Gina Foster

Chapter 1: Upon Arrival – Sophia 

My five-hour flight from Los Angeles was a nightmare. First, I happened to be in front of a man who didn’t understand airplane etiquette and placed his bare feet on either side of my seat. Then, my luggage got lost somewhere in Northeast Regional. 

The employee I spoke to was very confident that they’d be able to locate my belongings and send them over to where I’m staying in no time, and I hope she’s right because my good camera is in my suitcase. Sure, I have my phone, but it doesn’t capture the crisp footage that my viewers have come to expect from me. 

But with little to do until I get a phone call alerting me to the fact that my stuff has been found, I get an Uber, ask the driver to take me to a good bar, and he drives me to Barley Republic. 

I sit down on one of the stools, push my sunglasses up on my head, and rest my arms on the bar. 

“What’ll it be, sweetheart?” the bartender asks after placing a coaster down. 

Usually, I’d gag at being called that by a man I don’t know. But I realize things are different in the South. “Just a glass of Pinot Noir, please.” 

“You got it.” 

“Thank you.” 

I’m wearing a beige Balenciaga sweater with white shorts. 

Apparently, something about this outfit alerts the older gentleman behind the bar that I’m not from St. Augustine. 

“Where are you visiting from?” he asks while adjusting the toothpick in his mouth. 

My light brown hair is mostly up in a big clip, but there are two pieces hanging near the front. I move them out of my face before answering, “Los Angeles.” 

“Ah, that makes sense.” 

I’m not entirely sure what that’s supposed to mean. 

“You don’t seem like the type to be here for the big air show.” 

I take a sip of wine. “The what?” 

“The Navy’s Blue Angels Show.” 

Still, I’ve got nothing. 

“A bunch of jets fly around and do tricks.” 

“Oh. Um, no. I’m not here for that. Clearly.” I giggle a little. 
“So, what brings you into town then?” He’s drying glasses with a towel by that point. 

“I’m a vlogger.” 
Now, it’s his turn to be confused. “Huh?” 

“Do you know what a blog is? Like a written article online.” 

“Yeah. I think so.” The bar is dim, but I can still see the profound wrinkles on his face. He kind of reminds me of my grandfather. 

“So, I do that . . . but instead of the written part, I film my experiences. And I mostly travel around coastal cities, like St. Augustine.” 

“Okay. Does that mean you have like a YouTube channel or something?” 

“I do.” 

“Interesting.” He then moves on to helping another customer who recently walked in. 

I flip my phone over to see if I got any calls but see that I have not.

 “Is this seat taken?” a low and gruff voice says from behind me. 

“No.” 

I just kind of brush him off at first but after he sits down, I look over and see that he’s really handsome. He has major Prince Harry vibes, and I’ve always been into that; not to mention, his body is hot. 

“Hey, I’m Sophia.” 

He looks me up and down before biting his lower lip. 

“I’m Chris.” 

We shake hands, and I feel an immediate spark.