Gemotions

The online comments stung like a thousand tiny needles. "Best damn chili I've ever tasted!" "Seriously, the *best*!" They were raving about "Mama Rose's Chili," a dish he'd perfected in secret, using his late grandmother's recipe. His grandmother, who had passed away, and who had taught him everything he knew.

He stared at the screen, a muscle twitching in his jaw. The "Mama Rose" in the recipe's name wasn't his grandmother. It was that… that woman down the street, who had swindled the recipe from him under the guise of friendship.

He closed the laptop with a snap, the sound harsh in the silence. He wouldn't eat tonight. He couldn't.