Blake stared at the pink confection in front of him, and for the first time in his life craved a piece of cake. Rich, buttery, and heavy on the frosting. And he didn’t even like cake.
Her belief in his desire to succeed left a weird feeling in his chest, and he shook it off. He was surprised she didn’t take the opportunity to try to undermine his confidence, to make him insecure, just to see if it would translate to their bet.
Other people would have. His father’s voice echoed in his head. “You can’t get to the top with timid steps, son, you have to stomp. Never show fear, even if you have to fake it.” The fear bit was actually pretty good advice, even if it was coming from a less-than-ideal individual. His father treated people like disposable goods. Great when they were shiny and new,
