It all started at Cattlemens Steakhouse in Dixon, where I was already working when I heard we were getting a new coworker. The buzz was that he might be the owner's son ... turns out, that wasn’t quite true. (His grandmother was just friends with the CEO and his wife.) Still, there was a bit of mystery around the "new guy." When he started, I couldn’t resist pulling the classic trick, a tap on one shoulder while I stood on the other. He fell for it, and somehow, that silly little moment became the start of something much bigger. We quickly became friends, bonded by long shifts, blistering 100-degree heat during COVID outdoor dining, masks we couldn’t wait to take off, and our mutual... let’s say “colorful” opinions about a few of our coworkers (especially one manager we both couldn’t stand). Through it all, the stress, the laughter, the shared glances across the host stand, something deeper started to grow. Then one day, he looked at me and said he really liked me. That he wanted to be more than just friends. And just like that... everything changed. We fell in love where we least expected it, in the middle of chaos, during a pandemic, in the heat, behind masks, under pressure. But that’s what makes it ours. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.