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“We worked together. We created the restaurant together. It

was our dream. Both of us. Your dad was my best friend. We

trusted each other. I thought we understood each other. I

thought we were building something good. And we were.”

“And then he, what, got greedy and took it from you?

How?” Haley’s eyes shot sparks and her words cut Claire

down. She was losing her already. She wouldn’t believe

anything she was going to say, but that didn’t mean she

wouldn’t try. She’d put the truth out there because Haley

deserved to know, and for that reason alone.

Claire still wanted to scream. She wanted to fall on her

knees and dig her fingers into her hair and tug and cause

herself some kind of pain that could rival the agony brewing

inside her, clenching into a thousand knots and tight, horrible

fists. For once, she didn’t give a shit what she looked like. If

all her feelings and emotions were showing on her face, then

so fucking be it.

“We got famous fast. People knew about us. The wait list

went from a few weeks long to a few months long, and then

finally, it was almost impossible to get a reservation. We took

turns cooking. Gave ourselves a few nights off a week. That

was part of what made the place so unique. Two chefs working

on a different menu every other week.” Claire had to stop and

control her breaths. She was breathing too fast, her lungs

pumping hard.

“We made sure we only had the freshest ingredients. We

wanted to do different things. Experiment with local foods and

flavors. One time, I wanted to do a seafood menu. All seafood

for two weeks. Your dad liked the idea. He…” Another breath.

In and out. “I should have known something was off, but I was