Ron hung up the phone with a sigh but turned to me with a smile. “Take a seat, Ms. Kay,” he said,


    gesturing to a chair.


    I sat down, and he sighed again. “It’s getting harder to find top talent these days.”


    From his call earlier, I had already figured that out. “Are we really that short on technical staff right


    now?”


    “We a


    are,” he said, shaking his head. “One of our senior engineers quit yesterday. We were already


    stretched thin, and this just makes it worse.”


    For once, he looked a bit stressed–a side of him I hadn’t seen before. Usually, he was all smiles,


    like nothing ever bothered him.


    “The job market’s super prized right now,” I said, sharing my thoughts. “We’ve got tons of people


    with fancy degrees, but hardly anyone with the real hands–on experience we need. It’s like there’s


    no shortage of gig workers, but try finding someone who’ll actually get their hands dirty.”


    Ron nodded, giving me a thumbs up. “Exactly. You get it. You’re seriously a pro at both business


    and HR- a total all–rounder.”


    I smiled awkwardly at his over–the–top praise, then handed him the contract Sean had suggested.


    “I’ve looked into thispany. They’re new, but their leadership seems solid, and they’re really


    eager to work with us.”


    Ron took the contract. “Alright, I’ll go through it, and then we’ll decide.”


    “Sounds good!” I said, then remembered my lunch ns with Lindey and how I might be backte.


    “Mr. Shane, I have to step out for lunch, so I might be a littleteing back this afternoon.”


    “You don’t need to tell me every time. Just manage your own schedule,” Ron said, sounding


    casual.


    “Thanks!”


    I was about to head out when Ron called after me, “Ms Kay, hang on a sec.”


    I turned back. “What’s up?”


    He chuckled. “You seemed pretty tuned into the job market. Do you know any tech pros? If you do,


    we’d love a referral.”


    Hayden immediately popped into my mind, but his job was solid. I couldn’t just ask him to leave,


    right? “I’ll keep it in mind,” I said, keeping it vague.


    “Ms. Kay,” he called again just as I reached the door.


    I turned around, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah?”


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Ron grinned, looking almost bashful. “You’re not going on a date, are you?”


    I was taken aback.


    He shrugged, still grinning. “I’m just curious. You’re gorgeous and single, so I thought, you know…


    heh heh…” He was being so nosy it was almost funny.


    1


    +26 BONUS


    I couldn’t really be mad at him. “Nope, not a date.”


    “Oh, that’s a relief!” Ron’s response was so unexpectedly cheerful that I couldn’t help but wonder if


    he had


    a thing for me.


    But aside from being a little too attentive sometimes, he’d never crossed any lines.


    Still, it’s better to clear things up before they get awkward.


    “I’m actually not single anymore,” I said casually. “I have a boyfriend.”


    Ron’s eyes widened with interest. “You do? Who is he?


    I blinked. What kind of question was that? And since when were we close enough for him to ask?


    Why was he suddenly acting like an overprotective big brother?


    I was still figuring out how to respond when someone outside called, “Which one of you is Keira


    Kay?”


    Saved by the interruption, I stepped out. “That would be-”


    The words died on my lips as I saw the guy standing there, holding something in his arms.


    I froze, totally caught off guard.