But Austin didn’t get the rest of his sentence out because Justin suddenly pitched forward, just missing the countertop’s edge by a few inches. Luckily he didn’t land directly on his face, because one of the other contestants beside him saw what was happening and quickly stepped in to break his fall. Justin was out cold, and the set went into overdrive even as the cameras kept filming. This footage was gold.

Beside her, Austin was doing little to hide his laughter. Cass glared at him but then turned her attention to Justin. He was conscious now and sitting up, the medics tending to him. Cass crouched so she could look Justin in the eye. “Are you okay?” she asked. The contestant smiled weakly, still pale, but said he was.

“He’s fine,” Austin said, waving a dismissive hand. “Hey, if you can’t hack it, like I always say, get out of the kitchen. And that’s one way to do it.” He laughed at his own joke, and Cass couldn’t take it anymore.

“Would it kill you to just shut up for once, Austin?” Cass said, louder than she’d intended. “Please. Do us all a favor and just shut up.” Her hands shook slightly and she pressed them into her thighs.

Austin, none too pleased to have been put in place by his co-host, retorted, “Look, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you these days, Charlie, but let’s not forget this is not just your show. You don’t call the shots.”

“Yeah, well, neither do you. You’re a jerk. And I’m tired of it,” Cass replied, feeling both panicked at this uncharacteristic outburst as well as proud of herself for standing up to Austin.

“So, I actually call the shots here,” Sasha said, stepping between the two of them. “And I need you both to take a minute to cool off. Then I want you to come back on set and finish this. Can you handle that?”

“Fine,” Austin muttered. Just as Cass said, “I need some fresh air.”

“Take ten, everyone,” Sasha said. Then she lowered her voice so just Austin and Cass could hear her. “And you two? Work it out. We are at the finish line here, and we are finishing it. Today. Okay?”

Austin rolled his eyes and Cass mumbled an apology to Sasha.

“I’m going outside for a minute,” Cass said to no one in particular, slipping on the flip-flops behind her workstation, before walking off the set.

• • •

Outside Cass took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her face for a moment. Then, feeling more grounded and ready to face Austin again, she headed upstairs and was almost back to the greenroom when she heard Sasha’s voice from inside the room.

“Austin, that was an unnecessary stunt.”

“Sasha, come on. You know the viewers will love it. Justin’s fine. A crappy pastry chef, but he’s going to make it. Besides, isn’t this exactly what you hired me for? To stir the pot a bit, so to speak?”