The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 64

Two days later, Suzie had thoroughly familiarized herself with the work Harrison had assigned her and quickly developed a plan for the photoshoot.

The still life shoot itself was straightforward. With an assistant to help arrange the items and adjust the lighting, the work wasn’t too tiring for Suzie.

“Suzie, is it okay if I call you that?”

Suzie, who was adjusting her camera lens, noticed how respectful her assistant, Mia, was and responded with a warm smile of her own.

She gently placed the camera on a soft pad on the table and replied, “Of course, Mia. Thank you for all your hard work today. It’s noon, we should get some lunch.”

Mia began tidying up some of the miscellaneous items. “Okay, Suzie. Are you eating out, or going to the company cafeteria?”

“I brought lunch from home…” Suzie said, a warmth spreading through her chest at the thought. Stella had prepared it for her, insisting that she would make her lunch every day she wasn't traveling for work.

After a moment, Suzie asked, “We have a cafeteria here?”

Mia answered excitedly, “We do! It’s not huge, but it’s not small either, and they have a great variety of food that tastes really good. You have to pay, but it’s way cheaper than eating out. Oh, and the kitchen is separated from the dining hall by a glass window, so you can see how clean everything is. It makes the place feel a lot cleaner.”

Suzie smiled at Mia’s breathless explanation. “Thanks. I’ll go with you another day. I’ll just eat my packed lunch today.”

A few minutes later, Mia came rushing back, sweating and holding a dented, crooked lunchbox. As she came to a stop in front of Suzie, Mia swallowed hard and stammered, “I… I’m so sorry, Suzie. I… I accidentally dropped your lunchbox. The food spilled all over the floor, and the container is bent. I’m really, really sorry…”

Suzie gave a wry smile and frowned slightly as she looked at Mia, dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, looking so young she barely seemed out of college.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. This just means we can go to the cafeteria together,” Suzie said, taking the bent container and placing it gently on her desk as she comforted the distraught girl.

Mia wrung her hands, her head bowed like a child who had made a mistake. “I’m sorry, Suzie. You must think I’m completely hopeless. I swear, I was paying full attention at work. Just now, I was rushing to use the microwave so you could eat sooner. I was running too fast and bumped into someone…”

“It’s alright, it’s a small thing. Are you hurt?” Suzie interrupted her in a soft voice, taking Mia’s hands to check on her.