"Guys, I need to talk to you about something." Franky had waited until Jenna arrived for her shift so that she could talk to her, and Shayne at the same time.
The two looked at each other before they approached the brunette.
"It's nothing bad." Franky had caught the silent exchange. "As you know, Jillian came to visit on Monday, and she wants to do a little interview with you guys that's going to go along with the finale. I told her I'd check with you, and get back to her, so are you cool with doing it?"
"Yeah, sounds good." Shayne gave a small nod, then turned his attention back to what he was cooking.
"Yeah, all good." Jenna voiced her agreement as well.
"Alright, I'll let her know." The brunette turned, and headed back to her office.
It wasn't long before Emily arrived at the restaurant after her day at school.
"Hey, bub." Franky leaned over, and gave the young girl a kiss on the cheek when she came over to greet her. "How was your day?"
"Good! I got to go to the library and pick out extra books." She unzipped her backpack, and handed the brunette the books she'd chosen.
"Oh these explain footy rules, very cool." Franky thought she could probably benefit from reading them as well, since she had had almost no idea what was going on at the game on the weekend.
"Yeah, I want to learn them better for when we watch matches." Emily took the books back from the brunette, and placed them into her bag again.
"You had a lot of fun, huh?" Franky made a mental note to see if Bridget got any of the sports packages. She doubted that she did, since they were usually something you had to pay extra for, and never, in the year and a half she'd known her, had the blonde ever sat down, and watched a sporting event. It might be something they needed to look into now. The brunette would much rather sit in the comfort of their living room, and watch the matches. Plus, Emily would be able to watch her team even when they weren't in town.
"Yeah. I liked meeting Josh." The young girl gave her a big smile.
A light knock sounded on the door frame, drawing both of their attention.
"Here's your snack." Shayne sat a small board containing various fruits, and cheeses cut into star, and heart shapes down on one of the small end tables by the couch, along with a milkshake.
"Wha-" Franky gave them a confused look.
"I ordered it on my way in." Emily said with a smile, as she took a seat on the couch.
"Em, you shouldn't bother them. They're busy." She didn't want the young girl to think she was entitled to have Shayne, or Jenna cook for her. "It's not even something that's on the menu."
"It's alright, Franks. I asked her if she was hungry." He gave Emily a small wink.
"Don't cover for her." The brunette glanced up, and got a sheepish look from the young man.
"Back to work," Shayne said to no one in particular, as he left the office.
"Next time, ask me, and I'll make you something. Okay, bub?" Franky saw Emily nod as she ate a piece of cheese.
The brunette finished up some work while Emily enjoyed her snack. When the young girl's food was gone, Franky heard her watching YouTube videos on the iPad.
"Can we make some of this stuff?" the young girl asked.
"What are you watching?" The brunette got up, and went to join her on the couch.
"This guy makes weird stuff, but it looks fun. I want to try it." She clicked on a video titled 'Flaming Hot Cheetos Deep Fried Ice Cream'.
The man in the video demonstrated how to make a coating mix out of the Cheetos snacks, then essentially bread the scoops of ice cream with it, and deep fry them.
"There's this one, too." Emily selected another one called 'Deep Fried Coca-Cola'.
It was essentially a cake batter that used Coke as the liquid instead of milk.
"We could make these Friday after supper if you want. They can be our little end of week treat." Franky was willing to try anything once, but she had her doubts as to whether this stuff would actually taste good. She would have said that they could try them tonight, but she and Bridget needed to talk again with each other, and Emily about the show.
"Okay." The young girl smiled up at her.
"Hey, baby." Bridget gave the brunette a quick kiss as she sat down beside her on the bench of the picnic table. "How are you feeling?" It was something the blonde asked her often now.
They'd chosen to talk outside because they didn't want Emily sneaking up on them like she had the last time. They could see her now, playing in the living room.
"Alright. Probably better though after this discussion." Franky had made up her mind that she'd have to decide today whether or not she was accepting Jillian's offer.
"I bet." Bridget reached out, and placed a hand on the brunette's back.
"I've kind of just tried to think of the pros and cons." The younger woman looked down at her hands, as if she were counting off the lists on her fingers.
"Let's start with the cons first." The blonde always felt it was best to get the unpleasant stuff out of the way first.
