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Gus meows again and swipes a paw towards my snack.

“Oh, is this what you wanted all along?” I laugh, waving the stick in front of him.

He stands on all four paws and stretches out his neck closer to it. I stop teasing and rip off a small piece, presenting it in my palm. Gus sniffs and licks at it, turning his head this way and that, until he takes the whole thing in his mouth.

“Good boy,” I say, finally getting to pet his head. I take a satisfied bite of the stick and scratch the back of his neck.

The only sounds in the kitchen are my chewing and his loud purring.

I don’t notice the footsteps until Gus suddenly leaps off the counter and sprints out of the room, paws scrabbling on the floor Scooby Doo-style.

“What was that?” Levi sputters, looking at me with a shocked expression.

“Oh, Gus wanted a treat,” I say, waving the stick again.

Levi blinks at me, uncomprehending. “He let you pet him?”

“Yeah. After I gave him a bite.” I jerk a thumb at the refrigerator. “By the way, what do you eat? There’s nothing in your fridge.” I pop the last bite in my mouth and throw the wrapper away.

Levi chuckles, looking bashful as he rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t know how to cook. I mostly eat at the country club.”

“But you made breakfast.”

He looks embarrassed. “I ordered breakfast and hid the evidence.”

I snort a laugh, looking forlornly at the fridge. Maybe I could get some snacks…I have to stop by Brody’s and get the rest of the things I left behind accidentally anyway. I could raid the kitchen there. I bought some of it, after all.

“Are you hungry? I can order lunch,” Levi says, seeing the look on my face.

My cheeks heat in embarrassment. “No, I’m—I can grab some snacks later. Besides, you're doing enough for me as it is.”

“Nonsense. I need to get more groceries anyway, just tell me what you like.”

I swallow and bite the inside of my cheek. It still feels surreal to me that he’s this nice. Levi Carmichael is completely the opposite of what I thought a millionaire golfer would be.

“Do you want to go together? We can split the bill,” I say, perking up at the idea.

Levi narrows his eyes on me and nods. “Sure. Do you have the day off today?”

“I took a sick day. I’d like to have a plan by the end of today as much as I can,” I admit, looking down at my feet. I’m still wearing his cashmere socks, and the sight of them makes me feel all tingly inside.

“I have some news about that. I confirmed you’ll be my partner at the pro-am. My assistant will take care of all the reservations and travel itinerary; all you have to do is show up for that. As for the team position, I can bring you on as my assistant short game liaison. I can’t quite have you be a coach since you don’t have the experience, but…”

I balk at that. He was going to have me join as a coach? My stomach churns again and the blood drains from my face. “I fear you might have too much faith in me,” I whisper.

Levi gives me an admonishing look. “First off, you might not see it right now, but I see your potential. Second off, I know how badly you want to succeed, and I know you’ll do your best.”

I straighten up and nod along, his words giving me a boost of confidence. “Absolutely, I’ll be the best damn assistant short game liaison you’ve ever had.” Even though I know it’s a made-up position, just for me.

I could overanalyze and pick apart every detail of his offer, but the truth is, no one’s ever believed in me and my career this much. And Levi barely knows me. He must see something in me, right?

“Let’s get some groceries,” he says.

There’s a short but awkward car ride to the nearest organic grocery story. The fanciest place I’ve shopped at was Trader Joe’s, but this place puts it to shame.

I pick up a container of vegan cream cheese and balk at the price, quickly putting it back on the refrigerated shelf. I turn to find Levi frowning at me, his hands wrapped around the cart handles.

“What are you doing?” he asks gruffly.