Worth the Risk (4 page)

“You're not going to believe this!” cried Amber.

Lexi was stooped over a row of baby squash and plucking out the weeds that seemed to have sprouted since she left this morning for a job interview. She stood up, her back aching. How had Aunt Callie done this when she'd been over eighty? “Believe what?”

Amber clutched her backpack to her chest and kept talking. “Today Mrs. Geffen had us draw lots for the proctors for the cooking contest.”

“So?” Lexi yanked up another weed. “You knew there would be a proctor who would watch you prepare and bake your dessert. They just want to make sure the contestants don't buy it somewhere or have their mother make it.”

“Yeah, right, but talk about luck. Guess who I drew?”

Lexi could tell from Amber's tone it wasn't good. According to the contest rules, a pastry chef or a pastry chef's assistant would be a proctor. “Who did you get?”

“Monsieur Broussard. He's the pastry chef at Marché.”

Lexi didn't know him, but since her encounter with Rick Fullerton at Black Jack's, she'd been concerned about her relationship with the chef/owner. He'd come this week as usual to select the best of her baby vegetables, but hadn't been very friendly and he'd purchased fewer vegetables than she'd expected. She wondered if he had found another supplier. With baby vegetables in such demand, a number of local farmers were now cultivating them.

“What's wrong with Monsieur Broussard? After all, Marché is known for its fabulous desserts. I understand he comes from France.”

“You weren't there the day he did the demo of crème brûlée. He was mean and snobby and hard to understand. And he didn't even try to make a healthier version for our class like he was supposed to.” Amber sighed, the deep exasperated sound she made when she was really frustrated. “He's going to make me so nervous I'll goof up.”

Lexi sympathized; she didn't like anyone looking over her shoulder while she worked either. “You won't make a mistake,” she assured her sister. “You've prepared the recipe many times, right? You know how to do it by heart. Just relax. The chef is merely checking to make sure no one cheats.”

“Easy for you to say.” Amber stomped off toward the house. It would be nice to believe she was going to study, but that would be wishful thinking.

“I have some news,” Lexi called after her sister.

Amber turned, the sullen look still on her face. “What?”

“I've been offered a great summer position with Gilfoy and O'Malley. They're one of the biggest firms in the city. It could lead to a permanent position when I pass the accountant's exam.”

“That's awesome!” Amber sounded as if she was genuinely thrilled for Lexi. “When do you start?”

“Next Monday.” A lot of people had been interviewed yet she'd been selected.

“Who's going to take care of the garden?” Her sister's surly expression had returned.

“I'll work every weekend. I've hired Joey Tran to help you during the week.”

“Help me?” Amber said it like it was a crime.

“You know what to do. Train Joey. He'll be fantastic.” She doubted Joey would need much training. All he had to do was follow a watering schedule and weed. He worked with his mother at the community garden. He was probably better at it than Amber, but Lexi thought giving her sister a little responsibility would help her mature.

“I'm going to win the baking contest. When I'm interning with Charmayne, I won't have time for the garden.”

“If you win,” Lexi replied with all the patience she could marshal, “I'll figure out something. We can't just let the garden—”

“You don't think I'm going to win, do you?” Amber's voice teetered on hysteria.

“I hope you do.”

“No, you don't. You want me to lose so I can be a slave in your precious garden.”

Lexi battled the impulse to say something sarcastic. “It's not my garden,” she replied in as level a tone as she could muster. “Aunt Callie started it long before we came to live with her. The money it generates allows us to live here and go to school.”

“But you'll be working, making plenty of money,” Amber retorted. “We don't need the garden.”

“Yes, we do,” she replied matter-of-factly. They'd been over this too many times to count. “I have to repay student loans and save money for your college education. If we keep the garden,
you
won't have to take on costly student loans.”

“Like I care!”

Lexi watched her sister bounce off. A minute or two later, music loud enough to rupture eardrums screeched from Amber's room through the open window. Lexi wanted to ask her to turn it down, but didn't fell like another confrontation.

The portable phone rang barely loud enough to be heard over the music, and Lexi scooped it up from the ground and pushed the button to answer. “It's Brad Westcott,” said a deep male voice.

Her heart jitterbugged beneath her ribs. She'd been thinking about him more than she wanted to admit. “Hi,” she said as lightly as she could manage. “What's happening?”

“Not much,” Brad responded. “But I hired a new sous-chef.”

“That's great.”

“I've been a little slow to let anyone else assume responsibility in the kitchen. That's why my last chef left. Tomorrow night, the new sous-chef is taking over for me.”

“You're letting him run the place?” Why was he calling her? Did he want to purchase vegetables or was the call more personal?

