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Prologue

Curtis

“TAKE IT FROM the top in five, four, three…” Martin, ers then points to me, where I stand in the produce section of Heath’s Healthy Food Market in do Orleans

With nature smile in place, I look into the ca of every episode ofshow “I’m Chef Curtis Rockwell, and this is Chef to Go I’ll be surprising one lucky shopper with a chance to take me ho into a cocky smirk Ninety percent of the vieatch ood looks and flirtatious one-liners “—where I’ll teach ‘eourmet meal”

I turn a quarter of a circle on etables, plants I lean back against the display and cross eous and history-rich New Orleans, also known as The Big Easy Which is perfect, since it’s ht’s dinner seem easy for our a secret, even though there will be a crew of eight people following hting “Follohile I pick who I’ll be going horin at the ca off in the direction of the meat department

Chapter 1

Erin

I STARE INTO the dark abyss that is rocery store on the way home from work I could’ve sworn I at least had so rolls I had brought hoo I even drew little pictures of them in the corners of my notepad as I listened to Sally Stewartson drone on and on about how she hasn’t been able to go out on a date in the past fourhas such terrible separation anxiety that she would co wrecked I quirked my head at her like a puppybefore, since clearly her furbaby needed therapy I’d ist,” without then prescribing Sally a fucking lobotomy

But alas, I rolls in the ot home from my favorite little bar down the street from my creole townhouse here in New Orleans In all actuality, it’s not technically mine, per se It’show her world-renowned archeologist parents left it to her when theythe super-popular travel docu with her husband, it’s now basically ed, but E I had grown up here as much as she had We’ve been BFFs since ere kids and were inseparable Plus, she didn’t want to just leave it abandoned for three-quarters of the year while they were off fil their explorations

I close the freezer with a huff I had skipped lunch today, so there’s no way I’ll be able to sleep if I try to go to bed without eating dinner With no other choice, I trudge up the staircases and into ot home from work a little earlier, I shed my professional outfit of black pencil skirt, a tucked-in, sleeveless, floral button down top, and black pu with relief as I’d pulled the thong out ofI owned: surgery panties It’s what Emmy and I had dubbed the white ery last year They were so freaking comfortable that I asked for a few ed froerie bag on gentle cycle, they didn’t unravel My good ole surgery panties

I pull on a pair of leggings and tieto put on a bra, because I plan to just run in and out after grabbing sorocery run tomorrow Maybe

Snatching allop down the stairs, out the front door, take the time to lock it really quick, and then head down the sidewalk on foot toward rocer a little closer in the opposite direction, but I like Heath’s better even though they’re a s I’ for And I never run into anyone I know here, so I won’t have to worry about being embarrassed by my… comfortable appearance