It was late morning when Darla heard her name crackle through the old intercom. “Darla, can you come to the office for a minute?” Her boss, Ray, never called her in unless something was up. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and headed toward the back, her heels clicking across the worn tile.

Inside the cramped office, Ray looked unusually tense. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Listen, we’ve got a health inspector from the department out front—surprise visit. Real straight-laced type, and I can’t afford another citation.” He paused, giving her a meaningful look. “I was hoping you could... you know... charm him a little. Keep him in a good mood.”

Darla blinked, crossing her arms. “You want me to flirt with a government official?” she scoffed. But then Ray turned the monitor on the desk toward her, showing a live feed from the front camera. The inspector was tall, broad-shouldered, with neatly combed hair and a clean-cut jawline. Darla’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Well,” she murmured, lips curling into a smirk, “you could’ve led with that.”