Chapter Twenty-Three
This could be the biggest mistake of his life…
Or it could be his smartest move.
Avery dismissed the contradictory thoughts. They were of no help and they were starting to give him a headache.
It all boiled down to the fact that he had to do something drastic because there was no way he could lose Jillian. He knew an apology for not being the man she needed him to be in the past wouldn’t be enough. He had to show her that he’d changed. And he was willing to risk everything to make things right with her.
He chose to walk to the Graff Hotel for the final round of the Bake-Off. The physical exertion of walking in the chilly February air was just what he needed to clear his head. Between the competition and trying to win over Jillian, he was a bundle of nerves.
Tonight not only would he be putting his limited baking skills on display for the town, but he also planned to make his feelings for Jillian known to everyone. That was not an easy feat for a cowboy who was used to keeping everything inside.
When his parents died, he’d learned to keep his emotions tucked inside where no one could see them. After all, he’d suddenly gone from the cool big brother to a fill-in parent who had no clue what he was doing. And his siblings had needed all of the support and security that he could muster.
He never knew by stifling his emotions that he’d also miss what was right in front of him—the best thing in his life—Jillian. He just hoped it wasn’t too late to convince her to give him another chance to get this right.
The closer he got to the hotel, the faster he moved. He pulled out his phone and texted Suzanna to make sure Jillian would be at the event. His finger moved rapidly over the screen.
Avery: How’s our plan going?
Suzanna: Hit a few snags but everything is now on track. I’ll get her there but the rest is up to you.
Avery: Understood.
Suzanna: How’s your end of the plan?
Avery felt around in his pocket until he found the integral part of the evening.
Avery: I’ve got it all under control.
Suzanna: Are you sure about this? Don’t hurt her again or you’ll have me to answer to.
Avery: I won’t. I promise.
Suzanna: I’m holding you to that promise.
Avery: See you soon.
Suzanna: Good luck!
He’d take all of the luck that he could get at this point. He just had to be successful this evening. He didn’t have a backup plan.
For this round, he had to bake a cake. This should be interesting. Baking a pie was one thing—it’s pretty hard to mess up, so long as you sufficiently flour the countertop and only add the salt once. He inwardly groaned, remembering his ridiculous mistake.
But baking a cake from scratch was even more complicated. And what had he been thinking when he picked out an angel food cake? Surely there had to be easier cakes, right?
He was doomed to fail. He was certain of it. He had no illusions about winning this round. He would just be happy to have a cake that wasn’t a gooey glob of a mess. If it was at all possible, he wanted to be able to hold his head up in public when this was all said and done.
Now within sight of the hotel, he noticed the bumper-to-bumper parking. The whole town was really pulling together and coming out in support. Which just made it all the more stressful for him. Thankfully all of his supplies were already at the hotel or else he was certain that he would have forgotten at least two or three ingredients.
He was never this nervous for his appearances on the rodeo circuit. Probably because when he was astride a bucking bronc, he felt in control. He’d spent most of his life around animals and understood them better than he understood most humans.
But this baking stuff was a real challenge for him—if it wasn’t for Jillian, he would have never made it this far. No matter how bad things had gotten, she’d been there for him. Even arranging for Suzanna to coach him through this last part.
Now, the time had come for the third and final round. It just didn’t feel right not having Jillian here beside him. He planned to change those circumstances as soon as possible.
He entered the hotel lobby and looked around for Jillian, but she was nowhere to be found. He refused to worry. Suzanna had assured him that Jillian would be there.
In no time, the competition was under way. Avery gave all of his attention to the cake. It had to be perfect. He whisked the egg whites…and whisked them…and whisked them. He’d learned the hard way that if he didn’t beat them enough the cake would not be light and fluffy. And if he overbeat them, the egg whites would separate. It was a fine line to get it right.
Kind of like his relationship with Jillian. If he didn’t say enough, she’d be gone for good. And if he said too much, she’d be gone too. So he’d been practicing what he’d say for the past two days.
A hush had fallen over the audience as they watched each bachelor create their cake. Mrs. Monroe did a great job as the announcer. She even did the soft voice like a golf announcer on television. She told everyone what the bachelors were baking and a little background information about each entrant.
By the time his cake was baked, Avery was a nervous wreck. His big moment was almost here. He had it all worked out in his head.
As the judges made their way down the line sampling everyone’s cake, he pulled out the special cupcake that he’d baked for Jillian with a diamond centerpiece.
He hoped Jillian would be impressed. He glanced around for her. She was nowhere to be found. His blood pressure rose. Where could she be?
And then he spotted Suzanna. She shook her head.
His heart sank.
All of his planning had failed.