Chapter 0271


    Before I know it, I’m inside, the bell above the door announcing my entrance.


    “I’ll take it,” I’m telling the saleswoman, and it’s as if my body is moving of its own ord. The price


    pops up on the screen, my card swipes, and my fingers tremble slightly as I walk out of the shop with


    the bag in my grasp.


    Why? Why did I buy it?


    “Just in case,” I murmur to myself, heading back to the restaurant with a newfound pep in my step.


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    “Just in case…”


    …


    “You’ve reached Karl. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”


    I don’t know why I’ve called him again. Maybe it’s because he’s still on my mind. Maybe it’s because


    the pearlescent white dress that’s hanging on the back of my bedroom door is staring at me, reminding


    me of the date we had nned.


    Or maybe I’m just being sentimental.


    The beep sounds before I have the chance to hang up again. And I’m talking, the words spilling out of


    my mouth like an avnche.


    “Hey, Karl, it’s Abby.” My voice is steady even though I’m screaming on the inside. “I wanted to call


    you…”


    A pause. My fingers grip the edge of the counter so tightly my knuckles are starting to turn white. I clear


    my throat.


    “I’ve got news, and I guess I wish you were here to hear it in person.” Another pause, another cleared


    throat. “The security taped from the cook-off came in, and Daniel was exposed. But that’s not all… The


    judges, they’ve given me another chance.”


    I can almost imagine his response. I’d like to think he’d be happy for me. Despite everything, in fact, I


    know he’d be happy for me.


    “They want me to cater the Alpha party,” I continue, pressing the phone closer to my ear. “But there’s a


    catch.”


    I find myself smiling, even in my solitude. “I have to cook them a private meal first. To test my skills, I


    guess.” The words feel almost absurd as I speak them aloud, like it’s too good to be true.


    “I... I’d love it if you could be there, Karl. Onest hurrah as my sous chef?” The invitation hangs in the


    air, met by silence, of course. “It;s not mandatory, of course. Just... I guess I’d just really like you to be


    there. If you want.”


    There’s a tension in the air, one I can’t dispel withughter or a shake of the head. The kitchen around


    me is eerily silent, waiting.


    There’s a hitch in my breath, and it’s now that my voice begins to crack. My resolve is melting, I can


    feel it.


    “I miss you.”


    My voice is barely more than a whisper. I take a ragged breath, and then, without another word, I


    abruptly hang up the phone. Co?tent of Drаmа?ovels.cоm


    Not Karl. Not pearlescent dresses. Just a three-course meal.