“A German chocolate cake soufflé,” Austin continued. “A time-honored dessert, with a twist that should really challenge our contestants.”

Cass stared at Austin, openmouthed. Then she glanced at Sydney, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“Wow! I believe I’ve rendered the amazing Charlie Goodwin speechless,” Austin said.

Everyone turned to look at Cass. Sasha raised an eyebrow, tapping her pen against the tabletop.

“It’s just that . . .” Cass swallowed hard. How the hell had this happened? “My recipe is for German chocolate cake soufflé bombes. And we can’t have the contestants make basically the same thing, so I . . .”

I have no idea what to do, is how she wanted to finish the sentence.

“Then one of you will have to come up with a new recipe,” Sasha said, glancing down at her watch. “You have an hour. Decide amongst yourselves.”

She and one of the producers started discussing the schedule and then everyone dispersed from the meeting table, leaving Cass and a smug-looking Austin alone.

“So that’s weird, huh?” Austin said. “We just Big Magicked each other.”

“Big Magicked?” she echoed.

“Yeah, from that Elizabeth Gilbert book about creativity. I’ve been reading it because I’m working on a book about my life as an up-and-coming young chef in my spare time.” Cass had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. “She says that ideas just float around out there and you have to act on them, or someone else will.”

Cass gritted her teeth and took a steadying breath. “I don’t know, Austin. My idea wasn’t ‘floating around out there.’ It was on paper. This doesn’t feel random, it feels like you acted on something that wasn’t yours to act on. Know what I mean?”

He snorted. “It’s hardly a unique idea.”

“Exactly! But why now, and why today?”

“You’re sounding a little paranoid, kiddo. It’s chocolate cake.” Austin leaned forward, his hands clasped, and furrowed his brow. “I’m worried about you, Charlie. I’ve had concussions, and they can really mess you up. Maybe you should, I don’t know, take a leave or—”

Cass began gathering her things. “I’m fine. And you know what? Keep your recipe. I’ve got something better in mind.”

• • •

“I need to know something,” Cass told Sydney, keeping her voice low as the two huddled at Charlie’s on-set workstation. “How did Austin find out what my recipe was?”

“I didn’t tell him, I swear,” Sydney replied. “But . . .” Cass noticed Sydney’s cheeks had turned pink. “I might have accidentally mentioned something to Nathan?” Nathan was Austin’s assistant, and a decent baker who had been nothing but friendly to Cass—especially since he thought he was responsible for giving her a concussion. But he idolized Austin, which meant he couldn’t be trusted.

“Nathan came over and asked for a few of our ramekins,” Sydney said. “I guess we ended up with more after cleanup the other day? Anyway, he saw I was setting up for tempering chocolate, and asked what it was for. And I told him we were making bombes . . . But I didn’t say anything about the German chocolate cake. I promise!”