Dear reader,

This is week 8 of the series of character interviews during social distancing 2020. This week I’m virtually flying to Florida to meet with the couples from the Destiny’s Cove series. Since today is my birthday, they’ve surprised me with an online party. Read on to discover what Giorgia and Conor, Kyla and Caleb, and Cara and Noah have been up to.

*** Please note: this is unedited, so please excuse any typos or mistakes.***

G: Hi, everyone.
All: *clap hands and holler.* Happy birthday, Grace!
Giorgia: Buon compleanno! *waves hand.*
G: Aww, thank you. This is a lovely surprise! I wasn’t expecting to see you all here today. And I love those party hats you’re wearing! Hold on a moment while I grab my shamrock head boppers. Okay, here I am. Now I’m in a party mood too. Where are you? Wait, why aren’t you social distancing?
Cara: We’re in Caleb’s garden. It’s big enough we can all fit while keeping way more than a six-feet distance from one another.
Noah: I think half the town could fit in here and still be at a six-feet distance. This place is awesome.
Cara: Yeah, we all envy him. Just a bit.
Kyla: I’m a very lucky woman. I got to self-isolate in this beautiful place with the most amazing fiancé ever. *stares dreamily at Caleb.*
Conor: *rolls his eyes.* We don’t want to hear the details, sis. Thank you very much.
Kyla: *waves his comment away.* It’s none of your business, anyway.
Giorgia: In case you’re wondering, this bickering has been going on from pretty much the day Kyla moved in with Caleb when lockdown started. *cups her hand at the side of her mouth.* Don’t tell anyone, but Conor never really warmed up to the idea of his baby sister living with her boyfriend. Actually, her fiancé.
G: You don’t say.
Conor: *chuckles.* That’s not true. I wouldn’t have hesitated to drag her back home if I didn’t trust Morgan.
Giorgia: Yet you still call him by his family name. *raises eyebrow.*
Conor: It’s a guy thing, amore mio. We call our guy friends by their family name.
Kyla: Anyway, it’s time to pop the wine and cut the cake! *claps hands excitedly.*
G: Aww, you made a cake too? Now I’m upset I can’t have a slice, though my mum made a tiramisù to celebrate, even if it’s just for us and nobody else can join the celebrations.
Giorgia: *lifts up a platter with a delicious-looking cake.* I made a shamrock-shaped cake just for you, even if you can’t eat it. It’s chocolate and mint cake.
Conor: Ah, well. I guess I’ll have to eat an extra slice on your behalf.
Noah: Who decided it has to be you? Why can’t I have the extra slice?
Conor: Because I’m Irish and Grace loves Irish men. Sorry, buddy.
Noah: *cross arms over his chest.* I don’t think that’s fair. *Turns to look at the camera.* Shouldn’t you be the one to decide who gets to eat your cake?
G: Let’s say if I’d been there, I would have eaten two slices of that scrumptious cake. So go ahead and have one extra slice each.
Noah: *smirks at Conor.*
Giorgia: See what we have to live with? Sometimes it’s like being around third-graders.
Cara: *chuckles.* But we can’t even consider the idea of living without them, right?
Giorgia: *nods and blows a kiss at Conor.*
Kyla: *raises a glass.* Happy birthday to our good friend, Grace. Without her help and Destiny O’Hara’s we probably wouldn’t be here all together today.
All: *raise glasses.* To Grace!
G: Guys, I think I’m going to cry now. I don’t know what to say. I’m really touched by your thoughtfulness. Thank you so much.
Caleb: You’re more than welcome. We’re happy to know you’re okay and, since you can’t celebrate properly with your friends and family, we thought we could throw an improvised virtual party to cheer you up.
Noah: And we used the excuse so we could eat cake. There hasn’t been much to celebrate lately and this was a welcome opportunity.
G: How have you been coping in Destiny’s Cove? All of your businesses must have been affected by the lockdown.
Conor: I’ve had to close the pub, though we’ve just started offering a delivery service to those who want burgers or some Irish food. Giorgia’s been working at Sorrento to take care of deliveries pretty much since lockdown started, though the restaurant is obviously closed to the public.
Giorgia: And I’ve been making plans to start a catering business in the future, though I don’t know when I’ll be able to make it happen.
Kyla: The gallery is closed, so Caleb and I have been spending a lot of time painting together. We have a lot of new material for when I can reopen; this landscape has been a great source of inspiration and I’d be lying if I said the lockdown has been tough for us. It’s been like being on a forced honeymoon, just the two of us and the dogs, with nobody to disturb us.
Caleb: Of course, we grieved along with the rest of the world when we watched the news. It’s not like we were being insensitive. We actually thought a lot about you in the very early days when America hadn’t been hit by the virus yet. But sometimes we just needed to tune it all out and pretend it was just a bad dream.
Kyla: The first few weeks I was super emotional. I cried for anything. That’s when we decided that for the sake of our mental health and our relationship, we should try to focus on the positive things, like being together in this beautiful part of the town, and being alive.
G: Yes, I get that. I used to get really emotional too. The smallest thing would tear me apart. I guess thinking only of the positive things and bury the bad stuff for another time is a coping mechanism during these tough times. I’m glad you’re all okay and let’s hope this all ends soon.
Giorgia: We’ll wait to organize our wedding until we’re sure you can come too. There’s no way we could get married without you.
G: I definitely want to be there! Fingers crossed you don’t have to wait too long.
Noah: They’re acting like an old married couple anyway, so I doubt it would make much difference if they had to wait a few months or years longer.
Giorgia: *throws the wine cork at him.* And you’re talking like an grumpy old man.
Cara: He is a grumpy old man at times.
Noah: But you still love me, don’t you, babe? *bats eyelashes at her.*
Cara: *chuckles.* How could I not love the most charming man in town?
Conor: *makes gagging sounds.*
Noah: *hits him the wine cork Giorgia threw at him.*
G: All right, I’d better leave you to the cake before it melts and I’ll go eat mine. It looks like a pretty warm day over there.
Giorgia: It is. I think we’ll lay some blankets on the grass and enjoy the sunshine for a while longer, since we’re already here.
Caleb: While keeping at a safe distance from one another. Don’t worry, Grace; we’re being super responsible.
G: I’m glad to hear that. Thanks again for this lovely surprise, guys. It was really heart-warming and I hope you enjoy the cake and the rest of your day.
All: Happy birthday! *raising glasses.* Bye!

Did you like this interview? Let me know in the comments!

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