<h4>Chapter 50: Get a Grip</h4>


    Greg had removed a few names from the sponsors before printing the final list of people he nned to approach that day. He included each person’s photo and a brief description of their business to help Cammy get acquainted.


    Once he finished, he returned to the kitchen and found Cammy ting the steak and vegetables. He noticed that the dining table was fully set up, styled like a fine dining restaurant,plete with an array of cocktails waiting for him.


    "You’re back!" Cammy eximed, she picked up the two tes she’d just prepared on the kitchen ind and headed towards the table.


    Greg walked over and took the tes from her hands. "Let me get those. Go ahead and take a seat."


    Cammy nodded, handing him the dinner tes before sitting down. "I made a variety of drinks since I wasn’t sure what you liked. I also arranged them in the order I thought we should drink them."


    "Wow, this is incredible, Cammy. Where did you learn all this? I looked over your resume, and I don’t recall anything about culinary or bartending training," Gregplimented.


    "I learned from Ricardo Rossi. He’d show me new recipes whenever I visited the resort. Last time he was over at my apartment, he made a bunch of cocktails I really enjoyed," Cammy replied casually, starting to cut into her steak.


    Greg’s mood subtly shifted, and he raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased by what he heard. "Mr. Rossi came to your apartment and had drinks with you?" he inquired with an obvious jealous tone.


    "Yeah, he helped me paint the walls and move some old furniture myndlord lent me. Thanks to him, I got the whole ce set up a lot faster," Cammy exined.


    "You two seem pretty close. Do you always have drinks with him and Ethan?" Greg asked, casually dropping Ethan’s name to keep his question subtle.


    "No, that was the first time I drank one-on-one with a guy... With Ethan, we only drank at the resort bar, so we weren’t alone," Cammy replied without much thought.


    "You’re forgetting something... He was not your first..." Greg paused, watching her closely to see her reaction, and she didn’t disappoint.


    Cammy coughed slightly on her food, and Greg quickly passed her a ss of water that was already set on the table.


    "Easy there—no need to rush. We have the whole evening," he said.


    "Sorry, you just reminded me of that night. I thought you said you wouldn’t tease me anymore," Cammy replied.


    "I did say that, and I’m not teasing," Greg responded smoothly. "I’m just pointing out that Mr. Rossi wasn’t your first... that was me. Don’t forget it, because I won’t." He resumed eating with a slight smile.


    Cammy looked at him for a moment, choosing not toment further. She picked up the first cocktail and handed it to Greg.


    "Try this... it’s a Cranberry Spritzer Mocktail. It pairs well with steak—bittersweet, like wine, but without the alcohol."


    Greg epted the ss and took a sip right away, while Cammy waited expectantly for his reaction. He smiled and gave a slight nod before finishing the entire drink in one go.


    Cammy’s eyes widened. "Wow, you like it that much? You’re not supposed to down it all at once! At this rate, you’ll be full before you even get through the steak."


    "I know, but I wanted you to see how good it was," Greg replied. "You’ve got real talent, Cammy. You don’t even need Mr. Rossi’s guidance—you could do this on your own."


    "I don’t know about that," Cammy said modestly. "Ric is a well-known chef, and it’s all because he’s truly great at what he does."


    Greg’s frown deepened. Hearing Cammy speak so highly of Ric made him want to march over and give the guy a piece of his fist. "You seem impressed by Mr. Rossi. Do you like him?"


    "Of course, I like him. He’s a friend. Everyone at the resort likes him," Cammy answered easily.


    "Is he really just a friend to you—nothing more?" Greg pressed, gripping his utensils tightly. The wait for her answer was making him uneasy.


    Cammy noticed the tension in his jaw as he awaited her response. She tilted her head, squinting yfully. "Is that a hint of jealousy I’m hearing?" she teased to lighten the mood.


    Greg was the one caught off guard this time, coughing at her remark. He hadn’t expected her to be so direct. "Jealous? Me? Haha! And what if I am jealous? What would you do about it?" he scoffed, quickly grabbing his water to regain hisposure.


    "Ric and I are just friends. Honestly, I used to avoid him and didn’t even like him, even as a friend before, buttely, I’ve started seeing the good in him... as a ’friend’," Cammy emphasized, making her feelings clear.


    ’Wait a second... hmm’, she thought, ’Is my friendship with Ric like my friendship with Ethan? Ethan never saw me as anything but a sister or one of the guys.’


    Greg closed his eyes briefly as Cammy went back to her meal, taking a deep breath to center himself and remember his goal for the evening. ’Come on, man... Get a grip. Don’t blow this again!’


    "All right, I believe you. So, what’s the next drink? I really enjoyed the first one, so I’m looking forward to the rest," Greg said with a smile.


    "I’m d you liked it! Next up is the Sunrise Mocktail—but eat first, don’t just gulp it all down this time, or I’m taking the rest away! Honestly, you’re like a kid..." Cammy teased, shaking her head.


    Greg chuckled as he resumed eating. ’She’s adorable when she’s nagging and making her little threats.’


    Greg didn’t notice he was smiling to himself, lost in thought, which made Cammy stare at him a bit longer than she intended. Realizing this, she quickly looked away and brushed her cheek with the back of her hand, pretending to fix her hair. ’Am I blushing? Why does my face feel so warm?’


    "Are you alright?" Greg asked, noticing she had paused and seemed a little flustered.


    "I—I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Go on, keep eating," she replied hastily, distracting herself by taking a big bite of her food.


    Greg held back from making any teasingments, instead offering asionalpliments and asking little questions to keep things light and help Cammy rx. By the time they finished dinner, the atmosphere felt warm and easygoing.


    When they were done, Greg stood up and began gathering his empty te and sses, but Cammy quickly stopped him.


    "Let me handle that. You go take care of whatever you need to do. Remember, I’m working tonight, or you forgot?"


    "B-But—"


    "No ’buts’ or excuses. We agreed on this earlier, so go and rx." Without giving him a chance to argue, Cammy swiftly took the tes and sses to the kitchen sink.


    ’This might be the perfect moment to show her what I’ve listed out for her. I might not get another chance to convince her,’ Greg thought, remembering the draft he’d been working on for days just for Cammy.


    "Alright, I’ll leave it to you then," he said, waiting for Cammy’s nod before heading toward his home office. "I just need to print something—I’ll be right back!"