Chasing His Kickass Luna Back novel Chapter 158

Leah takes a sip of her water, looking thoughtful. “Abby, you might have to make a choice here—between your best friends who have stood by you, or the man who’s ruined everything for you over and over again.”

“I really think he can change, Leah,” I say, my voice tinged with a desperate hope. “People make mistakes, right?”

She puts down her fork, her eyes locking onto mine. “You thought he would change before. Look where that got you. How many more chances are you going to give him? And at what cost?”

My chest tightens, as if it’s being gripped by an invisible hand. I know where this is going. “No,” I murmur, shaking my head as tears threaten to spill out. “Don’t leave me too, Leah.”

Leah glances at her watch and starts to get up. I can see that her eyes have misted over as well, but she’s trying to hold herself together. “I’ve got to go. But Abby, you need to decide. It’s either us or him. You can’t have it both ways.”

And just like that, she's gone, leaving me alone in a restaurant full of people. The irony isn’t lost on me. I’m surrounded by a team that relies on my guidance, patrons who love my food, and yet in this moment, I’ve never felt more isolated.

…

The last customer leaves, and I lock the front door behind them, flipping the sign to ‘Closed’.

I retreat to the sanctuary that is my office, a small room crammed with cookbooks, invoices, and a computer that has seen better days. My phone’s screen glows accusingly at me from my desk. I’ve tried calling Chloe multiple times, and each call goes straight to voicemail.

The last message she sent me is pretty clear: “You can leave all of the voicemails you want, but there’s no way to justify this. I’m not speaking to you until he’s gone for good. Consider this your first real wakeup call, Abby.”

I curse again, louder this time, and rake my hands through my hair, clutching at the strands as if they hold some magical solution.

Why did I think that agreeing to participate in this cook-off was a good idea? And why did I think that bringing Karl back into this pressure cooker of a situation was the way to go? I’m questioning every decision I’ve ever made, and the walls of this tiny office feel like they’re closing in on me.

I take deep breaths, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions storming inside me. But it’s useless; what’s done is done. I don’t know how I’m going to pull this off, how I’m going to mend these bridges with Chloe and Leah, how I’m going to practice this damn truffle recipe, or how I’m going to face Karl tomorrow.

I’m about to reach for my phone again, considering another futile attempt to call Chloe, when I hear a soft knock on my open office door. I look up, and there he is—Karl, standing in the doorway, his eyes flickering to the card on my desk that Mr. Thompson gave me yesterday.

“Is everything okay, Abby?”