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My best friend Leila James posted on social media, and she made sure to tag me.
[My bestie's place is my place. My brother-in-law's getting married over the holiday weekend, and Starmoon Diner's got it covered. Thirty-six tables, all free, everyone's invited!]
Thirty-six tables. At standard pricing, that came to eighty-six thousand dollars.
I gave a small laugh and didn't reply.
That night, I canceled every purchase order scheduled for the holiday weekend and shut the kitchen down completely.
Early the next morning, a notice went up on the door: [Equipment maintenance. Temporarily closed.] Then I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the airport.
When Leila found out, she called me straight away.
[Why is your place closed? I need to lock in the menu the day after tomorrow!]
I answered coldly.
[Bad timing. Equipment maintenance, you know. Or you could cook it yourself?]
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At exactly noon, Leila posted again, this time with a group photo.
The caption read:
[My bestie's place is my place. My brother-in-law's getting married over the holiday weekend, and Starmoon Diner's got it covered. Thirty-six tables, all free, everyone's invited!]
Below it, nothing but likes and comments.
[So generous, Leila!]
[Now that's a friend worth having!]
I was still looking at the post, hadn't even had a chance to screenshot it, when my phone buzzed again.
Leila had added me to a group chat called [Wedding Planning].
There were forty-seven people in it. Not one of them was someone I knew.
Leila sent a voice message, ordering me around like the hired help.
[Vinnie, these are all my in-laws. Take a look at the menu. You've got to have the full spread of seafood dishes, don't embarrass me.]
Right after that, someone whose display name was [Nathaniel Whitney] jumped in. Leila's husband.
[Put out every signature dish. Top-shelf whiskey for the liquor, and premium cigarettes.]
Then someone named [Dana Whitney] popped up, and this had to be Leila's brother-in-law.
[Since it's your bestie's place, why not throw in the wedding decor too?]
[Backdrop, floral arch, emcee and sound system. All easy stuff.]
I stared at the screen and said nothing, and more people chimed in.
[Dana, you lucky guy, landing a sister-in-law like this.]
[A free wedding banquet, that's got to save at least a hundred grand, right?]
[Where's the owner? Say something! When can the menu be settled?]
Leila couldn't wait to tag me.
[Vinnie, where'd you go? My in-laws are all waiting.]
