“Oh, stop it. It was fun.” She swatted Sara with the towel. “I still have way more important things to concentrate on than Andrew York and what happened between us forever ago.” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was within earshot. “Like New York to the tune of a hundred thousand dollars.”

“Good for you. I’m glad you two had fun.”

“We did. Now time to get down to work. If I win—”

Sara interjected. “When you win.”

“When I win,” she repeated, holding her crossed fingers in the air, “the Four Square Valentine’s Day Bake-Off will give us more exposure than the rock star shout-out that first put us on the map. I might even be able to extend full-time positions to some of our part-time decorators.”

“That would be wonderful.”

“I know.” She was proud of the jobs she’d brought to her neighbors. “I’m excited and so nervous all at the same time. I hope I can pull this off.”

“This competition—baking something awesome on the fly and integrating random ingredients—is totally in your wheelhouse.”

“But the competitors on that show are real pastry chefs.”

“I don’t care how educated the competition is. You know desserts and you’re a quick thinker when it comes to those kinds of challenges. I don’t think I’ve ever missed an episode of Four Square, and trust me, you are every bit as good as the very best I’ve ever seen on it.”

She sucked in a breath of hope. “I hope so.” A huge fan of the show for years, there’d been times when she tried recipes based on some of the challenges. Sure, a few of them had been pretty horrible, but for the most part she’d pulled off something terrific. The margarita cupcake with the lime filling and salted frosting, for example. It was one of her biggest sellers.

As long as she could stay relaxed, maybe she had a real shot at taking home the trophy.

“I’m so thankful for you and Calvin. I know this place will run just fine without me here. I couldn’t do it without y’all here to handle everything.”

“I wish we could tell him—”

“No. We can’t!”

“I know.” Sara raised her hands like she was under arrest. “Don’t worry. My lips are sealed.”

“Thanks.” The panic dissipated in a long sigh. “Sorry. I overreacted a little. We can’t chance being eliminated. They were very serious about that.”

“I promise. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything here.”

“I know you will. I’m mostly worried about my parents. What am I going to tell them? I’m running out of town. It’s going to have to be one heck of an excuse for leaving town that they won’t question it.”