Chapter Ten Lyra #2
“That quick?” My voice hit a high note.
“Aye, we like to knock them out quickly because then we need to introduce you to your partner. Otherwise it gets too hard to coordinate when everyone is arriving to set if we need to keep things a secret.”
“Oh, sure. That makes sense.” Fingers crossed my partner was a professional baker who excelled in magick. I would work the judges; she could work the spells.
It was going to be fine. I was sure of it.
Twenty minutes later, I was convinced this was the worst decision I’d ever made.
Everything was just so… professional. From the lighting to the microphones, the massive cameras, and the whole “Quiet on set!” right before they started filming.
The inside of the bakery had been transformed into a Christmas wonderland.
They’d draped the walls in a deep evergreen brocade fabric, entirely obscuring the manic mural with the furious beasties.
I couldn’t say I blamed them, as filming with that in the background would be more than a touch distracting.
A trio of Christmas trees exploding with ornaments and lights were clustered in the corner, and boughs and garlands were draped in every available space.
I hoped the test kitchen where we’d be actually baking wasn’t as decorated as this, because it would make it hard to move about if it was.
Not to mention, it was highly flammable.
I’d seen enough explosions on the show to look gingerly at the silver tinsel that dripped from the ceiling as I took a seat in a solo chair in the middle of the room.
Vaughn followed my gaze.
“Don’t like the tinsel?”
“No, it’s lovely.” I flushed when I realized the cameras were on. “And also highly flammable.”
Vaughn chuckled as he took the seat across from me, outside the range of the cameras.
“Spoken like a true baker.”
I shrugged one shoulder, crossing my legs and smoothing my skirt down over my thighs. I’d gone with the deep red dress with a sweetheart neckline, sleeves to my elbows, and a skirt that dropped to mid-calf. The dress looked great on me, and Ruth had been right: It was a power color.
Still. It was hard to not feel nervous when three cameras were pointed at my face and a group of people I hadn’t met yet stood behind Vaughn, all staring at me.
“I’ve watched the show enough to see that things don’t always go to plan.” A grin spread across my face. “Like the sticky toffee pudding incident.”
Everyone in the room laughed. It was impossible not to. One baker had mistakenly attempted to speed up the baking time with a new spell, and the pudding had grown legs, exploded out of the oven, and raced around the room and out the back door, never to be seen again.
“So, Lyra,” Vaughn began, checking the notes on his clipboard. “You grew up in Briarhaven? How have you found the new look of the town?”
“I love it,” I said, pleased I could give an honest answer.
“Granted, I was a bit surprised when we first returned to town last year, but not only has the entire town gotten a fabulous makeover, it’s also become a lovely spot for tourists and locals alike.
It’s incredibly charming, so if you get a chance to visit, I highly recommend it.
” I beamed at the camera. There, that should make Knox happy.
“There you have it, folks. Briarhaven’s best cheerleader.
” Vaughn grinned at me. “And since we’re going to be celebrating Christmas with this challenge, I have to ask, what was your favorite Christmas?
Were you one of those wee ones who was peeking down the staircase to see if Santa had arrived?
Or was it the food for you? Did your mum make a special meal for tea? ”
I froze. Christmas had always been a tricky time in my family.
Mum had been unpredictable at best, and money had sometimes been an issue, so fights were the usual fare served at Christmas.
More often than not, my sisters and I would spend the morning together in one of our rooms, making up games and trying to avoid the arguments downstairs.
“Lyra?” Vaughn prodded, and I blinked, shaking my head and clearing my throat.
“I…” Focus, Lyra. I shook my head slightly. “My best Christmas was actually spent with my high school boyfriend.”
“Ah, young love.” Vaughn perked up. “And what was his name?”
“Rab,” I whispered, surprised I’d brought it up. I hadn’t thought about this in years.
Vaughn glanced at a woman next to him, raising an eyebrow, and she shook her head slightly.
“And what did young Rab do to make your Christmas so special?”
“It… it had been a rough day at home.” Between the blinding lights and the shock of this being the first memory that had come up, I stumbled through my words.
“My dad had lost his job, money was tight, and Mum wasn’t happy about it.
There were a lot of arguments. But our gran made it as fun as she could. ”
“But…” Vaughn encouraged me to continue.
I closed my eyes briefly. I’d watched enough reality television to know that this was the deal.
I would have to be vulnerable if I wanted people to root for me.
Still, now that I was here and being asked these questions with cameras trained on my face, I realized just how tricky it was to be forthcoming.