Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 384

Abby

The sound of music fills the space as I carefully fold my clothes and place them neatly in a large suitcase.

“You’re sure you don’t want this?” Chloe asks, turning away from the mirror. She’s wearing one of my heavier winter jackets, a vintage wool piece that suits her really well.

“Yeah,” I say with a smile. “I won’t need so many heavy coats like that where we’re going. And besides, it looks really good on you.”

Chloe grins and peers at her reflection again. “Yeah, I guess it does, huh? Red is my color.”

Leah, who’s sitting cross-legged on my bed and going through old pictures, lets out a soft sigh. “I still can’t believe this is happening,” she says.

“Me neither.” Chloe glances at both of us in the mirror. “And to think you’re both leaving me.”

“Oh, Chloe.” I set down the article of clothing that I’m folding and cross over to her, throwing my arms around her shoulders from behind. “We’ll visit a lot. And besides, you’ve got your new boyfriend now…”

Chloe blushes at the mention of Logan. They’ve been official for a few weeks now, and it’s obvious that they’re totally smitten. I have yet to see them together in person, but I can tell just from the way that Chloe smiles when she talks about him that it’s really serious.

“Besides,” Leah adds, “you’ll be visiting for the royal wedding before you know it.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes. “It’s not really like that,” I say. “Modern royalty is… different.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s so different,” Chloe teases. “When is the coronation, again?”

Now, I’m the one who’s blushing. I turn back to my folding, but pause when I see that a picture has fluttered loose from the pile that Leah is sorting through and has fallen to the floor. I stoop down and pick it up, and feel my eyes widening when I see what it’s a picture of.

“Check this out,” I say, holding up the image. “Do you guys remember this?”

Chloe and Leah lean in, narrowing their eyes for a moment, and then gasp in unison. Chloe snatches the picture from my hands and claps her hand over her mouth as she looks at the picture of the three of us on a Halloween night from three years ago—when Karl and I first divorced.

“Oh my god,” Chloe exclaims. “I forgot about those costumes.”

Leah giggles and snatches the picture next. “Aw, we’re all so young,” she says. “We made such a good trio of Powerpuff Girls.”

I grin, opening my mouth to respond, but then the sound of the doorbell ringing catches our attention. Thinking that it’s the takeout food we ordered, I jog over to the front door and swing it open.

But the person standing on my stoop isn’t who I expected at all.

“Vanessa?” I blurt out upon seeing the vibrant smile in front of me.

“Abby!” Vanessa steps forward, holding a bottle of wine in her hand. She’s got her hair wrapped in a beautiful silk scarf and is wearing a fabulous trench coat and heeled boots, stylish as always.

I don’t hesitate, even though I’m utterly shocked; I throw my arms around her, hugging her tightly.

When we pull apart, though, my eyes are still wide. “Vanessa,” I say, “it’s so nice to see you, but… what are you doing here?”

Vanessa chuckles and holds the bottle of wine out to me. I take it gratefully and gesture for her to come inside, where Chloe and Leah are standing off to the side. Chloe is still in the red wool coat I’m giving her.

“I’m so sorry for the intrusion,” Vanessa says, nodding politely to Chloe and Leah. “But I heard you were moving away, Abby, and I was just passing through.”

“It’s not an intrusion at all,” I reassure her. I hold up the bottle of wine. “If you’d like to…”

Vanessa grins. “I’d love to.”

…

A few minutes later, we’re all sitting around the kitchen island with wine glasses in hand. I can’t drink for obvious reasons, so I’m sipping on a cup of tea.

Vanessa has removed her trench coat to reveal one of her usual fabulous outfits; she’s like a work of art in the middle of my sparse kitchen.

“I see you’ve been packing,” she says, looking around at all of the boxes.

“Oh, uh… yes,” I say. Truthfully, I won’t need most of my things anymore since we’ll be moving into Reginald’s palace, but there are just some things that I can’t part with—especially my own cooking equipment.

“Well, congratulations on your big move,” Vanessa says, then nods slightly toward my belly. “And congratulations on your new family as well.”

I blush and gingerly touch my stomach. “News spreads fast, huh?”

“I’m so sorry,” Vanessa blurts out, her eyes widening. “I’ll admit it. We’ve been gossipping.” She then glances at Chloe. “As it turns out, one of our judges just so happens to have an ‘in’ on your inner circle.”

I look over at Chloe, whose face is even redder than the wine by now. “Guilty as charged,” she mutters, holding her hands up. “I couldn’t help myself, Abby. I tell Logan everything.”

I can’t help but laugh. “It’s alright, you two. Thank you for the warm wishes.”

There’s a brief silence before Vanessa draws in a sharp breath. “Abby, I should also admit that I didn’t just come here to visit,” she says. “I came here to ask if you’re still interested in our international trip.”

My eyes widen as it hits me; the trip to Paris that had been mentioned after the Alpha party. Before everything had gone south, of course.

“I guess I thought that offer had been rescinded after… what happened,” I admit.

Vanessa nods slowly, sipping her wine. “I can see why you feel that way. And truthfully, it was. But given the recent revelations, we’d like to extend the offer again.”

I glance back and forth between Vanessa and my friends, thinking for a moment, before gesturing to my belly. “I hate to say this, but my schedule might be a bit full for international travel,” I say softly.

“Of course.” Vanessa nods understandingly. “The event wouldn’t be for another two years, though. Surely you might be interested then…?”

There’s another silence. I look over at my friends, who both give me silent, but encouraging, looks.

“This is a huge opportunity, Abby,” Vanessa says, noticing my trepidation. “And we need a chef as skilled as you for the job. We need a team as skilled as yours, too.”

“What exactly is the opportunity?” I ask. “You never elaborated at the Alpha party, I’m afraid.”

Vanessa draws in a deep breath. “It’s the International Chef Championship,” she says. “It only comes every fifty years; it’s an enormous deal.”

My eyes widen as I hear her words. An international championship… This is huge.

“Vanessa, I—”

Suddenly, Chloe grabs my hand beneath the counter. I glance over at her, and I see the look in her eyes: a warning. If I say no to this, she’ll never let me live it down.

And maybe I’d never let myself live it down, either.

I turn back to Vanessa, my cheeks red with anticipation. “Two years?” I whisper.

Vanessa nods. “Two years.”

Swallowing, I realize that I can’t say no to this offer. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime—literally. There won’t be another championship in my lifetime. Which means…

“Okay,” I breathe before I can make myself change my mind. “I’ll do it.”

Vanessa grins and stands, extending her hand to shake mine. “I’ll see you in Paris in two years, then, Abby.”