Authors: Sarah Gates
Finally the time came for Luke to decide. The gorgeous garden was lined with tulips. Anna’s favourite flower. Anna couldn’t help wondering if it was designed for her, thinking that she would be the final woman standing. And if that was true, was it Luke’s doing or an assumption by the crew?
Liu Kun was rejected quickly. Her farewell interview was barely audible. The poor woman genuinely cared about Luke and she was a good person—one of the few people Anna had considered a friend on the show.
‘I really, really don’t want to see this,’ Anna told her sister, though she couldn’t look away from Jessica negotiating the cobblestone pathway through the garden. It was seriously magical, even if the producers had been working on the set for months.
‘Yes, you do.’ Kate grabbed Anna’s hand and clung to it.
And so Anna watched as Jessica, in a beautiful cobalt blue dress that flowed down her body like a waterfall, stood before Luke with just enough room between them for him to bend down on one knee.
His speech was fluent and littered with compliments, as if he were reading from a script. Except that the words sounded like his own. With that realisation, a tightness pulled at Anna’s chest. Had Luke told them all that he loved them? But this was reality television—she had to doubt everything she thought she knew.
After a typically dramatic pause, Luke finished his epic speech. ‘I’m sorry, Jessica. After being on the show, I know what I want.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I haven’t fallen in love with you, or with Liu Kun. I’m sincerely sorry for wasting your time.’
With that, Luke walked off the set. There was no tearful goodbye from Jessica—the woman was angry.
For her part, Anna was confused. She turned to Kate. ‘What just happened?’
‘He’s in love with you, Anna. I’m sure of it. That’s why he dumped Liu Kun and Jessica. The only part I don’t get is why he sent you home. But I’m sure there’s a reason.’
‘He sent me home because I asked him to.’
‘You did what?’
‘I wanted to come home.’
‘Why would you get yourself eliminated? The man is perfect for you, and he’s clearly head over heels for you.’ Kate rarely raised her voice to Anna, even as a child. But she did now.
‘He said he loves me,’ Anna whispered. Her whole body ached when she thought of that moment.
‘So, again, I’ll ask: why on earth did you leave?’
‘Because we’d never work out! We’re completely different. He travels non-stop. He lives in the snow in a hundred different countries. My café is here, and I just wanted to come home to it.’ Anna swallowed hard. ‘Besides, I didn’t want to be followed by the cameras or plastered over every magazine and morning show in Australia.’
‘Firstly, being all over the media would’ve been a good thing! You’d have your man and be in prime position to promote your café. Which you would’ve come home to just a week later, by the way,’ Kate said, jutting her finger across the couch. ‘Now, don’t you think it’s time you start taking chances on men again? I know you’ve had a crappy run and that Mum fell apart after Dad died. I get that now. But Anna—it’s time to start living.’
‘That’s not what this is.’
‘Yeah? Did you even bother to talk logistics with Luke? Figure out how it might work?’
Anna hesitated.
‘No, I didn’t think so.’ Kate exhaled loudly. The fight seemed to leave her body. ‘You should go to him. Ask for a second chance.’
‘And do what with the café?’
‘Postpone the opening.’
‘It’s next week, Kate.’
‘So? What if he’s the love of your life—your soul mate?’
‘It’s a television show, Kate! Whatever I feel—felt—was the result of Stockholm Syndrome.’
‘As if you were locked up! Don’t think I didn’t know: you were sneaking around with Luke the whole time. All those meet-ups on the beach? The time he walked you back from the pub? Plus you had your phone and a full kitchen. It was barely any different from you being at home,’ Kate said. ‘Your feelings for him aren’t going to fade, if that’s what you’re thinking. You won’t be able to talk yourself out of them.’
‘Even if they don’t, the café is my dream! It’s been my dream since I was a toddler, helping Dad from my stool. I shouldn’t have to explain myself, Kate! How hard did you work to get into the television industry? You’re one of the youngest producers the network has.’
‘But I would throw it all away for love. True love.’
‘You’re a romantic! That’s probably why they assigned you to
Love Elimination
in the first place. But I’m not like that, Kate.’
‘That’s a total lie. You’re just scared.’
