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.

to the bar

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

mutters, her fingers hovering over the register keys. “It’s been acting up

evening.”

beside her and start navigating through the system. A

to life, responding as it should. Chloe

been holding.

Abby. I thought I’d have to do all the

I reply, giving her a reassuring smile.

She hesitates, her eyes flickering

about the other night… I shouldn’t have snapped at you.

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

eyes earnest. “I’m your best

don’t want to see you get hurt again, fall into another

I keep buried deep down, but I

remember? Learned my lesson

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.”

hand. “I appreciate your concern, Chloe, but I’m not a

make my own decisions, and I don’t need to be

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

reluctant nod. “I understand.”

my voice soft,

way back to my office, Chloe’s words reverberate in my head. A part of me

but another part is frustrated. This entire situation,

tightrope, balancing between concern

with Chloe. Our bond means more

same time, I want—no, need—her to trust me, to trust my judgments and my

Abby who fell for Karl’s charms all those years ago, who got lost in a relationship

got my heart broken. I’ve

my friends just see me as a fool who

guy that’s

though, a thought comes to mind. A

Karl’s hands on me, the taste of his lips. Our

spoken about.

A wonderful, horrible, delicious

…

has long since fallen quiet, with the last employees heading home for the night. I’m