“The new chef is a woman. Alice Blankenship has three new entrées that will be available tomorrow evening. We'll see how it goes.”

There was a moment of silence; Lexi was tempted to speak, but still wasn't sure what to say.

“I'm getting out of Black Jack's so I don't make Alice nervous,” Brad finally said. “I was wondering if you might want to join me at the annual mixology contest.”

“Mixology contest.” She nearly choked on the words. Brad Westcott was asking her out on a date.

“Bartenders compete for most original drink. It's being held tomorrow evening at the Silver Spoon. Trevor, my head mixologist, has come up with a concoction he calls Black Jack's Snakebite.”

“Is it black?” she asked, her mind scrambling for a way to phrase her response to his invitation. She wanted to go out with him more than she'd wanted anything in a long time.

“No. Black drinks don't sell. This is a pale amber. The ingredients are a secret, but it's topped with foamed egg whites.”

“Eggs?” Lexi asked, a little surprised. “In drinks?”

Brad chuckled. “Whipped egg-white drinks are the latest. Started out in California. People are always looking for the unusual. Gives them something to talk about.”

“That should work.”

“How about it? Would you like to join me?”

Would she ever! But it was impossible. Why did it have to be tomorrow evening? “It's the first meeting of my board study course. I can't miss it.” Despite her best efforts, her voice wavered. “I really wish I could, but I have to pass the accountant's exam to keep a job I just found.”

“You have a job besides City Seeds?” Brad sounded surprised.

“Yes. I've been doing payroll for a family-owned company. I'll receive my MBA in a few weeks, so I've been hunting for a job in that field. Gilfoy and O'Malley offered me a position. In this economy, I'm lucky to get it. I want to be sure I pass the exam the first time I take it.”

“I've heard of them. Supposed to be a really good firm.”

“It is a good firm, but there's a lot of pressure to pass the exam. I just can't skip class tomorrow evening.”

“I understand,” Brad assured her.

Lexi wanted to suggest the following night instead, but she didn't have her sister's bold personality. “Thanks for asking. I hope your guy wins.”

“I guess I'll see you next Saturday then,” Brad said.

It took her a moment to recall what was going on then. “Yes, at the baking contest. My sister is still determined to win.”

Brad laughed. “I'm sure she is. See you then.”

Lexi hung up with a surge of disappointment and she wasn't sure why. Brad Westcott was out of her league. Going out with him would only lead to more disappointment. Still, she couldn't help feeling an inexplicable sense of loss.

 

Brad hung up the phone in his small office at the rear of Black Jack's kitchen. Since his divorce, he hadn't dated much. His restaurants occupied all his waking hours. But Lexi was different. He kept thinking about her even though he didn't have time for a woman in his personal life.

He put his feet up on the desk and looked out at the kitchen through the glass that formed half his office wall. When he wasn't out there himself, he often watched the lion's den from his desk. This afternoon, though, he was deep in thought, wondering why Lexi appealed to him when no other woman had in a long, long time.

Maybe it was because she was as devoted to her work as he was to his. And besides running City Seeds, she would soon be holding down an accounting job. He hoped she would learn to manage better than he had. A satisfying career was only part of a fulfilling life.

Brad assured himself that by hiring Alice and allowing her to take part of the responsibility for running Black Jack's, he would have more time to himself. Who was he kidding? Taking one day a week off didn't make a balanced life. He'd been unable to ask Lexi if she could go out another night because he didn't have any time available.

His next free day was Saturday, which he would spend going from one baking contest to another. Of course, he would have to work Saturday night. It was the busiest night of the week—make-or-break time in most restaurants.

He thought back to his failed marriage. He'd been too wrapped up in his work to devote the necessary time to a relationship. If he wanted to try again, he would need to make some real changes in his schedule and allow the sous-chef more freedom.

Lexi leaned toward Amber so her sister could whisper in her ear without having anyone in Stovall Middle School's auditorium overhear them. The contestants had baked their entries for the contest in the cafeteria and the desserts had been brought here for judging. They were on display at the front of the room. Each entry had a number beside it but no name was attached. There were about a dozen, Lexi noted.

Most were fairly professional, considering middle school students had baked them, but a few others weren't so good. One was a chocolate layer cake that listed like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Another looked like a sticky caramel bird's nest.

The contest rules stated that entries had to use healthy ingredients. Nothing was mentioned about presentation, but Lexi suspected appearance would influence the judges—at least a little. Amber's Ali Baba Tart looked as good as any dessert Lexi had ever seen. It was a simple raspberry-chocolate tart garnished with plump raspberries from their garden.

“I'm not going to win,” Amber whispered, a note of despair in her voice. “Monsieur Broussard watched every move I made. He didn't smile or even blink. He made me
sooo
nervous, I know I messed up big-time.”

