“No. They were right.” What did it matter anyway? He had a great trip home, and he was earning a nice stipend on top of his vacation pay to be here. So what if he got eliminated? He’d go back to Paris and step right back into his role at the restaurant. Not a darn thing wrong with that. Or call Kelly, get his whole life back. His phone. His freedom.

If he got the boot today, he’d drive back down to North Carolina and spend the rest of the time there with Kelly. Those RBA things weren’t usually more than a few days long. She might even be back already.

Lori’s phone rang. She spoke quickly, then headed to the door. “You ready to go back to the hotel?”

“Absolutely.” He followed her to the limousine. The ride back was quiet. He was glad she respected him enough not to force conversation.

When they got up to their rooms, she asked if she could come in. “You’re mad,” she said as she closed the door behind her.

“I’m disappointed. I thought they wanted excellence. I didn’t know I was supposed to be making school cupcakes. I mean, who can’t make those?”

“Trust me, not everyone.” She raised her hand slowly in the air. “Like me.”

He snickered. “You can’t cook? Really?”

“Not a lick.”

“How’d you get a job here?”

“I’m studying journalism. This internship was on the list, and it sounded way more interesting than the others. And it is. I loved it so much I stayed on. That was three years ago. It’s pretty cool. I meet people like you.” She sat down on the couch in the sitting area of his room and called in a pizza. “You made it to the next round. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Everyone is making it to the next round.”

“So, nothing to worry about. Let it go. Your Sesame Apricot Rose Nougat sticks were delicious. All three judges said so.”

“They also said a lot of other things. Weren’t you listening?”

“I was, but trust me, anything can happen in these rounds. Relax.”

“Relax?” His voice rose a note. “I practically burned a bridge with the man who mentored me for the past seven years to be in this stupid contest.” He swept a hand through his hair. “What was I thinking, coming here for this?”

“That you wanted to showcase your skills. Maybe that you want to use that money to fulfill your dream of having your own restaurant.”

He plopped down on the other end of the sofa. What he was really thinking was he wished he’d ditched the contest and followed Kelly. After seeing her at the restaurant, he believed more than ever that they were meant to be. Who bumped into someone in New York City? It was meant to be.