Chapter 18

Poppy

Inviting Harper to join me for lunch at work was, in retrospect, a decision that might have needed a tad more thought—or, frankly, a full-blown strategy session. Let's face it: in every HR handbook, there's probably a picture of Harper captioned 'how not to act in the workplace.'

Harper's entrance into the cafeteria could only be described as an event. With her towering height and striking beauty, topped with a waterfall of blonde hair that seemed to mock the cafeteria's harsh lighting, she turned heads—and not just turned, but practically swiveled on an axis. The mixture of eye rolls from females and stares from males she received was like watching people see a unicorn in a business suit for the first time.

And then there was Kent. His approach to our table wasn't so much a casual drop-by as it was a grand declaration of "I'm here, and I'm staking my claim." He draped an arm around Harper with the subtlety of a neon billboard. The silent battle lines drawn by the onlookers' glares could have made for a great mini-series, "The Cafeteria Chronicles: The Stare-Down."

Then Kent and Harper started to speak, and when I say 'speak,' I mean in their own embarrassingly sexualized language. Putting those two together is like unofficially kicking off nuclear fission in the break room; the energy they generate could practically light up a small city. And the closer they get, the more I start to wonder if we should be reaching for lead aprons or just marshmallows to roast in the glow of their escalating drama.

Throwing sprinkles on this drama sundae, Levi, my receptionist, unwittingly crashed the party. The poor kid was blissfully unaware of the comedic storm he was sailing into. Kent and Harper's humor was limitless, and to them, Levi was the ultimate newbie.

I did feel a twinge of guilt for not asking Levi how his dating life had been going, but in my defense, I had a solid excuse. Imagine saying, ‘ Hey, a crazy Russian hired a hitman to try and take out our boss, yeah, the boss I ' m dating, and, oh, did I forget to mention my ex, who is a psycho, had cameras littered throughout my apartment. Yeah, so how was your weekend, Levi?'

"Talia's birthday is coming up," Levi starts, his face lighting up at the mention of his girlfriend. They're official now, a fact that still seems to bring a smile to his face every time he says it out loud. "But it's also exam week, so we agreed to stay in and cook, then celebrate afterward," he continues, only to be cut off by Kent's whistle at the mention of 'celebrate.'

Levi chuckles, not missing a beat, "But I want to make her something special. I want the food to knock her socks off."

"You mean her panties off," Kent says with a goofy grin.

I can ' t help but giggle when Levi turns pale with worry as his eyes look around the workplace. "We're at lunch, talking man to man, and it seems like you need to up your game," Kent assures him with a mix of humor and brotherly advice.

"You're my boss's brother," Levi whispers.

"Semantics." Kent rolls his eyes.

"You can totally cook on a high-end meal budget," Harper reassured Levi. "Just don't try anything from a box." She smirks and glances at me.

"I'm still cleaning up flour from you and Kent's debut as chefs." I roll my eyes.

"But you love us," Harper flutters her eyelashes, then she looks towards Levi. "One time, Poppy and I were dying for that blooming onion from that steak house, but the one near us had closed. So, we tried to make it back to the dorms. You can make anything, Levi; you just need to be innovative enough," Harper says like she's a car salesman.

"Umm," I jerk my head towards her. "'We made it' is an interesting way to describe the outcome."

I look back at Levi. The kid has just learned to boil water and make pasta a few months ago. Let's give him stars he can reach for, not a task that's going to kill him. "Innovation and insanity are not the same, Levi," I correct, telling him the actual story. "Harper had a tea kettle that she filled with oil; almond oil because that's all we had in the dorm. Almond oil she used on her skin as a lotion."

"Hey, it's edible," Harper holds up her index finger.

"Should we try it? I know I ' d lick it off of you, Siren," Kent mutters, leaning closer to her. Oh lord, here come the sexual comments.

I speak louder to drown out their remarks. "Harper thought she could get the tea kettle to boil and deep fry the onion in it."

Poor Levi is struck with confusion, as many are when they have to try and understand why Harper does the crazy things she does.

"Boil an onion in a kettle?" Kent bursts into laughter, tipping his head back as if the concept is the funniest thing he's heard all day. "You do realize I went to boarding school in England, right? Over there, mistreating a kettle in such a manner is practically sacrilege. It's like...it's like putting tea in the microwave. You just don't do it!" His mock horror only adds to the hilarity, and I start giggling, too.

