It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy Novels & Stories

When she nodded he smiled, "I like pepperoni." When Nick walked through the door to the office he found Cheyenne and Tate at her desk watching a movie on Netflix with a half-eaten pizza box. Tate's face lit up and Nick looked at the two of them suspiciously. "What's so funny?" He asked Tate who was now giggling a little too much at him. Tate and Cheyenne looked at the other and laughed. "I'm sure we have no clue what you are talking about," Cheyenne said looking up at him winking.

She asked with a trembling voice, "Changed? How?" "Maybe you just grew up." I brushed it off, stood, and headed to the bathroom. Behind me, she let out a shaky sigh of relief. "I made breakfast for you, Mateo," she said later, leading me to the table. She was waiting for a compliment. I looked at the spread. The table was covered in an oily, greasy breakfast. I smiled. "Quinn, the doctor told me to lay off greasy food and eat healthier." I glanced at her, faking concern. "You've been really forgetful lately. What's going on?"

This wasn't a school. It felt like a daycare barely holding together. For a second, I thought about quitting too. Then the feeling passed—and I stayed. Under their nervous stares, I walked up to the board, grabbed a piece of chalk, and wrote my name. "My name is Glen Gardner. Glen works. Mr. Gardner works too. Glen means 'valley'—a place where people can live." I turned back to them. "Starting today, I'm your teacher. So—what's my name?"

He had given me countless pieces of expensive jewelry over the past seven years, but he never understood what I truly cared about. I merely stared at the earrings in silence and said nothing. I could see the impatience grow in his eyes, but he softened his tone as if soothing me from a tantrum. "That's enough, babe." He shoved the box into my hand and said, "Take it and stop looking like you've been so wronged. The price of this is enough to make any woman smile. "Queenie told me to get this to cheer you up, yet you're still jealous of her for no reason. So don't say that kind of thing again, okay?"

I shoved her off and brushed off my clothes with disgust. "What exactly did I trick you about? Your feelings? Your money? Or did I con you into investing? You're the one who refused to have kids and messed around with a fake rich guy. Pamela, you're not important enough for me to waste my brain cells on coming up with ways to scheme you." Pamela instantly turned pale. Lauren, who stood nearby, smiled. "Mr. Knight, you can do the ribbon-cutting. I'll handle things here." Lauren pushed me over to the ribbon-cutting area and brought her team over to block Pamela, who glared at her viciously.

"It's already way past midnight! Why are you so late?" I was already exhausted from the sudden overtime work I had to put in. However, as soon as I sat down on the couch, he'd already started questioning me. Angrily, I snapped back, "You're the one who cheated, so why are you making such a huge fuss? You should be thankful that I'm even here in the first place!" As soon as he heard me call him a cheater, he froze for a split second. After recollecting his thoughts, he softened up and tried to justify himself. "I'm an award-winning A-list actor now, so you're not a good fit for me anymore."

And oh god, what was Cathy going to say? Taking a deep breath, I straightened my clothes and headed back to the table. Our appetizers had already arrived, and Cathy was in the middle of what appeared to be a very dramatic cheese-tasting experience. "Bernice!" she exclaimed as I sat down. "You have got to try this brie. It's like... it's like if clouds and happiness had a baby, and that baby was made of cheese." I couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. "That good, huh?"

I know this one," Greg says confidently. "Go on then." "Sticky toffee pudding." I laugh, "Wrong." His eyebrows shoot up. "What?" "It used to be." "You've changed it?" I nod proudly. "New York cheesecake." "I've been betrayed." Sav laughs so hard she nearly knocks over her drink. Another card challenges Chase to compliment Sav using only movie titles. "You've Got Mail..." Sav giggles. "...Pretty Woman..." She laughs harder. "...and..." He looks completely blank. "The Fast and the Furious?"

I leaned in and kissed him softly, tenderly, tasting the salt on his lips. “I love you, Terry Murphy.” A small, watery smile broke through his sadness. “And I love you too, Peyton Brown.” His eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. “Should I still put the Anderson?” “Shut up,” I said, holding his chin firmly but playfully, a laugh slipping out despite everything. He chuckled softly. I rested my forehead against his. “If you’re a freak,” I whispered, “then I’m a freak too. We’re both freaks… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I can imagine living here, but I don't think I'll ever earn enough.” “It's really freaking hot here in the summer, you know,” I told him. “The air conditioning is usually your best friend during those months.” “Some of us are just born unlucky, it seems,” he said, his caramel brown eyes twinkling with humor. “Yeah,” I replied, laughing along. “Do you understand how hard it is to get groceries into this huge, privately renovated penthouse apartment?” “Life must be hard for you, Ash.” I resisted the urge to tell him all my problems. “If only you knew,” I said shortly.