“You don’t report to me.”
“Correct.”
“And I remember exactly what I wanted in the elevator.”
His expression changed.
The CEO’s voice softened.
“May I kiss you?”
That question mattered.
More than she knew.
The Single Dad placed one hand at her waist.
“Yes.”
She kissed him.
Not tentative.
Not drunk.
Not confused.
Slow at first.
Then warmer.
His other hand touched the side of her neck.
The CEO’s fingers curled into his coat.
For several seconds, the parking lot disappeared.
When they separated, she remained close.
“So?”
she whispered.
The Single Dad smiled.
“Sober you has excellent judgment.”
She kissed him again.
Their relationship developed carefully.
Especially around the Daughter.
The Single Dad refused to let romance destabilize her life.
The CEO understood.
She met the Daughter outside work for the first time at a pancake restaurant.
The Daughter interrogated her.
“Do you still make Dad work weekends?”
“No.”
“Do you like him?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
The CEO looked toward the Single Dad.
He was enjoying this too much.
“A dangerous amount.”
The Daughter smiled.
“Are you going to marry him?”
The Single Dad choked.
The CEO calmly ate another bite of pancake.
“Ask me later.”
The Daughter nodded.
“Okay.”
The Single Dad stared.
“What?”
The CEO asked.
“You answered that alarmingly.”
“Strategic ambiguity.”
He hated executives.
He loved one.
That realization arrived six months later.
Not during sex.
Not during a luxury trip.
Not in some cinematic moment.
The Daughter got sick.
High fever.
The Single Dad canceled dinner with the CEO.
He expected disappointment.
Instead, thirty minutes later, groceries appeared outside his door.
Soup.
Medicine.
Electrolyte drinks.
No expensive gifts.
No dramatic appearance.
A note:
No need to answer. Take care of her.
The CEO did not come inside.
Did not turn care into intrusion.
That was when he understood she had actually changed.
He called.
“You sent the right fever medicine.”
“I asked the pharmacist.”
“You didn’t come over.”
“I thought about it.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because she needs her father, not your girlfriend turning sickness into a relationship milestone.”
The Single Dad closed his eyes.
“I love you.”
Silence.
Then:
“What?”
He laughed.
“I didn’t plan that.”
The CEO was completely quiet.
“CEO?”
“I heard you.”
“And?”
“I’m trying not to ruin it with an executive response.”
He smiled.
“Take your time.”
Finally:
“I love you too.”
His Daughter shouted from the couch:
“Who are you talking to?”
The Single Dad looked toward her.
“No one.”
The Daughter stared.
“CEO?”