Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 87911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Chloe told her mother of her plan to leave after graduation. She’d intended to stick around the summer to spend as much time with Alfie, but now her plans had changed. She wasn’t going to be in a town that pointed and laughed and mocked.
She was done.
This town was going to see the last of her, and she was never going to return.
Alfie had told her he loved her, and she really wished she could believe him.
“I think I was falling in love with him, Mom,” she said.
“I know, honey. You were. I could see it, and I’m so sorry he treated you this way.”
“I feel like everything I thought I knew is falling apart, and I don’t know anything anymore. Please, help me make it stop.”
Her mother couldn’t make it stop. All she could do was hold her, love her, and for now, it was the only thing that was going to be enough. She was never going to let another man do this to her.
She’d start a new life and never look back.
PART TWO
Chapter Twelve
Five years later
“I don’t think I should go on a date,” Chloe said, lifting up onto her toes and pushing some of the sauces around.
“What are you doing?” Lily asked.
“Looking for the soy sauce, I know I put it in this cupboard. I really need to go through everything, you know. I’ve got to move out in a couple of months, especially when I hand in my notice.”
As part of her culinary course, she’d been working on several of the restaurants that donated and supported key students and chefs. This was one of the first start-up culinary schools to offer this kind of program that not only trained students, taught them everything about food and management, but also supplied them with culinary scholarships at local delis, restaurants, and food chains.
Since leaving Satan’s Croft with her heart and reputation in tatters, she’d thrown herself into her work, and did what her mother asked, forgot about everything she once knew. In the past five years, her mother would travel to her, and they’d spend all the holidays and vacations together, and she didn’t have to go back to town.
This was all Lily’s choice, not her own.
Also, neither of them spoke about Eagle or Alfie.
She felt a little pain rush through her at the mere thought of Alfie. When it came to her mother, guilt was never far behind.
Lily always tried to put on a brave face, even though her love for Eagle was there, without any doubt at all.
“Do you have somewhere else to move to?” Lily asked.
“Not yet, but I’ve also been applying for a sous chef position at a couple of places. Demand is not really there, and the competition is fierce. I’ve heard several of the guys are doing the whole food blog thing, and I may have to consider it. People just don’t eat out anymore.” She shrugged. Her mother couldn’t see it. “For now, I’m the vegetable prepper, and at least I have a position, you know.”
“You want more though.”
“Yes. I do. Aha, soy sauce. Yum.” She quickly drizzled it over her vegetables in the stir-fry, and gave it a toss with a flick of her wrist. “Done.”
She didn’t bother with a bowl but took a mat to rest the pan on the surface, and started to eat the garlic and ginger vegetables she’d made.
“So, what were we talking about before we got into the soy sauce conundrum?” Lily asked.
“A date. One of the head chefs has asked me out on a date, and I’m not sure. He’s not the owner of the restaurant, but he’s kind of a big deal. I don’t know if I want to go on it.” It wasn’t like she was given much of a choice in the dating element with Reginald. He’d walked up to her as she was chopping, and pretty much told her they were going on a date. There was never a chance to dispute their potential date.
He was busy.
She didn’t want to bring it up at work, so that meant she was now only hours away from going on said date. This was one of the few days she had off, and she liked to spend it researching or talking to her mother.
“You’re not going to stand him up. You need to go out and date more.”
“Mom, me and dating, please.”
“You haven’t dated in five years, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about a guy.”
“There’s a reason for that. I’ve been focusing on my studies, you know that.” And she’d been suffering from a broken heart, and well, going out with any guy just didn’t appeal to her, not that thinking about Alfie helped.
She’d left Satan’s Croft and never returned. Sometimes she felt so alone in the big city. Then her mom would come and visit and everything would be magical again. She’d stop feeling sorry for herself and think about the future she had planned.