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“I don’t even have that app,” I whine, not wanting to log into something.
“My God, you’re a caveman. Just open the video in a browser, and it’ll play by itself without the app.”
“If you say so.” I do as she says, and the video does, in fact, pop up.
On the screen is a young girl, maybe in her twenties, and she holds up one of our sauce jars. The caption to the videos reads, “Need a dupe for this expensive sauce? I just found one!”
“What is this?” I say out loud, but Alana doesn’t answer.
I think she figures I haven’t finished it. The girl goes on to explain to whoever she’s talking at the screen to that our sauce is just so expensive but tastes bomb, in her words, and she’s found a sauce that tastes exactly like it.
The minute I hear that, my blood goes cold. Because no one’s sauce tastes like ours. She then demonstrates the similarities between our sauce and some pizzeria in Philly called Duomo’s Oven. How they’re both tangy but sweet with a hint of zest. How their tomato sauce almost has this rustic flavor.
The girl then goes on to detail that this other restaurant is only selling the jars out of their own kitchen, so if you’re in the area to grab them, but they’re not retail yet.
“What the fuck is that?” I press the phone back to my ear, feeling a chill go up my spine.
“I thought the exact same thing. It just popped up on my feed as I was scrolling, and the video is only from two days ago. But it felt off.”
“We just put the new security system in,” I grit out, not that this has anything to do with that.
“It could just be they taste really similar. We’ve had comparisons like this before, there have been a ton who have tried to copy our sauce. There are hundreds of videos like this out there.”
“Just not one popping up after I found those ruined rows.” Internally, I’m trying to stop myself from reacting as if this is the worst possible case.
“Who is it?” Gabrielle scoots in beside me and lays her head on my chest.
“My sister.” I mouth, not wanting Alana to get nosy and ask what I’m doing here.
Gabrielle picks up her phone and scrolls while I finish my call, but I love how she keeps us connected. I love that she’s become comfortable enough to do her little routines in front of me or that we can lie in bed doing different things while holding hands. The things that real, longtime couples do.
“I know, Warren said the same thing. I say we keep an eye on this place, I can even go out and maybe try a slice to compare, but we’ll keep it on our radar. We’ve got the new system, I’ll put an alert for that restaurant’s name in my media channels, and we’re doing all we can do.”
“Right. We are.” I’m trying to convince myself as much as she is.
“Just thought you’d want to know. Sorry to cause you the anxiety. But say hi to Gabrielle for me.” Alana giggles on the other end.
“How the hell did you know I was here?” I blurt out, too raw to keep secrets right now.
“Are you kidding me? You literally whistled at the restaurant when I was there this week. Whistled, Liam. All of us have known for weeks, you’re a horrible liar. Or keeper of any secret. That’s why no one tells you shit.”
I harrumph at being caught and for having a flaw pointed out to me. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks for ruining my night. Sweet dreams.”
We hang up, and the video plays repeatedly in my head.
“What’s going on? Everything okay?” Gabrielle is now sitting up beside me, and I reach under that T-shirt to confirm my assumption about the panties.
“Goddamn, I knew it. And I can’t even enjoy it due to my annoying sister.” My scowl deepens.
Gabrielle chuckles. “Enjoy later. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
Pulling up the video on my phone, I let her watch it. Gabrielle presses play twice, seemingly scrutinizing it, and then hands it back to me.
“Sometimes a coincidence is just a coincidence, Liam,” Gabrielle suggests, though I know she’s also trying to calm me down.
But something niggles at my brain that this isn’t that. “I know that. But this feels weird.”
“Maybe it is. Maybe something nefarious is going on, and you have a right to be cautious. I’ve been here for what’s happened to your family. I know how something can snowball into something much more threatening. But for now, I don’t know that this should cause a panic.”
