Gerry too took a deep breath as he opened the door, he could not believe that this was quite happening.
"Hello, welcome to our home" he smiled greeting his four guests, two judges one male one female, the photographer, Freddie Blackwell and the 'Cakes and Bakes' journalist Susanne Kelly.
He shook their hands and took them upstairs to the lounge and kitchen.
"Please come thought and meet the wife".
Sandra was sat on the sofa biting her lip terrified they would see right through her as the door opened she sprung up.
"Hello, I'm Sandra, please to meet you" she flashed that dazzling smile of hers and she took shook their hands.
"Hello I am Marie Sinclair and I am the head judge of this competition and editor of the publication, this here is my colleague Oliver Walker"
"Very nice to meet you" she replied almost curtsying as she did.
"Can get anybody a tea or coffee" she offered.
"Yes please I would love a cup of coffee, have you got fresh and could I have a dash, not too much mind of semi skimmed milk, no sugar I am watching my figure" Marie ordered.
As she said this Sandra moved her head in align with the woman's body as if this woman needed to diet she thought to herself. Something told her she was going to be hard work.
"I am sure we can rustle something up" she smiled, worrying inside it was alright offering her guests a cup of tea or coffee but she had no idea what Gerry had in let alone where anything was.
"Can I get anyone else anything" she asked sweetly.
"Just tea please, builders I'm not fussy" the photographer said.
"Same for me please" the other judge said.
"And me" came the response of the journalist.
"Of course, I will be with you in a second" she smiled heading for the kitchen.
"So Gerry, I may call you Gerry" Marie asked.
"Yes, yes of course" he said smiling politely at her.
"What is going to happen today is that you will bake the cake of your choice and Oliver and I will observe, while this is going on Susie will interview your lovely wife and Freddie will take lots and lots of lovely photographs".
Gerry could tell that this woman was going to be hard work her snooty tone instantly told him she would well and truly up herself.
In the kitchen Sandra was freaking out, I took her 3 attempts to find the cupboard that housed the cups and saucers; she thought that Marie woman would not approve of a mug. Lucky Gerry had left a little post it note on one of the cupboards telling her where everything was. Luckily for Marie Gerry only drank fresh coffee and there was a tad of semi skinned milk left Sandra thought it was going off but she thought Marie wouldn't mind.
She set out a silver tray with a pot of white sugar for the brews and brown sugar for the coffee, along with a jug of full fat milk just in case.
"Here we are" she said carrying the tray through to where they were all getting acquainted.
"Thank you very much" said Marie who clearly was leading any conversation they were having "Gerry was just about to tell us where you met" she continued.
"Oh was he" she asked as she handed everyone their refreshments including Gerry.
"Yes I was just telling them about how Jack introduced us"
"Oh yes that's right Jack's a mutual friend of ours I once worked for him, anyway he was throwing party and he told me that I must meet Gerry Standing-"
"Darling, I thought I was telling this story" Gerry interrupted.
"Oh I'm sorry, sweetheart" she said in an almost mocking tone.
"Like the missus was saying Jack introduced us and when I first saw her I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her" he winked at her as he said it.
"And what did you think of Gerry when you first met him" Marie asked.
Sandra knew the honest answer to that "Well I thought he was a bit of a arse really, full of himself and really unfunny"
"Oh" Marie said sipping her coffee with the classic sign of snobbery visible as she stuck her little finger out as she drank.
"But I soon ware you down, eh love" he smiled putting his arm around her.
"You sure did" she smiled at him and as she did she affectingly squeezed his thigh.
Sandra could have sworn the journalist who was sat opposite her was raising an eyebrow at their story.
"Right I think it is time for Gerry to show us what he can do in the kitchen" Marie said clapping het hands together and placing her tea cup on the tray.
"Okay, I can't wait to show you my famous upside down apple and cinnamon upside down cake" he beamed.
"It is no secret Gerry is a dynamo in the kitchen" Sandra said feeling she had to say something as that journalist was making her feel uneasy.
"Well someone has to been seen as you are frightened of cookers" he smirked.
"So Gerry does all the cooking at the Standing household then" Oliver asked.
"Yes he does I wouldn't dare interfere"
"Only because you don't know how" he winked.
"Alright, I can't cook big deal, which was one of the main reasons I married you" she said resting her arm on his shoulder.
"Don't you mean the only reason?"
"No Gerry I don't, we'll go on then show them how it is done"
"Fine I am going I don't need telling twice"
He and the entourage left leaving Sandra sitting face to face to the journalist Susanne Kelly.
"So Sandra, tell me about you and Gerry, it must take a lot of work making a marriage work when you spend all your time together"
"Sorry" she said almost spitting out her tea.
"Well you know with you and he working together at UCOS"
She wasn't expecting that to crop up, but then again that was a journalist's expertise, digging up the dirt and exposing people as frauds.
"Yes it can be tedious at times but we seem to make it work" she smiled hoping that was enough.
"There is one thing that gets be Superintendant how come you never too his name, you are still Sandra Pullman"
She had to think fast.
"Too much paper work"
The journalist laughed.
"Well as you probably know UCOS has been very successful as a unit and we didn't want to jeopardise it"
"In what way" she asked clearly not satisfied with the answers she was receiving.
