Maddie’s patience snapped. She slammed the sandwich onto the table and pulled apart the slices of bread. A smear of spicy mustard coated the inside, far more than anyone would ever use. She held it out toward Rico, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Here. Why don’t you try this version of her ‘cooking’?”
Rico froze, his eyes darting between Maddie and the sandwich. For a moment, doubt flickered in his expression, but Jane quickly stepped in.
“I must have made a mistake,” Jane said, her voice trembling. “I didn’t mean for it to be too spicy. I was trying to add a little flavor…”
Maddie’s laugh was humorless. “Of course. You didn’t mean to.”
The sandwich was warm and inviting, but the red chili sauce spread thickly in the middle was anything but. Maddie wrinkled her nose, the pungent aroma making her eyes water.
“Why is there so much chili sauce in my sandwich?” she exclaimed, setting the offending meal back on the plate.
Jane glanced up from her cup of coffee, looking puzzled. “Wait, chili sauce? That can’t be right. I made the sandwiches with ketchup!”
“You sure about that?” Maddie asked, her tone sharp, eyebrows raised. “Because this looks—and smells—like chili sauce.”
Jane scratched the back of her head, a sheepish smile spreading across her face. “Maybe I mixed them up? I swear it looked like ketchup.”
Jane, standing awkwardly by the counter, let out a nervous laugh. “Oh, I’m always so scatterbrained in the kitchen. No harm done, right?” She turned toward Maddie, attempting a playful smile.
Maddie wasn’t amused. Her lips curled into a tight smile, masking her irritation. “No harm? Jane, even if you can’t cook, surely you can tell the difference between chili peppers and tomatoes. I mean, the bottles are labeled. Or don’t you bother reading?”
Jane’s face flushed red, her embarrassment evident. “I—I didn’t see any labels! Both bottles looked exactly the same and they didn’t have any packaging. How was I supposed to know?”
Maddie shot to her feet, leaving the table as Rico frowned. “Come on, Jane, Maddie didn’t mean it like that. It was just a mistake,” he said, trying to smooth things over.
“Mistake or not, I’m checking,” Maddie muttered, storming into the kitchen.
Sure enough, two nearly identical bottles of red sauce sat on the spice rack. Their labels had been ripped off, leaving no clear indication of what was inside.