CHAPTER EIGHT

Bun Voyage

- not yet edited -

Outside the pane of Lucas' Chevrolet Traverse window, she could see a plane zooming through a path of feathery clouds. She watched as it disappeared above her line of sight, a burst of sunshine taking its place.

Her eyes blinked and dots of red, blue, yellow, and orange spotted her vision. She lowered her gaze to avoid the blinding sunlight.

Would this be what the flash of thirty cameras felt like? No wonder celebrities hid their faces with oversized, bug-like sunglasses. She wondered if that's why Caiden came to her shop in sunglasses. Then again, what paparazzi would be snapping photos of a producer on his way to breakfast. He couldn't be that interesting, even with his silky hair and luminous eyes.

Her lashes fluttered as she tried to blink away the colored spots in her vision.

"Stay in this lane." Chantal sat in the front seat with full control of the radio and Google Maps on her phone. 

She watched the cars pass her window, whizzing from lane-to-lane in an attempt to get ahead of the forlorn race to be at the front of the next car. The signs overhead pointed to the parking garages and drop-off area. Lucas stayed in the right-hand lane, driving toward the JFK airport drop-off.

The luggage in the trunk shifted and knocked against her seat as Lucas took the exit. Chantal was bouncing up-and-down in her seat as the drop-off lanes came into view, strands of hair shaking away from the messy bun on the top of her head.

"We're here!" she shouted, and unbuckled her seat belt. The car responded with a series of high-pitched beeps before coming to a stop at a curb. Her body turned in the seat and faced her friend. "You have five minutes to say goodbye. We lost time by stopping at McDonald's." She gave an apologetic look.

Lucas pressed the button to turn on the hazard lights, and then stepped out of the car. When he was out of ear-shot, she let out a sigh and dropped her shoulders.

"I can't believe that I'm leaving for two months." She thought about her brother, the shop, Cashew, and her parents. Everyone would get along fine without her, it seemed, but she didn't know how well she could cope without them. There wasn't a time in her life when she was more than fifteen miles away from Lucas or her parents.

"It's an adventure, Tori. You can manage eight weeks away from your boring life in New York." she laughed.

Except that she wasn't feeling adventurous. Right now, still seated in the back of her brother's Traverse, her mind was occupied by thoughts of the shop. It was impossible to forget and difficult to put at the back of her mind. The whole purpose of this escapade was to bring publicity to their business.

Last night, she couldn't get the thought of today out of her mind. She ran over the possible scenarios a hundred times. The reality of not knowing what would be waiting for her in Napa Valley caused her to take an Advil at three o'clock in the morning.

The caffeine in her system from the two-dollar Mcdonald's coffee wasn't helping her apprehension. Her fingers stroked the knitted fabric of her cardigan in an urge to redirect the tension in her muscles. The bright orange color of the material reminded her of pumpkins.

The trunk opened behind her, and Lucas was pulling their suitcases onto the platform. He groaned when he raised Chantal's leopard printed bag. "Jesus Christ. What's in this thing?"

"Be careful with that." Chantal said, and pulled down the visor to review her reflection in the mirror. She used a pinky finger to wipe away some lip gloss and separate her lashes. When she was satisfied, she shut the visor and opened the passenger door.

"You know that you only get one free bag, right?" Lucas studied the matching luggage set and duffel bag.

"Duh. This one's a carryon." She picked up the leopard bag and slung the strap over her shoulder.

Lucas huffed. "So long as it's not over fifty pounds."

Tori stepped out of the car and met them at the curb. "That's enough. Can't you say goodbye like two normal adults?" She considered the cross expression on her friend's face.

Chantal and Lucas haven't always gotten along. They were doing better since being in each other's company every day at the shop, but they had their moments. Sometimes she felt like Chantal could be part of their family. She argued and antagonized Lucas more times than Tori.

Lucas dropped Tori's luggage onto the curb next. She took the handle and pulled her single piece of luggage to her side.  The peacock blue hard-shell suitcase was half the size of Chantal's massive case. She had packed all the clothes from yesterday's shopping trip, a few sets of worn t-shirts and running shorts for make-shift pajamas, and three pairs of shoes. 

Despite Chantal's nagging about how dingy and informal her white Converse were, she couldn't pass the emotional comfort that they gave her. In the same way that Cinderella is famous for her glass heels, Tori was known for her sneakers. She's lived in them for years, and no matter how muddy or faded they became, she scrubbed the material with a toothbrush and stain remover. The shoes were in a plastic bag, tucked between the pair of strappy flats and nude pumps that Chantal insisted she bring. Now, she wore a pair of moccasin slippers. The plush lining kept her toes warm and her back happy.