"Well let's just say that some members of the group doesn't take to change too well so when Gerry and I got together we kept it quiet we didn't want to make a big song and dance about it"
"But you did tell them in the end"
"Oh of course as I have already said Jack is a good friend to both of us as is Brian, they were there at the wedding"
"And yet you still didn't change your surname"
She shook her head "Gerry Standing has a bit of a reputation in the Met and if I was to take his surname chances are I would get one too"
"Oh, so you are saying that your job and reputation means more to you than your husband"
Christ this was not going well. "No, no I am not saying that at all I love my job without question but Gerry is my life and I do love him like you wouldn't believe"
"I can see by the all the photo's you have that you seem like a close couple"
"Yeah we are, well I think it comes with working together"
"Yeah but you must have your fallouts"
"Oh of course we always have, my mother says it is as if we have been married 30 years"
"I can't actually see any pictures of your wedding out"
And Sandra Pullman thought that the editor was going to be hard work.
"No they are rather embarrassing and anyway my mum is making a scrapbook for our anniversary and she took our wedding album even though she has a copy of the photos, we don't ask it's easier that way"
"Oh are you close with to your mother"
"Not especially my father died when I was young and it drove us apart"
"I'm sorry, oh that's right he was a police officer too wasn't he, Gordon Pullman"
This was going from bad to worse.
"Yes he was" she simply said.
"Anyway tell me all about Gerry's cooking skills" she picked up.
Over in the kitchen things were going like a dream.
"This recipe has been in the family since I can remember, it was the first cake I ever tasted, my grandma baked it for us" he smiled at the thoughts of his mother's family "I tried to teach Sandra how to make it but she's hopeless when it comes to cooking". 7
"It sounds like this recipe means at lot to you Gerry"
"Ooh it does and awful lot, I even tried to teach it my daughters-"
"Your daughter's I didn't realise you and Sandra had children" Marie said.
"No we don't I've actually been married three other times but funnily enough I am still very good friends with them"
"That's good and do they get along with Sandra"
"Most of the time but you know how competitive women can get" he said stirring the mixture.
Once poured into the cake tin and the cake was in the oven Gerry began talking through how to make the ice cream, he hoped it would work seen as he had never had done it before. He knew he should have taken his ice cream maker for a test drive.
Back in the living room Sandra had somehow managed to keep her cool and answer every question thrown at her no matter how awkward they were.
After Gerry had proudly posed with his homemade apple cake and ice cream for the camera he rejoined Sandra and the journalist.
"How did it go" Sandra asked as Gerry came to sit next to her.
"Yeah it went well" he smiled putting his hand on her knee. Gerry was quietly confident about how his entry went but as he knew the judges could not say too much.
"So do you want to do the couple interview now or would you like to take the pictures" Marie asked.
"I don't mind" Gerry said.
"Shall we get the interview out the way" Sandra said eager to get shot of the journalist.
"Okay that is fine by me" he smiled.
"Excellent, Oliver and I will go and try your cake Gerry, and leave you to it" Marie said.
The interview went okay Gerry seemed to pick up on the things Sandra had told Susanne before.
The photo shoot was even more successful it was a good job they had a trial run with Jack and Brian before as Sandra would have felt awkward if not but she rather enjoyed this one.
"Right thank you very much for your hospitality Mr and Mrs Standing we will be in touch"
"Not at all, thank for the opportunity" Gerry said walking them to the door.
"Bye" Sandra called as they all left.
Gerry shut the door and fell into it. Tilting his head back so it was resting on the door he sighed. "I think we pulled it off" he smiled.
"Just" Sandra sighed running her fingers through her hair.
"Yeah what was all that stuff the journo was saying about us working together, how did she know that?" he barked worried that Susanne had ruined his chances
"She must have done her research after all it is what they are paid to do" she tried to admit.
"Yes but how much digging has she actually done" he sighed heading for the booze cabinet.
"I wondered that" she sighed getting the glasses seen as she now knew where they belonged.
"Well at least Brian and Jack know to cover for us" he said pouring out the scotch.
"Christ, you don't think she'll speak to Strickland do you" she downed the alcohol and poured herself another.
"I highly doubt it Sandra it's a baking competition not one of these reality or talent shows that depends on people knowing about your private lives"
"I suppose" she sighed for some reason she was more worried about it than he was and this competition was not even going to benefit her.
"There is no suppose about it we did our best and it was convincing now we have to wait and see what happens" he said rubbing her shoulders, forgetting they were no longer playing at being husband and wife.
"Yeah you're right, I'll give you a hand getting your house back to normal and then I will get off"
"I tell you what let's leave that for now, do you fancy going to the pub and celebrating it's over"
She looked at the time quarter to three "Yeah sounds good to me but hang on isn't Chelsea playing today" she knew Gerry Standing too well even if they weren't married.
"Oh is there, fancy that"
"Gerry I am no one's fool"
"Alright yeah they are but I wouldn't be watching it, I would be watching you"
"Gerry that is the worst chat up line I have ever heard you say"
They both laughed.
"Right I will go to the pub with you if you buy all my drinks and if you are going to watch the football then I will just sit there and drink my drink"
"Deal" he said going to get their coats and almost tripping over one of Sandra's boots.
Sandra laughed "Bet that's one thing you missed being on your own" she winked.
"That's one thing I haven't missed" he said escorting her down the road arm in arm.
Hope it is still okay! X