Chapter 1

chapter

one

Caroline

I gently close the door behind me, careful to not wake the sleeping dragons.

In case you're concerned that I am either delusional or the owner of exotic reptiles, I'm neither. The dragons are the women who've raised me: my grandmother, Celeste, and her sister, my great aunt Cissy.

Ever since my own mother left me on their doorstep when I was nine, they've been doing their damnedest to mold me into their collective image.

For the record, the nickname "the dragons" is only barely an exaggeration. They breathe fire in the form of scathing criticism and malicious gossip. They guard their lair, scaring off anyone who might dare approach. Most of all, they hoard their treasure.

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea how much they're worth, but everyone in town thinks they're rich AF. Which has only made my life as their poverty-stricken ward all the more pathetic. Growing up, I only ever had hand-me-downs. I never had any "running around money" that I could use to "get myself in trouble."

Don't believe me? Here's how bad it was: when Callie Burton (now Crawford) took over at the library, she started having school supply drives every fall, so that any needy child in Saddle Creek could start the year with fresh binders, backpacks and whatnot. The dragons always sent me there to pick up my backpack full of free goodies.

Let me tell you, that stung.

Callie did her best to make sure no child was shamed for needing help, but still … some kids took those free backpacks because no matter how hard their parents worked, new school supplies just never made the budget. I took those school supplies because my own flesh and blood didn't care enough to shell out forty bucks for notebooks from Darius's Office Supply out on the loop.

My point is this: don't ever let anyone tell you dragons are romantic.

Dragons are mean.

And spiteful.

Celeste and Cissy only every did one nice thing for me. They paid for me to go to culinary school to become a pastry chef.

Before you get all misty-eyed about their generosity, they only did it so that they could hold my debt over my head.

Which is why I, an otherwise independent, modern woman of twenty-six, still live with my grandmother and maiden great aunt. If I even hint at the possibility of moving out, they are quick to remind me how much money I still owe them.

Thankfully, as the years have progressed, their hearing has worsened with age, so it's a little easier to slip out without them noticing. It is both a curse and a blessing that for the last several months I've had to leave the house in the wee hours of the night to get to the bakery.

More than once I've woken one or both of them up while sneaking out into the darkness. Those are always the very worst of days.

Today though, I make it to my car without even a grumble from the old women. My old sedan sputters to a start, and I drive through the quiet streets of Saddle Creek to the bakery I co-own with my best friends. Technically, I'm barely a partner considering how low my investment was.

Gracie and Kelsie swear they don't mind and consider me an owner just like them, but it bothers me. You'd think I'd be used to that sort of thing because I've always been that girl. The one who couldn't afford to go out with friends during school. Who got by on as little sleep as possible because I worked two jobs and had classes full-time.

But all of that is over now. I have two amazing best friends, and our bakery, Sugar Bakers, is definitely making its mark in Bluebonnet county. We're already known for having the best apple fritters in the state.

Kelsie is already at the bakery when I arrive. No surprise there. She's always been a bit of an early bird, but I think since she fell in love with an ex-Navy SEAL, she's been doing her best to remind us she's still here. Things have changed between the three of us, but only in the "now we have a big, hulking guy who hangs out with us and stares at Kelsie like she personally climbed up to the sky and hung each star" way.

Secretly, it makes me wistful, but the practical side of me runs the show. I do not have time for flights of fancy, as my grandmother would call it.

Kelsie greets me at the door with a mug of hot coffee and a smile.

"Morning," she says.

"You know your incessant cheerfulness drives Gracie crazy," I tell her.

Her smile widens. "I do know that."

That makes me laugh. "Any special orders on deck today or just the usual?"

"Usual."

"I'll get on the croissants. I have a new flavor I want to try."

"I always love your ideas."

Several hours later, the bakery is open. Gracie is in the process of complaining about something when I pop a piece of the orange marmalade croissant into her mouth.