"That's everything." Lucas lowered the trunk and pushed it closed. He turned to face his sister with heavy-lidded eyes.

She had been seeing more exhaustion in his face and posture. The once athletic and overactive young man she knew a few years ago was slipping away. The shadow of hair along his chin and overgrown locks of hair were a testament to his fatigue.

"Are you going to be okay? Are you sure this isn't too much for you?" Even if he confessed, it wasn't possible to adjust her plans. She was contracted to be in Napa Valley at noon, and her brother's weariness couldn't change that.

He waved a hand, as if excusing the idea from existence. "Everything's fine. Sheri kept me up all night talking about the gender reveal party."

"Isn't it too early to start thinking about a party? She's known about her pregnancy for less than twenty-four hours." A line appeared between her brow.

"There's no use saying that to her. You know how she likes being the center of attention." His words came out in a sigh.

She always wondered, but never assumed that he saw what everyone else did about his wife's personality.

"Hang in there." She gave a half-smile and tightened her fingers around the handle of her suitcase.

Chantal was waiting by the door, her frame leaning against her luggage and her attention focused on the screen of her phone.

"Well, I think it's time for me to go. I'll try to call when I can." She opened her arms and welcomed her brother into a hug.

He rubbed the back of her cardigan and squeezed her shoulders. "Don't fuck this up." he said as he released his sister from his grasp.

Tori opened her mouth to respond, but smiled when she noticed the sly curve of his lips. "I will find a way to mess this up somehow. You know me, I always-"

"Hey, don't say that. You need more confidence." Lucas interrupted. "It was just a joke. You don't need to doubt yourself."

Her shoulders dropped.

Wasn't it just yesterday that Chantal said the same thing?

She feared that it was obvious. If her brother called her out from one minor comment, how would the rest of America see her on TV? She didn't want to be known as the moody and shy girl of the show. The other contestants could easily overshadow her and take the attention for themselves, leaving Tori to be the butt of post-film mediocre editing.

She followed Chantal down the aisle, clutching her purse and boarding ticket to her chest in an effort to fold into herself. A young man beside her lifted a bag into the overhead bin beside Tori's head. Her feet were pushed together and her shoulders pulled tight against her side. That didn't stop the man from bumping against her chest as he attempted to maneuver back to his seat. His elbow collided against her sternum and she felt an instant soreness. It was likely that her skin would bruise.

"Excuse me." The man turned his head in her direction, but didn't acknowledge her shocked expression. "Did you not realize that you hit me?" Her voice was dripping with disgust at the man's lack of manners.

The young man looked to be about Valerie's age. He was much taller than Tori, and his red skin was peppered with pimples. "It's not my fault. Maybe you shouldn't take up so much space."

Chantal turned around at this, her bag whipping around her shoulder and knocking against an empty seat. "Don't be a brat. Just apologize and leave us alone, okay?" Her eyes narrowed at the boy in a threatening glare.

Tori felt a pressure against her chest, the pain becoming dull and the skin flaming in the area of the strike.

The boy rolled his dirt-colored eyes and pushed past Tori on his way back to his seat. She exchanged a look to Chantal as if to say, WHAT AN ASSHOLE.

Chantal continued her walk to the back of the plane. Passengers parted to let her through, but maneuvered back into the aisle as Tori passed, causing her to squeeze through tight openings and fall into the hard edges of conveniently placed arm rests.

She stopped at row 30 and fell into the window seat, leaning her head against the head rest and stretching her legs. Her feet collided with something under the seat, probably a backpack or purse.

Great. The seats are just as tight-spaced as the aisle.

There was a slight chance that she would be comfortable for the six-and-a-half-hour flight to California. She cursed Caiden under her breath, chiding him for the economy class seats. It wouldn't have been too difficult for a television network to reward their contracted employees with superior seating. If the network could afford to hire Nora Jacobs, then they could afford the economy plus seats.

"I wonder if Caiden is going to be on this flight too." Chantal said, joining her friend and taking the middle seat.

"I bet he's sitting in first class right now."

Chantal laughed as she caught the jealousy in her friend's tone. "I don't know what's gotten into you just now, but relax. You nearly bit the head off a teenager and now you're getting stingy about your seat. Try to breathe, okay?"

Her body sagged in the seat, her butt sticking to the plastic-like leather. She felt like she couldn't win. Just a few hours ago, her brother told her to act with more confidence, and now her best friend was basically calling her a bitch. At least, that's how it felt.

