Chapter 0302


    Abby


    It’s the day before the Alpha party, and I feel as though I haven’t stopped running around since the sun


    came up. Chloe and Leah, always my biggest cheerleaders, have also been by my side since the crack


    of dawn.


    “Abby, you should take a rest,” Leah says, gesturing for me to join her and Chloe by the bar, where


    they’ve poured another cup of coffee for each of us.


    I sigh, tucking my clipboard under my arm. I’ve made a list of everything that needs to be done—


    cleaning, dusting, scrubbing, inventory, the works—and it feels like I’ve hardly even made a dent in all


    of it.


    “But I—”


    “No buts,” Chloe insists, circling around the bar to grab me by the arm and drag me over to them.


    “You’re taking ten.”


    It seems as though I don’t have much of a choice, so I do as they say. And I hate to admit it, but it is a


    relief when I slide onto one of the bar stools. Leah shoves a cup of coffee in my hand as she tucks a


    strand of her hair behind her ear.


    “Isn’t the party managementpany handling the big stuff?” she asks as I take my first sip. It’s light


    and sweet, just the way I like it.


    “Well, yeah,” I say with a sigh. “But they’re not supposed to be here for another couple of hours, and


    I…”


    “You’re being obsessive,” Chloe interrupts, shooting me a stern look. “Abby, you’re the chef. You’re not


    the chef and the event organizer and the cleaner. You don’t want to exhaust yourself before the big day.


    You should be resting.”


    Resting. I almostugh at the word. But before I cane up with a retort, my phone rings, interrupting


    my thoughts. I slip it out of my pocket to see that it’s the electrician; he’s been working in the basement


    all morning, trying to figure out why the power went out on the night of my dinner with the judges.


    We’ve had a backup generator running since then, but I’d like to know why our power suddenly went


    out at the exact same time a mystery wad of paper towels and other junk just so happened to clog up


    my pipes and create a huge mess.


    “Hey, Frank,” I say, tucking my phone between the crook of my ear and my shoulder as I stir my coffee.


    “How’s it going down there?”


    “Well,” he says in his gruff voice, a telltale sign of years of smoking, “I think I found the issue.”


    I can’t help but feel a sense of relief. “Good!” I say. “What was it?”


    The electrician hesitates for a moment before answering. “It looks like a line was cut in the basement.”


    My heart sinks at his words. “Cut? As in, with scissors?”


    I can hear the confusion in my own voice as I try to make sense of it. Even Chloe and Leah shoot me a


    concerned look from the other side of the bar.


    The electrician sounds just as perplexed as I am. “It’s definitely strange. But, if it makes you feel any


    better, I’ve fixed the issue down here and you should be all set. Maybe, just to be safe, you should


    invest in some mouse traps and maybe change the lock on your basement door.”


    Draмanovels.cоm


    “Yeah, I guess I should,” I say with a sigh, running my hand through my hair. “Thanks, Frank. Ethan


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    paid you, right?”


    “He sure did. Let me know if you have any other issues.”