Boss, Your Ex-Wife is Unreachable Now! novel Chapter 54

Penelope Grant glanced at the clock—it was almost half past one. "We must all be starving," she suggested with a warm smile. "Why don't we head to the cafeteria for lunch together?"

Of course, the cafeteria she meant was the staff dining hall inside the Research Institute.

Director Young agreed immediately. "Great idea, let's go."

He then turned to Willow. "Dr. Sheffield, since you're our resident expert, any recommendations for what we should try?"

His eyes, usually sharp and serious, softened with genuine warmth.

Willow, who had been shutting down her laptop, paused mid-motion, caught off guard by the question. She smiled. "We have people from all over the country working here, so the cafeteria offers a little bit of everything. It just depends on what you're in the mood for, Director Young."

Before anyone else could respond, Padgett jumped in eagerly. "I've eaten here a few times before, and I know what Leo likes. Let me be the one to recommend some dishes for him."

Padgett knew exactly what was going on—Leo had clearly taken a liking to the clever and beautiful Dr. Sheffield and was probably hoping to introduce her to his son. Normally, Leo was reserved to the point of being taciturn; he'd never make small talk unless he had a reason. This was obviously an excuse to get closer to Dr. Sheffield and, given the chance, subtly recommend his quiet son.

Padgett, however, also had his eye on Dr. Sheffield for his own family. He certainly wasn't going to let Leo get ahead of him.

Penelope Grant's gaze swept over the group, seeing right through the exchange. She laughed lightly. "We'd better get moving, or there won't be much left to choose from."

The group of nine made their way to the staff cafeteria.

Because her marriage was a secret, she couldn't use her status as a married woman as an excuse to fend them off. It was a headache—she definitely didn't want to go through that mess again.

She didn't mind their sons—they were all brilliant and accomplished in their own right—but she still hadn't managed to shake off the trauma from her previous life, when she'd almost been assaulted. She doubted she ever would. She didn't want to risk dragging anyone else into her unresolved issues.

Maurice, though, was different. He was strikingly beautiful, but in a way that was almost androgynous, and he'd never shown any romantic interest in her. Willow didn't feel uncomfortable sitting close to him. With other men, just being too near made her anxious and sweaty; with someone like Beasley, she felt outright nauseated.

Maurice, whom Willow regarded as a kind of genderless, high-IQ specimen, was in his own world at that moment. He'd just decided he wouldn't be going home on weekends anymore. Instead, he planned to keep Willow at the base with him, working side by side on the airborne drone's flight computer and airspeed issues until they finally cracked the perfect design.

After all, when Willow had just shared her new ideas, this was the only area she'd left open for him to take the lead and really make a difference.