"It'll take me away from the restaurant, which means I may have to hire another part-time chef, at least temporarily. That'll cut into profits, and means I won't be able to give Shayne a raise as quickly as I would have liked. Second thing, I don't know how Em will handle it if she decides to do it. It's one thing to come spend a night with me on set; it's another to have it be your job, and have expectations placed on you. She'll be getting paid, so it's not like she can decide she's too tired, or just not into it on a day when she's supposed to be filming." Franky paused, and took a deep breath. "Third, like I mentioned the other night, what if I'm pregnant? We won't know for sure until the end of next week, and Jillian wants an answer before then. What if I am, and something happens that I'm not able to work?"
"Okay. Those are all valid concerns, but let's pull them apart." Bridget felt like maybe the brunette had jumped to the worst case scenario in some instances. "As far as you taking time away from the restaurant, I can see how that could be a problem, but you're not even sure of the hours yet. If it's just a part day a couple of times a week, Shayne and Jenna may be willing to pick up some extra hours. If not, don't forget you're getting paid for the show. Some of that money could be used to pay the extra person if it came to that. I have my concerns about Em as well. She's getting to an age where I think she should start taking on some more responsibility, but I was thinking something like chores, not a job. If you're pregnant," the blonde paused, and gave her a small smile, "that's where what I was saying the other night comes in. Set your boundaries, both with the show, and the restaurant, and get the rest you need. Also, I think sometimes, you're looking at the worst side of pregnancy. I know it can be an incredibly unpleasant experience for some women, but the majority get through it fine, and some even really enjoy it. There's no reason to think you won't have a healthy, normal pregnancy, and be able to work during most of it, provided you pace yourself accordingly."
"Why are you so reasonable?" Franky said with a small laugh. "You make it seem not so bad."
"That's my job. Literally, and as your wife." She leaned in to give the brunette a quick kiss, and felt the younger woman's hand on her cheek, encouraging her not to pull away so quickly. "I still get butterflies in my stomach sometimes when you kiss me," she said as their lips parted.
The younger woman simply smiled, and brushed her thumb over Bridget's lower lip. She felt the blonde let out a shaky breath.
"What are the pros?" She could let herself get lost in Franky too easily, and they needed to finish their talk.
"More money for us as a family." The brunette didn't like to put a lot of importance on money, but she understood that it was necessary, and made certain parts of their life easier.
Their insurance had covered part of the cost for the fertility treatments, but they had still had to pay for the rest of it, and they weren't sure how many more they would need. There was also the fact that when they did have a baby, there would be expenses like things for the nursery, clothes, and other supplies. They didn't have any of Emily's baby things to use as hand me downs. There was also the issue of Emily's schooling, and whether they would need money for that at some point. Franky knew the restaurant wasn't a guaranteed income, and while it was doing well so far, the industry was fickle sometimes, and no one knew what the future would hold.
"Em would get to do something she loves, and learn some life lessons at the same time," the brunette continued. "I'd get to work with kids again, which I love. Plus, it could be really good PR for the restaurant."
"I think all of those are valid reasons to want to do it." Bridget gave her a reassuring smile. "You forgot one big pro that this one has over the other; you get to stay here with us."
"Yeah, that's huge." Franky thought it was so huge, in fact, that she'd left it off her list, assuming it was a given that it was a good thing.
"So I guess the only question left is: do you want to do it?" The blonde knew that, in the end, this was something the younger woman had to decide for herself.
"I just wish I knew if I was pregnant." Every time the brunette thought about it, this was the sticking point that she always came back to.
"I wish we did, too." Bridget knew they wanted that for slightly different reasons, however. "But we don't, and we won't. You just don't have that much time to think about it, unfortunately. Listen to your heart, baby."
Franky looked down at her hands. She could feel the blonde's eyes on her, waiting to hear her decision. She had been arguing both sides in her head for days, but now Bridget's comment of 'listen to your heart' had struck something inside of her. She felt a tear run down her cheek.
"Baby." The older woman reached out, and placed a hand on the brunette's back. She knew when Franky was quiet, it usually meant that her mind was anything but, and now it was clear to her that there was more going on than what was actually being said. "Talk to me," she said softly.
"Everything we've just said makes sense. There are pros for me, for us, for Em, for our future kids..." The brunette went quiet again.
"But?" Bridget gently prompted.
