Chapter Twenty-One #2
Erik chuckled at his brother’s nosiness, happy not to be the subject of his curiosity for once.
“Is this the first time he’s meeting the family?” Elliot asked.
Erik raised a brow, and with gritted teeth, Cierra nodded her head. Before Elliot could launch into the questions game, Cierra changed the subject and asked about whether he’d ever been to North Carolina before, when her phone buzzed. Upon seeing the sender, she went quiet.
“Everything all right?” Elliot asked with a hint of concern.
Cierra wasn’t sure about the answer to that question. It was an email from the Food Network — maybe they were sending an automated formal rejection. Her vision blurred, with the only visible image in focus being her phone.
“I think so. Sorry, just need to read this email . . .” she replied.
Dear Cierra,
Congratulations! We have selected you for the casting call. Apologies for the late notification. This season was especially competitive, and our producers needed extra time to deliberate.
For more information . . .
Cierra’s brown eyes flashed wide open; virtually all the air left her chest.
She had made it to the next round. She was going to the final casting call this time.
Cierra read it again, just to make sure she wasn’t misreading anything, but there it was, in black and white. She had a shot, a second chance at her dream.
With her mouth agape, she looked at Erik and Elliot incredulously. “I got accepted for the casting call for Plated. The producer just emailed me. I . . . I . . .” But before she could finish, Elliot and Erik both cheered. Elliot was the first to come over and offer a hug.
“Cierra, that’s amazing news! Oh my god, how incredible? Just think, Erik, we’re going to know a celebrity chef,” he said as Erik followed suit. Cierra and he shared an earnest hug, all awkwardness forgotten in the joy of the moment. “Zelda! Get down here!” Elliot called.
“I know you worked your ass off on the application,” Erik said, smile wide and proud. “If they see even half the woman we do, there’s no way they’ll pass up an opportunity to have you on the show.”
“I second that,” Elliot said cheerily.
A bit speechless, Cierra locked eyes with Erik, and she felt grateful that he was there for this moment.
Zelda walked into the kitchen area with worried eyes. “What’s happened? Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, dear. Everything is fine. It’s good news! Our Cierra here is well on her way to becoming America’s next celebrity chef.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Zelda said, more curious than congratulatory.
“Remember that application she was working on weeks ago? For the cooking show?” Erik started.
“Sure, sure,” Zelda replied.
“Well . . .” Erik said, looking at Cierra suggestively.
“I won’t be a celebrity chef, they’re exaggerating, but I will be going to the final casting call for Plated”
“Oh,” Zelda said, somewhat taken aback. “Cierra, this is big. This calls for champagne!” she cried, heading to the wine fridge before anyone could object.
She reappeared two minutes later with four flutes and a cold bottle of Veuve that was sweating with anticipation.
Zelda extended the bottle to Cierra. “Please, do the honors?”
Cierra grinned at her boss. Of all moments, she was happy to share this one with the Lawsons. After all, they were just as much a part of her success as anyone else.
“Hold on, let me get a video of this,” Elliot started. After a few moments of fidgeting with his phone, Erik intervened.
“Bro, let me get this,” he said before taking charge, pointing the mini circular lens at Cierra and pressing the red button.
“All right, Cierra, tell us what you’re celebrating.”
Nervously, she looked at him and explained the email that had just come through.
“Any message you want to send to all the fans at home watching?”
Cierra dithered while Elliot and Zelda smiled at each other.
“Oh, God, um . . . I guess just keep an open mind?”
“That’s it? C’mon, I know you have more to say than that.”
Tapping her foot, Cierra thought harder. “Okay, my message is this. I’m so honored and excited to get the chance to audition for the final round. But even if I don’t get it, I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
After Erik set down the phone, the foursome all cheered.
Cierra was so caught up in the celebratory moment she lost track of the time.
It was almost six, her family and Julian were all going to be at her apartment in an hour, and she still had carrot smudges on her shirt.
Cleaning up as fast as she could, she said her goodbyes just twenty minutes later and flew out the door.
“Good luck tonight,” Erik called out, smiling softly, perhaps a little sadly, but still seeming to mean every word.
“Thanks,” Cierra replied, leaving the Lawsons to face her own family moment.
Back at her apartment, Cierra only had twenty minutes to get ready until her family arrived promptly on time, as per usual. Cierra asked Lisa if they could stop by a nearby wine store to pick up a couple of bottles to buy herself an extra ten minutes.
She surveyed her railroad apartment, and, to her delight, realized it was in fairly good shape. Now that she lived alone, she had gotten more meticulous about everyday cleaning. Other than putting away some jackets and clothes accumulated on the everything-chair, her place was ready to go.
Changing out of her work outfit and into a casual floral print dress took just a second.
And although she had wanted to do something different with her hair, she threw it up into a messy bun with bangs, which didn’t look half bad.