‘Leave it alone now.’ Anna pushed herself to her feet. ‘It’s done.’
Kate didn’t argue, she just watched as Anna dumped her plate in the kitchen and escaped to her bedroom. The café would open next week and Anna would have twice the distractions. And hopefully
Love Elimination
would fade into a distant memory.
* * *
Luke skidded to a stop at the bottom of the slope. He was done. Even the new snowfall wasn’t helping to clear his mind, not with the persistent ache in his knee. According to his doctor, it wasn’t going away. Neither were the cameras. It’s not like he was even recognisable with his snow goggles and heavy jacket. He’d even let his beard grow out.
Stepping off the snowboard, Luke hiked towards the car park and tried to ignore the stares.
‘Luke! Why did you walk away from the show?’ someone yelled after him.
All he wanted was a hot bath, an idea that flew out the window the minute he saw the black sedan, the motor still running, blocking his hired car. He balanced his board on its tip and knocked on the dark, tinted window.
‘Excuse me. Can you please move your car? I need to get out.’
The window wound down and Luke’s father leaned out. ‘Get in the car, son.’
Luke pushed a hand through his hair and groaned. ‘I can’t. I have my board.’ He moved towards his car, calling over his shoulder. ‘Move the car, Dad. Please.’
To Luke’s amazement, his father emerged from the car and pulled the back door open. ‘Put the board in the car, Luke.’
‘It’ll ruin the seats,’ Luke protested.
‘I don’t care about the upholstery, Luke. We need to talk. Now get in the car,’ Tyson Westwood demanded. ‘Now.’
With no other choice, Luke circled to the front passenger seat and rubbed his hands against the heating emanating from the vent.
‘Now tell me why you let that woman get away,’ his father demanded as he guided the car onto the road. It felt a lot like being kidnapped.
‘What woman?’
‘Anna Hobbs.’
His heart still jumped at the sound of her name. It fuelled the desire in him, the instinct to jump on a plane and fly to her side. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Don’t lie to me, boy. I didn’t need the director’s explanation to work it out. You should never have sent her home.’
‘She asked me to.’
‘Your mother practically ran away the first time I asked her out, and Becca thought I was trying to hire her. But you fight for a woman like that.’
‘Oh, yeah? How’s Becca?’ He was being sarcastic. Mostly.
‘She’s too young and beautiful for me. She’s smart, fiery and doesn’t put up with my crap. I know you don’t believe anyone could love this wrinkled old man, but Becca does. She’s not a gold digger. She has more than enough money of her own and thinks shopping is a waste of time.’
‘Good for you, Dad.’ Luke pressed his fingers around his injured knee. It ached, even though the slope had been easy and he’d only been snowboarding for a few hours. He needed a new career, had even handed in his letter of resignation two days after filming the finale of
Love Elimination
. He’d always thought he’d miss the snow and snowboarding like losing a limb, but it had barely been a nagging itch as he spent time with Anna. The feelings he had now, without her at his side, were a hundred times worse than not being able to hit the slopes.
‘Where are we going?’
‘To the airport. Anna’s café is opening tonight. I’ve booked you a flight.’
‘Dad, I’m not five. You can’t control me any more.’
‘As if I could ever control you. Not even when you were a toddler.’ Tyson stopped at a traffic sign and looked across at Luke, his gaze harsh. ‘The team doesn’t need you. They have more coaches than there were women on
Love Elimination
. You need to realise that you can’t go on like this forever.’
‘Dad—’
‘No, you listen to me. I sat next to your hospital bed for weeks, first thinking you were going to die and then that you’d lost the ability to snowboard. You got through. You’ve had a few more competitions. You’ve coached at the highest level. In all that time, I haven’t once seen you as happy as you were on the show—with Anna.’
Luke kept his eyes glued to his knee. With his dad’s words echoing between them, he couldn’t help thinking about the pain in his muscles. He’d already quit, but he hadn’t worked out his next step. And honestly, that had been the big question his whole life: what would he do after his snowboarding career?
‘I’ve already handed in my resignation.’ It was the first time he’d said the words aloud. His father was the first one to know and Luke couldn’t shake the idea that it should’ve been Anna.