“Don't worry,” Lexi reassured her sister as she glanced around the crowded auditorium, looking for Brad. He hadn't arrived yet, which wasn't unexpected. Since he wasn't a judge, he didn't need to be here when the chefs sampled the desserts. His job was to award the prizes at the various schools.

Still, she kept hoping to see him. She wondered what would have happened if she'd gone out with him.

Don't go there,
she warned herself. She had too much on her mind, too many things to do. She couldn't waste time mooning like a teenager over a man.

Suddenly, Brad came through the side door with Charmayne at his side. A few people noticed him, but most seemed to think he was just another parent or friend here for the contest. He glanced around the auditorium, spotted Lexi and… Had he winked at her? It happened so fast she couldn't be sure. He opened the backstage door for Charmayne and disappeared before he saw the special smile Lexi flashed at him.

Be cool,
she told herself, knowing she would see him after the contest.

“Brad brought the pastry chef, Charmayne,” whispered Amber, who obviously hadn't noticed the wink. “I wonder why. Do you think she's going to sample the entries?”

“I'm not sure, but he may want to introduce her as the person the winner will work with this summer.”

“Makes sense,” Amber replied. “Look! There go the judges. That was so fast.

Lexi saw the judges leaving by the same side door that Brad had used. “They're probably on their way to the next contest. This is their second today. They have six in all.”

“Right,” mumbled Amber.

Lexi could tell her sister was getting nervous. It wouldn't be long now. The endless rounds of chocolate-tart making would be over. She wanted Amber to win and knew how devastated she would be if she didn't at least place in the contest. But if she did win, it would mean yet another series of baking experiments and tasting sessions and less work in the garden.

Mr. Rodgers, the principal of the middle school, walked up to the microphone. He tapped on it twice and silence fell across the large crowd. “Earlier I introduced the judges, chefs from local restaurants. They had to leave for another contest, but they have chosen two runners-up and a winner of the first annual Light-and-Healthy Bake-Off at Stovall Middle School. Here to announce the winners is Brad Westcott, owner and executive chef at Black Jack's. Mr. Westcott is also the sponsor of this contest.”

Brad emerged from the side of the stage, a smile on his face. “Thank you, Mr. Rodgers,” he said, and the older man stepped to the side while Brad stood in front of the microphone. “The judges told me their decision was
really
difficult. Everything was so delicious that they had to taste each entry twice before reaching a decision.”

Lexi imagined a silent drumroll as he paused and removed a three-by-five-inch card from the pocket of his sports jacket. Amber clutched Lexi's arm with fingers like steel bands. “Don't worry,” Lexi whispered.

“Before I announce the winner and runners up, let me introduce my pastry chef, Charmayne Collins.”

Charmayne walked up beside Brad. She beamed and waved at the crowd.

“I know this is just round one,” Charmayne said, “but I can hardly wait to find out who will win the cash prize and be my intern this summer. All I do is create desserts, so you know it'll be a lot of fun.”

The audience laughed politely, but Lexi could tell they were as anxious as she was to hear who'd won. Amber's hand was still on her arm, and she was facing forward, her eyes fixed on the podium. Lexi could feel the tension in her sister and realized how much this meant to her. It hadn't been that long ago when Lexi had sat in an auditorium and waited for the winners of a scholarship contest to be announced. She'd felt as if her very life hung in the balance.

Then her name was called.

Lexi said a silent prayer for her baby sister and hoped she, too, would experience the joy of winning despite the problems it would cause.

“Learning about food—where it comes from, how it grows and when to harvest it—can lead to careers in the food industry,” Brad continued. “This contest highlights just one possible career—becoming a pastry chef.”

“I think many of our parents and guests grow crops in the community garden, Urban Plots,” added Mr. Rodgers.

Lexi recognized people in the audience from the community garden, including Joey Tran's entire family. They were known for their high yield of lemongrass.

That's where she'd first met Joey and his parents. Lexi had been looking for locals to help plant exotic vegetables to sell to restaurants through City Seeds. The Transes couldn't help because they needed their six plots to fill their lemongrass orders from chefs, but she'd gotten to know them and they'd taught her about Asian vegetables.

Charmayne held up a plaque. “The second place winner goes to the Lemon-Rosemary Cake created by Shelby Tibbets,” Brad announced.

Above the round of applause, Amber said, “I knew she would at least place. She's a really good cook.”

Shelby walked up to the podium, all smiles, to receive the plaque.

“The judges really liked the delicious flavor of your cake,” Brad told Shelby and the audience.

Shelby bowed slightly, beaming at her parents, who were seated in the second row. “Thanks,” she said as the audience clapped.

