It was nearing evening when Cammy, Dylan, and Greg finally arrived at the new apartnt after spending the entire afternoon shopping for groceries and modern appliances—many of which Greg insisted on getting for Cammy.
To ease the atmosphere, Cammy invited Eve, her daughter Cassey, and her landlords over for dinner, especially since Ric would also be joining them.
"Girl, thank goodness Mr. and Mrs. Moore ca ho early. I don’t know how I’d handle the tension between those two otherwise," Eve whispered to Cammy while helping her unpack the groceries.
"I know, but what can I do? Greg practically invited himself, and I can’t deal with another argunt between them," Cammy replied.
"You need to fill in on everything going on in your life—every single detail. Don’t even think about skipping anything, got it?" Eve teased, making Cammy laugh.
"You two seem to be having a good ti," Ric remarked as he joined them at the kitchen island. "Need a hand? You know the kitchen is my specialty," he added with a playful grin.
"We know, Chef, but tonight, you’re my guest. I decide who gets to help, and right now, your job is to relax—just like Mr. and Mrs. Moore," Cammy replied, her tone light but firm.
"Alright, you’re the boss," Ric said with a wink. "But don’t hesitate to call if you need backup." His playful gesture earned a smile and a shake of the head from Cammy.
"I still like him better than your boss," Eve whispered boldly once more.
Cammy chuckled softly, her eyes unknowingly drifting toward Greg, who was laughing and playing with Dylan and Cassey. "I know," she admitted. "I like him better than my boss too. But sotis, no matter how much you like soone, your heart just doesn’t align with your mind. It has its own way of choosing."
Eve followed Cammy’s gaze, her brow furrowing slightly before realization struck. Her eyes darted between Cammy and Greg, watching the subtle warmth in Cammy’s expression as she observed him.
With an exaggerated gasp, Eve dropped her jaw and placed one hand on her hip and the other dramatically over her chest. "Oh my God! You’re in love with Greg!" she exclaid, her tone dripping with playful accusation.
Cammy blinked, startled, her cheeks flushing a deep pink as she quickly averted her gaze. "What? Don’t be ridiculous," she stamred, but the guilty smile tugging at her lips betrayed her denial.
"Oh, no, no, no," Eve said, wagging her finger with a mischievous grin. "You can’t fool . I saw that look—classic love-struck eyes! Admit it, Cammy. You’re smitten!"
"Eve, you’re imagining things," Cammy protested weakly, unable to keep the smile from growing.
"Uh-huh," Eve teased, clearly unconvinced. "Well, if you’re not going to admit it, then I’ll just have to keep an eye on this ’platonic’ little situation of yours. Because, girl, your face just gave you away!"
Cammy’s focus snapped back to Eve. She frowned, startled by her own words, and stared at her friend. "No, that’s not what I ant. I’m just saying we can’t control who our heart chooses—that’s common knowledge, not sothing specific to ."
Eve rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Fine, whatever you say. One day, you’re going to eat those words. Until then, I’ll just sit back and enjoy the show."
Together, Cammy and Eve prepared Caesar salad, prawn risotto, skillet pork chops, and a mixed vegetable stir-fry. They served everything as soon as the cooking was done since Cammy was eager for everyone, especially Ric and Greg, to leave after dinner.
Thankfully, the atmosphere during dinner turned out to be far less tense than they had anticipated, thanks to the landlords and the kids keeping things lively.
"All the dishes you two made are absolutely delicious. You should open a restaurant and finally give Ricardo so competition," Mr. Moore joked, prompting laughter around the table.
"I’d fully support that if they decided to start their own restaurant," Ric added with a grin.
"Don’t flatter us too much," Cammy replied, shaking her head. "I do enjoy cooking, but only for special occasions like this. Doing it professionally sounds exhausting. It takes real passion and strength, like you chefs have, to make it work."
"It’s definitely a demanding job, dear," Mrs. Moore agreed. "But speaking of passion, what’s yours?"
Her question drew everyone’s attention, and all eyes turned to Cammy, making her nervous. "Uh... I-I haven’t really thought about that," she stamred. "After graduation, I got married and had Dylan, so my life has mostly revolved around my family.
I wanted to support them, and in doing so, I ended up teaching Dylan so programming. It turned out to be sothing he’s really passionate about."
"So that’s why Dylan is so talented at coding—it’s in his genes," Greg remarked. "I have to say, you’re already in the perfect environnt to pursue your own dreams. You’re a great fit at Cross Tech. Who knows? Maybe soday, you’ll be sitting beside at board etings."
Ric’s expression soured, but Cammy smiled politely. "I don’t know, Greg. I enjoy coding and designing, but it doesn’t feel like my true passion. Maybe soday I’ll discover what that is—and when I do, I’ll let you all know."
Ric and Greg, surprisingly, managed to be cooperative throughout their stay, avoiding any interactions that could spark conflict and, in turn, Cammy’s anger.
"Dear, let handle the dishes since you and Eve did all the cooking," Mrs. Moore offered.
Before Cammy could respond, Greg interjected. "Mrs. Moore, please allow to take care of that instead. At your age, you shouldn’t be tiring yourself at this hour. Go and rest—I’ll handle it."
"I’ll help too!" Eve chid in. "I still have the energy, and besides, I’d like to chat with you about the job you ntioned before. Would that be alright?"
Greg smirked inwardly, thinking, ’Perfect! I can win her over and get her on my side.’
"Of course. Let’s talk," he said, leading the way to the kitchen with Eve close behind.
Mr. Moore seized the chance to chat with Ric about the dishes he’d taught them earlier, while Cammy went to check on Dylan and Cassey in Dylan’s room.
"You kids doing okay in here?" she asked.
"Yes, Mommy. I was showing Cassey the digital pad Uncle Greg bought earlier," Dylan replied.
"Auntie, can I co back tomorrow to draw on Dylan’s digital pad?" Cassey asked, almost pleading.
Cammy smiled and gently brushed her hand over Cassey’s head. "Dylan will be back at boarding school tomorrow. But if he’s okay with it, I can let you borrow the pad, and you can return it Friday night when he cos ho." She then turned to Dylan. "What do you think, Dylan?"
"Sure. You can borrow it, Cassey. We’re not allowed to bring it to school anyway," Dylan agreed.
"Great! That’s settled then. I’ll leave you two to it and get back to the adults," Cammy said before leaving the room.
As she walked back, a thought struck her. Oh right, I should offer them so wine! She headed to her room to retrieve the bottle she’d bought with Greg earlier, unaware that soone had followed her.
Cammy went straight to a box she hadn’t unpacked yet and was picking up the wine when she heard the door click.
"Can I see that?" Ric’s voice startled her. She turned and handed him the bottle without hesitation.
"Great choice," Ric said, inspecting the label. "This pairs perfectly with dessert. Do you have any?"
"Yes, I bought a red velvet cake earlier. It’s in the fridge," she replied.
Out of nowhere, Ric asked, "Why didn’t you choose , Cammy? What does Greg have that I don’t?"
His sudden question caught her completely off guard, frozen in place, and speechless.
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