"I think that earns you a proper spanking," Kent grins.

Harper flips her hair back. "Try and spank my ass and see what happens."

Joy blooms over Kent's face. "Challenge accepted, Siren."

"Ladies and gents, take a look; this may or may not be the last time you see Kent with his balls intact," Harper quips, then playfully smacks his shoulder.

"And I'll have you know Einstein had many ideas that failed." Harper then looks at Levi. "The point is to try, Levi."

" Did it turn out?" Levi asks.

" No!" I chuckle, " We kept waiting for it to boil, then we dropped in the onion out of sheer hunger, miscalculating for their rise of oil when we shoved the onion inside. Oil spilled out from the kettle ' s spout directly into the open flames. Mind you, we were not allowed to have a burner in the dorm rooms. Microwaves only. We almost started another fire."

"Another?" Levi gulps.

Harper waves her hand, "What's life without thrills."

"Or third-degree burns." I tease.

" So, what happened next?" Levi leans in, his whole body angled towards us, elbows digging into the table, eager for the climax of our culinary catastrophe.

" Well, fortune favors the bold—or at least the prepared," I say. " Thankfully, we had a fire extinguisher at the ready. Crisis averted."

Harper points her finger in the air, " Try and try again until you succeed, Levi."

Just then, Levi's phone buzzes—a sharp, insistent vibration that slices through our laughter like a knife. He glances at the screen, and a subtle shadow of resignation flits across his face. " Duty calls," he sighs, pushing back his chair with a reluctant smile. " This has been... enlightening, but I've got to head back."

Harper leans forward, her voice warm with genuine fondness. " It was nice meeting you, Levi," she says, her smile reaching her eyes, which sparkle with the mischief.

Levi grins, " Yeah, you too," he responds.

" I'll see you in a few," I tell him, giving a casual wave goodbye. The moment he turns his back, I shake my head at Harper, an exaggerated gesture that fills the space Levi leaves behind.

Harper, unfazed, spreads her hands in a gesture that encompasses the whole of the cafeteria as if to include everyone in her defense. " Oh, don't give me that look. The kid laughed. Laughing at work is a good thing," she claims.

" Jesus, between the sexual comments and encouraging him to start an oil fire, you're a walking, talking HR violation, Harper," I retort, my tone half-serious, half-amused.

Kent, leaning back, lets out a playful snort, his laughter mingling with the sounds of the cafeteria—the distant clatter of dishes, the murmur of conversations around us. " Luckily, I know the head of HR. You can join me at work anytime, Siren," he teases, winking at Harper.

"After today, Talia will be lucky if Levi dares even to open an oven." Grabbing the creamer, a grin spreads across my face—it's pumpkin spice flavored. I'm certain this is Julian's doing. No ordinary work cafeteria stocks this by chance.

Harper catches sight of the creamer's label. "Lord help me, your obsession with seasonal spice has infected this place," she jests, elbowing Kent. "You've got to put an end to this. It's like enabling an addict," she says, nodding towards the coffee creamer with mock seriousness.

"I'll see what I can do," Kent replies, his grin wide before he plants a swift kiss on her cheek.

She rolls her eyes, feigning annoyance, but the blush on her cheeks doesn't escape my notice.

"I've got to head back to work, Siren. Catch you later," he says, earning another eye roll from Harper as he smirks and walks away.

"What's with this 'Siren' business? Do I even want to know? Please don't tell me you're into some mermaid fetish," I tease.

Harper snorts with laughter. "I told you, I attract psychos. Kent's just the latest," she says.

Securing the lid on my coffee until it clicks, I add, "Some of the dating advice you gave Levi before Kent showed up could get you arrested in certain states."

She presses her lips together, feigning regret. "Darn. I should have waited until Kent showed up. Might finally manage to scare him off."

We both giggle into our cups, but then, from the corner of my eye, I sense a presence. The authoritative steps of shoes that command attention. CEO Julian Sterling is striding into the cafeteria looking so handsome that my thighs clench, and I'm not sure how gravity doesn't manage to pull me down so I can crawl to him.

Julian commands any room he enters, but in a suit, it's simple—people are mesmerized by his presence.

I can't help but grin. He's mine.

Then I catch sight of his face, which is usually so reassuring. Lowering my coffee cup, I feel a tremble in my fingers.

Something is definitely wrong.