Richie stood outside his fiancée's office, waiting for her to step out so he could take her out for their lunch date.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting, baby. I had to clear up my desk," Kathleen said with an apologetic smile as she joined him.
"It's okay as long as you're here now," He said, giving her a quick kiss as he led her outside.
"So there's this new place one of my colleagues discovered around the block. You're going to love their meal," Kat told him confidently as he held out the car door for her to get in.
"So you now go to new places without me?" Richie asked grudgingly, making her giggle.
"We went there after work hours to celebrate Chris's birthday. I told you about it, remember?" She asked, poking his hands playfully.
"Yeah, you did. Let's try it out then," He said as he drove out of the parking lot and followed her directions.
Richie stopped the car in front of the restaurant a few minutes later, and they stepped out. Ben greeted them cheerfully; almost immediately they stepped inside the restaurant.
"You're welcome, sir, ma'am," He told them and escorted them to a table for two before leaving them to settle down, but he didn't go too far away so they could easily reach him.
Richie looked around the quaint restaurant with a smile of approval. It looked neat and very organized, and the reception was excellent.
"So you didn't tell me about Dan's new job and how he is catching up," Kat reminded Richie.
"He's doing well but just pretty stressed out. Now that you brought it up, I promised to help him get a personal assistant," Richie told her before signaling Ben to attend to them.
"Talk about the devil," Richie muttered with a grin when his phone started ringing, and it was a call from Dan.
"Wassup!" Richie greeted.
"I'm on my way to another damn meeting. I'll need my personal assistant to work for me round the clock," Dan told him, making Richie's brow shoot up.
Ben walked up to them with a menu in time to overhear snippets of their conversation.
"By round the clock, you mean you want a live-in personal assistant?" Richie asked with a frown. That was a bit too much to ask from an employee.
"Yes. I'm willing to pay the person really handsomely. I just need someone who I can rely on to get things done in the wink of an eye," Dan said impatiently.
"Tell him I'm saying hello!" Kat whispered to Richie, who gave a brief nod before she took the menu from Ben to place her orders.
"That's a lot to ask for, but I'll try to scout for one. Must be male, efficient, and willing to work round the clock. Is there anything else I'm leaving out?" Richie asked while casting Ben an apologetic look.
"Since he will be living with me, he will have to be very neat and must be able to keep his hands off my belongings. He must not bring strangers to my house..." Dan listed off the things he didn't want, making Richie sigh. This was going to be more difficult than he had expected.
"I have to run now. Please, can you get me someone before Wednesday?" Dan asked, making Richie scowl.
"Where am I supposed to find someone with all those qualities within two days? Today is just Monday," Richie said, making Ben's ears perk up.
"You can throw in a car as an incentive if necessary, but please just try to get someone if you don't want me to break down. Things we do for best friends, remember?" Dan said, making Richie sigh wearily.
"Kat is here. She sends her love."
"Tell her I miss her like crazy and will find time to see her once her fiancé helps me get a personal assistant," Dan said, and the line went dead.
Richie raised his head to look at Kat, who was looking at him expectantly as she impatiently waited for him to tell her what the conversation had been about.
"We should probably make our orders and return to work. Dan says he needs me to get him a personal assistant before Wednesday. Else he's going to break down," Richie said, looking like he suddenly had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"That shouldn't be a problem, right? What was that about a round-the-clock personal assistant?" She asked curiously as Richie glanced through the menu and made his choice.
"It wouldn't have been a problem had he not made absurd demands. A male live-in personal assistant who would be willing to work round the clock, not bring strangers into his home, stay away from his properties, and must be very neat. He even asked me to throw in a car as an incentive," Richie said, making Ben want to whistle.
"Why are you still standing here?" Kat asked when Ben remained there after serving them their meal.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I'm interested in the job offer," Ben said with an apologetic smile.
"Do you make a habit of eavesdropping on the patron's conversations?" Richie asked, eyeing him warily.
"Only the important ones," Ben said with a grin making both Richie and Kat smile.
"Okay then, give me a call later. Mind you; he has first to accept you for you to get the job. And Dan Williams is pretty selective," Richie informed him as he handed him his complimentary card.
"Dan Williams? Are you talking about the actor and singer?" Ben asked as his heartbeat quickened in excitement.
"One and the same. You're a fan?" Richie asked with a grin.
"A die-hard fan. It'll be a pleasure working for him," Ben said with a slight bow before walking away happily. All he had to do now was prepare his documents for Bella for the interview.