Brad waited a minute for Shelby to leave the stage before saying, “First runner up goes to Peter Nguyen's Lemon Grass Panna Cotta.”

Amber dug her fingers into Lexi's arm. “He's Joey Tran's cousin. Guess where he got the lemon grass?”

Lexi had never heard of lemongrass until she visited the community garden. Peter had used it to give traditional Italian panna cotta a creative spin.

The Transes and Nguyens stood, clapping and stamping their feet as a short boy with glossy black hair gelled up like a rooster's tail shuffled up to the podium. His lackluster smile revealed his disappointment.

“Peter's good and he expected to win,” Amber told her. “He bragged about his ‘invention' for weeks.” Amber made it sound like a crime.

As Peter was congratulated, Lexi was alarmed by the fierce look on her sister's face. She knew Amber was stubborn and difficult to deal with at times, but she'd never been this determined before. Lexi wasn't sure how she should respond if Amber lost. How did you encourage someone when they were confronted with failure?

Lexi realized she knew very little about mothering. How could she give Amber advice the way a mother would when she had had so little mothering herself? Aunt Callie had been loving, but she'd had no parenting skills.

As Peter left the stage, Lexi ventured a sideways glance at Amber. Her back was rigid, her eyes focused straight ahead.

“Please,” Lexi whispered to herself, “let Amber win.”

Brad held up a gleaming gold-colored metal plaque that was much larger than the others. Even from the midsection of the auditorium where Lexi was sitting she could make out the words: Winner of the Light-and-Healthy Bake-Off. “This year's winner…”

For a second the room froze. Then Lexi realized Brad had said, “Amber Morrison. The chefs chose her Ali Baba Chocolate-Raspberry Tart as the best entry in this contest.”

Amber spun around in her seat to bear-hug Lexi. “I can't believe I won!”

“You deserve it,” Lexi assured her. “You worked really hard.”

Lexi's heart filled with pride and wonder and she blinked back tears as she watched her sister walk up to Brad and Charmayne. How thrilled their parents would have been, Lexi thought. When they'd died, Amber had been so young. It would have been difficult to imagine the self-assured girl that Lexi saw on the stage.

“The chefs commented on the delicious flavor of this tart,” Brad told the audience. “It uses unsweetened chocolate and whole fresh raspberries. Amber used unsweetened coconut, which gives the tart a unique texture. She also used a sugar substitute and whole wheat flour, which cuts back on the calories and is healthier.”

“Amber will now represent Stovall Middle School in the final round,” said Charmayne. “The winner will receive a thousand-dollar cash prize and an internship as my assistant for the summer.”

There was an enthusiastic round of applause, then Brad said, “Amber, do you have anything to say?”

Amber stepped up to the mic with such confidence that Lexi was certain she'd practiced this speech many times. “Gee, it feels like the Academy Awards,” she joked, and the audience laughed politely. “I want to thank Mrs. Geffen for all her support and her wonderful cooking class. I also need to thank my sister, Lexi, for all her help.”

Lexi hadn't really helped except to taste the last few Ali Babas. But still, she was touched by the acknowledgment.

“Most of all I want to thank the Recipe for Success program,” Amber said. “Back in the fourth grade, I planted, harvested and cooked in their program. Until then, I hadn't really appreciated how food was grown and how to prepare it.

“You see, I'm a diabetic. I have to be careful what I eat. Their program gave me a new appreciation for foods I'd never tasted. That's why I enrolled in Mrs. Geffen's class.”

Amber paused, then smiled at Brad. “I'm sure I speak for all the contestants in thanking the Chefs' Association for sponsoring this contest.”

Tears welled in Lexi's eyes. She'd never heard her sister speak about her diabetes so passionately or in front of such a large group. That took true courage.

Brad strode up to Lexi. He projected such an energy and power, and Lexi was almost embarrassed by her instinctive response to him.

“Your sister outdid herself,” Brad told her.

“Amber deserved to win. She tried hard. I can't tell you how many tarts she baked.”

“She didn't taste them all, did she?” Brad sounded concerned. That made her like him even more.

“No. She was good. The seniors at the center sampled them and offered opinions.”

“Hey, that's a smart move.” Brad touched her arm lightly. “You're both very enterprising.”

“I guess.” Lexi had never thought of herself as anything other than a survivor. She did what she needed to do, even if she often felt as if she was on a treadmill.

“I've got to rush off to another contest,” Brad said. “How about going out for coffee around five—before I have to get back to the restaurant for the dinner rush?”

Lexi's heartbeat throbbed in her ears and she felt heat creeping up her neck. “I'd like that.”

“Good. I'll pick you up at four.”

She watched him walk away. A strange excitement filled her as she turned to find Amber.