Chapter 12
Twelve
“Hey, kiddo,” Leon calls out as I exit the elevator
“Morning, Leon.” I try to offer a wave, but I’m currently a walking balancing act with my oversized tote, a drugstore bag crinkling with hidden treasures, and a cardboard coffee carrier.
“Need a hand?” he asks, already reaching for the load.
“Please.” I exhale in relief as he takes the coffees and the heavy box.
“Where am I headed? Your desk or the break room?”
“My desk.”
We weave through the cubicles toward my station. “Glad I caught you,” Leon says. His voice drops into a whisper. “I wanted to give you a heads-up that we’re changing things up for the team dinner tonight. Lina’s is out.”
“Oh?” Strange. Given how much a certain somebody likes Lina, I’d never thought I’d see the day he’d pass up a chance to see her. “What’s the plan?” I set my tote down and give him my full attention.
A faint twinge of pink appears around Leon’s cheeks. He adjusts his glasses. “Lina is joining us for dinner.”
I freeze, then slowly a grin spreads across my face. I clap my hands together. I can’t believe my work dad finally did it! “I knew she’d say yes if you just worked up the nerve to ask.”
“It wasn’t easy. I stood outside her restaurant for about an hour, but I did it,” he admits.
“I’m so proud of you!” Before he can react, I wrap my arms around him in a quick, fierce hug.
When I release him, he appears equal parts terrified and relieved. “Thanks. I didn’t think it’d be this hard, but I haven’t had to ask a woman out in . . . well, let’s just say it’s been a minute.”
I giggle. The idea of Leon, the man who is always willing to go toe-to-toe with Theo when he’s in a volatile mood, getting flustered over a dinner invite is surprisingly sweet. “Are you sure you don’t want dinner to just be the two of you? I’m sure the guys wouldn’t mind.”
“No,” he says quickly. “Like I said, my dating game is nonexistent. I need my work family there for backup in case I’m a dud.”
I lightly bump his arm with my shoulder, offering him my most encouraging “you’ve got this” look. “You won’t be a dud, Leon. Trust me. You’re charming, you’re brilliant, and you’re a great listener. Lina’s going to love finally having you all to herself. So where’s the new spot?”
“I was thinking we’d hit up Takeuchi’s, the new sushi place off North Orange Street.”
“You know me.” I grin, the thought of spicy tuna and miso soup already making my morning better. “I’m always happy to have sushi.”
Leon doesn’t head back to his desk immediately. Instead, he lingers and removes his glasses to clean the lenses. “I haven’t asked the guys yet,” he says, leaning against my desk, “but I thought you might want to invite Theo along.”
“Theo?” My heart performs an uncoordinated stutter at hearing his name.
“Uh-huh.” Leon shoots me a knowing look. “A little birdy told me he took you on a field trip to Neptune Bay this past weekend.”
My eyes widen. “Who told you?” I say quickly.
“The man himself.” Leon chuckles, replacing his glasses. “Don’t look so surprised. He’s the boss, but he’s also one of my work kids too. We play pickleball together when we can.”
I hadn’t realized Leon and Theo were close enough to talk about “field trips,” but it makes sense. Leon is the office gossip. He knows everything from my coffee order down to whose kid has the flu. But something else surprises me. “Theo plays pickleball?”
“Yeah. And he’s pretty good too. Kicks my butt every time,” Leon says, a glint of genuine admiration in his eyes.
“I told him he could go pro if the engineering thing didn’t work out.
” He shakes his head, laughing. “Anyway, he played tennis as a kid. He’s got this wicked backhand that should be illegal against an old man like me. ”
I can’t help the mental image that flashes through my mind—Theo in a form-fitting short-sleeve top and athletic shorts.
I can picture the lean, corded muscles of his forearms as he follows through on one of those illegal backhands.
The man looks handsome in his bespoke suits, but picturing him moving with that kind of raw, athletic grace on a pickleball or tennis court makes my mouth go slightly dry.
I quickly file that particular mental image away in a very private, very locked cabinet for later—preferably for a time when I’m not standing in the middle of a high-traffic office.
“You’re not old, Leon,” I say, trying to steer my thoughts back to safety.
“Maybe. But after three rounds with Theo, my back and knees feel it.” He gives his shoulder a stiff little shrug and starts to back away toward his own cubicle.
“Anyway, the ball’s in your court, kiddo.
Convince him to join us. Lina loves him, and he might get Derrick and Andy to be on their best behavior. ”
“Amaya and Ela normally do that,” I tease.
