Personal Chef

Chapter 83

Shawn had just finished singing to me over FaceTime from the future. Or at least it felt that way. It was 11:00 at night in Toronto, but for him it was 3:00 in the afternoon on the next day in Sydney. For some reason that freaked me out a little. If an asteroid hit earth and we all perished, Shawn and I would die on different days. That felt wrong.

"You sleepy yet, baby?" he asked, his voice sweet and soft.

"I am, but it's harder falling asleep without you next to me. I miss you."

"I'm sorry. I know it probably sucks to be my wife right now," he said, his expression sad.

I hated seeing him sad.

"Being your wife is the best thing ever. Just because I miss you doesn't mean I'm unhappy. I'm happily missing you," I told him.

He made a face. "I don't think that's possible."

"No? Are you happy on tour?"

"I love touring. You know that," he said.

"And do you miss me?" I asked.

"Every second of every day."

"See? Then you happily miss me, too," I said with a smile.

"I can't wait to see you again, though. I have a countdown going on my phone. I check multiple times each day to see how long it is until I touchdown at Pearson and see you waiting there for me," he said.

I leaned forward and kissed him through the phone. It wasn't nearly as satisfying as kissing his adorable face in person, but I still did it frequently.

"I'll have to call you earlier tomorrow since I have a show. Will you be home by nine?"

"I will," I said, "but I will be busy."

"Busy? How come?" he asked with a look of surprise.

"The bistro is closing early tomorrow afternoon since the appliances are all getting serviced. I planned a girls' night here. I hope to be on my way to drunk by nine and acting silly with my besties."

Shawn started to laugh. "I want to hear more about this. Is it like a slumber party?"

"Exactly like one. Only I never had one, so I'm winging it. I figure I'll provide good drinks and delicious food, and we'll all be in our pajamas, so it should be fun," I explained.

"Don't get so drunk that you tell all our dirty secrets," he teased.

"No need to worry. I promise not to tell my friends how we play with dessert way more than is probably normal. Or that you like to spank me in the shower. Oh! Or that you like it when I take my f-"

I was interrupted by the sound of a knock on Shawn's hotel room door. He brought me along on his phone as he climbed off the bed and opened it. I was greeted by the frowning face of Andrew Gertler.

He saw me on the screen and his expression changed to a smile. "Hi, Chelsea." He then looked at Shawn. "You were supposed to meet me in the lobby ten minutes ago."

Shawn turned the phone so I could see his guilty looking face. "Oops."

We said our goodbyes. I promised to text him as soon as I woke up and he promised to send me pictures. I lived for photographs of the beautiful locations and buildings he came across.

My friends arrived around 7:00 the next evening. I'd invited Paige, Roslyn, and Karyn.

I was wearing a big t-shirt of Shawn's over some pajama leggings and encouraged them to change into their comfy clothes. Once they had, I started mixing drinks. I wasn't much of a bartender, but I'd bought the ingredients to make several things. Everyone wanted to start with a lemon drop martini, so I got out the shaker and made each lady a glass. I loved this drink because it was both sweet and tart.