#Chapter 159: Just Fine

Abby The smell of roasted coffee beans and fresh pastries fills the air as I step into the brunch spot where Chloe, Lea and I meet up once a week. It’s been a tradition of ours for years, and I’m glad to have things back to normal now that the cook-off is over Normal. The word feels foreign. After losing the cook-off, followed by Karl’s departure, ‘normal’ feels like something strangely new now. It’s weird how things can go precisely back to the way they were before, only for it to feel entirely different than ever. It’s been two weeks since Karl left and since I lost the cook-off, and time feels like it’s both standing still and moving too fast all at once. I feel like I’m lost in a mountain of paperwork and managerial duties, half-finished wine bottles and crumpled books. Right now, my life feels unendingly, irrevocably boring. And maybe ‘boring’ is exactly what I need right now. “Hey, Abby, over here!” Chloe’s voice cuts through the low hum of chatter and clinki