Page 27 of The Baking Games

"I suppose so. It's just hard because this competition is very important to me."

"Oh, I imagine it's important to all of us," Maggie says, smiling.

"I know you're right, and I'm glad to be here. A lot of people probably applied."

“It's just the first competition. Nothing to worry about if you didn't win. You did well, and that's all you can hope for."

"Why did you decide to come here, Maggie?" I ask, leaning back against the cushion and taking a bite of my sandwich.

"What, because I'm old?" she asks, laughing.

"No, I just meant..."

"Oh, it's okay. I was just messing with you. You know, when you get my age, and you've lost a spouse, and you're trying to figure out where your life is going, sometimes you do crazy things like apply for reality shows."

I smile. "So it was just a crazy thing you did on a whim?"

"I suppose you could say that. I'm a lot older than you, and sometimes people my age feel like their lives are over. Like they can't do anything else but sit around and wait to learn to knit, do crossword puzzles, or go to weekly bingo night."

I smile. "You don't strike me as somebody who will sit back and wait."

"No, I suppose I'm not. I want to squeeze every ounce of fun out of my life. After all, many people would’ve loved to make it to my age. I want to cherish every moment, even the cruddy ones. And I suppose I’d like to inspire women of my age to get up and do scary things. So why did you come here, Savannah?" She takes a long sip of her sweet tea and then puts it on the table beside her.

"I came here because I feel responsible for my sister."

"Your sister? How old is she?"

"She's twenty.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why do you feel responsible for an adult?"

"We didn't have the best upbringing. Our mother was sort of, well, it's hard to explain. But when she passed away, I became Sadie’s guardian. She was just twelve years old then. I haven't been able to help her get the funds to go to college, so when this came along, I thought it was a good opportunity, and she encouraged me to do it."

"Ah, so you really do have a big reason to be here."

"Yes, I do," I say, looking down at my sandwich before taking another bite.

Maggie turns her head and looks over toward the pool table, where Connor and Lainey are outwardly flirting with each other. They're laughing loudly, a bit too loud and forced. Their body language is obviously flirtatious, and Connor keeps looking in my direction.

Maggie notices my gaze lingering and then raises an eyebrow. "What's the story there?" she asks, nodding toward Connor.

I hesitate, but then I think, why hold back? "Connor and I used to date pretty seriously. It ended just a few weeks ago. It wasn't the best breakup."

Her expression softens. "Ah, I see. And who broke up with whom?”

"I broke up with him. He was always bothered that my sister was around and that I was so focused on making her life better. He didn't like it, and so I had to break up with him."

"So, he's over there trying to show off with Lainey?"

"Yeah, it's complicated. He never really understood why I work as hard as I do and why I need to push myself to help my sister. He thought my dreams were just hobbies."

"Even though he's a pastry chef, too?"

I laugh. "Yes, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it? He's never really loved doing this as much as I did. He wanted us to get married soon, and he wanted me to stay home and raise kids while he worked. I wanted to live out my dreams. I want kids one day, but I feel like a woman can do both, you know?”

"Well, I think you're doing exactly what you need to be doing. Don't you let anyone, Connor or anybody else, make you doubt your path. You're here for a reason, Savannah. You hold onto that."

For a moment, it feels like motherly advice. She pats my knee, which makes me ache for the type of mother Maggie probably would be. I never had that kind of mother, and I will always wish I did. I'm grateful to have made a friend in the first few days of this competition because something tells me that I will need it.