Jay reached out to give her a hug. He had to admire how calm she always was with him. He wasn’t sure he would have handled it so well if it had been the other way around.
He sighed. ‘This whole competition seems to have taken over our lives.’
‘It’s important to you and I understand that. At least you know you’ve got the dishes down to perfection. You could cook them in your sleep.’
‘Hopefully.’ He secretly thought to himself that he was so wound up with nerves, he didn’t think he’d remember his own name later, let alone how to cook.
‘No hoping about it. And the dishes are wonderful — I can testify to that.’
‘You should do, you’ve eaten them enough times.’ He’d barely cooked anything at home other than his entries for the competition recently and she’d always been a willing guinea pig for his trials.
‘True, and they are delicious, but I must admit that I won’t miss them after today. Although, taking in spare treacle tart to work has made me very popular. Even Heather seems to have thawed a little.’
‘Wonders will never cease.’
‘And if it was down to a public vote, you’d definitely have the Rosemont Hotel voting for you.’
‘Good to know,’ he said. His mind wandered again, as he wondered if he’d forgotten anything.
‘Give me your list,’ Emma said.
‘What?’
‘Give me your list of everything you need to take and I’ll tick it off as you put it in the van. That way you’ll know you haven’t forgotten anything.’
He smiled and wondered what he would do without her. ‘Thanks, Em.’
‘Nothing to thank me for.’
‘Yes, there is — you’ve been brilliant.’
‘And you’re going to smash it. And in anticipation of that, shall I book us a table somewhere tonight and we can eat out for a change?’
‘I might not feel up to it.’
‘Okay, well, I’ll cook for you, then. I’ll get a bottle of wine in and we can have a relaxing evening at home together.’
‘Perfect,’ he replied as they loaded up the van.
On the journey to Greenwich, where the heats were taking place, Jay thought more about Emma and how grateful he was that she was in his life. If he’d still been with Susie, there’d have been nothing but arguments, tantrums and complaintsabout being neglected. Instead, Emma had taken it in her stride, especially while he was still working crazy hours as Liz’s morning sickness continued. He knew Emma was suspicious and had taken to calling Liz most days to see how she was. He hated lying to her and on more than one occasion had been tempted to come clean. But it wasn’t his secret to tell and he had promised Liz. Thankfully she was going for her twelve-week scan today, so soon the secrecy would be over.
The satnav announced he’d arrived at his destination and he looked up at the large warehouse where the heats would be taking place. He pulled up beside a man wearing a high-vis jacket and wound down the window.
‘Are you a competitor?’ the man asked.
Jay’s throat was dry with nerves. ‘I am.’
‘Go down that road there, take the first left, then right, and you’ll be in the car park at the back. Go through the door and register, and then you’ll be able to bring your stuff in.’
‘Thanks,’ Jay replied. He contemplated driving straight on and not bothering with the competition after all. But deep down he knew he couldn’t do that.
He parked up and walked towards the entrance, where a metal door was propped open. Inside, a young woman was seated at a circular table with a clipboard and a box of name tags in front of her.
‘Are you a competitor?’ she asked.
‘Yes, Jay Williams.’
She looked down her list and then ticked him off. Another young woman in a white shirt and black skirt with her hair tied back into a neat ponytail appeared from further down the corridor.
