Occasionally, Xavier would hum in response, but for the most part, Norah did all the talking.
"There's this new intern in the next department who keeps finding excuses to visit our office. She always times it perfectly for when Adrian is around. Everyone knows she has a crush on him, but it's pathetic. She's been over four or five times, and Adrian doesn't even know her name."
"Her department went on the retreat too. Maybe she'll shoot her shot!"
"One of my coworkers has a Persian cat too. It's already a year old. She saw photos of Circe and absolutely fell in love. She even joked that we should arrange a marriage for them."
"Of course, you'd have to agree to that first!"
...
Norah blabbered about whatever popped into her head. Mid-sentence, she suddenly paused and looked over at Xavier.
Xavier looked up. "What?"
Norah bit her lip. "Do you think it would be nice if we got married and just spent every day together like this?"
Xavier frowned, his tone flat. "I seriously don't know what goes through your head half the time."
With that, he stood up and walked back into the restaurant.
"You!" Norah called out after him.
Xavier's back stiffened. His pace slowed for a fraction of a second, but he didn't turn around or reply. He just kept walking.
Norah looked at Circe sitting on her shoulder. "Do you think he's blushing?"
"Meow."
Circe's brown eyes were crystal clear as she offered a soft, agreeable chirp.
After working for a while, Damian called her over for some watermelon. Norah set Circe down, swept the yard quickly, and headed into the main dining area for a snack.
Once they finished the watermelon, a customer walked in, and the staff leaped into action.
Norah had just taken an order and passed it to the kitchen when the door opened again. She turned around with a bright smile. "Welcome—"

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