“So glad you showed up. Sophia whined all day about how she’s not going to leave my restaurant if she does not see you,” Katherine plugs in as she attends to one of her customers.
“Katherine, you know you really did not have to tell him that, right?” Sophia smirks, tilting her head sideways dramatically.
“Why not? It’s not like I’ve told him about how you said you would not mind going on a real date with him.” Katherine shrugs.
“Jesus! Kate, I will kill you!” Sophia’s face breaks into surprise as she turns to face Katherine. She casts her, a look that spoke volumes.
A soft laugh escapes from my lips. If only the two ladies could read my mind right now, I’ve thought about going on a real date with Sophia more time than once. It makes me feel really relieved and happy to know that the feeling is mutual.
“Erm,” Sophia turns to face me, scratching her left brows. “Can we talk?”
“Sure, why not?” I nod.
We picked a seat at the restaurant’s end, and I pray she talks about restarting another contract with me.
“So, I’ve been thinking, erm, would you mind helping me a little bit more? I have another business idea,” she speaks, and as I open my mouth to speak, she cuts in, “look, it’s okay if you say no. I don’t want you to feel burdened or anything. I’m not trying to shove myself in your personal life. It’s just—”
“I don’t mind. Where is the renewed contract? I’ll sign it. How many weeks? Two, three, four?”
Her face breaks into a huge smile. “Four weeks, a month or longer; it depends on you.”
“Longer,” I utter again.
Silence ensues, and the only expression on her face is a smile. It seems she expected a negative response from me because she looks slightly surprised that I accepted her offer at once.
“You know, I seriously want to kiss you right now,” she utters as she brings out a paper from her bag. My heart did another flip in my chest.
“Sophia, you should avoid saying things like that to strangers,” I clear my throat, pulling the pen and paper to me for signing.
“You are not a stranger. You, Gary, are now my ‘hot man,’” she winks.
I stable my hand on the pen as I sign the contract. It’s crazy how her words have this effect on me even when I know it’s just the way she talks. And she probably does not mean any of those things how they sound.
Overall, I look forward to the lively times we would spend together; and to seeing more of her gorgeous face and hearing more of her melodious voice.
Eight
Sophia
Have you seen my YouTube channel? Eighty-nine thousand subscribers! I’m screaming. I can’t even believe it. In just four weeks, and I’ve earned so many subscribers. It feels like magic, and I owe Gary a huge debt of gratitude. Oh God, he has been accommodating. He even comes up with catchy titles for our videos. A month with him, and I feel like I’ve achieved much than I have in my entire existence. He carries a good luck charm, and I’m so excited to benefit from it.
We have drawn out plans for our next video. Gary has been coming to the city, so I’ve decided to go to Crystal Mill today. But first, I need to visit Katherine.
…
“Hey, Mrs. Ward,” Katherine teases as I walk inside the restaurant.
“Oh God, Kate, stop it!” my cheeks turn fifty shades of pink.
“You know I won’t,” she wiggles her eyebrows at me.
It is everywhere now – all my fans now call me Mrs. Ward. My subscribers have turned into matchmakers. I even got some comments yesterday where some people asked if I intend to marry Gary. I don’t know how those guys came up with such a question. There have been a lot of remarks on how Gary and I look perfect for each other. We even got nominated for a YouTube channel couples awards for channels with over 50,000 subscribers; although, I have not spoken to Gary about the nomination. I think I’ll just decline it. It’s out of our script, and I don’t want to make him feel uncomfortable.
“It’s getting a lot busier around here,” I express, looking around.
“Thanks to your promotion,” Katherine pulls me into a big hug.
“Mm, do you think it’s my promotion or your great cooking skills?” I stick my thumbs up at her.
