Worth the Risk

the supermarket. Amber’s class had learned about planting and harvesting in the Recipe for Success program back in the fourth grade.
    “It’s ground-up chocolate,” called out one of the girls. “Like from a Hershey bar.”
    Brad chuckled, a deep masculine sound that took Lexi by surprise. It made her want to laugh along with him. For some reason she hadn’t expected the chef to have a sense of humor. “Not exactly, but you’re on the right track.”
    Amber was waving her hand furiously. Brad nodded at her.
    “Cocoa powder comes from cocoa beans, not from a candy bar. Candy bars are made from cocoa.”
    “What does a cocoa bean look like?” Brad asked.
    “Like a coffee bean… I think,” Amber replied.
    Lexi silently admitted that’s what she thought, too. She’d seen pictures but never actually held a cocoa bean.
    He pulled a foot-long yellow pod out of a shopping bag. “This is where chocolate comes from. Before it’s processed it grows on trees in warm, wet places in Africa and South America.
    “You open the pod.” He demonstrated by splitting the plant with his pocketknife. “Inside are the smaller pods that make up the cocoa that becomes chocolate when processed.”
    “Who do you think was the first European to see cocoa beans?” Mrs. Geffen asked the class.
    No one had an answer and Lexi wasn’t sure she knew. She guessed it must have been one of the Spanish explorers.
    “Who discovered America?” Brad asked.
    “Columbus—1492!” a boy shouted.
    “That’s right. Later he met some natives who had cocoa beans in their canoe. He thought they were a new type of almond because no one in Europe had ever tasted chocolate.”
    “Get out!” someone cried.
    “Seriously,” Brad responded. “Columbus didn’t taste it either. The Spanish conquistadors tried it in 1519 when it was served to Montezuma as a drink. That’s over twenty years after Columbus saw it.”
    Interesting, Lexi thought. The students had given him their full attention. Brad Westcott knew the right buttons to push: money, girls, television, chocolate.
    “The Aztecs used cocoa beans as a form of money,” added Mrs. Geffen.
    “When chocolate was taken to Europe, it instantly became popular,” Brad explained.
    This was the best demonstration she’d seen, Lexi decided. The kids were so animated, so interested. They’d really learned something today.
    “The truffles you made are actually low-calorie treats,” Brad told them. “The recipe I used cuts down on the fat and sugar but still tastes good.”
    From the low buzz that hummed through the group, this was a surprise to the students.
    “That’s what I’m looking for in the contest,” Brad said. “We want desserts that taste great and are also healthy for us.”
    Lexi endorsed the idea of healthy desserts, but she still didn’t want Amber spending hours in the kitchen for a contest.
    The bell rang, signaling the class was over. “Clean up your workstation before you leave,” instructed Mrs. Geffen.
    Most of the students hastily gathered the butcher paper and wiped down the tables, then stampeded toward the door. But a few hung around to talk to the chef while the monitors washed and put away the cooking utensils.
    Amber charged up to Lexi, her face flushed with excitement. “I’m going to enter that contest.”
    Now was not the time to have a discussion about her grades and the work she was responsible for in the garden.
    “I’m sure you’ll come up with a really unusual dessert,” Mrs. Geffen said.
    Lexi tried for a smile, but didn’t quite manage. She reminded herself that Amber needed to build self-esteem when it came to schoolwork. The culinary arts class would earn her a good grade. It would probably be the only A she received, but it might also encourage her to pay more attention to her other classes.
    “I’m gonna enter the contest,” Amber informed the chef as he walked up to them.
    Brad smiled. “That’s great! I’ll look forward to tasting your dessert.”
    Lexi had to admit the guy was charming. Too charming. No doubt Amber would be talking about him for days. She was going through a boy-crazy stage.
    “Are you going to be a judge?” Lexi asked Brad.
    Brad turned to her with a captivating smile. “Actually, the chefs from the Chefs’ Association are judging, but I’ll want to taste the winning recipe.”
    “Brad, this is Alexis Morrison,” Mrs. Geffen said. “She’s Amber’s older sister. She helps me on the days we’re