Page 81 of The Baking Games

“To have our video calls,” he says under his breath.

I can’t believe I’ll be able to see Sadie in just a few moments. This is a dream come true.

CHAPTER 21

RHETT

This is a nightmare.

I know my mother will be on this video chat, and the whole world will see how much she disapproves of my life choices. Or, worse yet, she will pretend to be Mother of the Year. I don’t know which side of her I’ll get, but I’ll surely get one of them.

Dan leads us to a room off the foyer that usually remains locked. He opens the door, ushers us inside, and closes it behind us. There are cameras on the walls and a speaker in the room where he can talk to us.

“Savannah, you’re up first. Please have a seat in the chair.”

I sit in a chair in the corner of the room, away from the cameras, to give Savannah at least some semblance of privacy.

Moments later, she squeals. I crane my neck so I can see her sister’s face. She has a head full of curly brown hair. They look nothing alike, except for the smile.

“Sissy!”

“Sadie!”

I feel like plugging my ears. They’re talking several octaves higher than I do.

“You’re doing so good! I watch every show, and I even catch the live stream when I can.”

“You’re paying for the live stream?” I can hear the worry in Savannah’s voice. She sounds like a mother.

“It’s not that much. We only have five minutes, so let’s not waste it. How are you?”

“I miss you so much!” I hear Savannah’s voice breaking.

“I miss you, too. Everything is good, though. We’ll see each other soon enough. I’m so proud of how well you’re doing!”

“Thank you.”

“And that Rhett guy… he’s a hottie!”

“Sadie! Hush up!”

“No, seriously, everybody is obsessed with you two!”

“Really? Why?”

“Because you’re freaking adorable! The overflowing sink. The dance in the kitchen. All of it. It’s so sweet!”

“But we’re not…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you keep saying that, but that man is in love with you. No joke.”

She turns her head and looks at me, her face turning red. “No, Sadie. Everybody has it all wrong. We’re just… friends.”

“Friends with Rhett from pastry chef school? Um, no. That would never happen.”

“But we’re in love? We can’t just be friends?”

“No! With that kind of passion, you either hate each other or love each other. And the audience has assessed the situation as being L-O-V-E!”