Page 3 of The Run Option

My mom used to say that my puppy dog eyes could get me anything I wanted. I’m hoping that’s still the case today.

“Come on, Bianca, help me out this one time,” I say, leaning against the cubicle wall. Bianca is one of the social media interns that Willow manages. I’ve snuck into their office space to recruit her to help surprise Willow.

“If I help you, I know it’s not going to be just this once. Next time you’ll say,but you did it last time.”

I grin. She’s right. “All I want is for you to sneak a package of Twizzlers into her backpack.”

“Why can’t you do it?”

“There’s no way I’m getting anywhere near her backpack without her seeing. I can’t ruin my streak of her not seeing me hide them.”

“If she sees me she’ll fire me,” Bianca says.

I shoot her a disbelieving look.

“Okay, she won’t fire me.” Her blonde bangs lift off her forehead as she huffs. “But she’ll give me that disappointed lookthat’s somehow worse than the one my mom gave me that time she caught me sneaking out in high school.”

I chuckle. “I’ll buy your coffee for the next week if you do it.”

“You’re filthy rich. Buy me coffee for the next year.”

“A month,” I compromise.

Her brows shoot up in surprise. “Deal!”

Paying for a month of overpriced coffee is not the smartest financial decision. But when the idea of hiding one in her backpack came to mind, I couldn’t let it go. That tends to be how I operate in general. It can get me in trouble.

“You’re the best. I’ll send you a gift card later today. Just let me know if it starts to run out, and I’ll refill it.”

I pass the pack of watermelon Twizzlers over to her. Ever since I found out the candy was Willow’s favorite, I’ve been hiding them in various places for her to find. I also put little notes on them. Cheesy jokes or puns or references to conversations we’ve had. Today I’ve attached a five-dollar bill to the package, in reference to ournot-datelast night.

“I don’t know why you do this,” Bianca says with a sigh, setting the package beside her keyboard.

I don’t either at this point. It’s been weeks now, and nothing has come of it. Willow still seems to hate me. She thanks me for the candy, but it doesn’t work to soften her. Neither does complimenting her or participating in any and all social media trends she brings to the team. It feels like no matter what I do, she still sees me as an enemy.

“I like a challenge,” I answer, and while that’s true, it goes deeper than that. I want Willow to like me becauseI like her. She’s funny and smart and drop-dead gorgeous.

I willnevergo out with you.I wince as her cutting words come to mind. Yeah, that hurt. She must really hate me if she thinks I’m worse than the moron she was with last night.

“Willow is certainly that.”

I laugh at Bianca’s words. Willow runs a tight ship, but I also know she takes care of everyone who works for and with her. Last week I overheard her telling an intern to go home and study for their exam instead of staying for the game. And there are plenty of other instances just like that, all of which have made me want to know her more.

The sound of a door opening makes me lift my head. Willow walks in, a Diet Coke in one hand and what looks to be a sub sandwich in the other. Her eyes narrow when she spots me.

“Don’t let her see the candy,” I whisper under my breath to Bianca. She snatches the Twizzlers off her desk and throws them in her laptop bag. I murmurthanksand then head toward the door.

“What are you doing in here, Jason?” Willow asks when our paths cross.

It’s game day today, so she’s got on a maroon Homewood Lions sweatshirt. Her long hair is pulled up in a high ponytail, a thin white ribbon tied into a bow secured around it. She always looks amazing, but there’s something about seeing her in team colors that makes my blood heat.

“I was just chatting, making friends,” I reply with a lazy grin.

“Make different ones. Stay away from my interns.”

“Isn’t it a good thing for us to have a relationship? They’re more likely to get better content if they know the players,” I argue, because I can’t help it. It’s fun working her up, even if it derails my purpose of getting her to like me.

She rolls her eyes. “I highly doubt you flirting with Bianca will help her get better content.”

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