“You will be. This is a huge thing you just did. Besides, it’s good for me to check out the competition.”
“Competition for me? Stop. I’m not dropping everything and moving to Irish Hills.” Hope did love the summers there; she hadn’t been in a lake on a raft since.
Archie only liked swimming pools.
She did her best to be gracious, take pictures with the Best Dishes bigwig organizers, and she also hugged her fellow competitors.
Libby floated in and out, and if Hope hadn’t just intercepted Archie, well, maybe it would have been an awesome night.
But he’d ruined it for her. From across the country, he’d ruined it.
Well, not completely. At one point, the famous Chef Rami Ellston oohed and aahed over her dish.
“I need the recipe,needit,” Chef said.
Libby winked at Hope.
“How much do I owe you for making me look so good in front of my old friend here?” Hope said.
“Please, I’ve always known you were a rock star.”
“Well, well, well, imagine seeing you here.” A tall, handsome man appeared on the edge of the circle of their conversation and quickly took center stage.
He was dressed in a suit that likely cost the same as Hope’s entire house.
“Imagine, are you having me followed these days?”
“Hardly. My name is on the building.”
“Hard to miss that.”
Libby seemed incredibly rude all of a sudden. What was this about?
“Do you know Chef Ellston?” the man said.
“We just met; will you excuse me? I think I need some fresh air,” Libby said and abruptly left the little group.
“Stirling, I was just trying to steal this one’s recipe,” Chef Ellston said.
Hope was standing there with the owner of the hotel and celebrity chef Rami Ellston! She actually bit the inside of her cheek to be sure she hadn’t slipped into a dream state!
“The key is the zucchini,” she said. And felt like an idiot. The key to zucchini is the zucchini; yeah, brilliant commentary, Hope, brilliant.
“I’m sure it’s delicious. I wonder, could I borrow Chef Ellston for a moment?”
“Of course,” Hope said. She was glad to slip out of the orbit of the rich and famous. Time to say her good nights, thank Libby for being so sweet, and get back to her corner of nitty-gritty earth.
“You’ll be the centerpiece,” she heard Stirling Stone say to Chef Ellston.
It was time for a good night’s sleep. This dose of glitter could really spoil her. And really, she was spoiling to hash it out with Archie. Maybe burn her duvet cover, disinfect their shower, you know, the glamorous life.
Hope’s phone buzzed, and there it was: Archie. Presumably, just now seeing the colorful message she’d left him.
Hope walked out of the party and onto the balcony outside the banquet space.
The lights of Vegas twinkled in the horizon like stars. They weren’t, though. She looked up, took a breath, and answered the call.
“What in the heck was that?”
