Page 97 of The Baking Games

While I’ll always cheer for Rhett, I know that I need this money more than he does. Even though his family treats him as an outcast, Rhett is so skilled that he will get a fancy restaurant job somewhere. He just has to have that belief in himself. He will be running some fancy pants place before too long. But if I don't win this money, I'll work at the grocery store with Big Thelma for the rest of my life. I will become the next Big Thelma. Only they’ll call me Little Savannah.

So, while I'm enjoying our time together, I'm also well aware that we are competing against each other, which is a strange place to be. Our next competition is tonight, and I can hardly wait. For the first time during this whole thing, I feel excited.

I'm ready to get behind my station and do my work. I'm becoming increasingly confident in my skills, and when I get back home, whether I win this money or not, I will look for a different job, something better than the grocery store. Hopefully, having it on my resume that I was on a reality TV baking show will help get me in the door. And if I win, even better.

"You know you can't do that," Rhett calls from the other side of the pool table.

"Do what?" I ask, playing dumb.

"You're supposed to call the pocket before you hit that eight-ball."

"You're just mad that I'm about to beat you."

“Maybe so," he says, laughing. "But you're still supposed to call the pocket."

"Well, I play by my own rules, Rhett," I say, walking over to him pretending to be seductive. I rise up on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek. "Do you have a problem with that?" I ask softly.

His face turns red. "No, actually, I guess I don't." He grabs me around the waist and picks me up, swinging me around in a circle. That's when Connor walks into the courtyard. He stops in his tracks, makes a gagging noise, and then hangs his head. "What's your problem?" Rhett says.

"My problem is that I'm stuck in the house with you two fawning all over each other. Why don't you just call in the justice of the peace and get married already?" he says, walking over and falling down onto the sofa.

"Are you jealous, Connor?" Rhett asks as he walks toward him, stalking him like prey. I kind of want to tell him to stop, but I also want to see what happens.

"No, actually, I'm not jealous. I've already been with this woman, and trust me, if you're still with her in two years, you'll be desperate to get rid of her, too.”

"Excuse me, Connor, but you didn't get rid of me. I got rid of you,” I say, crossing my arms.

"Because you're obsessed with your sister, Savannah. Nobody is obsessed with their sister like you are. It's ridiculous. Nobody is going to put up with that."

"I would," Rhett says.

I look over at him. "You would?"

"I think it's wonderful that she's so dedicated to her sister and that she loves her like that. It's inspiring."

"Well, I didn't find it inspiring," Connor says, rolling his eyes and lighting a cigarette. "I found it annoying. When you're dating someone and about to marry them, they should be the center of your world."

"Well, it sounds like you're pretty obsessed with yourself, Connor. It's probably best that you be alone," Rhett says, taking my hand and walking me out of the courtyard.

"That was fun," I whisper to him as we enter the house.

"Yeah, it was pretty fun."

SAVANNAH

We're back in the kitchen again, awaiting instructions on the second of our three final competitions. Now that Lainey has gone home and left just the three of us, this competition is down to the wire.

Dan takes his place in the front of the room and brings the microphone to his mouth. "In today's competition, which is the last one before the actual finals, you'll be making a pavlova. Just like with the opera cake, we want to see a take-off on the pavlova and how you can make it different from how most people make it. For the at-home audience who doesn't know what a pavlova is, it's a meringue-based dessert named after a Russian ballerina. It features a crisp and delicate outer shell with a soft marshmallow-like interior. It's typically shaped into a large circular form with a slightly indented center holding different toppings. Many times, it's garnished with whipped cream and fruits. For our contestants here, we want a unique take on the pavlova. You will have three hours to complete this. Once you're finished, another person will go home, leaving our final two contestants to battle it out in the wedding cake competition."

That's the first time Dan has admitted that the last competition is the wedding cake for the celebrity couple. I have to start thinking ahead of time about what I'm going to make. I believe I can win this pavlova competition, but we'll see. I look over at Rhett, and he smiles at me, winking. It gives me butterflies in my stomach, but I can't concentrate on that right now. Instead, I have to pay attention to what I'm doing. I immediately decide that what I want to make is a tropical pavlova. I'll make a meringue base with a hint of coconut extract and then use a coconut whipped cream with a touch of vanilla. I'll top it with the tropical fruits of mango, pineapple, kiwi, and passion fruit pulp and then garnish it with toasted coconut flakes. I don't think anybody else will do something similar.

RHETT

The competition is heating up. Of course, I can't stop winking at Savannah. I really have to pay attention. I want it to be the two of us standing in the final, competing against each other. For some reason, I don't feel competitive with her. I just feel like we're working together. The only problem is that only one of us can win. My chivalrous side wants to let her win, but I also know she would never want that. She wants real competition. She wants to know that she can do this, and I want to know the same thing.

I look over to see what she's making, but I can’t tell just yet, so I need to focus on what I'm doing. I opt to make a lemon and blueberry pavlova. I'll make the meringue base with a hint of lemon zest. Then I'll use a tangy and smooth lemon curd and top everything with a blueberry compote. I'll cook the fresh blueberries with a little sugar and lemon juice and then spoon it over the lemon curd. I can already taste it.

All I have to do is get through this competition, and then we can get to the finals. We can do the wedding cakes and see who will be crowned the winner, and then it's time to go on with our lives. But for some reason, I'm having a hard time imagining my life without Savannah every day.