‘That’s good. I’m proud of you,’ Tyson said. ‘Now what about Anna?’
‘How do you know about her café opening anyway?’
‘Twitter.’
The world had certainly changed while Luke had been on set if his father was now tweeting.
‘Becca’s teaching me,’ Tyson added, by way of explanation.
Luke breathed deeply. ‘She doesn’t think it will work,’ he said without bothering to clarify who he meant. His father didn’t get where he was by being slow-minded.
‘Then you’ll have to show her she’s wrong. You have the whole flight to figure out a plan.’
‘What about my rental car?’
‘I’ll get someone to return it,’ his father replied easily. The perks of being massively wealthy.
Even if Luke wanted to argue, he doubted his father would turn the car around. And he wasn’t sure what he wanted. Except for Anna. He thought of her when he woke up in the morning, when he was snowboarding, and when he fell asleep. He knew he’d never stop thinking about her.
Opening night was everything Anna dreamed it would be. It was the first time she had seen the sign, Desserts For My Father, lit up. A permanent grin stretched across her face. Even if Kate had to drag her out of the kitchen to watch it be switched on. Anna and Ben had cooked for a week, preparing desserts that a team of waiters would serve on wooden platters. It would be standing room only.
Two hours later, there was a line around the block. Reporters crowded around the door and the red carpet Kate had laid out on the ground. The noise was unbelievable. Anna’s mouth hung open as she stood at the entrance and people started arriving. Reporters yelled questions about
Love Elimination
from all sides. They wanted to know whether Luke had contacted her, what she thought of the finale and whether she’d ever wanted to fall in love on the show. Accusations flew about her not being on the show ‘for the right reasons’.
Kate had it the worst. Instead of questions, it was abuse. They demanded her resignation, not knowing she’d already been fired. Her bias hadn’t been popular with the public. Under
L
OVE
E
LIMINATION
FINALE
, the second highest ranking news story, was
L
OVE
E
LIMINATION
C
ASTING
S
CANDAL
. The weirdest part was, Anna didn’t seem to be universally hated. Her Twitter followers were in the hundreds of thousands and when she’d started sharing Instagram snaps of her newest creations, her @DessertsFor account grew at the speed of her personal account. Only this time it wasn’t Ben’s quick wit that had people following, it was her own pretty pictures and recipes. Of course, they always wanted to know about Luke Westwood and the show. But just as many seemed genuinely interested in the food.
At exactly 8 pm the café’s doors opened. Anna should have been able to breathe easily, since her part—the cooking—was done. Now she got to watch as her friends and customers tasted her desserts. The room was soon packed, people were eating, and the food was not going to run out. She was surrounded by happy chatter, compliments on the food and groans of satisfaction. Everything was perfect.
‘The food is delicious, Anna!’ Hadie raised her voice above all the chatter. ‘And this place looks fantastic.’
Anna’s face glowed from the praise and the heat of the room. ‘Thanks, Hadie. I’ll come talk to you in a second. I just need to check the kitchen …’
Her fingers itched to help out. The only way she could stay calm was to check on the kitchen every fifteen minutes. So she did. She darted around an emphatically gesturing man and barely kept from bumping into a tall, hard body. The scent of the figure’s aftershave washed over her as she dodged him. Her body recognised the scent and her heartbeat increased before she looked up to confirm what her senses already knew.
‘Hi,’ Luke said.
Anna just stared at him, her mind completely blank. The café was so crowded she couldn’t step back. Her body was pressed against his, and it didn’t mind one bit.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I’m getting you back.’
Anna stopped breathing for just a second. He was here. For her. It was like lucid dreaming.
A few heads turned. The place was packed with fans of
Love Elimination
. In a moment of clarity, Anna realised she didn’t want to have this conversation in front of anyone else. She wanted to be alone. Just Luke and her.
She tugged his arms, pulling him through the café until they were standing in one of the storerooms off the kitchen. She closed the door behind them and flicked on the lights. The room wasn’t exactly small, but it felt claustrophobic with Luke there. He filled up the space. There was nowhere for Anna to escape his smell or warm touch.
‘The café is beautiful. Desserts For My Father … It’s really something special, Anna.’ His voice sounded like honey.