The Wedding Gift

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The judges deliberated. Andrew finally let Julie go so she could stand with the other contestants as they waited for the verdict. As she waited with everyone else, Julie knew her face held a special well-kissed glow that every woman in the room had to be envious of.

"In third place," Lanie said, "we have Mitchel Crane."

He stepped forward to applause from the audience. Julie joined in politely, but her eyes were on Andrew-he barely even pretended to play his part as the gracious host. He was too busy staring right back at her, that gorgeous smile-along with the heat in his dark eyes-sent shivers through her.

"In second place, Natasha Smith."

More applause. But Julie couldn't stop thinking about their beautiful unexpected kiss. What did it mean? Was it enough? Was she ready for-?

No, she wasn't going to go down that road again. She was going to stop questioning the magic between her and Andrew once and for all.

What mattered was right here, right now. She loved him and she couldn't see any way that was ever going to change.

Especially when he had believed in her even before she had believed in herself.

"And our series winner for the grand finale of Edgy Eats cook-off is..."

The judges dragged it out, of course. That was more or less obligatory, designed to ratchet up the tension according to the TV show handbook. Julie didn't worry one bit about who the winner was going to be. After the comments from the judges, there was only one way it was going to go.

"Elaine Neilson!"

That was it. She didn't even land in the top three. In fact, given the nasty look that Geraldine gave her, she was very definitely in last place.

There was a time when that would have mattered to Julie. Not today, though.

Not when the only person in the room who mattered was looking at her as though she were personally responsible for the rising and setting of the sun.

Julie took her turn congratulating the winner, then waited as patiently as she could at the side of the stage while Andrew wrapped up the show. He hurried through his lines at a speed that was just barely intelligible. Fortunately the director didn't call him on it, though that might have had something to do with the way Sandy was speaking to him very firmly through her headset.

"Cut!" yelled the floor director. "That's a wrap for the show and the series, folks."

The crew and the audience all cheered. One of the camera crew cracked open the beer, and even the producers seemed happy to join in the party. It had been a successful series and everyone was feeling good about it. Pretty soon, the place looked less like a TV studio than the middle of a house party.

Julie couldn't have cared less about any of it as Andrew moved beside her and gathered her into his arms.

"I love you," he said. "I'm not going to hide that anymore, Julie."

"I love you, too. So much."

Before they could seal it with a kiss, they were interrupted by the approach of Geraldine and Lanie from the judging panel. Geraldine looked at them and sniffed. "So that's how you got into a contest like this. By sleeping with the host."

A day or two ago a comment like that would have had Julie cringing and letting go of Andrew. Now, she just held him closer. "Absolutely. In fact, I'm pretty sure that there was only a contest at all because Andrew was trying to seduce me."