Page 5 of Last Chance Love

My reflection mirrored my smile when I remembered Riley once said the resemblance between Max and me was ‘striking.’ Max had looked irritated, but he generally did, especially now he’d been saddled with the responsibility of mentoring Riley. Admittedly, it was weird. Max wasn’t even in the program anymore, having graduated the first year I was here and had shown no interest in it. Yet there he was, having to watch over Riley, which reeked of Mona’s interference.

Still, even if Max didn’t want to admit it, therewasa strong similarity between us, at least in looks. We were roughly the same height and build, which put us above average and made buying shirts that fit my shoulders a pain in the ass. Our hair was black, but where his was straight, mine tended to curl if I let it grow too near my ears, which I rarely did. His eyes were a strange blue I’d never seen before, and mine were just plain hazel. His features were a little blockier than mine, but we had the same strong jaw and thick brows that people teased me for, giving him an even deeper grumpy expression.

“Well, it helps when I haven’t been spending the past couple of days puking my guts out from some bad chicken,” I said with a smile.

“True,” Mr. Isaiah chuckled. “I forgot about that.”

“Not hard to forget, I’m sure. It was a while ago.”

“You forget, Mona put Rip in charge of the kitchen. If there’s a problem with the kitchen, I get to hear about it. And you should know Rip by now. He’s passionate about his job.”

That was putting it mildly. Rip was nearing the end of his term in the program, but apparently, early on, he had joined the kitchen staff and thrived. By the time he was a Tier One, he had been considered overdue for his position as head of the kitchen. He’d taken to the position with a dedication that, while impressive, could also be…intimidating. I felt bad for whoever he’d determined had screwed up so badly that a dozen guys had ended up seriously ill.

“So you got to hear all about it, huh?” I asked. “From Rip himself.”

“That I did,” Mr. Isaiah said with a snort. “Took him almost two hours to wear himself out. I thought our Mona could read someone the business, but boy, Rip has lungs even she could envy.”

“What am I envying?” her voice piped up, and I jumped, spinning to find her walking into the room, looking between us.

“Rip’s ability to bitch,” I said and then closed my mouth when Mr. Isaiah made a choking noise.

“Boy, are you tryin’ to get me killed?” he wheezed.

“Cute, Garrett,” she snorted. “You don’t need these boys thinking you’re scared of me. We need them thinking you’re still in charge.”

“Shit,” Mr. Isaiah said with a hearty laugh as he dropped into his seat, slapping his hands on his desk. “Everyone figured out you’re behind the wheel of this place, and if they didn’t, they will eventually. I know my place here.”

Mona stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes. “We’ll talk about your skewed view of your role later.”

“Good, something to look forward to,” Mr. Isaiah said, sounding like he meant it. Their back and forth came naturally to them, and he clearly had great affection for her. Honestly, if I had someone as capable as Mona running things for me, I’d probably like her a great deal as well. “Now, I see you have something in your hands.”

“I do,” she said, holding up a folder. “I’m going to ask Leon here a question.”

“What’s that?” I asked warily.

“Are you still willing to make that bet?”

“Bet?”

“On your candidacy.”

“I—”

She said nothing as my voice faltered, glancing nervously between Mr. Isaiah and Mona. Once again, I wondered what was going on in her head. Was this a test, or was she giving me a chance to back down? Mona wasn’t…well, okay, she was one to play games. I didn’t see her do it often, but it always seemed like she had good reason.

“Well?” she asked, wiggling the folder.

I guess it didn’t matter what she was up to. This was down to me, wasn’t it? Maybe she was playing a game with me. I could waste time trying to figure out what the game was, but…no. If I was wrong, I would have to see what Mona would do about it.

“Yeah,” I said finally, taking a deep breath. “I stand by it…even then.”

“Hmph,” she said, smirking so diabolically I felt my stomach twist. She held the folder out to Mr. Isaiah, who took it and flipped it open.

I resisted the urge to lean over and catch the words on the page. Not for any moral reason but because I could see Mona watching me, and if she’d wanted me to see it, she would have just handed it over. Instead, she let Mr. Isaiah look, his eyes narrowing as he read…slowly.

After almost a full minute, Mona let out a heavy sigh. “Garrett.”

“I’m gettin’ there, I’m gettin’ there.”

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