“Oh my God, look at that! She’s doing that thing where she puffs up. I have to film it.” I grabbed my phone quickly, in hopes of catching this cuteness, but as soon as I saw the notification across my screen, I forgot all about my cute cat.
“It’s him!” I held my screen up for Sarah and Yo to see.
They both leaned in excitedly. “Well, read it. Read it,” they chorused together.
“Weird, it’s on WhatsApp and we only ever email.” I unlocked my screen with a swipe.
“Ooooh, WhatsApp, so much more personal. Quick, start flirting with him, even if he does own llamas,” Sarah said.
“Your obsession with the llamas is starting to worry me.”
Max:Hi Leigh, this is me picking it up later.
Leigh:How did you get my number? AreYOUstalkingMEnow?
Max:Well, it is in your email signature . . .
Leigh:Fair enough. So what are we picking up?
Max:There are a few work things we need to iron out first, and then we can circle back to our mutual feelings of flattery.
I felt my cheeks go warm and, God help me, a soft giggle escaped my lips. Yo and Sarah both noticed this and leaned in. I angled myself away from their prying eyes a little.
Leigh:Well, what can I help you with?
Max:I chatted to the locations—all of them can do the recce this week. So leaving this Wednesday and coming back next Wednesday? Does that work for you?
Leigh:That should be good, I just need to find a cat sitter.
Max:You have a cat?
Leigh:Her name is Petal.
Max:Are you one of those cat owners that bombards their friends with cat videos all day?
I laughed out loud. It was weird how many times he’d made me laugh and we didn’t even know each other.
Leigh:Guilty as charged.
“What’s he saying? What’s so funny?” Sarah asked.
“We’re just discussing dates for the location scouting.”
“Now segue into discussing the potential of having sex with him,” Yo said.
I lowered my phone and gave Yo a look. “And how should I go about that?”
“Dear Max, the dates for the locations are great, but you know what would also be great? Sex.”
We all laughed but stopped when another message came through.
Max:The bar had to redo their plumbing this week, something about someone blocking the toilet (I don’t want to even imagine) so we can only see that next week. That okay?
Leigh:We?
Max:Oh, yes, I hope you don’t mind if I tag along. I want to see these locations myself and meet with the owners and managers. They’ve all expressed an interest in signing with my agency. I’m still building up my books here, and this would be a good opportunity to sign on some more clients.
“Oh my God, he wants to come with me,” I screeched at my friends, and Petal puffed up again.