"I'm struggling with this. How am I supposed to be interesting and confident on the show if I'm coming off like a bitch? I don't want to be the shy girl and I don't want other contestants to walk all over me." her words came out in a long breath.

"Just be yourself. There's no need to have an identity crisis." Chantal wiggled in her seat, digging her shoulder further into the leather and trying to find a comfortable position. "You're not a confrontational person, so don't force it. People will be able to see you for who you are."

"But what about the editing? It would be so easy for the editors to paint me as someone that I'm not."

Reality TV personalities always talked about the wrongful editing in interviews after they've left a show. It's basically common knowledge now that the network pre-decides the personalities of their contestants, and reinforces these chosen behaviors in editing. Tori has seen it happen on America's Next Top Model and Big Brother over the years. She didn't want to fall victim to the same editing tactics.

"You are over thinking all of this. It's just a baking competition."

She sighed again, thankful that her friend had talked her out of it with such simple words. It was easy for anxiety to overcome her mind and destroy her confidence.

It's just a baking competition.

She needed to distract herself before her thoughts lingered again. As Chantal settled in her seat, Tori found her headphones in the pocket of her purse. She pressed the metallic tip into the bottom pocket of her phone and scrolled through her Spotify playlist. The stewardess' stood at the front of the aisle and demonstrated the safety procedures with a puppet-like smile. Tori ignored them, placing the buds of her headphones into her ears and pressing play on a song by Ed Sheeran. She closed her eyes as the strums of an acoustic guitar entered her ears, the slow melody relaxing the muscles in her body.

The rumbling of an engine woke her from sleep. Her head felt lighter after a nap, and the anxiety she felt earlier was gone. A peak out of the window showed a blue sky and the concrete building and moving vehicles of an airport.

Had she really slept for almost seven hours? Last night's visit with her family lasted until midnight, and she spent several hours packing and making a list of to-dos for Lucas that included feeding Cashew in the morning and evening, and watering the plants around the apartment. She didn't remember what time she finally fell asleep, but it was after a few episodes of Criminal Minds.

Chantal was pushing the tray up on the seat and gathering her things from the floor.

"Did I sleep the whole time?"

She looked up and was surprised to find her friend awake. "You woke up a few times and drank a soda, but yeah. You slept most of the time."

Looking out the window again, she could see palm trees in the distance. She hadn't seen a palm tree since she left Florida. Their leaves danced in the wind, swaying back-and-forth like a pendulum.

Chantal stood up and stretched her arms, popping her shoulder joint and twisting her back. "I'm ready for some wine." she said with a smile.

"Please don't get drunk on our first night in the house." The only thing worse than looking boring on television was being associated with the house drunk.

When the time came to exit the aircraft, Tori followed her friend down the aisle and through the terminal. They followed the signs to baggage claim and grabbed their luggage from the rotating belt.

As they walked through the baggage area and approached the doors to the Sacramento International Airport pick-up area, they spotted a white sign with their names on it. A man in a gray suit and pink tie waited, holding the sign in front of his stomach.

"Is that for us?" Tori looked around the room and found several other men in gray suits and holding signs.

"I don't know another Tori and Chantal."

She couldn't argue with that statement.

Chantal approached the man and held out a hand. "Chantal Martins. This is Tori Lynn. We're here for BakeOff." She shook hands with the man and presented a toothy smile.

"Welcome to California, ladies. It's nice to make your acquaintance. May I take your luggage?"

He reached for Chantal's duffel bag, but she resisted. "No need to get this one. My other bags are much heavier."

The man faltered and gave her a confused look. "Okay." he said, and took hold of Tori's rolling suitcase and Chantal's two other bags.

They followed him out the door and down the sidewalk to a black BMW. He dropped the bags beside the trunk, and opened the door for them. "It's an hour drive to Napa Valley, so please get comfortable."

Tori slid into the back seat first. The interior was black leather and smelled strongly of cologne. She dropped her purse onto the floor and relished in the amount of floor space, kicking off her slippers and leaning further back into the seat to stretch her tired legs.

Chantal whistled as she took the seat beside her friend. "This is incredible. This must be what it's like to be Beyoncé."

"I could get used to a chauffeur."

The man passed her window, opening the driver-side door and taking his seat behind the wheel. His eyes met Tori's when he looked into the rear-view mirror. "If you aren't comfortable with the air conditioning, let me know and I will adjust it. Feel free to use the Bluetooth." he said, and turned the car into traffic.

She looked out the window at the stone buildings and lush vegetation. The medians were lined with grass, flowers, and trees. It wasn't Hollywood or L.A., but Sacramento had its charm. She couldn't wait to get to the house in Napa Valley and see everything that was waiting for her there.