Page 15 of The Kitchen Contract

Now you can just sit back and watch the views explode. It’ll go viral, I know it.

I don’t know about viral, but I hope it reaches a few people, at least.

I respond with a fingers-crossed emoji. I know from our text exchanges that she spent a ton of time over the last few days—when she wasn’t editing the videos—researching the best ways to monetize these videos. The ability to run ads and secure paid partnerships comes with a certain minimum number of subscribers, and I’m going to do all I can to help her hit her goal as soon as possible.

I love how passionate she is about this project. She might have been hesitant at first, but now that she’s decided to do it, she is all in. Her plan is to upload the first three recipes we recorded within a few days of each other to fill out her feed, and then move to weekly releases after that, which means we need to record again soon. We should probably go ahead and schedule that, so I pick up my phone again.

When do you want to make another video?

My next day off is tomorrow, which isn’t great since you have to work. Maybe we could do it in the evening?

How about if I take a short lunch and come home early? That way we could get started around 5pm. Should still be plenty of light at that time.

I know she prefers to shoot during the day to take advantage of the natural light that comes in the French doors and the window above the sink.

That works for me if it’s not too much trouble for you. Maybe we could squeeze in two recipes if we hurry?

I think we can make that work. And I’ll give you the code to my garage keypad so you can get there early and set up if you want.

That would be great. Thank you for trusting me to be there without you.

I do trust her. I’m sure Grant would tell me I’m trusting her more than I should for how long I’ve known her. Logically, he’d be right. We both know all too well that people aren’t always who they say they are. But I’m not worried. Even if she robbed me blind, the only thing I’d really miss is the friendship that is developing between us. I can always replace a TV or an appliance, but I haven’t met many people who make me feel as at ease as she does. After spending the whole day with her on Saturday, I feel comfortable being myself around her.

That comfort gives me mixed feelings since my trusting nature has gotten me in trouble before. Thoughts of the great wedding debacle crowd in, but I push them away, refusing to let those memories drag me down today. I can trust Nora, and I can trust myself. I need to remember that.

I shake my head and lift my phone again.

No worries. Don’t forget your bathing suit so we can swim this time!

She replies with a thumbs up, and I sit back and smile at my empty office. Even though it’s only been four days, I’m very much looking forward to spending time with her again.

Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.

12

NORA

Letting myself into Alex’s empty house feels weird. I use the garage code he gave me to carry in a couple of crates of groceries and get set up. It doesn’t take long, and a glance at my watch reveals that I still have almost half an hour until he’s supposed to be home. I get myself a glass of water and settle onto a bar stool to wait, but after a few minutes, I hop back up. I’m restless this afternoon and before I know it, I’m wandering through his house, getting a better sense of him. I stick to the main parts of the house—primarily the open living area and a bright, comfortable sunroom I find at the end of a hallway.

His style is borderline minimalist. The only decorations I see are photos hung here and there, though the furniture is tasteful and good quality. The house is neat and clean, at least in the areas I can see. I’m not nosy enough to go looking through the bedrooms that open up off the hallway, although a glance through a few open doors gives me a pretty good idea of which room is Alex’s. It’s the room that looks the most lived in, though still neat, and it definitely smells like him. I pause in the doorway and inhale, enjoying the spicy, slightly citrusy scent that I associate with Alex.

The sound of a car pulling into the garage has me scrambling for the kitchen like a scared rabbit. The last thing I want is for Alex to know I was standing outside his room sniffing like the creeper he joked about when we first met. I slide onto a stool and rest one elbow casually on the island, the other loosely gripping my water glass.

Nothing to see here. I’ve just been sitting here waiting. Right here. The whole time.

“Hi!” I chirp a little too brightly when Alex walks in.

“Hi, Ellie.” He grins back at me, watching for my reaction.

Since I still haven’t decided on the nickname thing, I let it pass. “Have a good day?”

“I’ve been dreaming about cooking a tasty dinner all day, if that answers your question. What are we making today?”

“I hope you like teriyaki,” I say, lifting a bottle of sauce from the counter in front of me. “We’re making beef and broccoli teriyaki ramen.”

His smile widens and his eyes sparkle. “Sounds delicious. Just let me go change out of my work clothes real quick and we can get started.”

I give him a double thumbs up and move to plug in my new toy while he’s gone, gathering all the necessary ingredients on the counter beside it.

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