Page 39 of Never Kiss Your Brother's Best Friend

The class cheered, startling the ferret, who jumped off Celia’s head onto the floor. The raw meat fell off her head and rolled down her arm. I clasped my hands over my mouth. There was no way I gonna laugh at that last unfortunate event.

I grabbed the meat off the floor, along with the ferret and put them both back in the cage. The class started chanting my name, “Sterling. Sterling.”

Celia glared at me. I thought this might be the shortest partnership in history. But then she broke out into an infectious giggle that lasted for minutes and won my heart in an instant.

She asked me to double check that the ferret hadn’t made any deposits during his time on her head. Once I gave her the all clear, she gave me a hug and that was it. We were inseparable after that. Nothing like a rogue ferret to bring two people together.

We got engaged after graduation and opened a clinic. Everything was right in the world. Just until it wasn’t.

We made plans to come back to Cedar Creek and move our clinic there, but then Celia changed her mind. She said she wasn’t coming. The engagement was off.

I was… well shocked doesn’t even come close. There are no words to describe how I felt. It was so out of left field. I never even got a good explanation. She just said that she wasn’t a small-town girl.

I mean, okay, I get that, but I would’ve been open to going somewhere else. It didn’t have to be Cedar Creek. But I never got a chance to tell her that. She just left, changed her phone number, and dropped off the face of the earth.

To say I was crushed is an understatement. I could barely get up in the morning to go to work. But I had to. I’d just bought this place and had a mortgage. Folding was not an option. And it was Peter who helped me keep it together. Peter who was by my side every day until I could stand on my own again.

I owe him. His opinion deserves to be heard. So I’ll go dinner. And I’ll leave the wine bottles at home.

Chapter seventeen

EMMA

We’re back at Zoe’s for our weekly girls’ night. It’s crazy how fast the days fly by. And it’s amazing how much I look forward to this now that it’s back on schedule. It’s like a breath of fresh air every week. We get out all the things we’re thinking about but don’t say to other people.

The pizza is already on the kitchen island. We rotate different toppings each week, trying to be adventurous. Last week, Zoe insisted on plain cheese and Mia and I gave in, but not tonight.

One of the things I love about small towns, especially ours, is the food. We have some of the best local eateries. Personally, I think some of our restaurants even rival spots in the city.

Our local pizza joint is called "Top This! Pizzeria." Its slogan is “Where Creativity and Deliciousness Know No Bounds.” And they are not kidding. It’s looks like a little hole in the wall place, but no pizza shop has ever compared, no matter where I go.

They just introduced a special Reuben pizza. It’s topped with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing. I’m kind of unsure about this one. If I wanted a sandwich, I would just get one, but Mia thought it sounded delicious.

I pushed for the "Tater Tot Surprise" pizza but was outvoted. I mean you can’t mess up tater tots, am I right?

Zoe pours our drinks and I start handing out slices. Just in case I don’t like Mia's selection, I made sure to order the S’mores dessert pizza. So either way, I’m gonna be just fine.

As we start digging in, the girls are quick to ask about the fundraisers, but I don’t want this night to always be about me first, so I guide the conversation to them.

“So, Mia, Zoe let slip something about you trying out for a reality TV cooking show or something?” Mia shoots Zoe a look.

“Yes, well, Zoe wasn’t supposed to say anything about that. I really wasn’t going to tell anybody I’d applied, but she happened to be there when I got a phone call.”

“So, you got it?” I lean in, legs bouncing in excitement.

She sighs. “No, it was a denial. I knew it was coming. I made a few selection cuts to get to the final ten, but apparently my ‘signature item’ wasn’t quite what they were looking for, which wasn't a surprise."

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Which one did you choose?”

“It was nothing on my menu. You had to create something new. I actually went to LA to a studio. You’re in a huge kitchen with a bunch of other bakers. I’m sure you’ve seen something like it on TV before.”

“Yes, I love those shows!” I tell her.

She smiles. “So, you know the drill. They stock the kitchen with a bunch of ingredients and then we had a certain amount of time to come up with something. They wanted to see how we worked under pressure.”

Zoe and I turn to each other, then to Mia, with puzzled looks.

“I can’t believe neither of us knew you did this. We’re your best friends,” I say.

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