Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0160
Abby

The weight of failure feels almost physical, like there’s something sharp and heavy literally lodged in

my chest.

I stare at the computer screen displaying “Truffles Unavailable” in blunt, red letters. I’ve sent countless

emails to suppliers, spent hours scouring online marketplaces, and I’ve even visited local storefronts to

browse their selection, all to no avail.

A part of me wants to give up on the recipe altogether, to throw in the towel and declare the universe

the winner in this sa distic game it’s been playing with me. I could hope that this recipe won’t be chosen,

or at the very least, that I can read enough about it online to get a good idea as to how to make it.

But another part—perhaps the stubborn or perhaps the hopeful part—won’t let me settle for that. What

if this recipe is chosen for the competition? What if the online recipes just don’t do it justice? I need to

be prepared, and this could be my last shot at turning things around.

I close the laptop with a sigh, my eyes drifting to a framed picture of me and Chloe on a past

mushroom hunting trip. It’s not truffles, but maybe, just maybe, I could find something close, something

that’ll at least help me practice the textures and flavors.

…

“Going somewhere?” The voice slices through my thoughts, and I turn around to see Karl standing at

the doorway, his eyes lingering on my hiking boots and backpack. It’s early in the morning, too early for

anyone but me to be here. And yet there’s Karl, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as my grandmother used

to say.

“That’s none of your business,” I shoot back, my voice carrying a sharper edge than I intended. But

really, the last thing I need right now is more complications, more entanglement with him.

He steps into the room, the door falling shut behind him. “Abby, don’t be like this. I told you that I want

to help.”

appreciate that, but I don’t need help,” I interject, zipping

since I was a

a moment, his eyes penetrating,

find truffles around here, you know

I need to do

demeanor shifts, his voice turning stern, his posture more rigid. “Then let me come

you.”

in his eyes, a silent,

I’ve been dealing with lately. And in that moment, something

way.

myself say.

second, I see something there, a glint

relief. “Good,” he says, his voice softening.

my office,

just agree to

…

soft beneath my boots, each step m

earth.

hangs in the early morning air, casting the forest in surreal grays and blues. I feel like

maybe a nightmare, if something were to

a respectful distance, his footsteps softly echoing my own. We

ground for any signs

I point to a cluster near a huge oak tree’s

take a closer look.

leaves to reveal the reddish-brown caps. “Definitely not the

yes, they are edible.”

discovering various fungi

others more muted but no

turns into a mini biology lesson as I identify them, and

slowly begins to lift.

we went mushroom hunting while we were

had to stop me from

sweeping over me. “You were so excited, you didn’t

would have sauteed it right up and ended up

laughter, and for a brief moment, the forest becomes a sanctuary, a place where

cool morning air, and nothing else. But then guilt

like this, not when I just lost my two best friends because of

But then, something happens.

through the mist, followed

between

instantly, grabbing my arm and pulling me behind a