There was still plenty of time before the show aired, and I rode the wave of attention to quit my job and open my very own dessert shop.
Dozens of media outlets showed up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Flashbulbs popped nonstop from the crowd below the stage, turning the whole area into a sea of blazing white light.
I smiled straight at the cameras and didn't utter a single word about my messy past.
In the very first month after opening, our total sales smashed seven figures.
The line of customers stretching out our door never let up from dawn until closing time.
Leo Barnes was my business partner, and he handled all our operations and external contacts.
He was steady as a rock, a man of very few words, but he always showed up exactly when I needed him most.
Like when I got so sw
