Page 24 of Falling Fast
‘Yes.’ I shake her hand. ‘Thanks so much for agreeing to do this. I love your videos.’
‘Merci. I’m happy to be here.’
‘Is there anything else you need?’ I ask, gesturing to the impressive selection of ingredients and utensils laid out across one of the kitchen counters.
‘No.’ She scoops her hair into a messy bun and slips on an apron. ‘I’m all ready.’
‘You’re not the only one!’ Corey calls out as he barges through the doors like a rock star, closely followed by Leif. ‘What are we making?’
‘Waffles,’ I answer. ‘In honour of the Belgian Grand Prix and not remotely because they’re my favourite. This is your teacher, Simone de Smet, aka the Patisserie Princess. She has a very successful YouTube channel, as well as two hundred thousand followers on TikTok.’
‘Awesome. Are you an F1 fan, Simone?’ Corey switches on the charm like a light switch.
‘Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a race.’ She dips her head apologetically. ‘But I’ll certainly watch this weekend.’
‘Glad to hear it.’
‘So, Simone’s going to explain what to do,’ I say. ‘I’ll film your attempts and then we’ll crown a winner.’
‘You mean it’s a contest?’ Corey’s dark eyes twinkle. ‘What’s the prize?’
‘This.’ I hold up a T-shirt I asked Merchandising to produce. It has Rask branding and the words ‘Waffle King’ emblazoned across the front.
‘Love it.’ His grin spreads even wider. ‘Let’s do this.’
‘Is that OK?’ I look nervously past Corey to Leif. He’s wearing his usual brooding expression, though he doesn’tseem to be dragging his feet. For him, that practically counts as enthusiasm.
‘Of course.’ He gives me a brief nod before holding a hand out to Simone. ‘I’m Leif. Nice to meet you.’
I stifle a flash of annoyance as I fasten the camera on to a tripod. So, apparently itispossible for him not to be an asshole when meeting someone new. Good to know.
‘Great!’ Simone hands them each a chef’s apron as they step behind the counter. ‘This is where you’ll be working.’
‘OK.’ I give her a thumbs-up. ‘Recording now.’
‘Bien.’ She snaps into character, smiling at the camera. ‘Bonjour. I’m the Patisserie Princess, and in honour of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix I’m in the kitchen with Rask Racing Formula 1 drivers Corey Hammond and Leif Olsen. And because Spa-Francorchamps is only forty kilometres from Liège, we’ll be making their version of waffles, which are slightly different to those you find in Brussels, but just as delicious. Crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside …’
I stand to one side as she goes through the steps, combining yeast, milk and water, then whisking it up with flour, pearl sugar, eggs and butter to form a sticky, brioche-like dough.
‘That T-shirt is mine.’ Corey elbows Leif in the ribs as they compete to see who can knead the hardest. Leif elbows him back, though his expression of concentration doesn’t waver.
‘So now we need to put the dough aside to rest for about twenty minutes,’ Simone says to the camera, which both Corey and Leif seem to have forgotten is there.
‘You’re both doing great,’ I say encouragingly as I hit pause.
‘I’m killing it.’ Corey slams his dough down hard on the counter. ‘Look at that beauty.’
‘Not bad.’ Simone goes to inspect it.
‘Yours looks pretty good too,’ I say to Leif. He’s still kneading, pressing and stretching his dough with long, strong fingers.
‘It’s too clumpy.’ He sounds dubious. ‘I’ve never made waffles before.’
‘Well, don’t worry too much. This is just for fun, remember?’
‘And a T-shirt.’ He gives me a pointed look.
‘Wow, competitive much?’ I laugh, although this is actually the perfect opening for me to tell him about my brainwave. ‘By the way, I had a very productive conversation with Hazel Muir this morning.’
