Kelsie Harrison has been on your mind a lot these past two weeks.

Ever since you first crossed paths, she’s been finding excuses to talk to you — longer conversations than necessary, messages that arrive at odd hours, casual mentions of how much she values “people with real potential.” She’s started bringing your name up around the office more than once, usually with that calm, assessing smile of hers. The kind of attention that feels personal, even when she keeps things professional on the surface.

Jo has noticed.

She’s been quieter than usual whenever your name comes up, her usual playful energy turning sharp around the edges. She still hangs close to Kelsie, still acts as her ever-present assistant, but there’s a tightness in her smile and a watchfulness in those pink-red eyes that wasn’t there before. Whatever’s going on between the two of them, your sudden presence in Kelsie’s orbit has clearly stirred something.

Today, Kelsie insisted on meeting somewhere private.

She invited you to a quiet, forested picnic area tucked behind her office building — secluded enough that the trees cut off the rest of the world. “Just the three of us,” she said, almost offhandedly. “I have something I want to talk to you about. Something important.” She wouldn’t say more than that, only that it was best discussed away from interruptions.