"But my heart says no." Franky had tried to push that voice out of her head, and be logical, but she couldn't ignore it any longer. "I feel so guilty that I may be taking this opportunity away from Em, but I keep thinking about what happened to me with that first show I did, and Pennisi, and I would never forgive myself if something like that happened to Em. I know we'd do our best to protect her, but there are awful people out there, and social media can be brutal." She stopped, and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry about." The blonde had to admit that she'd been caught off guard by the younger woman's admission. It had sounded to her like Franky was very much leaning towards doing the show. She had concerns about Emily as well, but she knew that the brunette wouldn't let her out of her sight, and would pull the plug on everything if she sensed that anything was off.
"Are you okay with it? With me, and Em not doing it?" Even though Bridget had told her that she would support her decision, Franky still needed to know that she had her approval.
"Absolutely." The blonde leaned in, and gave her a soft kiss.
"I'm so in love with my life, with our life." Franky brushed her thumb against the older woman's cheek. "I have everything I've ever wanted here with you, and Em. I love just coming home, and being with you guys. I miss you even when you're just at work. Like the best parts of my day are when Em arrives after school, and then when you get home. I don't want to risk giving any of that up for anything."
"Oof." Bridget let out a deep breath, and shook her head. She could feel her own tears starting. "I love you so much."
"I love you too." The brunette placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She reached up, and brushed the older woman's cheek with her thumb once more; this time to wipe away a tear.
They were pulled from their little bubble by the glass door sliding open. It was a heavy door, but Emily had managed to open it enough to squeeze through.
"Are you sad?" She looked at each of the women, who quickly tried to dry their faces.
"No, love." Bridget gave her a warm smile. "They're happy tears."
The young girl looked skeptical, but seemed to accept the blonde's answer. She gave her aunt a hug, then Franky.
"Can we make supper now? I'm hungry." Emily directed her question at the brunette.
"Yeah, bub." Out of the corner of her eye, Franky saw the blonde smile. "Let's go see what we've got in the fridge."
Bridget watched as the young girl followed Franky inside. She remembered the morning when Vera had shown up, and the brunette had failed to leave the house without Emily realizing she'd been there. She and her friend had ended up sitting in the very spot where she was now, and watching Franky and Emily as they made breakfast. She'd know then that the brunette was someone very special, but she never could have dreamed that things would have turned out this well.
"Good morning, babe." Franky smiled, and stretched as she opened her eyes. She was laying on her back, with the blonde cuddled close to her side, and had woken up to the feeling of the other woman's hand moving slowly across her stomach.
"Good morning." Bridget took the opportunity, when the brunette turned her head, to place a kiss on her lips.
"Mm." Franky tightened her arm around the older woman, encouraging her to move so that she was partially on top of the brunette.
Bridget reached down, and found the hem of Franky's t-shirt, and slipped her hand beneath it. She drew patterns on the younger woman's skin with her fingertips, as she moved them upwards. She could feel the brunette's stomach muscles twitch when she hit a sensitive spot.
"That feels nice," the younger woman whispered softly against the blonde's lips.
Bridget smiled, as she moved her hand up to cup one of Franky's breasts. She gave a gentle squeeze then rolled the hardened nipple between two of her fingers. She heard the brunette take in a sharp breath, so she repeated the motion.
"Gidge, wait." The younger woman reached up under her own shirt, and took the blonde's hand.
"What's wrong?" Bridget tried to read the brunette's face.
"Nothing. Just...that kind of hurt." Franky knew that the older woman hadn't done anything that she didn't normally do, but this morning that little squeeze, and pinch, was painful.
"I'm sorry, baby." The blonde felt bad.
"It's fine." The brunette shook her head. "Just maybe go a little easier."
"Yeah." Bridget gave a small nod, as Franky reached up, and pulled her in for another kiss. This time she was careful to avoid her nipple.
The brunette was lost in the kiss when she heard the text message tone sound from her phone. She ignored it. A couple of seconds later, it sounded again.
"Are you going to look at that?" the blonde mumbled against her lips.
"No." Franky's mind, and body, were fully engaged at the moment, and she didn't care what anyone else wanted to talk to her about.
Her phone sounded again.
"It might be important." Bridget wouldn't have normally thought that you should answer your phone when you were in bed with your partner, but whoever this was seemed pretty persistent.
Franky sighed, and reached over for her phone, which was sitting on the table.
"It's Shayne," the brunette said when she saw the notifications on the screen.
"Is it something with the restaurant?" The blonde was concerned that maybe something was wrong.
"Nah, I'm opening today. His shift doesn't start until eleven." She swiped across the screen to open the messages.
