Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“I told you to write notes on your hand,” hisses Ava.
“Did you see how close Denise was watching me?”
She straightens her sheer maxi dress and checks on her hair. It’s slicked back in a ballerina bun. “That was a prize-winning pot. But I doubt we’ll even place.”
Connor tips his chin. I give him a wave. There are about a million questions in his eyes and fair enough really.
“Do you hear that?” Ava cocks her head. “Katja’s singing. She must have talked Nicole into letting her go onstage with her.”
“Go if you want. I can handle things here.”
She shakes her head. “This won’t take long.”
“So. I did what you said. When does Denise start to love me?”
“Did you really think it would be that easy to replace me?” Ava stares at me down the length of her nose.
“Not exactly what I’m trying to do.”
“If you say so.” She smirks. “Showing an interest in what she loves will help. It’s just going to take time.”
We both watch the judges conferring with their heads together. Then a moment later they seem done. Denise doesn’t look happy, which gives me hope. Given the effort Ava obviously put into her pot, she deserves some recognition. The three judges return to the middle of the long table.
Denise gives the crowd a brittle smile and says, “We’ve made our decision. The winners are…”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Congratulations.” Connor inspects the white rosette pinned to my dress. “An honorable mention in the chowder cook-off isn’t bad, Blue. Mom doesn’t give those to just anyone.”
“You are not going to believe the story I have to tell you.”
“I might if it involves you suddenly becoming a soup savant.” He slings an arm around my neck. Like we’ve been doing this forever. “Between you and me, I also get excited by fennel.”
“As herbs go, it’s a banger.” I grab hold of the hand hanging over my shoulder and this is just plain nice. Our first post-sex PDA. Holding his hand was always enjoyable, but this is different. The affection seems more honest this time. At least, it is for me.
The judging panel and Ana Rosa pose for photos along with her prize-winning pot of quinoa and cauliflower chowder. She deserves it. The soup smells amazing. Apparently roasting the bulbs of garlic made all the difference.
It is entirely possible that I learned more about soup today than I have in my entire life. What with Mom being a chef, she was never too interested in cooking at home. Which is fair enough. Perhaps I could get interested in cooking. Maybe next year I’ll enter the cook-off for real. I just need to buy one of those big-ass pots.
“Grandma said to wish you luck,” he says. “She’s in charge of cow poo bingo this year. Otherwise, she would have come and watched your moment of glory. But Daisy has a habit of trying to knock down the fence and wander off the field. As cows go, she’s something of a renegade.”
“You didn’t record my win on your cell to show her like a good boyfriend?”
He frowns. “Shit. Was I supposed to?”
“No.” I smile. “You’re fine.”
“Thank fuck for that. Talk to me,” says Connor, leading me through the crowd. “How did you and my ex come to be in cahoots?”
“Long story short. Though before I begin, please bear in mind that this is probably one of those it-made-sense-at-the-time sort of things.”
“Got it.”
“Ava decided the best chance for me to bond with your mother was to say we both worked on the pot of chowder she made. We had from the time it took us to walk from our cars to the cook-off tent for her to teach me the recipe.”
“Surprised she didn’t tell you to write it on your hand.”
“She did,” I answer. “I thought it was a bad idea. Is that what she used to do in school?”
“No. She’d wear these baggy basketball shorts to exams and have notes written on her thigh.”
I laugh.
“Since when does Ava want you to bond with my mother?”
“I know. It was news to me too,” I say. “Her relationship with you obviously didn’t bring out the best in her, but I think Katja is really good for her. She also seems to be doing a lot of work on herself. In all honesty, I applaud her for today’s efforts.”
“Huh.”
“Riley, honey,” shouts Harold from a stall selling berry jams. There’s a choice of strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, and huckleberry. “Congratulations on your chowder.”
“Thank you!”
Connor asks, “What are you going to do now that people think you can cook?”
“I can cook,” I say, only mildly outraged. “My cinnamon toast is fucking amazing, thank you.”
“I stand corrected.” He draws me in close and kisses my hair.
“See if I ever heat up a microwave dinner for you.”
He laughs. It’s a beautiful sound. But what’s nice is how some of the people nearby stop and smile. Like his happiness is a rare enough event that it’s worth taking notice.