Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

#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

hangs over me like a dark cloud. We’d argued, voices

I’d felt betrayed;

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

mind a swirl of regret and

the day winds down, as the kitchen grows quieter, the realization sinks in deeper.

restaurant. She’s not just another chef. She’s someone I care

should mean as much to

get in the way. I shake my

that’s been driven between

heading out. You good here?” John asks, snapping

you tomorrow,” I say, forcing

casting a somewhat concerned glance my way before exiting the

My eyes catch Abby’s office

one.

But then, I decide that right now, I think I’d rather

…

bar always stays open for a couple of hours longer. I sit at

tastes a lot like failure. My eyes catch my reflection in the glass,

have reacted the way I did to

make

life, Karl,” my wolf murmurs, his voice a gravelly echo in my mind. “You

proud. Not territorial.”

glass. “She knew how much that party meant

—”

competition means to her,” my wolf retorts. “If you ever plan on

need to show support. Show that you care. And not

back defensively, but my

thoughts and

cue, Chloe, one of the bartenders, walks

feels for me into the glass along with

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

instead

I can manage both,”

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

aren’t I?”

like how you missed being supportive of

Her voice drips with

So she knows.

know what went down last night, how you made

you’ve got the nerve to get

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

I wasn’t prepared for right now. For a