“Oh, wait a minute.” Kelly took a mini cake out of the case. “Gluten-free, dairy, egg, nut- and soy-free vegan. Seriously, it’s so delicious. Rich and fluffy all at the same time.” She presented the chocolate concoction to Jennifer. The two rich, dark layers enveloped a fluffy layer of rich chocolatey frosting in the center and was topped with a swath of frosting and a raspberry on top. “You have got to try this. I’m quite proud of it. My mother is also a gluten-free toe-the-line vegan. I had to make something that she liked, else she might disown me.”

“You do it all! Thank you. I can’t wait to try it.”

“Great. I’ll box it up for you.” She tucked the mini cake into a small glossy box. “Not to sound cocky, but I have a feeling you’ll be asking me to bring some of these to New York.” Several of Kelly’s customers regularly bought them and didn’t even realize they were vegan or gluten-free.

“I just might,” Jennifer said. “As long as it can’t be seen as a conflict. Can’t schmooze the network people, you know, even if I’m not a judge. How about I just order it myself from your website?”

“Even better. No worries on the bribery. I intend to win this on skill alone.”

“I have no doubt you’re going to give the others a run for it.” Jennifer headed to the door, turning back to wave as she pushed it open.

“Let me know what you think,” Kelly called after her.

Kelly stood there next to Sara, neither of them saying a word until Jennifer got into the Suburban parked across the street. When it pulled out of the lot, they joined hands, and both squealed in a happy dance to beat all.

“Oh. My. Goodness! This is crazy. This is real, right?” Kelly’s hands shook.

“It’s happening! You’re going to be on television! We might have to run an extra shift. I’ll be ready to schedule it,” Sara assured her. “We’d better make a list.”

“Yes. A list. We definitely need a list.” Then all of her responsibilities and reality came crashing in. Her team could bake the cakes for the cafe, and the factory handled all the online orders anyway. But when it came to her personal life, there was a problem. “Oh, no. Someone will have to take care of Gray.”

“I can do that,” Sara said. “He’s no trouble at all.”

“What are you saying? He’s nothing but trouble. It’s a good thing he’s so adorable. And smart. You know Gray is needy as heck in the evenings. You’re going to have to spend time with him, and I’ve never been away. Who knows what trouble he’ll get into?”