From: Shayne
Have you seen this?!
From: Shayne
LOL!
The last message was a link. Franky tapped it.
"Oh for fuck sakes," she mumbled when she saw the picture, and accompanying headline.
"What?" Bridget sat up a bit in an attempt to see what the brunette was looking at.
"Foodlife producer gets cozy with reality show contestant at downtown restaurant." Franky read the headline, then turned the phone to show the older woman the photo.
It was Jillian, and the brunette, during their lunch meeting on Monday. Franky remembered exactly the moment that was depicted. She had just brought out their food, and Jillian had just tasted some of the mac and cheese. They both had big smiles on their faces.
"Television producer Jillian Banks was spotted at L'edge on Monday, getting cozy at a corner table with Franky Doyle, a finalist on her show, currently airing on the Foodlife Network. The pair chatted, laughed, and even shared food during their nearly hour-long lunch. During interview segments aired on the show, Doyle has stated that she is in a committed, long term relationship, and that she and her partner have a child. Does this cozy lunch indicate that there's trouble in paradise?" The brunette finished reading, and wrinkled up her nose. "They can't even get my name right."
"Well, we didn't exactly broadcast our wedding." Bridget had assumed that the network would want Franky to continue using her old last name for any promo stuff.
"I'm sorry, Gidge." The brunette turned her head, and looked at the other woman laying beside her. "I didn't know there was anyone there, and I definitely wasn't thinking it would get twisted around like this."
"Don't worry about it." Bridget shook her head. "It's the price of being in the public eye."
"I'm so proud that you're my wife." She tossed her phone back onto the bedside table.
"I know, baby. I'm proud that you're mine, too." The blonde moved in for a kiss, and felt Franky ease her onto her back. She felt the younger woman's fingers brush over the bare skin between the hem of her shirt, and the waist of her pyjama pants just as there was a small knock at the door.
"Are you guys awake?" Emily's voice was soft behind the closed door.
"What's the lesbian version of a cock blocker?" The brunette asked quietly with a small chuckle.
"Franky!" the blonde whisper yelled, and gave the younger woman a tap on the arm.
"What? That's what they are this morning." She tilted her head towards her phone, and the door.
Bridget let out another small laugh.
"Auntie Bridge?" Emily knocked again. "I can hear you. I'm hungry."
"Yeah, love, just a second, I'm coming." The blonde pulled back the covers, and started to get out of the bed.
"Well, not anymore, you're not." Franky gave her a cheeky grin when she glanced back over her shoulder.
Bridget opened the door.
"Hey, love," she greeted Emily. "Let's go get some breakfast."
The blonde closed the door behind her, to give Franky a few minutes of peace and quiet, and walked with the young girl out to the kitchen.
"What is going on here?" Bridget arrived home Friday after work to find the kitchen island set up and ready to go with various baking supplies, and junk food, including Flaming Hot Cheetos, and cans of Coke.
"Me and Em are going to do some research and development." Franky gave the blonde a kiss on the cheek.
"Franky said we could try some recipes I found!" Emily explained, excitedly. "And if they're really good, she said maybe they can be on the dessert menu at the restaurant!"
"Really?" Bridget glanced over, and caught the brunette's eye. "What are you making?" she asked, turning her attention back to her niece.
"We're making Cheetos deep fried ice cream, and deep fried Coke." Emily looked up, and gave her a big smile.
"I see a theme," the blonde said with a small laugh.
"Deep fried heart attack?" Franky asked.
"With a side of diabetic coma." Bridget let out another small giggle as the brunette placed a quick kiss on her lips.
"That's why I planned a healthy supper." The younger woman gave her a wink. "I have chicken breasts marinating that I'll grill on the bbq, and I was going to make a caesar salad to go with them."
"Sounds delicious." The blonde tossed her bag onto the end of the couch. "I'm going to go get changed."
"Let's do the deep fried Coke first so that we can sit down, and eat both of them at the same time." Franky figured that the ice cream would melt fairly fast so they'd need to eat that right after they made it.
The brunette had gone through the videos, and written out the steps for each recipe. They seemed simple enough, and she was actually pretty excited to see how they turned out. She'd never seen any restaurant or snack bar offer anything even remotely similar, so if she put them on her menu, and people liked them, they could be something unique to draw in more customers.
Once they had the batter mixed up for the deep fried Coke, Franky checked the temperature of the oil.
"I'm going to drop the batter in, okay?" The brunette didn't want Emily to get splashed with the hot oil.
