Page 125 of The Problem with Dating

Yara

Yes?

Alex

Don’t lose my number.

* * *

Yara

Thanksgiving plans?

Alex

A turkey leg with Feliz.

Yara

Come to my dad’s house to celebrate with my family. Tatiana will be there, too.

Alex

What dish should I bring?

Yara

Take the day off, Chef. We’ll handle the meal. You just show up.

CHAPTER38

Alex

One afternoon when I had some free time at the restaurant, I cooked a quick lunch for Yara and walked over to The Pup Around the Corner to drop off the food. As I walked into the shop, I saw her speaking with a customer, who gave Yara some sob story.

“You understand, right, Yara? It’s just that bills are so high right now, and I know I’m five months behind, but I’ll make my accounts up to date sooner than later,” the woman explained.

Five months behind?

She couldn’t be serious. “Weren’t you just spending over three hundred dollars at my restaurant last weekend?” I mentioned, making the woman and Yara look up at me.

The woman’s eyes widened. “Well, that was a special situation and—”

“And this is, too. Either pay up now or take your dog home,” I told her.

“How dare you speak to me like that,” the woman said, holding a hand on her hip. “Do you know who I am?”

“No, and I don’t care. You owe money. Pay it.”

“I’ll only pay if Yara says I have to, and sweet Yara would never—”

“You owe four hundred and fifty dollars, Mrs. Levels,” Yara cut in. Her voice trembled, but she was stern. That was good enough for me. She was allowed to be nervous, but she wasn’t allowed to be taken advantage of.

“Are you joking?” Mrs. Levels asked her. “Why, the owner before you would never—”

“Unfortunately, he’s no longer with us. And if we hope to keep his legacy running with this shop, we’ll need to have our clients pay for our services. Now, Mrs. Levels, if that isn’t possible for you at this time, we can even work together to set up an automatic payment schedule. Otherwise, I can have an employee go into the back and bring your dog up front to head home with you.”

Mrs. Levels huffed. “Well, I never…” she complained with a deep scowl. But she took out her wallet and swiped her card, paying in full. “You’re lucky my sweet boy loves it here. Otherwise, I’d switch to another location.”

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