Page 30 of Taste of Surrender
“Your brother texted me a few minutes ago. They made it to LA.”
“Oh … That’s good.” It was probably silly of me to be disappointed that Mom told me instead of finding out from Malachi by a text.
She frowned. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“You just seem a bit down. I know not having Jesse around will be a big adjustment, but if they make it to the end, you’ll be so busy with all of your senior year stuff you’ll hardly notice he’s gone. Then June will be here before you know it, and we can see him again.”
I couldn’t tell her it wasn’t my brother who I was missing so much. Instead, I agreed with her. “I’m sure you’re right.”
While I started some rice, she walked to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of white wine, and poured herself a glass.
“Speaking of senior year, have you thought any more about what you want to do after graduation? I know you were looking at courses at Bunker Hill, and registration opens soon.”
My plan was to attend our local community college and then maybe transfer to Hawkins University after two years. However, with Jesse off chasing his dream, it made me realize I didn’t really have one of my own.
“A little bit, but I don’t know what I want to do yet.”
“Well, I happened to come across an ad for culinary school on social media today.”
I tilted my head. “How’d that show up on your timeline?”
She chuckled. “I’d told my boss about the incredible braised short ribs you made the other day. You know those apps are always listening.”
I nodded because my feeds were full of cooking videos and ads for bakeware. “It’s kind of creepy.”
“It is.” She took a sip of wine. “But the program has a lot to offer. The school offers cuisine and pastry courses, and you’d get to live in Paris while doing something you love. I know you said you wanted to go to Europe one day.”
Paris would be exciting, and making a career out of something I was passionate about would be awesome. “That actually sounds really cool. Can you send me the info?”
She smiled. “Absolutely.”
I satin the living room and worked on some homework while waiting forThe Band Showdownto start. It had been three months since the guys had left for LA, and I still missed Malachi like crazy.
At first, he and I texted several times a week, but once they started filming the live shows a few weeks ago, more time seemed to pass between messages. My head and heart were in a constant battle. Not having him around all the time andsharing secret moments hurt even more than I expected. But I tried to remember how the competition was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him and my brother, and was where his focus needed to be.
I was barely paying attention to the TV until the host, Kirk Benson, announced it was time for Surrender to perform. The second Malachi started singing “Natural” by Imagine Dragons, the audience went wild. He moved around the stage effortlessly while giving the impression he was singing directly to those in the crowd, proving he was born to be a star.
“I don’t know how it’s possible, but they sound better and better every week.” Mom beamed.
“There’s no way they aren’t making it to the finale,” Dad said.
“None of the other bands even come close to how good they are,” I added.
As they finished their performance, I felt the familiar ache in my chest that came with the reminder that it would be another week before I could watch him again. And I often wondered if I would ever get over the sadness of losing him.
While the show went to commercial, I decided to check my email. In my inbox was an email I’d been waiting on for a couple of weeks. Clicking to open it, I read the first line.
“Holy crap,” I breathed.
“Everything okay?” my mom asked.
“Uh … yeah. Everything’s fine.”
Dad lifted an eyebrow. “Then what’s going on?”
“I got into the Paris culinary school.”
