More to Life ✔

Chapter 44 A blessing

From: Gourmet Adventures Contest

To: Maria Tomas

November 19th, 2:45 AM

Subject: Invitation to the final cook-off

Congratulations, Maria!

We and our sponsors love your creative recipes and would love to sample them in-person. On December 15th, we're inviting our three finalists to Montreal for a final cook-off that will be broadcast on our channel. Based on the results, we'll be selecting our winner. We are providing return transportation contestants from any major Canadian city to Montreal in exchange for two posts about their experience on the train.

We understand that you are in Thailand. You would be responsible for transportation to Canada on your own. If you would like to compete in the cook-off and be eligible for the grand-prize trip to Paris, please reply by November 20th.

***

The following Thursday, Maria waited in the courtyard while Mitch and Shawn played a game of one-on-one, making her hands and feet itch. Part of her wanted to sink three-pointers like she used to. The other part wished Mitch would challenge her until he had her pressed up against the wall, hot breath tickling her lips and his firm chest against her. Maria closed her eyes and let the thought escape with her exhalation.

Father Michael would arrive any minute, and she needed to purify her thoughts. Not that he could read minds, but it seemed blasphemous to feel that way around a priest.

The ball stopped bouncing, and Mitch approached. "Is Tom taking you out for dinner?"

Maria cocked her head to the side. She and Tom had fixed any awkwardness from Koh Samet, but Mitch spoke like they were an item. "No, the priest from Assumption Cathedral is coming to bless my apartment."

"No kidding, so I get to meet the hottie?"

Her face flushed. "Stop!"

Mitch sat beside her on the bench. "Are you nervous? You seem more out of it than normal."

She took a deep breath. Keeping her stress hidden for the past two days was exhausting. "I made it to the bonus round of the cooking contest."

After slinging a sweaty arm around her shoulder, Mitch pulled her closer. "Told you! Why so glum?"

"It's in Montreal in three weeks."

His embrace morphed into a back rub, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"That's pretty short notice. Are you going to go?"

She'd contemplated it most of yesterday and arrived at her decision this morning. As amazing as it would be to have her cooking celebrated, she had responsibilities in Bangkok to her students and the school that had taken a chance on her despite her lack of experience. She couldn't afford a one-way ticket, and after Samet's magic, her heart longed to explore more exciting corners of this tropical paradise. Montreal wasn't going anywhere, nor was her social media audience.

"No, it's robbery to pay to return to Canada for winter."

"You'd have to fly yourself there?"

Maria nodded.

"That's bullshit."

She shrugged. "It was a contest open to Canadians, so there's transportation from within the country. I moved away partway through the competition."

"But if you hadn't moved, your cooking wouldn't have half the Thai flavours that helped it win."

That was another advantage of staying, more amazing food and opportunities to grow as a cook. Sitting up, she put more distance between her and Mitch. "Yeah, but maybe I've gotten what I needed from the contest. It started as Adrian's idea to escape our sad situation, then turned into a way to win him back, then something to give me confidence while I struggled through teaching. It brought me closer to Prae, to Emma, to you. But I'm improving my teaching every day, and I've shaken off Adrian and Kelsey. Thailand is where I need to be now, not Canada."