Ambrose has been in love with his best friend, Lana Hart, for years.
But she tied the knot with the love of her life three years ago, leaving Ambrose broken-hearted and disillusioned about love.
Enter Davina, the most difficult girl Ambrose has ever...
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Isn't odd how sometimes people act a specific way then suddenly transform into someone new? Dinner with my parents was an adventure, something I hadn't expected to experience in my life. A family. I could count on my hand the splendid memories I had with my parents, which was before the alcohol consumed them.
The last time they tried sobering up was when I entered the eighth grade, but their sobriety only lasted a measly thirty-two hours. There wasn't a day in my entire life where I spent time with my parents being sober. However, if I had to be honest, dinner with them wasn't as horrible as I initially expected.
Immediately, mom got straight to the point of asking about my experiences with the entertainment industry. Apparently, it's been my mother's dream to become a star in her teenage years, but I came along before she could pursue it. Dad threw in a few words every couple of minutes to look as if he was paying attention, while no one even bothered asking about Davina.
Which in all honestly bothered the fuck out of me.
As a gift, I took my parents out shopping. According to my uncle, they aren't doing well finically and I figured offering to purchase things for their house would be a good son thing to do. Dad hadn't hesitated about my present while Mom fought against using my paychecks to help them.
My father admired a silver sheen refrigerator with two large doors and a freezer attached to the bottom big enough for all the fish they take from work. "Jillian, I think it would look the best in our kitchen."
A skeptical grin stretched across her face. "I don't think any of this would look good in our ragged old house. Besides, I think we should buy a washer and dryer. I'm tired of having to drag our laundry every week."
Father nodded. "Sure, whatever. I'm sure Ambrose can afford to buy all of this."
A nervous laugh departed from my lips. "Yeah. I think I got everything covered."
Mom nudged Dad in his stomach, earning a howling groan from him. "We shouldn't be taking advantage of Ambrose, he has a future to think about and bills to pay."
I scratched my head as I looked around. "There's nothing to worry about, Mom. I want to do anything I can to help you guys."
An upside about this competition and my contract with Davina was the money. All my checks went straight to my savings account. With the six contestants remaining, I hadn't thought about what I wanted to do after the show. After my heartbreak with Lana, I lost the passion I had for cooking, but competing these past months brought back the tingles I used to feel when I chopped vegetable years back.
Maybe I should open a restaurant like I wanted to do all those years ago...
Dad dropped his hands onto my shoulders, causing my entire body to jerk forward. "Then let's add a new stove onto the list."
"Honey, stop it."
"What?" Dad groaned, his eyebrows furrowing together. "It's been years since we brought anything for ourselves. I think we deserve it for being five months sober."