She glares at me, then her features soften as she chews. "Ermegahd!" she says around the bite. "That's delicious!"

"Good, I was hoping it would be. I've been working on the precise measurements."

"Caroline!" Kelsie calls from the front. I hand Gracie the rest of the croissant and wipe my hands on my apron. No doubt I have flour on my face and likely in my hair. Thus, the life of a baker.

"What's up?" I ask when I reach the front counter.

"Phone call," she nods to the wall behind her where we have a legit old-school corded phone attached to the wall. It's lemon yellow with one of those spiral cords.

"Hello, this is Caroline Mathis," I say.

"Ms. Mathis, this is Brittney Branch from the show Bake-It! I wanted to personally congratulate you on being selected for our upcoming Halloween competition."

I'm hearing the words, but the bats that have just taken flight in my stomach are making it difficult to concentrate.

"Oh wow," I say.

"Yes, I'll be sending you an email with all of the specifics, but I wanted to speak to you first. Your video application caught the attention of some powers that be, and we are all so thrilled for you to join us."

"Thank you," I say. "That's truly amazing. And shocking."

Brittney chuckles. "So check your email and then just fill out the forms to return to me so we can get your travel and everything scheduled."

"Thank you," I say again. "I'm very much looking forward to the competition."

I hang up the phone and just stare at it.

"Well?" Kelsie asks from behind me.

I turn and find her and Gracie eyeing me.

"I got picked," I say.

"For which one?" Gracie asks.

" Bake-it! The Halloween show."

"Oh my gosh! That's amazing, Caroline!" Kelsie says.

"Remind me which one this is? You applied for like four hundred and thirty-nine of them."

I roll my eyes. "I applied for seven."

"Same difference," Gracie says.

"This is the one where a celebrity chef is paired with a normal chef, and they have to work together to accomplish a set of goals for a single episode. If they accomplish a certain number of the challenges, then they both win. The celebrity gets a donation to their charity of choice, and the amateur gets a big fat check."

"Oh yeah, I remember now," Gracie says.

"Evidently they're sending me an email with details."

"Open it up. I want to know who you're paired with," Gracie says.

I pull my phone from my pocket and open my email app. Sure enough there is an email from Brittney Branch. I quickly skim through the details.

"Filming is in two months. Special judge, Ivan Richards, food editor from Texas Monthly."

"Holy shit!" Gracie says. "If you win, that could put Sugar Bakers on the map with TM. Imagine getting one of the coveted Best in from Texas Monthly?"

"Filming is set in Midnight Texas. Halloween themed. Oh, and my partner is Damien Leblanc." I look up at my friends. "I mean that probably means he's French right? He's probably a famous pastry chef from there."

"Damien Leblanc?" Gracie repeats.

I show her the email to confirm.

She eyes the screen, then grins so big, it's kind of creepy.

"Why are you smiling like that. Do you know who he is?"

"Yeah, do you?" Kelsie asks.

Gracie leans over and whispers something into Kelsie's ear.

"Are you serious?" Kelsie asks.

"Oh yeah," Gracie says.

Kelsie squeals. "Delicious!"

"Wait, isn't this also the one where the two contestants have to live together in a cabin or condo or something?" Gracie asks.

"Oh, you're right. There are usually cameras everywhere but the sleeping areas," Kelsie says.

"Yes, that's the one. I don't know why y'all are being freaks about this. It's not like we're going to be sleeping in the same bed."

Kelsie and Gracie exchange looks, then burst into more laughter.

"Are y'all going to clue me in on the secret?"

"No. It'll be better for everyone for you to just wait and see."

"Annoying, but alright. Can you at least tell me if he's skilled at what he does?"

"Extremely," Kelsie says.

"You are in so much trouble," Gracie says. "But I'm so damn proud of you for getting on the show. That's huge."

"Thank you." I hug both of my friends, then Gracie's words filter through my brain. "Wait, why am I in trouble?"