“Where’s the call sheet?” Lori asked.

“I left it on my nightstand. I’m sorry. Do we need it?”

“Give me your key. I’ll run up and get it.” She made a dash for the elevator.

A few minutes later, she jumped back into the limo. “Let’s go,” she said, and the driver took off.

Round two went much like round one except that it seemed to take longer to finally get to the actual challenge. Between long periods of sitting and waiting, they shot a few stills and did some interview questions.

He was impatient, probably because he was tired. If he hadn’t stayed out so late after that heavy meal last night, he might be in better sorts today. But it was too late to change that. It is what it is.

Finally they were called to their kitchens, and hair and makeup did one last sweep before they were put back on their mark for the opening.

He eyed cabinet two.

What did they have up their sleeve today?

Andrew closed his eyes and inhaled. He had an excellent sense of smell, and whatever was in that cabinet had a flowery aroma.

Martin’s voice boomed over the speakers. Andrew’s mind wandered as Martin went through the setup for the show and ended with the explanation of the ingredients in the cabinet behind each chef, along with the reminder that they were expected to use every item in the basket.

“Before we get started with round two, this begins a double elimination. That means a chef has to lose two rounds to be eliminated. So no one will go home tonight. Hopefully that takes a little bit of pressure off our contestants.”

Andrew liked the sound of that. No matter what, he’d be in for a third round. If he made it through with a win this round, he was practically guaranteed to be in the final two.

“Today’s theme is Puppy Love and Paper Roses for a kid’s Valentine’s Day party.”

Andrew’s mind went blank. Kid’s party? What does that even mean? Puppy love? Paper Roses? Wasn’t that a Marie Osmond song from eons ago? Don’t overthink it.

“Alright, chefs, open your cabinets. Inside you’ve got a tin of fresh rose petals. Today the other two mystery ingredients are your choice of any nut, and any fruit. You have three hours. Have fun with it. Your time starts now.”

Andrew watched the clock start ticking down hours: minutes: seconds.

Kid stuff? All he could remember about Valentine’s Day from when he was a kid was heart-shaped suckers and cupcakes with red frosting in homeroom, and he wasn’t going to flaunt his mad kitchen skills with either of those.