Mr. Dangerous by Alexis Gold Page A

feel very well.”
     
    “I saw Mason leave,” Abby looked up at her with her big, round eyes full of empathy.
     
    “Chefs don’t usually last long at The Morning Bell. Hopefully you will be different, eh?”
     
    “Jasmine, I’ll be the best chef you could ever ask for,” she smiled, then continued. “I still feel like you’re upset, but I understand if you don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine though, because I have a plan.”
     
    “What kind of plan?” Jasmine asked suspiciously.
     
    It turned out, Abby’s plan consisted of making a batch of pancakes – dubbed “the world’s best,” although Jasmine did not quite buy her sales pitch. Regardless, she allowed Abby to make her recipe while she went to go lock up for the evening. As she walked out of the kitchen to do so, she was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of nausea.
     
    Trying not to make it seem as if it were a big deal, she slowly strolled over to the bathroom. Once inside, she turned the sink on full blast to cover the sound of her hurling into the toilet of one of the stalls. She sighed miserably at the gross, sick feeling that caused a bloating feeling in her stomach.
     
    Typically, she only had bloating near her menstrual cycle, so she began to wonder if she was due for one soon, as it had definitely been a while since she had started her period. In fact, she could barely remember the date of her last cycle. She shrugged it off. Stress tends to delay menstrual cycles anyway.
     
    Jasmine washed her hands and left the bathroom, feeling slightly better. The smell of cooking pancake batter welcomed her nostrils, causing her mouth to water with a ravenous hunger as she had forgotten to eat much throughout the day. She swiped the broom from the cleaning closet and began to clean up the café, enjoying the sight of Abby working hard in the kitchen – right where she was meant to be.
     
    Her auburn hair was pulled back in the hairnet and she smiled her sweet, toothy grin when she met Jasmine’s eyes. Jasmine frowned when she thought of what type of parents would kick that loving girl out of their home. All she ever wanted was to follow her dream to make and provide delicious food to others – how terrible of a dream is that?
     
    Abby was pouring chocolate chips into the batter when Calvin entered The Morning Bell from a long day at work. He was covered in grease and dirt and sniffed the air hungrily as soon as he walked inside.
     
    “Something smells absolutely delicious,” he rubbed his stomach dramatically. “Is that you, Abby?”
     
    “W-well,” she started, straightening her hair through the hairnet. “It’s not me per se; it’s the pancakes I’m making, though. You are welcome to try some.”
     
    “Yum. I can’t wait. I bet they taste fantastic if you made them.” He smiled at her.
     
    Jasmine watched as she smiled back shyly. Looking back and forth between Abby and her brother, she suddenly felt an odd mix of discomfort and excitement. Could a romance be blooming between the two? It would definitely explain Calvin’s sudden great mood lately. The two seemed to fit well together, especially since Abby had just turned eighteen with Calvin only a couple years older.
     
    Jasmine smiled and felt happy for them – if anything was even going on as she had assumed. She cleared her throat and shot a meaningful glance at Calvin, who returned her gesture with a pointed look, revealing that her suspicions must have been accurate.
     
    Although her day had not gone well, and her mind was racing with thoughts of where Mason could be, she felt a sense of comfort from the wonderful people in her life. Her stomach was racked with an uncomfortable nausea and her heart was painfully numb, threatening to break.
     
    Yet, simultaneously, she felt lucky to have Abby and Calvin around to keep her company so that she didn't feel so alone. When Abby’s head ducked back into the kitchen to finish making the pancakes, she sighed and tugged