Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

Chapter 103
Abby

My office is silent as I scroll through the new emails that have landed in my inbox. My fingers drum on

the desk, anticipating the one email that I’ve been waiting for the most—the details of the upcoming

cooking competition.

And then, there it is, bolded and marked with high importance: Cook-Off Competition Details.

Taking a deep breath, I click on it.

The email is concise but packed with information. Attached to it is a long list, detailing every possible

dish that might come up during the competition.

My heart rate quickens as I scan the list. Some dishes I recognize, ones I’ve made a thousand times

over in my career, but others are unfamiliar, exotic even, presenting challenges I’ve never faced before.

I won’t know which three dishes I’ll be asked to prepare on the spot. Which means only one thing: I

have to practice all of them. Every single one.

Grabbing a notepad, I jot down a list of ingredients I’ll need for the more exotic dishes, then turn my

attention to the restaurant’s supplier portal, adding item after item to the shopping list. The ingredients

range from the ordinary to the obscure. Each addition of expensive truffles, caviar, and fresh scallops

makes my anxiety spi ke.

How can I perfect so many dishes in such a short time?

Once the orders are placed, I stretch and push back from the desk, glancing at the clock on the wall.

It’s getting late, but there’s no time to waste. Without a second thought, I pull my hair into a messy bun

and prepare to head to the kitchen to get started.

Before I can leave, however, a sudden page over the intercom draws me from my task.

“Abby, can you come up front for a moment? I need help with the register.” It’s Chloe, her voice

strained.

my laptop with a sigh, I head to the bar where Chloe is standing. Frustration

the register. “Hey, what’s going on?” I ask, striding up

da mn thing,” she mutters, her fingers hovering over the register keys.

evening.”

navigating through the system.

to life, responding as it should. Chloe

been holding.

have to do all

her a reassuring smile.

that’s it. But…” She hesitates, her eyes

shouldn’t have snapped at you. Especially not over

the counter, crossing my arms. “Chloe, it’s

she insists, her eyes earnest. “I’m your best friend, Abby,

to see you get hurt again,

fears I keep buried deep

Karl once, remember? Learned my lesson the

to happen again.”

know,” she says softly, “but it’s just… you deserve so much better, and I can’t stand the thought

him hurting you again.”

out, gently squeezing her hand. “I appreciate your concern, Chloe,

make my own decisions, and I don’t need to be monitored or told what

my gaze for a beat, a mix of emotions swirling in her eyes, before she

reluctant nod. “I understand.”

you,” I say, my

Chloe’s words reverberate

but another part is frustrated. This entire situation, I realize, is

between concern and independence, friendship and

my friendship with Chloe. Our bond means more to

need—her to trust me, to trust my

the same Abby who fell for Karl’s charms all those years ago, who got lost

my heart broken. I’ve

all of my friends just see me as

guy that’s bad

down into my office chair, though, a thought comes to mind. A memory,

on me, the taste of his lips. Our intimacy in

spoken about.

delicious mistake. And it can’t happen

…

quiet, with the last employees heading home for the night. I’m