“Yes, but I’d rather have a sure thing,” Leon says, his voice dropping into that vulnerable, nervous register again. “This is our first date and . . .”
I hold up my hand. “Say no more, I get it. You want to make a good first impression with her. You want to make sure the boys say the right things—or at least don’t say the very wrong things. I’ll do my best and let you know at lunch,” I promise.
We air kiss. As he walks away, I return my attention to the bag sitting on my desk chair.
Tucked inside are two boxes of Rocky Road bars, the very last of the stock the Orlando Candy Depot had.
I reach in to open a box, but spot Theo emerging from his office out of the corner of my eye.
He has a phone pressed to his ear and his well-traveled suitcase in his other hand.
“Yes, yes. I’m leaving now, Mr. Harris,” he says, his voice clipped and weary. “I’ll have my assistant send yours my itinerary as soon as the ticket is confirmed. Fine . . . Fine. Understood.”
He ends the call and slides the phone into his pocket, the lines on his forehead deep enough to be permanent. He turns off his office lights, and the room falls dark, casting him in shadow.
I sigh, a heavy feeling settling in my chest. He’s being sent out again. I guess that means there’s no sense in asking him to dinner. On a whim, I grab one of the fresh coffees and the bag with the Rocky Road bars. “Theo,” I call out.
He glances up, looking startled to see someone already at their desk. “Morning, Kaori. Do you know if my assistant is in yet?”
“I haven’t seen her,” I say, closing the distance between us. I walk over and offer him the still-warm coffee. “I didn’t have time to sneak this onto your desk, but here. This is for you.”
His expression softens. “Thank you. It’s going to be one of those days. Weeks, actually, by the sound of it.”
He takes a long, appreciative sip of the coffee, closing his eyes for a second as the caffeine hits.
“Perfect roast,” he says, smacking his lips together.
When he opens his eyes, he glances at the box tucked under my arm, his nose twitching slightly.
“Do you happen to have a Rocky Road in there too?”
“I do,” I say, handing him the bag.
He peeks inside and arches an eyebrow. “There are two boxes in here. If you’re planning to start leaving a box a day on my desk, I’ll have to start reimbursing you,” he says, a ghost of a smirk appearing.
“No, I was only going to leave one,” I explain, nodding toward his suitcase. “But then I saw you had your suitcase and heard you on the phone, and I thought you’d need the sugar. Where are you headed?”
“London,” he says, sounding entirely drained by the prospect.
“Again?”
“Another crisis with Vortex Rise.”
Theo mentioned Vortex Rise over dinner at Burger Chalet.
It’s one of the highest-profile coasters the Excelsior Park London office is currently working on.
A multimillion-dollar project for the Dearbourne Group’s newest theme park just outside Toronto.
From the way he explained it, Vortex Rise has become a black hole of sorts by sucking up money and creating an endless number of problems.
“Leon asked me to invite you to join us tonight. He needs us as his wingmen on his date with Lina, but I guess that’s off the table now,” I say, a genuine pang of disappointment catching me off guard.
It’s more than just a missed social outing; it’s the sudden realization that the office is going to feel a lot emptier for the next several days.
“So the sly fox finally asked her. I wish I could be there to watch it unfold. Lina’s been hoping he’d make a move.”
“I knew she had a thing for him,” I say, feeling a spark of triumph that my intuition was right.
Theo laughs softly. “She’s been smitten for a long time. Leon’s the only one who hasn’t noticed. You’ll have to keep me posted on how their date goes. Text me all the highlights.”
“I will,” I promise.
“I’ll probably be gone for the week. With any luck, I’ll be back just in time for trivia night.
I’d hate for you to lose your winning streak because the team forgot their British history.
” He checks his watch, his jaw tightening slightly.
“I should call a rideshare to the airport if I’m going to make the ten-fifteen flight. ”
You know a man is overworked when he has the transatlantic flight schedules memorized like a bus route.
“Do you, uh, need me to run over to your place and overnight you anything?” The words are out before I can stop them, and I immediately cringe.
It sounds incredibly invasive, even if a traitorous part of my brain is genuinely curious to see what his apartment looks like.
Does he live like a minimalist? Or is there a hidden layer of “Whale Lover” decor I don’t know about?
“Thanks, but it’s not needed,” he says, tapping the side of his suitcase. “I never bothered unpacking from the last trip across the pond. Besides, I keep enough supplies in my London flat to survive a siege.”
“I’ll let Anya know you’ve been summoned by Darth Vader again,” I joke, trying to lighten the heavy air around him.