Chasing His Kickass Luna Back novel Chapter 167

Abby

The morning sun is barely peeking over the horizon, casting a soft glow on the deserted streets as I race toward the restaurant.

Despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t sleep, and am currently running off of several cups of coffee. My mind races, replaying last night's accidental revelation like a broken record.

I need to find Karl. Now. And even though it’s early, something tells me that he’s already in the kitchen.

I burst into the restaurant, my eyes scanning the empty tables, the bar, and finally landing on the kitchen door, where a dim light is shining through the small window. Pushing it open, I find Karl, knife in hand, chopping vegetables with a newfound kind of precision brought about by his apprenticeship under John.

“Karl, we need to talk. Now.”

He looks up, his eyes meeting mine, widening for a moment before narrowing with concern. “Abby, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I wish it was that simple,” I mutter, brushing a stray strand of hair out of my eyes from my mad dash across the city. “We need to find those truffles. The competition—”

“I told you, it’s not happening,” he interrupts, his voice taking on a stern tone. “That place is dangerous. I’m not going back, and I’m certainly not taking you there.”

“Karl, you don't understand. I got an email last night.”

He pauses, placing his knife down on the counter. “An email?”

I nod, my heart pounding so hard I think it might pound right out of my chest. “From the cook-off judges. I wasn’t supposed to see it, but I did. They’re picking the truffle dish for the main course. If I don’t nail that recipe, I’m screwed.”

I lean against the counter across from him, my fingers gripping the edge till they turn white. “So what? We just give up? Let go of this whole competition? I’d basically be accepting failure at that point.”

He looks up, his eyes meeting mine. I can see a sense of regret in their brown depths, but there’s something else there, too. A warning. “Abby, I know it sucks. But I just can’t let you throw your life away over a mushroom.”

“A mushroom that could help me win this competition,” I whisper, my voice filled with a bitterness that surprises even me.

Karl sighs. “You think I don’t know that? You think it doesn’t kill me to say no to you?”

My heart clenches at his words. I can see the sincerity in his eyes, feel it in the tremble of his voice. But alongside it, I also feel the overwhelming sensation of this victory slipping through my fingers.

“So that's it, then? We just let this opportunity slip away? Pretend like we never got close?”