“Great! It’s going to be so much fun!” she squeals.
“Congratulations, Meadow. You deserve this. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
I lay back on my bed and try not to let my jealousy get the better of me. I love Meadow like I love my sisters. She’s been like a member of my family since we were kids in elementary school. I’m happy for her.
Really.
Meadow deserves everything she’s getting. She’s worked her ass off to make a name for herself in the design business around town. She’s talented and disciplined.
Then why is it that all I feel as I lie here staring up at my bedroom ceiling is jealousy?
All day, I wait for her text as I try my hand at making rose cupcakes for the restaurant. They turn out better than I expected, and no sooner do I put the pink, white, and peach colored cupcakes out in the case, I finally get word from Meadow where we’re going and what time.
Be at CK at six. Can’t wait to see you!
CK. That’s the restaurant Cade’s cousin said he worked at. I stare down at my phone and wonder if I should text her back for the address or if she’ll realize she forgot to send it. A second later, another text from Meadow makes my phone vibrate in my hand, and I see she did remember.
Money must be no object for Sabrina tonight since CK is one of the best restaurants in town. Definitely not in my usual price range, but for Meadow, I’ll swing it.
Catching a glimpse of myself in the glass window of the display case, I grimace. I might be able to afford CK for one dinner, but with the way I look, I’ll stick out like a sore thumb at a place like that.
Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to go shopping for a new outfit, so I’ll just have to muddle through with that dress I bought last summer before everything happened. I close my eyes and try to push away the negative thoughts that immediately pop up in my mind.
So things went horribly wrong and your boyfriend cheated on you. It happens. At least you’ll get to wear that dress you were supposed to wear to the rehearsal party.
I repeat those words over and over for a few moments, just like Dr. Thorpe always says to, and for the first time ever, it actually works. I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly—also a trick she swears by—and open my eyes to see my reflection staring back at me.
Still not great, but with some makeup and my trusty hair straightener, I’ll look good enough for Meadow’s celebration dinner. It doesn’t really matter what I look like anyway. With her sister there looking like Miss Florida, who’s going to notice?
“Is this place not the most gorgeous place you’ve ever seen?” Sabrina gushes as Meadow and I scan the menu.
Normally, her exaggerating gets on my nerves, but tonight she isn’t overstating how incredible CK is. Dimly lit by lights in the ceiling, sconces on the dark colored walls, and lamps on end tables scattered around the restaurant, the bank of windows that takes up the entire wall facing out toward the water provides not only enough light but a breathtaking view.
Gorgeous is the least CK is.
“I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Meadow whispers as she leans over toward me. “This menu has so many things that look so good. What are you thinking of getting?”
My eyes roam over the large parchment menu in my hands for a moment before I turn to face her. “I have no idea. Maybe the shrimp risotto?”
“You have to get the steak, Meadow,” Sabrina says, interrupting us. “I’ve heard people say it’s the best they’ve ever had. Something about the way they treat it or where they get it from. That’s what I’m getting.”
Meadow stifles a laugh and points at the steak section on the menu. “Steak with rosemary chimichurri? I can do rosemary, but I’m not always a chimichurri fan, Sabrina.”
Her sister waves away her concern about the spiciness of the dish. “It’ll be fine. Places like this never go full-tilt on the spice anyway.”
I roll my eyes behind my menu, and as Meadow leans away to sit back in her seat, she says, “I’ll think about it, but I’m really feeling salmon tonight. The only thing is I like it well-done. Do you think that will be a problem?”
Before I can say she’s the guest of honor so she can have her salmon any way she likes, her sister leans in toward the center of the table shaking her head. “That’s like blasphemy to chefs at a restaurant like this. You can’t ask for that, Meadow. What’s wrong with salmon like it’s usually done?”
Meadow get a sheepish look and shrugs. “The texture is too soft. It makes eating it almost impossible.”
“Then you have to get the steak. That’s it. Steak it is.”
We’ve been here fifteen minutes, and already I want to stick a fork through Sabrina’s forehead. I promised I wouldn’t say anything to make anyone uncomfortable tonight, but before I can stop myself, I mumble, “Why don’t we let the woman who just scored the job of her dreams choose what she’s going to eat and how she’s going to eat it?”
Despite the fact that every table around us is filled with other people, I swear I can hear a pin drop when those words come out of my mouth. Meadow pulls her menu so close to her face that she can’t possibly even see the words to read them, and I glare across the table at Sabrina with a death stare since I’ve already gone back on my promise to not get into it with her.
The entire scene feels like someone’s put the world on slow-motion speed. Nobody seems to be moving around us, and all I can hear is the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
Sabrina glares back at me from across the table, her perfectly made up eyes with her fake lashes ever so slightly narrowed to let me know she didn’t appreciate my little comment. Well, too bad.
“Meadow, you do what you want. Tonight is your night, so you don’t have to listen to anyone.”
Typical Sabrina. She gets bossy and then makes it seem like everyone else is pressuring people to do things.
Lost in my disgust with how easy it is to predict Meadow’s sister would act like this, I don’t see the man approaching our table until he’s right next to my elbow. I look up and see it’s none other than Cade’s cousin himself.
He smiles, showing off perfectly white teeth and lighting up his face so even his dark brown eyes seem to sparkle. I hadn’t noticed how stunning he was that day, but now as he’s standing over me looking down like he’s happy to see me, I’m taken aback by how he looks, even in his chef uniform.
Oh, my God! I can’t remember his name! What was it? Damnit, I can only remember Cade’s name. He’s going to think I’m so rude. He said such wonderful things about my cookies, and I can’t even remember his name.
“Hailey, isn’t it? The woman who makes the incredible desserts at Comfort Food?”
I give him a smile I hope hides the terror racing through me as I try to recall what his name was. Cade and… Oh, God. How could I have forgotten?
Finally, after a pregnant pause that surely must be making him wonder if I’m suddenly a mute, I say, “Hi! Yes, that’s me. Thank you so much for remembering…”
His smile grows broader, and he finishes my sentence, mercifully. “Alex. It’s great to see you again, Hailey. I don’t remember if I mentioned where I worked, but I happened to look out and saw you sitting here, so I thought it would be only right that I came out to say hello to return the professional courtesy.”