A Recipe for Rivalry by Olivia Quint

Author:Olivia Quint [Quint, Olivia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Olivia Quint
Published: 2020-07-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Michael

There’s that tiny inner voice everyone has, telling us what’s right and wrong. I’d been listening to mine a whole lot more since meeting Chloe.

Chef Didier had decided to give us full creative freedom over our menus after a month of working the stalls. Finally, we were free to prepare whatever we wanted – whatever would help us win.

So far, I was still well ahead of Chloe, but she seemed to be inching steadily closer by the day. After everything that had happened between us, she was resolute in seeing her dream become a reality.

Just then, though, I had something else on my mind.

“Good day, ma’am, is everything all right?” I asked one of my customers. That particular middle-aged lady had become a regular of mine, and we’d talked quite a bit over the last few weeks. She told me she loved my dishes, mainly because my cooking reminded her of her son’s. Apparently, he was also a chef, which made him travel around the world a lot. The lady’s husband had passed away a few years prior, so her son was all the family she had left. Despite all that, she was usually very cheerful, but that day, her mood was visibly off.

“Good morning, Michael, though I must’ve asked you to call me Caroline half a dozen times already,” she insisted, managing a smile. “Today is actually the fourth anniversary of my husband’s death...”

“I’m so sorry, Caroline, I had no idea,” I replied gently.

“No, don’t worry about it,” she said, patting the chair beside hers, motioning me to sit. “It’s just that... I usually spend this day with my son. Unfortunately, his career really took off this year, so I might not see him for another few months. My birthday is on the 29th, too, which means I’ll be spending another anniversary all alone again. I’m sorry, Michael, I shouldn’t bother you with such things...”

“Not at all, ma’am,” I protested, then added with a smile, “today’s meal is on the house, and I’ll also wrap up something for you to eat later. It’s the least I can do! Whereabouts do you live?”

“Actually, just around the corner, that’s why I always come around. Why do you ask?” she replied, looking at me inquisitively.

Chloe

Finding myself suddenly alone in front of the Génie, I wondered why Michael could’ve closed early. He was always the first to come and the last one to leave. However, that day something different happened – he’d apparently left with an older woman. Thinking nothing of it, I decided to use his absence to my advantage and even the score between us.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you’d be waiting for me to get back, love!” his voice drew my attention after a while, just as I was serving my last customer.

“I wanted to know whether you were okay, that’s all,” I replied, crouching to shutter my stall for the night. I was just getting back up when I found Michael standing in front of me, blocking my way with his arms crossed on his chest.

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