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

argued, voices raised, over her decision to compete in

our earlier agreement. I’d felt betrayed; she’d felt cornered. And now,

messed up big time,” he

reply, my mind a swirl of regret and

kitchen grows quieter, the realization

of this restaurant. She’s not just another chef. She’s someone I

mean as much to me

yet, I let my insecurities, my fears, get in the way. I shake my

been

good here?” John asks, snapping me back

tomorrow,” I

a somewhat concerned glance my way before

and hang it up. My eyes catch Abby’s office door, still

one.

decide

…

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

a lot like failure. My eyes

piercing. Should I have reacted the way I did to

to make

his voice a gravelly echo in my

proud. Not territorial.”

the whiskey in its glass. “She knew how much that

—”

you know how much this competition means to her,” my wolf retorts. “If you ever plan

show support. Show that you care. And not just

back defensively, but my wolf

thoughts and

if on cue, Chloe, one of the bartenders, walks over to refill

if she’s trying to pour that disdain she feels

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

now instead of

asking, I think I can manage

with a touch

aren’t I?”

you mean like how you missed being supportive

Her voice

So she knows.

me everything, Karl. I know what went down last night, how

got the nerve to

like I’ve been slapped. Chloe has always been

prepared for right now. For a