Page 6 of Chef's Kiss

I can only imagine the size of the lawsuit, but I don’t care. I’ll go to any length to keep anyone else from trying to take what’s mine.

And she is mine alright, whether she knows it or not.

It doesn’t even matter if she comes by the show. I’m gonna go back there and let her know who she belongs to.

Me. Forever.

CHAPTER 3

Charlotte

“He’s not interested in me like that,” I say, rolling my eyes at the absurdity of Alexa’s words.

She cleared out the people at the counter so fast I barely had time to clean up the mess I’d made. The mess he caused me to make, although in no way do I place blame for it on anyone but myself. Being responsible and not complaining are things I strive for, no matter the cards life throws at me.

“Girl, he was straight up loitering, just trying to extend that conversation with you.”

“He was being polite because I’m new. I was just being polite back.”

“Uh huh,” she says kicking her neck out to one side and tilting her head to the other as she looks at me with incredulous, completely disbelieving eyes.

“He probably heard the glass break and felt bad about it.”

“That man doesn’t feel bad about anything, and he’s not exactly known for being cordial either. You didn’t see him just chilling out with me like he was with you,” she says, making air quotes around the words chilling out.

“We weren’t chilling out,” I say, with a laugh.

“Well it sure looked like you were cold judging from the way your headlights were on their high beam settings.”

“Are you serious?” I say, raising my hands to my chest to cover them, but then drop them quickly remembering that he’s no longer here. Strangely in that moment just now I just felt them poking through again. Am I still turned on by him even though he’s long gone? Or does just thinking about him get me to this warm and fuzzy place I’m feeling right now?”

“Look,” she begins. “That man, and what a man he is, has been coming in here for years, and he’s never acted that way. Never.” She pauses. “I’m gonna be honest with you, even though this is kinda embarrassing. I wanted him so bad that I was literally trying to figure out his type. I went and got a tan, and lost weight trying to look like a gym bunny with unlimited frequent flyer miles. He didn’t bat an eye. I gained fifteen pounds and tried to chat with him about my favorite Netflix shoes, trying to see if he’d be down for some Netflix and chill. He pretended like I didn’t even exist. Then I started doing tons of hot yoga, let my armpit hair grow all wild and played the whole hippie vegan thing, thinking that he was into food so maybe he was into that lifestyle. He just look at me like I stunk. Literally!”

“Did you?”

“Oh you’re wrong to go there,” she says, but we both laugh.

“Someone like him doesn’t go out of his way to talk to someone like me. I’m just going to appreciate it and realize it’s a one time thing. It was nice, and now it’s over.”

“Over? You better get over these limiting beliefs you have and believe me when I say you better bring an extra pair of panties with you to work tomorrow because I could smell the chemistry between you two.”

“Gross!” I pinch my nose. But did she really? Is that even…possible?

“Come on, Alexa,” I say suddenly feeling way more comfortable with her. It’s like she was above me, and pretty mean this morning, and now we’re kinda on the same level or something. This is totally weird. “This is like if Disney wised-up and realized women are the new men and then made a new, updated for our generation version of Beauty and the Beast, and in this case, well…let’s just say I wouldn’t be Beauty.”

Alexa just shakes her head.

“Tell me one curvy, introverted friend you have that has ever attracted a sexy, famous, and I’m gonna go ahead and put it out there…wealthy, man like Christian.”

She says nothing. “Exactly. It’s a fact of life. We’re invisible in Southern California. Even the waitresses are actresses just waiting to make it big. How can I compete with that?”

“Well, you were sure outcompeting me this morning, because believe me when I say I was trying to get his attention.”

Actually, I did notice, but I’m not going to bring it up.

“He’s all yours. At least you’ve got a shot.”

“Tell that to my anonymous blog entries for the last three plus years.”

“I’m sorry, but he’ll soon see. I’m sure of it.” But am I? The last thing I want to do is misread signals and assume that Alexa’s right. And admit that I thought I saw, and felt the same thing she was seeing.

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