Chapter 16
1309 Words
The night ended with Emily lying awake far longer than she meant to, staring at the ceiling with her phone still in her hand. Brody’s message. Her one‑word reply. Lola’s voice echoing in her ear.
She’d said yes.
And for the first time in a long time, excitement outweighed fear.
Sleep finally pulled her under — soft, warm, and full of possibility.
Emily arrived early, hoping for a quiet moment before the chaos of the day. But the second she stepped into her office, she froze.
Another vase. Another bouquet. Fresh, stunning flowers arranged with the same care and intention as the last two.
Her breath caught.
Brody.
She brushed her fingers over a petal, her heart doing that soft, traitorous flutter she couldn’t control anymore.
Her phone buzzed.
Lola: “Friend meeting. Your office. Mandatory. Don’t argue.”
Emily groaned. “Oh no.”
She barely had time to set her bag down before the door cracked open.
Natalie slipped in first, coffee in hand, eyebrows already raised.
“Lola said urgent. What did you do?”
Emily opened her mouth, but—
Elijah walked in next, closing the door behind him.
“Okay, who’s pregnant, who’s engaged, or who’s in trouble? Because Lola only uses the word ‘mandatory’ for drama.”
Emily pressed her lips together. “It’s not—okay, maybe it’s a little dramatic.”
Kimberly entered quietly, but her eyes went straight to the flowers.
“Oh… wow. Those are not ‘just because’ flowers.”
Emily’s cheeks warmed. “Please don’t start.”
Janet arrived last, out of breath and already suspicious.
“Alright, what’s going on? Lola dragged me out of the elevator like the building was on fire.”
And finally—Lola burst in, triumphant.
“Everyone’s here. Perfect. Emily, take it away.”
Emily stared at her. “You called a meeting in my office?”
Lola shrugged. “You weren’t going to tell them on your own.”
Natalie crossed her arms. “Tell us what?”
Elijah pointed at the flowers. “Should we start with those?”
Kimberly leaned against the wall. “Or should we start with why Emily looks like she hasn’t stopped smiling since last night?”
Janet nodded. “Yeah, spill it. All of it.”
Emily inhaled sharply, then exhaled in one long, panicked rush.
“Okay—fine. I’ll just say it. All of it. Just don’t interrupt.”
Five heads nodded.
Emily clasped her hands together.
“Brody and I… went out. Not officially, but it felt like a date. And he brought me flowers. Twice. And then again this morning. And he texted me last night asking to see me again and I said yes. And no, we didn’t sleep together. And no, I don’t know what this is yet. And yes, I know he’s our boss. And yes, I know it’s complicated. And that’s everything.”
Silence.
Five pairs of eyes blinked at her.
Then—
Lola grinned. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
Natalie gasped. “Emily! Oh my god!”
Elijah threw his hands up. “I KNEW something was going on!”
Kimberly smiled softly. “He really likes you.”
Janet pointed at the flowers. “And he’s not subtle about it.”
Emily covered her face with both hands. “Please don’t make this a big deal.”
Lola snorted. “Honey… this is a big deal.”
Emily peeked through her fingers, cheeks burning. “I didn’t say anything about how I feel. So don’t ask.”
Natalie smirked. “We don’t have to. It’s written all over your face.”
Emily groaned. “Oh god.”
Elijah nodded at the flowers. “And all over your desk.”
Emily’s heart thudded.
She wasn’t ready to talk about her feelings.
Not yet.
But she was ready for whatever came next.
The room was buzzing with energy—Natalie perched on the edge of Emily’s desk, Kimberly leaning against the wall, Janet sitting cross‑legged in one of the visitor chairs, Elijah pacing like he was waiting for a bomb to go off, and Lola standing proudly like she’d orchestrated a Broadway production.
Emily could feel all their eyes on her.
She twisted her fingers together, cheeks warm. “Okay… there’s one more thing.”
Lola’s eyes lit up. “Oh, this is the good part.”
Emily shot her a look, then took a breath. “I… really like him.”
The room froze.
Natalie’s mouth fell open. Kimberly smiled softly. Janet let out a tiny squeal. Lola clapped once like she’d been waiting for this moment her whole life.
But Elijah—
Elijah’s face changed.
Not dramatically. Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But Emily saw it.
His jaw tightened. His shoulders stiffened. His eyes dropped to the floor for a second before he forced them back up. He tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Wow,” he said quietly. “So it’s… real.”
Emily’s heart pinched. She’d known Elijah had a soft spot for her, but she’d hoped—maybe foolishly—that it wasn’t this deep.
“Elijah…” she started gently.
He held up a hand. “It’s fine. Really. I just—” He swallowed. “He’s our boss, Em. And I don’t trust him.”
Lola rolled her eyes. “You don’t trust any man who looks at Emily for more than three seconds.”
“That’s not true,” Elijah snapped, sharper than he meant to. “I just don’t want her getting hurt.”
Emily opened her mouth to respond—
And that’s when the door opened.
Brody stepped inside.
Tall. Calm. Confident. The kind of presence that filled a room without trying.
His eyes swept over the group, then landed on Emily.
And softened.
But he didn’t say a word about what he might have heard.
He didn’t even blink.
Instead, he slipped into his charming, professional tone. “Good morning, everyone. Quite the gathering in here.”
Lola straightened like she’d been caught stealing office supplies. Natalie nearly spilled her coffee. Janet sat up so fast her chair squeaked. Kimberly smiled politely. Elijah crossed his arms, glaring.
Brody’s gaze flicked briefly to the flowers on Emily’s desk—his flowers—then back to her face.
“Everything okay?” he asked, voice warm but laced with concern.
Emily’s breath caught. “Yes. We were just… talking.”
Brody nodded slowly, like he didn’t believe a word of it but wasn’t going to push. “Good. I just wanted to check in.”
Elijah stepped forward, placing himself slightly between Emily and Brody. “We’re fine.”
Brody’s eyes sharpened for a fraction of a second—just enough for Emily to notice—but his smile stayed easy.
“Glad to hear it,” he said smoothly. “Emily, when you have a moment, I’d like to go over something with you.”
Emily nodded, trying not to look as flustered as she felt. “Of course.”
Brody gave the group one last polite smile, then slipped back out of the office, closing the door behind him.
The second he was gone, the room erupted.
Lola: “OH MY GOD.”
Natalie: “He totally heard.”
Janet: “He definitely heard.”
Kimberly: “He pretended so hard not to hear.”
Elijah: “I don’t like him.”
Emily pressed her hands to her face. “Kill me. Just kill me now.”
Lola grinned. “Girl… he heard you say you really like him. And he still looked at you like you hung the moon.”
Emily’s heart thudded.
And she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hide under her desk…
…or run after Brody.
- Writer
