Page 61 of Save Me

Kels nods.

I ask her how things are going in the sports division, but the office’s receptionist interrupts us.

“Kennedy, you have a lunch delivery.” She steps to the side to reveal a delivery guy from a local Thai restaurant. He hands me a full, heavy bag. I nearly drop the damn thing.

“I didn’t order anything,” I tell him.

He smiles. “Mr. Kim says to eat well.”

My eyes bulge. Dae sent me lunch?

I don’t even need to think about the answer. Of course he did. The receptionist gives me a little smile before she and the delivery guy leave. I turn to face Kelsey, now staring at me with an expectant look.

“What?”

“Is this the guy who sent you flowers a few weeks ago?”

I push out a breath. “Yes.”

“Now he’s sending you lunch?”

I don’t respond because the answer is obvious. I regret telling Dae I skipped lunch because of a packed workday. And yes, it’s nearing two o’clock, and I haven’t eaten yet because of multiple meetings and other work duties.

My stomach growls as soon as I get a whiff of the food.

“What’s in the bag?” Kelsey asks.

I lift a brow at her.

She shrugs. “That’s the real test. Anyone can send food. What’s important is whether or not he ordered a well-balanced meal. Complete with the food you like.”

She looks at the bag on my desk now. “From the looks of it, he ordered enough to serve an army.”

She isn’t lying.

It turns out Dae ordered spring rolls, shrimp salad, pad thai, and soup. Of course, all of it was accompanied by enough rice to, yes, feed an entire army.

“He wanted to make sure you didn’t starve.” Kelsey laughs.

“Did you eat lunch?” I ask.

When she shakes her head, I tell her to pull up a chair. We end up sharing and having lunch together while Kels tells me about the upcoming opening she’s hoping to secure. I promise to help her practice her broadcasting skills if she needs to.

“That would be awesome,” she agrees. “Oh, are you coming to Garrett’s this Friday?”

I make a face.

“Oh, come on,” she half whines. “You never come to our after-work get-togethers. Every Friday I invite you, and you never show up.” She’s pleading now.

“I know you don’t like to go out that much, but it’s fun.”

It’s true. I rarely go to those work happy hours. I don’t love hanging out in bars or nightclubs. It’s why I’ve rarely been to the Black Opal.

Of course, thinking about the Black Opal brings to mind Dae. As I chew the food he sent, that irritation I felt earlier bristles down my spine. I was like putty in his hands the night before. If he pressed just a little harder, I likely would’ve cracked and agreed to stay with him the entire night.

It’s bad enough that I already agreed to stay with him overnight on our next date. This thing, whatever it is, is moving too quickly. It’s making my head spin. The whole purpose of me approaching Dae was to get information for this investigation, not to date him.

Not to fall for him.

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