Page 129 of Sugar & Shadows

The gorgeous woman at my side shoved my arm and glared at me.

“Can you excuse us, Ethan?” she said, standing and yanking me up by the elbow.

I got to my feet, noting that Opal, the chef, had appeared nearby.

She took one look at the three of us and cocked a brow.

“Ethan,” she said. “I’m working on a new dish, and I’d love to get your feedback on it.”

The woman had earned a Michelin star. The last thing she needed was feedback from this douche nozzle.

She gave me a wink. “The fish is raw, so unfortunately, I can’t extend the offer to you too, Sabrina,” she said. “Why don’t you two step outside? I’ll tell Ethan all about my culinary vision.”

She zeroed in on me, and I vowed to give her a VIP town parking pass without an expiration date.

“Good idea.” I scooped up Sabrina’s tote bag and coat, knowing she wasn’t coming back in.

We’d barely made it to the lobby before she started snarling at me.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she hissed.

The men playing chess froze and gaped. I gave them a smile.

“You do not get to storm in here and act like a territorial caveman.”

“I’m not,” I said weakly.

“You were one minor inconvenience from flipping that table like a Real Housewife,” she snapped.

“He’s the one drinking white wine,” I countered. “It was tasty, but if anyone’s the housewife here, it’s him.”

Sabrina pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you drunk?”

“Of course not.”

“So you’ve just lost your damn mind, then? You’re acting like a jealous lunatic.”

Huffing, I crossed my arms. “I’m not jealous.”

“That was so unconvincing I actually feel bad for you.”

We stood in the lobby, facing off. My chest heaved and my hands shook. I was mad and frustrated and drowning in a million other emotions.

I didn’t realize Opal had appeared in her chef’s whites until she was standing next to me, holding out a large bag.

“To go,” she said. “Get out of here and figure this out.”

Sabrina clasped her hands in front of her, seemingly chastened by her no-nonsense attitude.

“You two already fight like you’re married.”

“Ha,” Sabrina barked. “If he doesn’t stop acting like this, I’ll be burying his body in the woods tonight. And that would be really unfair to my shoes.”

With a dip of my chin, I took the bag from her. “I’m safer when she’s yelling, actually. It’s when she goes quiet that I get scared.”

Opal shook her head. “Get out of here. You’re scaring my dinner guests. And Mayor?” She put one hand on her hip and looked up at me. “You owe me.”

I nodded. Yes I did. My position came with limited power, but I could probably have a statue of her in erected in Founder’s Park, or maybe some kind of citizenship award for bravery or valor.