"I want to." The young girl gave her a serious look.
"No, bub. I don't want you to get hurt." Franky remembered the day that Emily had gotten hurt in class, and the panic she'd felt when she'd heard the commotion in the kitchen the morning Emily had tried to make breakfast on her own.
"Okay." The young girl still pouted, but she accepted the brunette's reasoning.
They fried the globs of batter until they'd cooked it all. Franky had tried to drop them in neatly so that they would come out round, but it was harder than it looked, and most of them looked like some sort of weird jellyfish or octopus. If they used this recipe at the restaurant, she'd have to find some way to make them more uniform, and visually appealing.
Next they moved on to the Cheetos deep-fried ice cream. They'd had to stop at a couple of stores to find the right ones, and ended up finding them at the candy shop where she'd gotten the candy for their Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie night.
The brunette popped one into her mouth, as she poured them into the blender. At first it didn't seem too bad, but then the spices hit her.
"Oo, Em, these are hot. Here, try one." She picked up one of the smaller ones, and handed it to the young girl. She figured if Emily didn't like them then there was no sense wasting the ice cream they'd bought. She could make a caramel sauce instead, and they'd have sundaes. She watched as Emily chewed it. "Do you like it?"
"It's spicy." She chewed a bit more. "Yeah, I like it."
"Alright." Franky put the lid on the blender, and turned it on. She hoped that the ice cream would dull the spices a bit.
"Bon appetite." Franky handed a plate of treats to Bridget as she and Emily sat down on the couch with the blonde.
"Let's try the ice cream first." The young girl held up a spoonful, and waited for the two women to follow suit.
They all took a bite, and the brunette looked over at Bridget.
"It's actually good." Franky was surprised but something about the combination worked.
"Yeah, it is." The blonde seemed surprised as well.
The younger woman was about to ask Emily if she liked it, but she was already going in for a second spoonful.
Next they tried the deep fried Coke.
"It's just like a Coke-flavoured donut," Bridget said as she swallowed her first bite.
"I like it!" Emily's eyes were wide. "Can I have more?"
"Sure. The rest are over on the counter." Franky was planning on having seconds herself. "I could see these working at the restaurant, too. I could do ones with a cherry glaze."
"Gidge, I read her three stories, and she's still pretty awake. I told her she had to close her eyes for a while, and try to sleep." The brunette was now regretting the combination of sugar and caffeine that she let Emily consume. The young girl was wired.
"She is." A small smile played at the corners of Bridget's mouth.
She had figured this might happen, but she didn't say anything to Franky at the time. She didn't want the brunette to feel like she was being criticized, or that Bridget thought she was the more knowledgeable parent of the two. The blonde figured this would be a case of no harm done, and a lesson learned.
"I'm tired, though. Can we go to bed?" Franky's sugar crash was in full swing.
"Sure. Hopefully she'll fall asleep." Bridget took the younger woman by the hand, and led her down the hallway.
It wasn't long before there was a knock at their door.
"Come in," Franky mumbled.
"I can't sleep," Emily said as stood at the brunette's side of the bed. "Can I go watch cartoons?"
"No, bub. It's late. Come lay down." Franky lifted the blankets.
"I found some more things we can make sometime." The young girl crawled into the bed, and laid between the two women.
"You can tell me about them in the morning, okay? Let's just be quiet, and close our eyes for now." The brunette put her arm around Emily, and rubbed her back. She hoped that would soothe her to sleep.
"He makes a lot of stuff with the Cheetos." The young girl was trying to whisper, but in the quiet of the room, she was still loud.
"Bub, listen, I know you don't feel tired, but you are, trust me, and I'm tired, and Auntie is already asleep. We don't want to wake her, right?" She saw Emily shake her head. "Alright. So I really need you to just lay here quietly, and close your eyes."
It was quiet again in the room for a few minutes, until Emily spoke again.
"Can I go out to the living room, and watch cartoons?" She decided to try her luck with that question for a second time.
"No, you can't stay up alone at night." Franky knew if this kept up much longer, then the blonde would wake up. "Come on, we're going to your bed."
"I'll take her." Bridget yawned, as she turned to get out of bed. "Come on, love." The blonde took Emily's hand, and helped to steady her as she stepped out of the bed on Bridget's side.
"Gidge," Franky began to protest.
"You need to rest, and you have to work tomorrow. I got this, okay?" The older woman leaned over, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
The brunette nodded.
