Henrik walking alone along the quayside and eating in the hotel, then it was back to the two of them baking Lucia buns. And finally a clip of Henrik laughing and looking into the camera with his arms folded. That smile, that laughter made her whole body feel warm.
In the next scene he was sitting opposite her with a cup of coffee, and she was explaining her struggles with the patisserie. It wasn’t too bad so far. She came across as calm and likable. Then they went through the list of her cakes and cookies, and—unsurprisingly—she did not look happy.
How will things turn out for our bad-tempered baker? asked the narrator’s voice in a dryly humorous tone. Nora didn’t feel quite so optimistic now.
Next came a scene where she reacted angrily to Henrik’s suggestions, followed by various direct statements for the camera. Nora explained what she disliked about Henrik and his ideas, and her face was flushed throughout, as if she was about to explode any second. A few people were laughing. Then Henrik made fun of all her cookies and how flawed her whole setup was, whereupon Nora said, “Henrik is a stevia-eating idiot from Stockholm who has never baked a decent cinnamon bun.” She appeared to be bitter and difficult, and everything she did and said made her seem incompetent and oversensitive to criticism.
The burning sensation in her stomach turned to nausea. The whole thing was unbearable. She didn’t dare look out over the assembled journalists; this was sheer humiliation. In the next short scene, Henrik gave her a mild rebuke; she stood there for a moment with tears in her eyes, then stormed out. Hysterical, volatile, and incompetent—that was a fair summary of the Nora Jansson on-screen right now. The clip was only ten minutes long, but it felt like it went on for hours.
Then a clip of Henrik speaking to the camera. “She obviously hasn’t managed the business very well, but if you’re driven by emotions as Nora is—and you let your feelings determine how your business is run—then that’s bound to lead to problems.” Her heart was pounding. Though she wasn’t surprised by Henrik’s words, it nonetheless hurt to hear them.
Then suddenly she saw herself leaning over a table in the café, gasping for air. When she saw it on the screen, she felt as if she were reliving the experience. She looked out at the audience and felt herself struggling to breathe. This couldn’t be happening. Her head spun, and she tried to inhale slowly, exhale slowly. She could sense Henrik’s eyes on her.
Then there was Henrik on-screen again. “She works too hard because she doesn’t understand what’s important. Maybe someone with such fragile mental health shouldn’t be running a business.”
Will Henrik manage to bring the hysterical baker into line? the narrator asked, with a hint of laughter in his voice as the trailer ended.
He promised, she thought. He promised it wouldn’t be included. He had promised that her panic attack wouldn’t appear on the show.
The journalists began to drift over to their tables. Adrian had explained that this was an informal arrangement; they would simply come up to her and ask questions. Nora thought it felt like gladiatorial combat. To her surprise she managed to respond without much emotion; she was operating on some kind of weird autopilot.
Then she heard Hasse Eklund’s loud voice drowning out everything else. He must want everyone to hear him.
“I’ve read in the papers that those two are supposed to be in love, but after watching that, I’m not so sure! It was probably just a PR stunt after all.” The words hit home. Of course it was a PR stunt, all of it. “As Henrik said to me last time I saw him, we do what we have to do for the show.”
“It wasn’t just for the show!” Henrik broke in. He turned to his father and the journalists, but Nora didn’t hear the rest of what he said. Hasse’s words echoed in her mind. Had Henrik really said that to his father? She shouldn’t be surprised—not after seeing those clips. Henrik hadn’t kept his word. She had been portrayed as incompetent and volatile. So why should she believe anything else he’d ever said to her about his feelings and what he wanted in the future?
The next journalist looked Nora straight in the eye. “So is there a genuine romance between you and Henrik?” She had had enough. She took a deep breath, walked around the table, and headed for the door. She was wrecked. To make things worse, she tripped over the edge of a rug in her high heels. Elnaz caught her. Nora looked at Elnaz in terror, thinking she would try to force her to go back and answer more questions, but Elnaz just took her arm and led her out of the room. Away from it all.