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.

with a sigh, I head to the bar where Chloe is standing. Frustration is evident on

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

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

evening.”

through the system. A

machine whirrs back to life, responding as

been holding.

I’d have

reassuring smile. “Anything else I can help

But…” She hesitates, her eyes flickering with an unspoken

have snapped at

the counter, crossing my arms. “Chloe,

insists, her eyes earnest. “I’m your best friend, Abby, and I’m just…

see you get

keep buried deep down, but I push them away, offering her a

married Karl once, remember? Learned my lesson the hard way.

to happen again.”

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

him hurting you again.”

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

own decisions, and I don’t

for a beat, a mix of emotions

reluctant nod. “I understand.”

you,” I say, my voice soft, before

as I make my way back to my office, Chloe’s words reverberate in

her concern, but another part is frustrated. This

tightrope, balancing between concern and independence, friendship

Chloe. Our bond means more to me than

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

Abby who fell for Karl’s charms all those years

my heart broken. I’ve grown, learned, and changed. Why

friends

that’s

back down into my office chair, though,

the taste of his lips. Our intimacy in

spoken about.

wonderful, horrible, delicious mistake.

…

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