Page 2 of Midnight Snack

“I’ll get on the croissants. I have a new flavor I want to try.”

“I always love your ideas.”

Several hours later, the bakery is open. Gracie is in the process of complaining about something when I pop a piece of the orange marmalade croissant into her mouth.

She glares at me, then her features soften as she chews. “Ermegahd!” she says around the bite. “That’s delicious!”

“Good, I was hoping it would be. I’ve been working on the precise measurements.”

“Caroline!” Kelsie calls from the front. I hand Gracie the rest of the croissant and wipe my hands on my apron. No doubt I have flour on my face and likely in my hair. Thus, the life of a baker.

“What’s up?” I ask when I reach the front counter.

“Phone call,” she nods to the wall behind her where we have a legit old-school corded phone attached to the wall. It’s lemon yellow with one of those spiral cords.

“Hello, this is Caroline Mathis,” I say.

“Ms. Mathis, this is Brittney Branch from the show Bake-It! I wanted to personally congratulate you on being selected for our upcoming Halloween competition.”

I’m hearing the words, but the bats that have just taken flight in my stomach are making it difficult to concentrate.

“Oh wow,” I say.

“Yes, I’ll be sending you an email with all of the specifics, but I wanted to speak to you first. Your video application caught the attention of some powers that be, and we are all so thrilled for you to join us.”

“Thank you,” I say. “That’s truly amazing. And shocking.”

Brittney chuckles. “So check your email and then just fill out the forms to return to me so we can get your travel and everything scheduled.”

“Thank you,” I say again. “I’m very much looking forward to the competition.”

I hang up the phone and just stare at it.

“Well?” Kelsie asks from behind me.

I turn and find her and Gracie eyeing me.

“I got picked,” I say.

“For which one?” Gracie asks.

“Bake-it! The Halloween show.”

“Oh my gosh! That’s amazing, Caroline!” Kelsie says.

“Remind me which one this is? You applied for like four hundred and thirty-nine of them.”

I roll my eyes. “I applied for seven.”

“Same difference,” Gracie says.

“This is the one where a celebrity chef is paired with a normal chef, and they have to work together to accomplish a set of goals for a single episode. If they accomplish a certain number of the challenges, then they both win. The celebrity gets a donation to their charity of choice, and the amateur gets a big fat check.”

“Oh yeah, I remember now,” Gracie says.

“Evidently they’re sending me an email with details.”

“Open it up. I want to know who you’re paired with,” Gracie says.