“Good, but… Mal’s trying to interfere.”
“Sh—” Marc swallows his curse mid-sentence when he realizes Allie sits in earshot. “Mal has more issues thanSports Illustrated,” Marc finishes and shakes his head in disapproval.
“Mal? She isn’t my favorite,” Mom says, because Mom never says anything truly bad about anyone.
“She’s been snooping around the bakery sites. She’s threatening to buy the one I’m interested in.”
“She can’t do that!” Kylie exclaims. “Can she?”
“Well, she is richer than God,” Dad points out. Her full name, after all, is Mal Starr—yes, as in the international Starr Hotels. That’s her family. Her father died years ago, and now it’s just her and her mother. One day, she’ll own it all. So many hotels, and so many zeroes in her bank account that the sum would bring up an error message on your average calculator.
“Is there any way to stop her from buying your bakery?” Mom asks.
We all look at Marc.
“No way to stop her from buying a property. And I’m sure she can pay cash.”
“She says she’ll leave the bakery alone…ifI ask her out to the Golden Chef Awards,” I say.
“Isn’t that blackmail?” Mom asks, worried.
“Technically, extortion,” Marc corrects. He shakes his head. “Well, you could just bite the bullet. Ask her.”
“He can’t do that!” Mom exclaims. “Not after what she’s done.”
There’s a moment of silence as my family ponders Mal’s sins.
“She’s probably bluffing,” I venture.
Kylie frowns. Mom wrinkles her nose. Dad stays silent.
“What would it take to get a restraining order?” Mom asks Marc, who doesn’t bother to hide the smirk rolling across his face.
Marc rubs his chin, considering this. “The problem is state law says she’s got to make a threat or be threatening in her behavior. Just following you around and annoying you isn’t enough. And I’ll be honest, Jack. Without any domestic abuse charges, it would be an uphill slog.”
“So she just gets to mentally torture him? That’s not fair,” Kylie pipes in.
“Anyone else you can ask to the Golden Chef Awards?” Mom asks me.
Oh, sure. There are plenty of fish faces on my dating apps. Or there’s… Sora. “Well, I ran into Sora Reid the other day.”
“Oh!Sora Reid!”Mom claps her hands in glee. “TheSora Reid?”
“Sora who?” Dad asks, squinting and trying to remember.
“That girl he mooned over forever.” Marc rolls his eyes. He thinks crushes are disgusting signs of human weakness.
“Oh, you were so sweet about that girl. You’d spendhourspicking out her Valentine’s card in grade school.” Mom smiles softly, nostalgic at the memory. “How is she?”
“Good.”
“You should ask her out!” Mom cries. “It’s like… it’s like destiny.” Mom’s always been the romantic one.
“I did ask her out, but she’s taken a go-solo vow.”
“She’s flying a plane around the world by herself?” Dad asks, confused.
“No. She—”
