For the Love of Cake by Erin Dutton Page A

landed the spot on the show. Since then, she’d done cookbooks, and press, and appearances, never again needing a full-time gig. Sometimes all of the traveling made her weary, and the idea of working in a quaint little shop appealed to her. But she’d had experiences so many young chefs could only dream of, and fame didn’t last forever. She’d have plenty of time to settle down later.
    “I got the sense you agreed.”
    “I did, in theory. But,” she shrugged, “we’re chefs. It’s what we do. Besides, don’t you think the differences in creative process are interesting?”
    “I’m definitely interested in your process.” Shannon’s voice dropped and her immediate shocked expression indicated she hadn’t intended to sound so flirtatious. “I mean—I hope to learn as much as I can from you.”
    Maya still wanted to know what imaginary playlist Shannon had heard while she decorated a cake for her. But she couldn’t find a way to bring the conversation back to the subject. Instead, to test Shannon’s reaction to brutal honesty, she said, “Look, your cake was good, spot-on for my personality. And I don’t know how you did it because your consultation was a mess. That’s what really hurt you today.”
    “I know.” No excuses. Maya gave her points for that. Shannon’s eyes betrayed her worry despite the lift of her chin. She had skills, no doubt. Maya searched her memory for something in Shannon’s bio that explained her lack of confidence, but nothing stood out. She’d have to get to know her better before she figured it out, but that meant Shannon had to stick around.
    “So, do better.” Maya’s voice came out more rough than she intended. Realizing she’d leaned even closer as she spoke, she shoved her chair back abruptly, causing the legs to scrape harshly against the floor. She shouldn’t appear to pay Shannon more attention than the others, so she looked at Lucia and Alice before her next statement. “I don’t like to lose.”
    Before anyone could respond, Hugh appeared near their table.
    “Maya, can I have a minute, please?”
    “Sure.” Maya gathered her trash and followed him away from the table.
    “What a bitch.” Alice huffed as soon as they were out of earshot.
    “What? I think she was perfectly pleasant,” Shannon said.
    “Ha. She’s not very friendly. Frankly, not what I expected at all.” Alice shook her head. “Very disappointing.”
    Lucia shrugged. “I didn’t see Wayne or Jacques eating lunch with their teams.”
    “She’s got a point.” Shannon balled up her napkin and tossed it on her plate on top of the remnants of her lunch. Any appetite she had left after her performance that morning had disappeared when Maya joined them. She still hadn’t fully wrapped her head around the idea that she’d just shared lunch with Maya Vaughn.
    When Maya had lowered her voice and spoken only to her, Shannon’s stomach had flipped nervously. First, she’d met Maya’s eyes, but that only intensified the flutter, so, instead, she studied the tattoos on Maya’s arms. Maya had shed her chef’s coat during the break, and Shannon was able to make out some of the designs. The amazingly detailed depiction of an old-fashioned hand mixer that spanned the inside of her left forearm was particularly impressive. A flowing script wrapped around her right wrist, but she hadn’t been able to read the message.
    “It doesn’t matter. I guess we’re stuck with her,” Alice grumbled.
    Alice’s sudden negativity surprised Shannon, considering her otherwise bubbly personality. She could certainly think of worse fates than being mentored by an amazing chef. The fact that Maya was gorgeous and oozed sex appeal didn’t hurt either.
    Despite Sawyer spelling out the exact odds that she’d end up on Maya’s team, Shannon hadn’t let herself hope too much. Given her luck, she’d expected to be mentored by one of the other guys and left to watch Maya from afar. Granted, her concentration