Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102560 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102560 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Together, we step out of the model home, and as we start to walk toward another home, a car pulls up.
“Expecting company?”
“No,” he says, his eyes narrowing.
“Who’s that?” I ask.
“It’s one of our on-site sales reps. Looks like he is doing a walk-through.”
The man is at the car door, and a couple steps out. Cain stops, staring directly at the couple. From across the gravel, I see the woman. She’s facing in our direction. There is something familiar about her. I narrow my eyes but can’t place it. Then it hits me. “Isn’t that the photographer?”
“No.”
“Yes. I think it is. Imagine her hair pulled back with a baseball cap and glasses . . . I think it is her.”
“You’re wrong. But it doesn’t matter, let’s go. It’s too crowded here. We can come back and see this home later.”
He pulls me toward the car. I’m shocked by the fact that he’s holding my arm but also how hard his grip is on my elbow.
As I step in and sit down and wait for Cain to get in the car, I look at the woman. She is still staring intently at Cain. Weird. The way she looks at him makes chills break out on my legs.
Why is she looking at him like that? Her reaction to him is strange.
The woman is gawking and not like he’s the hottest thing she’s ever seen. The woman appears almost nervous, or maybe it’s anticipation. It’s as if she’s waiting for him to do something, say something to her.
Before I can press Cain on the woman, he’s pulling the car away faster than normal, kicking up gravel as we go.
“Let’s grab food. I bet you’re hungry.” At that, my stomach growls, giving me away. No need to lie.
“Yep.” I never did eat breakfast. “Where to now?”
“We’re going to one of the restaurants on the premises. Right now, it’s open to the staff for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All the staff have implants or bracelets. And for the time being, the AI is practicing running off the information we fed into the computers. That way, by the time the residents move in, we’ll know it’s fully functioning.”
“And does the restaurant have staff?” I ask, now watching the road as we drive. The trees are beautiful here. I don’t think I will ever get over how lush and green it is. I’m used to the city. Sure, I didn’t grow up in the city, but I’ve been there since I graduated from high school. There aren’t many towering pine trees to marvel over.
“The staff at the restaurant is minimal. You’ll see shortly, but have you ever been to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant?”
“Yes.”
“So that’s what this restaurant is like. It’s like a five-star conveyor belt restaurant.”
I turn back to him. He’s looking at the road, so I can’t tell if he’s teasing me, but from my angle, there is no sign that he is being anything but forthcoming.
“How does that even work? Who’s in the back? Who’s cooking the food? Not a robot, I hope.”
“Well, obviously, we have a chef, a sous chef, and a pastry chef. We have all the makings of a regular five-star restaurant. The difference is you can come in and order right away. This restaurant is for people who don’t want the long dining experience. We have different restaurants on the premises. Some will be a six-course meal and others that are like this.”
“Why so few staff?”
“Everything is automated, including the ordering process. This cuts down on cost, and by cutting down on staff, we limit who’s coming and going, therefore more security.”
“Makes sense.”
It doesn’t take long for us to pull in, and this time, there are no mirrors, and there’s no glass. The restaurant is modern, but it’s still built in the same fashion—to blend.
“No mirrors?”
He follows my gaze and shakes his head. “Not this time.”
“It’ll do.” I playfully roll my eyes.
“I’ll tell the architect,” he jokes, and I laugh. This is the Cain I like. The playful one. The one who I, for some inexplicable reason, have been lucky enough to meet. Once the car is turned off, I throw open my door and move to stand. Cain walks up beside me, and together, we step inside. Once we do, a voice speaks.
“Welcome, Mr. Archer. Will you be joining us for brunch?”
I stumble back at the sound. My mouth drops open as I stare wide-eyed at the ceiling. From beside me, I hear Cain. “I will. It will be two of us today.”
“A hostess will show you to your table,” the AI coming from lord knows where says.
A second later, a tall, beautiful brunette comes over. She shows us to a table right by the glass, which grants us views of the chef’s station. Then she excuses herself, and I notice the panel on the wall by the table has illuminated.