God dammit. Could be me in here sharing a meal with Abby if I hadn’t gone and ruined everything yet again. Lost in glum thought, I don’t notice anyone approaching until a warm hand lands on my shoulder. “Karl? What are you doing here?” I look up to see Adam standing beside me, wearing his pr
Abby When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I notice is the golden sun filtering in through the sheer curtains, warming my cheek. The second thing I notice is the severe nausea roiling around in my stomach. Oh no. In one swift movement, I throw the covers off and bolt across the room,
I look up from the stove, where a delicate lemon cream sauce is simmering. Tonight’s dinner is lemon chicken and fettuccine, with home-baked focaccia bread. For an appetizer, John is putting together a light cucumber salad. Anton is whipping up pistachio mousse for dessert. “Uh, sure,” I say, dryi
Abby “So? Tell me all about it.” Chloe sidles up next to me at the prepping station, knife in hand. I shoot her a furtive look over the carrots that I’m getting ready to pickle for the gala. “Tell you about what?” I ask. Chloe smirks and glances over her shoulder at the others, then leans in
Slipping inside the freezer, I let out a shuddering breath that turns into a pale white cloud in the air in front of me. I lean against a nearby storage rack, feeling the frigid cold metal press against my skin through my chef’s whites. Fuck it. I need to talk to Karl. As if on instinct, I slip
Abby I suddenly jolt up from my seat so abruptly that my chair falls to the floor with a clatter behind me. The table falls silent. My staff and Damon all blink up at me, each face more confused than the last. “Abby, are you quite alright?” Damon asks, rising cautiously. “Are you hurt?” I sw
“I see.” Damon is still holding the paper bag with the box slid halfway out. He looks down at it for a moment longer before he looks up at me. “Are you seeing someone?” At his words, I feel my face heat up. This isn’t exactly the discussion I was hoping to have tonight, and the thought of Karl jus
Karl The pleasant yellow flowers sitting on my passenger seat bob and bounce as I drive up the winding road to the prince’s estate. On one side of me, there’s a stretch of rolling fields and a smattering of little seaside cottages here and there. On the other side, below a dropoff of large boulder
Abby Intrigued, I let Karl take my hand and lead me discreetly away from the reception, weaving through the tables and out a back door into the gardens. A mischievous grin plays on his lips as we giggle like teenagers, ducking behind hedges and scurrying across the lush green lawns. “Where are w
As the music shifts to a slow ballad, I feel a familiar pair of strong arms circle my waist from behind. “There’s my beautiful wife,” Karl’s deep voice rumbles in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He spins me around to face him, our bodies swaying in time to the soft music. I gaze up at him
Abby The reception hall is cast in a warm, romantic glow, with twinkling lights and the warm flickering of candles on every table. Soft music plays as Karl and I make our entrance, hand-in-hand to raucous applause and cheers from our guests. I can’t stop smiling as we wave to our loved ones gather
Abby The afternoon sun streaming in through the tall windows of the chapel casts the stones in a warm golden light, giving everything a sort of ethereal energy. I stand in the hallway, my arm linked with Anton’s, as the wedding coordinator prepares everyone to walk down the aisle. “Are you ready
Abby As I sit in front of the vanity mirror with the hair and makeup artist circling around me, I meet my friends’ gazes in the reflection; Chloe, Leah, Daisy, and even Elsie are here as my bridesmaids, each of them looking more beautiful than the last. “The seamstress really did do a great job
Abby With a gasp of excitement, I pull the wedding gown out of its box and hold it up in the light. Everything is perfect; the way the beadwork catches the light, the silky texture, the shape. I can’t wait to try it on now that it’s been altered to fit my body. Quickly, I slip out of my clothe
Abby “Abby, why don’t you sit down?” Karl looks up at me from where he’s sitting on the sofa, a look of concern on his face. He pats the spot next to him, but I shake my head. “I can’t,” I say, continuing to pace back and forth in our living room. “I won’t sit down until I hear back about that
Abby As I chop, stir, melt, and saute, the others stand around me, watching intently. The pasta simmers on the stove, the air smelling like warm butter and spices. It’s enough to make anyone’s mouth water. But my focus isn’t on the rumbling in my belly, nor is it even on the lingering pain in my
As we continue searching, I keep thinking back on our last harrowing hunt for black truffles; those poachers nearly shot us. Even now, I can still remember the sound of the bullets whizzing past my head, and the thuds they made when they careened into trees. “We got really lucky,” I say. “If we ha