Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

#Chapter 98: One or the Other

Abby

The restaurant is buzzing with activity as we prepare for the lunch rush.

Karl’s returned to work today, and surprisingly, it doesn’t feel as awkward as I thought it would. In fact,

there’s a sense of normalcy that I didn’t expect to find. John, especially, is elated to see Karl back.

“Karl!” he exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air. “Thanks go ds! Get behind this line right now and

give me a hand, will you?”

Karl smirks and tugs his apron on, nodding. “Sure thing,” he says, crossing the kitchen to the line.

“Missed me, huh?”

“Don’t make me admit it.”

For a fleeting moment, I think to myself, maybe this won’t be so bad after all. But before the thought

even has a chance to settle in, the person I was truly dreading the most arrives.

Chloe.

Almost as though she sensed that something is off, Chloe bursts in through the front door. Her eyes

roam around the restaurant, taking in the staff, the prep work, and then they finally land on Karl. Her

expression shifts so quickly, it’s like watching a storm cloud eclipse the sun.

“Abby, can I talk to you? Now?” The temperature in her voice plunges several degrees. I motion her

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toward my office. The door barely clicks shut behind us before she explodes.

“What the hell is he doing here?”

Taking a deep breath, I choose my words carefully. “Look, I know it sounds incredibly dumb of me, but

he came clean about a lot of things, Chloe. And he seemed genuinely remorseful.”

“So you just let him back after you just told me that you were done?”

I sigh, passing a hand over my face. “I know. I know it’s st upid. But he wanted to help, and trust me,

I’m

keeping my distance. I swear.”

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She stares at me, her face a mask of incredulity. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Listen, we really need the extra help right now, Chloe,” I plead, my voice tinged with desperation. “I

can’t spend my entire day working the line with John while there are managerial duties I need to attend

to, and I don’t have the resources to train a new cook right now. I’m keeping my distance from Karl, I

promise. I know it’s st upid, but what choice do I have?”

The air between us thickens, electrified by the tension. Chloe’s eyes narrow, and her lips press into a

thin line.

“You have a choice, Abby. You always do. And if you’re telling me that your choice is to keep him

around, then my choice is to not work here any longer. Especially not with a man who’s proven time

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and time again that he can’t change.” Her voice trembles, making her anger and betrayal all the more

palpable.

I reach out, hoping to bridge the gap between us, but Chloe steps back. “Please, don’t go,” I say,

almost whispering. “It’ll be okay. Trust me.”

But Chloe isn’t hearing it. “Call me when you come to your senses,” she says, her voice thick with

unshed tears.

Without another word, she turns on her heels and storms out, leaving me standing in a room that

suddenly feels much too large and excruciatingly empty.

…

The restaurant is in full swing by the time Leah walks in. The sight of her usually brings a wave of relief,

a touch of sanity in the midst of chaos. But today, it just serves as a reminder of the mess I’ve found

myself in. I’m sure that Chloe sent her, without a doubt. She catches my eye and motions to a table.

“Can we talk?” she asks.”

I nod and make my way over, signaling to Ethan to take over the helm while I take a break. We sit

down, and Leah dives right in.

“So, Chloe called me and told me everything.”

I sigh, unable to meet her eyes. Of course she did. “She was furious, Leah. She quit on the spot.”

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“Do you blame her? After everything Karl has done?”

I shake my head, frustrated. “No, of course I don’t blame her, Leah. But still, I thought she would be

more understanding, knowing the situation I’m in. I need all hands on deck for the cook-off, and Karl is

a good worker.”

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.

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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

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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 under my breath, my frustration peaking as I throw the phone onto the desk.

The impact wakes up my computer screen, bringing back the article about black truffles I’d been

reading earlier. I sigh as my eyes skim the text again, discussing the rarity of black truffles and how the

harvesting season is just about over.

As if I needed another obstacle.

It feels like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.

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My friends are turning their backs on me, and I can’t say I blame them. Karl, the constant thorn in my

side, is back in my life despite my gut screaming it’s a bad idea. Meanwhile, my wolf refuses to show

herself unless I’m close with him.

And to top it all off, I have this recipe I need to master, one that calls for an ingredient so rare and

expensive it’s almost laughable.

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 da mn 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.

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“Is everything okay, Abby?”

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