#Chapter 69: Serving Judgments
Karl

“Watch it, you’re massacring those veggies,” John calls out, glancing over from the stove where he’s

sauteeing some garlic and mushrooms.

I chuckle, adjusting my grip on the knife. I’m supposed to be julienning some peppers, but instead I’ve

lost my train of thought and accidentally begun dicing them instead. “Yeah, well, they had it coming.”

John grins, shaking his head. “Y’know, you’re not as unfunny and st upid as I thought you were.”

“Could say the same about you,” I reply, gathering the sliced vegetables into a bowl.

Who would’ve thought? John and I, mortal enemies turned reluctant allies. A couple of weeks ago, we

could barely stand to be in the same room, but time and circumstances—and angry bosses—have a

way of forcing you to reassess your priorities.

“It’s all about collaboration,” John continues, his tone more philosophical than I thought the brute would

be capable of. “You can’t make a great dish with just one ingredient. Same with a kitchen. Everyone’s

got to pull their weight, contribute their flavor for the bigger picture.”

“You should put that on a plaque or something.”

“And have everyone roll their eyes? Nah, I’ll stick to cooking,” he laughs, adding a splash of white wine

to the pan, filling the air with a rich, aromatic scent.

The door to Abby’s office opens, and for a moment, my world narrows. She steps out, her eyes

scanning the room as if looking for something—or someone. When her gaze falls on me, my heart

leaps in anticipation.

But she averts her eyes, quickening her pace as she walks out of the kitchen.

The atmosphere turns brittle around me. John notices, his eyes narrowing. “Hey, snap out of it! You’re

burning the scallops.”

“Sorry,” I mutter.

I refocus on the task at hand, on the sound of the scallops sizzling in the pan, but the weight of last

We’d argued, voices raised, over her

contest despite our earlier agreement. I’d felt

me stirs, restless. “You messed up big time,” he says, a growl wrapped in a

reply, my mind a swirl of regret and confusion. “Trust

as the kitchen grows quieter, the realization sinks

another chef. She’s

should mean as much to me as

fears, get in the way. I

that’s been

here?” John

I

casting a somewhat concerned glance my way

My eyes catch Abby’s office door, still closed, a barrier in more ways

one.

decide that right now, I think

is closed, but the bar always stays open for a couple of hours longer. I sit

that tastes a lot like failure. My eyes catch

I have reacted the way I did

didn’t have to make

murmurs, his voice a gravelly

proud. Not territorial.”

glass.

—”

to her,” my

need to show support. Show

shoot back defensively, but my wolf has

and my

one of the bartenders, walks over

that disdain she feels for me into the glass along

setting down the glass harder than I mean to. “You’re

now instead of

I can manage both,”

surprise mingling with a touch of indignation. “I’m missing something

aren’t I?”

you mean like how you missed being

voice drips with

So she knows.

down last night, how you

put her through, you’ve got the nerve to get angry

feel like I’ve been slapped. Chloe has always been direct, no-nonsense, but

I wasn’t prepared for right now. For a moment, I almost

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