In the living room, which also served as the dining room, she gathered some dining chairs around the coffee table across from the couch.
While lighting a candle, the buzzer of her apartment squawked in alarm.
“Hello! Come on up,” she called into the speaker.
“Well, hello to you, too,” said a male voice on the other end of the sound system.
When Cierra opened the door to Julian, she automatically relaxed a little and was grateful to have a few private moments with him before the others arrived. And while pouring him a glass of wine, giving him the run-down of her family, Cierra wanted to share her big news.
Julian was perched on the couch in beige khaki shorts and a short-sleeve button shirt. The fabric was a mix of red, orange, and brown tones, bringing out his tan. He was looking out the window, sipping his drink, before turning around after sensing Cierra’s gaze on him.
“So . . . guess who heard back from Plated today?” she said with a confident grin. So often she felt intimidated by his success and was eager to see his reaction to what she’d accomplished.
“That’s so cool. I’m happy for you,” he said and planted a kiss on her forehead.
A little confused, she set down her wine glass, expecting more of a reaction. While he didn’t know the full extent to which this opportunity was important to her — how much it had cost her — he’d reacted as if she’d told him she found twenty dollars in a pair of jeans.
“That’s it?” she remarked. “You don’t seem that enthused.”
“What? It’s a great development, babe. I just said I’m happy for you. It’s just . . . sorry, I’ve never seen the show,” he said with a shrug. “But I will absolutely be watching if you make it past the audition.”
Cierra frowned. “If?”
“Which of course you will,” he added. “Listen, I just like to save all my excitement for when the deal is actually closed, ya know? Like, you haven’t really landed a spot on the show yet, right? This is just for the casting call?”
“Well, yeah. But it’s a big deal to me,” she said. “Even if it’s just a step along the way, I think I deserve a little more credit than that.”
Julian exhaled, obviously annoyed, but eager to reconcile. “You’re right, it’s an accomplishment. I’m sorry, I am proud of you.”
At this point, she felt like he was just trying to placate her — but she accepted his apology.
He was just ambitious. He was hard on himself, and it probably made him that way towards others.
She reminded herself that his drive (and the lifestyle it brought) was something she liked about him, and maybe he was right; maybe the celebrating should wait until she actually landed a spot on the show.
“It’s fine,” she said. “Also, my family should be here any minute. You ready?”
“Oh, yeah. Born ready.”
Her jitters about how much her mom would approve of Julian mattered, sure. Because Cierra’s dates never impressed Lisa, Cierra ignored that factor. But she wasn’t worried about what Julian would think of her loved ones. They were warm, generous people, and she was proud to show them off.
Cierra joined Julian on the sofa, who wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
“Only enough to know I want to make a good impression,” he replied, giving her a wink. She nestled into his shoulder for a moment before the intrusive buzzer went off again. It was showtime.
When Cierra opened her door, her mom already had her arms open, clad in Sketcher tennis shoes and a taxi-cab-yellow bag from the M&M store in Times Square.
Lisa, standing behind her with Jess, was frantically typing away in her phone, looking up and muttering, “Hey,” before going back to whatever work emergency was going to keep her occupied during dinner.
“Hi, honey,” her mom said while embracing Cierra tightly. “Oh, it’s so good to see you, and I love the apartment. We saw Chicago earlier today. My God, those young people are talented, and—”
The abrupt silence alerted Cierra that her mom had seen Julian.
“—and you must be Julian,” her mom said, her voice an octave higher in excitement.
“It’s great to meet you, Mrs. Brooks,” he said before going to shake her hand. But Cierra’s mom quickly went in for a hug.
“None of that formal stuff. It’s nice to meet you as well.”
Lisa waved. “Hi,” was all she said before heading to the open wine bottle, which was on display in the front room. “So, what are we eating tonight? I’m starving.”
“I ordered from a local Thai spot, even got some Tom Yum soup,” Cierra replied, Lisa’s favorite.
“Mm, sounds good,” Cierra’s mom said, rubbing her hands together.
“So, what do you think of the new place?” Cierra asked, guiding her family and Julian over to the makeshift dining area.
“Oh, we love it,” Jess replied, looking at Lisa, who was obviously more interested in her phone. “So much more personality than that other place. Maybe a little smaller, but that’s all right.”
Cierra’s mom turned to Julian. “I’m so proud of my girls, you know. And it’s just so exciting seeing Cierra try something new,” she said, patting her younger daughter’s hand.
“Cierra told us you’re in tech? That must be really demanding,” Jess said.
“I thought you guys said he was in construction or something like that? I just love watching restorations on TV,” Cierra’s mom said excitedly, clearly mistaking Julian for the other handsome man who happened to be in her daughter’s life.
Julian cocked his head in confusion at what she said, but before Cierra could say anything, the doorbell rang. Dinner had arrived.