“Perfect.” I walk back with the tray in my hand. Every single Friday we have a meeting on what we are working on. What we did this week. What we have coming up and, most importantly, if we have any issues that we need help with.
I place the coffee down on the round table before I turn and walk to my office. I take the sunglasses off as soon as I put my bags down. I grab my laptop from the bag and then the folder of notes I have. “Good morning,” I hear Shelby say from the hallway as she walks toward her office followed by Clarabella, who also grumbles a good morning.
I walk out of my office and take myself toward the conference room where the three of them are. “I have to ask you,” Clarabella starts, sitting in one of the chairs, then leaning over to grab one of the coffees from the tray. “How many times a week do you work out?” I look at her confused. “God, she doesn’t even have to work out to have that body.” She puts her head back and takes a sip of the coffee.
“I usually work out three to four times a week,” I tell them. “Not lately, but usually.”
“I keep forgetting when I look at you that your grandmother was a Victoria’s Secret model and that it’s in your genes.” Shelby looks at me and all I can do is shake my head.
“She is the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in my life,” Clarabella says in awe, and I can’t help but smile. She was a fashion model her whole life, but she is well known for being a Victoria’s Secret angel. “I still remember when you moved here, and she sent clothes to you.”
“I used to get boxes weekly,” I reminisce, grabbing my own coffee, “but then I started running out of space, so she sends them to me monthly now.”
“Well, not that I could ever fit into your clothes,” Shelby pouts, “but if I could.”
“My closet is open to all,” I invite as I open my laptop. The three of them do the same as we start the meeting.
Shelby starts us off as always. “Okay, let’s start. Any news from the um…”
“Ex-boyfriend,” I finish for her, and she just nods. “Nope,” I state with a smile on my face. “It’s been a week, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say they are looking elsewhere.”
“Wonderful,” Shelby says, smiling at me and then turning to look at Presley.
It’s been a week since I saw Matthew. I want to tell you that as soon as he walked out of here, that was the last time he came to my mind, but I would be lying. All I’ve done this week was think about him. I look out the window at the field in the distance. The colors of the trees are now in the middle of changing from green to orange. The wind makes the trees move side to side and now all I can think about is him. Especially the first time we met or, better yet, the first time we spoke to each other.
I walked into finance class and saw it was almost empty, except for two guys sitting in the second row. I kept my head down as I walked over and sat down in the row ahead of them. I heard the two guys talking behind me and I made the foolish mistake of looking back at them. My eyes found his dark blue ones right away. As soon as we locked eyes, he smirked at me and it was as if the earth shifted, which was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard in my life. I turned around just as quickly and looked straight ahead. I felt him staring at me the whole class, but I refused to turn around and look at him.
When the professor dismissed the class, I was the first one out of my seat and I rushed out of there like the building was on fire. I didn’t give him another thought until I was at the bar on Saturday night. I sat down in the middle of the long bar as I sipped my beer and traded stories of the week with my best friend, Ella. I heard the chatter from people around me before I turned my head toward the door, wondering why everyone was suddenly hooting and hollering. There he was, the guy from my finance class. Except he wasn’t wearing jeans and a shirt. No, he was wearing a suit. His hair was wet and he was walking in high-fiving everyone. “What the?” I mumbled, not sure what was happening.
I was about to turn my head around when his eyes met mine. The smile he had on his face faded to a smirk. His eyes never left mine until he walked over to me. “It’s you,” he said as he pointed at me.
“Excuse me?” That was the only thing that came out of my mouth.
“You’re the one from class who was eyeing me.” He leaned against the bar and motioned to the bartender with his chin, and I had to wonder if it was a secret language I didn’t know.
“You must have me mistaken with someone else,” I said, annoyed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you,” I lied to him, and he just laughed.
“Finance class.” He refreshed my memory, but truth be told, obviously I remembered it. “You turned around and we shared a moment.”
“We shared a moment?” I repeated after him to see if I actually heard him right. He just nodded his head while the bartender came over and handed him a bottle of water. “It was a five-second look.”
“A lot was said in that five-second look,” he stated, and I grabbed my phone off the bar and opened the text app. “What are you doing?”
“Messaging my mailman,” I told him, trying to hide the smile on my face. “I looked at him for seven seconds today, and I’m just wondering if that means marriage.”
“You’re funny,” he pointed out, smiling and his eyes lit up.
“You’re not,” I retorted, and he just threw his head back and laughed even louder. Even though the bar was overwhelmed with noise, all I heard was his laugh.
“I’m Matthew.” He extended his hand to me. “People call me Matty.”
I thought about not answering him and ignoring him, but my hand moved before my head told it no. “I’m Sofia.” I smiled. “People call me Princess Sofia.” His hand enveloped mine and I felt the tingle go from the tips of my fingers toward the tip of my toes. That was the night I had my first ever kiss. It was also the same night I fell under the spell that was Matthew Petrov.
“Sofia.” I hear Shelby calling my name and I blink twice. I turn back to look at the table instead of looking out the window at the vast countryside. “Are you okay?”
I tap my finger on the desk. “I think I should start dating again,” I say to the three of them, and they all look at me with their eyes shining up.
“Um, yes, please,” Clarabella agrees.
“I think that is a fantastic idea,” Shelby says, clapping her hands in front of her.
Presley stands and reaches out, grabbing my phone. “No time like the present,” she declares with a huge smile on her face. “Let’s create a profile now.”
“This is the best meeting I’ve been to in a while,” Clarabella grabs the phone, making Shelby look over at her and glare. “Oh, please, Presley said it also.”
“No, I didn’t,” Presley denies.
“I have it on text,” Clarabella retorts, lifting her phone.
“Can we focus on Sofia?” Presley says. “What are you doing?”
“I’m filling out her name and stuff,” Clarabella explains.
“Don’t put her real name!” Shelby shouts.
“They only share her account name which is Sunshine45,” Clarabella says. “Okay, what do you do at the end of the day?”
“Watch reality television,” I answer and the three of them look at me.
“Curl up with a good book or watch an action movie,” Clarabella redirects and I gasp.
“Why?”
“Well, a good book, you are going to get the studious guy, and an action movie, you get an adventurous guy.” Clarabella looks at me.
“Oh, good idea,” Presley concurs. “You should put hiking in there so you get the ones who like to do all that outdoorsy stuff.”
“Yes.” Shelby snaps her fingers. “Also loves going out.” We all look over at her. “We don’t want him to think that she stays inside with her eight cats.”
“Oh, yes,” Clarabella says and starts typing things. “Cat person or dog person?”
“I’m a horse girl,” I state, and they all shake their heads. “What? I love my horse.” I point at Clarabella. “Put that I prefer horses.”
“Can you put save a horse, ride a cowboy?” Presley asks Clarabella, who just smirks.
“Do not put that,” I grumble between clenched teeth.