*Another cook off for Olive and Ned. I'll probably write like four chapters...*
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"Hey, what are you doing here so early?" Ned said as he entered the Piehole and saw Olive Snook sitting at the counter enjoying a bowl of what looked like ice cream.
"Engh, I woke up early and I was bored so I thought I would come down here for some breakfast." The blonde said gesturing to the bowl before her.
"Ice cream hardly counts as breakfast Olive…" Ned's voice trailed off as he disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. But when he reappeared Olive showed him her bowl.
"But there is cereal on top of the ice cream, I replaced the milk with ice cream… good idea huh?" Ned laughed and nodded before going about business.
When Olive was done with her ice cream/cereal she brought the bowl into the kitchen and dropped it into the sink, Then turned to Ned who was now filling a pie with some type of fruity mixture. God he was cute she thought as he awkwardly returned her glance.
"So Olive, did you get the flyer about the cook off?" He asked over his shoulder.
"What cook off? Didn't we just go to one?" Olive wondered if she had imagined it or not.
"Of course we did, remember the homicidal judge, and the contestants that were not above sabotage?" Ned reminded her as he turned fully to face her.
"Of course… you have flour on your cheek." Before olive knew what she was doing she reached up to wipe off the flour. When her hand touched his skin, He leaned into the contact, pressing his face against her hand.
"Ned," olive sighed as he kept contact with her hand; he just smiled at her then pulled away.
"So, do you want to go to the cook off? It's kind of different than the other one… but it still sounds like fun, and you did make those outfits, it would be a shame not to wear them again." The Piemaker said hurriedly, wanting to move away from the awkward moment he had just shared with the small woman standing before him.
"Um, yea, what makes it different than the other one?" She stuttered still a little bit surprised at the tenderness that Ned had just shown her.
"Well," Ned said pulling up a stool to the counter, " It is a three phase competition, each phase takes place over two days, then the final third day, is a clean up period and then there is some type of party where the competitors bring their food and every one eats and stuff."
"So we would be there for three days…?" olive asked, liking the idea.
Ned nodded. "Sound good? Would you like to go?"
"Of course I would, but I thought you didn't have a very good time at the last one…"
Ned shook his head, "I had a good time, apart from all the backstabbing and what not, but I know that you had a good time. So, are you in?"
"I'm in if your in."
Ned looked uneasy. "Can Chuck be in?"
Olive could have cried at the thought of chuck coming to the cook off with them. "She doesn't have an outfit,"
"I'm sorry Olive I shouldn't have asked… Your right she doesn't have an outfit." He said noticing the hurt look on her face as she made up an excuse for Chuck not to come. He looked genuinely apologetic.
"It's okay, Ned I know you two are like a couple," saying made Olive wince internally. "But I kinda thought you and me were like a team, a pie baking team."
"We are." Ned said looking at his watch. "Eight o'clock… I guess were open for business." And as if on cue, the first customers, as well as Chuck and Emerson began to enter the Piehole.