You are my secret

Off the clock

By 7:59 p.m., I had my laptop open, my notes ready, and a mug of tea in my hand — because if I was going to work after hours, I was doing it in pajama pants.

At exactly 8:00, the video call request popped up.

I clicked “join” and braced myself for Business Kellen: suit, tie, and that intimidating “I have five seconds for your nonsense” expression.

Instead… no tie. Shirt sleeves rolled up. Hair slightly less perfect than usual. And behind him, not the sleek, intimidating office, but what looked like his home — bookshelves, a framed painting, and what might have been a guitar leaning in the corner.

“Miss Rivers,” he said, voice still smooth but just a shade warmer. “Evening.”

“Evening,” I replied, trying very hard not to stare at the guitar. “So… this is the after-hours CEO look?”

His mouth twitched. “And this is the after-hours marketing coordinator look?” He gestured to my oversized hoodie, which I had forgotten I was wearing.

I groaned. “Yes. It’s called comfort. You should try it.”

He actually smiled at that — small, but real — before gesturing to the shared document on the screen. “Let’s go through your initial ideas.”

We worked through them one by one, and to my surprise, he didn’t just nod or shoot them down; he asked questions, built on them, even challenged me in ways that made the ideas sharper. Somewhere between “targeted brand partnerships” and “launch event strategy,” I realized we were actually… enjoying the brainstorming.

Halfway through, my cat decided to make an appearance, jumping onto my desk and right into the camera frame.

“Is that your assistant?” Kellen asked dryly.

“Yes,” I said, scratching behind her ears. “She works for snacks.”

“Seems more cooperative than some people I’ve managed,” he murmured, but there was a faint smile in his eyes.

By the time we wrapped up, it was almost 9:30. He leaned back in his chair, studying me for a moment before saying, “You think differently from most people in your department.”

“Is that… a compliment or a warning?” I asked.

“Both,” he said, and then ended the call before I could reply.

I sat there for a full minute, staring at the blank screen, wondering when exactly “working with the CEO” had started to feel less like a threat… and more like a problem I didn’t want to solve.