Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0163
Abby

“Okay, John, pass me the truffle oil,” I call out, my focus entirely on the pan in front of me.

“Got it,” John replies, handing me the small, dark bottle.

The kitchen is close to closing time, and John and I have been spending every free moment today

trying to get this recipe right. We don’t have the truffles, but I’ve settled on some substitutions, figuring

that it’ll be better to at least get practice on the dish rather than nothing at all.

I drizzle a few drops over the mafaldine, my eyes narrowing as I try to capture the elusive essence of

the dish in my mind. “It has to be perfect. The competition won’t allow any room for error.”

John smiles, a flash of warmth in his eyes. “You’re doing great, Abby. We’ve got this.”

But as I stir the pasta, incorporating the oil into the sauce, I know something isn’t right. It’s good, but it’s

not perfect. The aroma of the truffles fills the air, but it’s missing that rich, deep scent, the kind that

lingers on your tongue and in your nostrils.

Still, that doesn’t mean that it’s a total failure.

mushrooms, watching as they combine with the mafaldine. “Okay, let’s

it

white plates, and I spoon generous portions onto each, taking

right in preparation for the cook-off. We sit down at the makeshift tasting

John takes

up, but not with the brilliance I

good,” he says

take a mouthful, letting the flavors play across

I say, setting down my fork with a

features. “What’s missing? What do we

perfect?”

shake my head, frustration building. “It’s the truffles, John. These truffles just don’t have the

truffles have. Without the right truffles, we can’t get the

just right.”

brand? Maybe it’s the supplier?”

my head, exasperated. “I’ve tried three different suppliers already. Unless a

our

eyes meet mine, unwavering. “Then we’ll have to just keep practicing with what

it as perfect as it can be. And when the time comes, you’ll be

are meant to comfort me, but all they do is make me even more frustrated. How can

element to this dish is what is supposed to make it so

“I think

towel onto the counter.