AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, he graduated from MIT,” Joyce fires back.
I’m left speechless, my cheeks warming. Honestly, I couldn’t care less if Mike is in a garage band or has joined the greatest band in the world. I really want to tell her to stop dragging me into their gossip. I’m baffled that none of their children have issued them a cease and desist yet.
“That was a good point, Gina,” my mom finally says, giving me an out, for which I’m immensely grateful.
Joyce, lips pursed in a pout, clearly doesn’t share the sentiment.
“Anyway, speaking of local talent, what about Head Chef Total Domination?” Linda interjects.
Ugh. Great. I mentally roll my eyes. They’ve segued from one uncomfortable topic to another.
“Randy Thorn is dominating the competition,” Carrie announces with pride.
Comments bounce among them, touching on Randy’s tragic family history. They mention the terrible car accident that took his parents’ lives and how proud they would be of him now. Some reminisce about Blair Thorn, Randy’s mother. They remember her as likable and an avid swimmer at the community center in Bradley Ridge. They agree that Randy strongly resembles his father, Jeff Thorn.
“He was so handsome,” they say, except for my mom and Linda, who moved to town after the Thorns’ tragic accident and didn’t know them.
A moment of commemorative silence lingers.
“Well, his handsome son has been making me fat with all that butter in his delicious food,” my mom says, moving the conversation into a lighter place.
“Oh, Chef Randy’s food is to die for,” Joyce replies, her mood lightening from the earlier topic of Mike.
“He’s definitely going to win,” Carrie asserts, swirling her drink in her glass. I had almost overlooked their midday cocktail indulgence. “After he wins, I doubt he’ll ever come back.” She turns to my mom. “That means no more butter for you, Faye.”
The ladies laugh as those words hit me like a ton of bricks, making me freeze on the spot.
“But Gina has been covering for him in the kitchen, and she’s doing an incredible job,” my mom proudly declares.
Heat floods my cheeks at the mention of my name in the same breath as Randy’s, stirring a mix of pride and anxiety within me.
“I’m sure he’ll return to town when the show is over,” Joyce asserts. “I’ve spoken with him plenty of times. Chef Randy is very happy here.”
I almost reach out to my dad through the microphone in my earpiece, wanting him to shift the cameras from the gossiping group back to me. I’m eager to steer the conversation away from Randy and share my culinary plans for the cayenne pepper challenge with the audience.
However, Linda’s next comment stops me. She muses that Deanna Blume might whisk Randy away to the kind of upscale dining scenes far removed from our simple-town life, someplace where elaborate ten-course meals are the norm.
I lower my head once more, struggling against the urge to hyperventilate. For some reason, I’m teetering on the edge of losing control.
“No…” My mom interjects gently. “First, he has to come home. If he wins?—”
“You mean when he wins,” Joyce confidently corrects her.
“Yes, when he wins,” my mom agrees. “Mayor Salley will surely organize a parade in his honor.”
“Right down Main Street,” someone adds, though in my flustered state, I can’t tell who.
“And since he and Gina are friends,” my mom continues, “perhaps she could persuade him to join us here at our table when he returns.”
Focused on the task at hand, I feel their eyes lingering on me, but I steadfastly avoid meeting their gazes. Their recent words about Randy and Deanna have left me shaken, making it impossible for me to discuss him right now. Ignoring their attempts to engage me, I pivot, lower myself, and begin plucking mint for my mom’s petite garden.
Abruptly, my dad’s alarmed voice crackles through my earpiece. “What’s going on, Love Bug?”
“I’m baking,” I manage to utter, my voice betraying my attempt at stability.
“Did you even hear the question?” he asks urgently.
I spring to my feet, but the sudden movement sends my head spinning. The world swirls around me uncontrollably.