Waking up in bed alone was something that Franky wasn't used to, and she didn't like it. While she was grateful that she had been able to sleep last night, she would have much rather for them to all be able to stay together.
She got up, and showered before she decided to check in on the other two.
Franky opened Emily's bedroom door quietly, and saw that she, and Bridget were both sound asleep. The iPad was propped up on one of the small chairs facing the bed, and the brunette figured this must have been the compromise they had come to. Emily got to watch some cartoons, but she had to lay in bed while she watched. In any case, it appeared to have worked.
The brunette leaned down, and gently placed a kiss on each of their temples.
"I owe you," she whispered quietly after she'd kissed the blonde.
"Mhm." Bridget made a small sound, but didn't open her eyes.
Franky walked back out of the room, and closed the door behind her, careful to do it quietly. If everything was going smoothly at the restaurant, she'd try to leave a bit early so that Bridget could have an afternoon nap if she wanted. The brunette had a feeling that this was just one of the many parenting learning experiences to come.
"I'm hoping that you asking me here is a good sign." Jillian remembered how she had had to track down the brunette multiple times before she agreed to do the first show.
"Well, you know me, I love a cozy lunch date." Franky gave her a half-smile as she arrived at the table with their food.
"I saw that article." The producer shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize anyone had followed me here."
"Who says they were here for you? They might have been looking for my charming self." The brunette managed to keep a straight face for a moment, and she could tell that Jillian thought she'd offended her, until she finally cracked a smile.
"It's entirely possible. You've got quite a fanbase." She took the first bite of her food, and closed her eyes. "This is so good." She'd ordered the mac and cheese with chorizo sausage, the same dish that Franky had shared with her during their last meeting.
The brunette didn't comment on her supposed popularity, she just gave a silent nod, and took a bite of her food. It still made her uncomfortable to think that people she didn't even know knew things about her.
"I'm assuming you've had time to think about the show?" Jillian didn't want to seem pushy, but it was a business lunch after all.
"I have." Franky took a sip of her water. "It's a very generous offer, but I'm going to have to decline."
The producer stopped with a forkful of food halfway to her mouth.
"Uh," Jillian set the fork down on her plate, "I have to say I'm a bit surprised."
"Me too." The brunette let out a small chuckle, then quickly cleared her throat. It had been a nervous gesture, and she knew she had just dropped bad news on the other woman. She didn't want her to think she was making light of the situation, so she quickly composed herself. "I'm sorry. I know this makes more work for you, but it's just not right for us. I really appreciate that you offered us the opportunity, though."
"Is there anything I can do to convince you to change your mind?" Jillian knew that Franky could be stubborn, and if she'd made her decision, then it was unlikely anything she'd say could change it.
"No." The brunette shook her head. "Gidge, and I talked, and this is what we think is best."
"Well, I won't say I'm not disappointed, but I respect your decision. I did bring something with me that I wanted to give to you, though." She reached into her bag, and pulled out a stack of papers, and envelopes, which she handed to Franky.
The brunette looked through them quickly. There were sheets that looked like emails that had been printed out, sheets of comments from various social media platforms, and finally letters addressed to her through the television studio.
Franky chose a bright green envelope decorated with glittery stickers. She guessed from the stationary choice, and the writing on the outside, that it was from a child. She pulled out the paper inside, and began to read. Sure enough, it was from a young fan who had seen her on the show, and had asked her mother to sign her up for a cooking class. She scanned through some of the other printouts. They were mostly expressing the same sentiments, either directly from kids, and young teenagers, or parents saying how their kid had taken up an interest in cooking.
"These are amazing." The brunette took a deep breath, and turned her attention back to Jillian. "Thank you for bringing them."
"I brought all the letters, but those are just a few of the emails, and social media comments. I wanted you to know how much influence you've had." The producer gave her a small smile.
"It's a bit surprising to be honest. I mean, it wasn't really a kid's show." Franky laughed, thinking of the things they'd all gotten up to on set.
"Yeah, I know, but as you saw, we edited a lot of the non-cooking stuff out of the final episodes. I really wanted that to be the focus." Jillian was happy with the decision she'd made to keep most of the background drama out of the picture.
The brunette gave a small nod, and picked up her fork. As they ate, she kept glancing over at the stack of mail Jillian had given her. She may have turned down the show, but she'd never give up on her love of sharing her passion for cooking.
