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“Good luck,” Malia said. “You’re going to beat the pants off of Kieran.”
There was a beat where I looked at Rebecca, and we both burst out laughing as Malia’s face went red.
“Damn right she will,” Rebecca said, “one way or the other.”
As my friends went back to their significant others, I turned over the duties of the bar to Sam and Leo and went to tell my papa I was leaving. He was in the midst of a rush of orders himself but stopped to kiss my cheek and tell me to get some sleep before jumping back onto the line.
I was going to spend the night alone for the first time in a while, and it was kind of weird but exciting in a way. Not that I was happy to be apart from Kieran, but the distance only made the intensity of our rivalry even stronger. He was going to spend the night at his place and I at mine, and neither of us was going to see each other until we were at the fairground in the morning.
The idea had been mine, but apparently, Kieran had been thinking the same thing. I had my suspicions it was because he wanted to go home and tweak his recipe at the last minute because he was afraid of losing to me.
Tonight, the plan was to go home at five, get a shower and comfortable clothes on, and not even look at my stove for the night. I had Papa prepare me a dish to take home for dinner, and I was going to enjoy it on my couch while I watched murderer profile shows and avoided wine at all costs.
Walking into my place and not seeing Kieran was still kind of weird. He should be there. It was how things had been now for a little bit, and I had already gotten used to it. Putting away my knives and starting the shower, I wondered what he was doing and decided not to bother him. He would send me a message if he got the chance. I was going to concentrate on getting myself calm and relaxed so I could sleep.
I had gotten rather accustomed to falling asleep completely exhausted from the intensity of another incredible orgasm and using his chest as a pillow. This was going to suck a little bit.
After my shower, I put on a comfortable robe and fuzzy slippers and made my way into the living room with my dish from Papa. When I opened it, I had to laugh. A lasagna, the thing I’d hated hearing called into the kitchen for so long and yet loved to actually eat when I got the chance, was sitting in my to-go box.
I stuck my fork in and got a big wedge of it into my mouth, closing my eyes and sinking into the memories it brought with it. No one could make a lasagna like my father. No one, perhaps, except Mama when she was alive. When she passed, Papa became the best by default.
With the last bite in and settling into the couch, my phone rang, and I swiped it open, surprised to see Helen’s name on the Caller ID.
“Hey, you,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“Not much. Just got off my shift for the evening. I sent Tony home a few hours ago. That boy is a bit much right now.”
I laughed. “I bet. Kieran mentioned that he’s taking the chili cook-off really seriously.”
“That’s an understatement,” Helen said. “He is obsessed. I came in today, and the pie that he normally makes was replaced with a chili pot. I had old people complaining.”
“I would think so. His pies are a staple. Did any of them try it?”
“I was told not to tell you or Kieran anything about his chili,” she said, almost robotically. “That said, he seems to be under the impression that he is going to win.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be any fun if he wasn’t,” I said. “Has he been warding off customers with his chili escapades?”
“The opposite, actually. People know he’s going for it and have been dropping in to eat some of his tester samples. It’s brought a lot of people back into the diner that usually don’t come in all that often.”
“Same for the bar,” I said. “Lots of folks who kind of lapsed for a bit have come in to try my new stuff. The rivalry between Dina’s and Sergio’s just added a new chapter.”
Helen laughed. “Good. Anything that drives both our businesses back up some is good.”
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t increase Kieran’s business too.”
She laughed again. “Let’s hope not. Alright, girlie, I just wanted to call and touch base and tell you Tony said that he will see you tomorrow when you have to acknowledge him as your chili master.”
