CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR – ROMANTIC LUNCH DATE

Dinner with just Lance and Kayla was exactly what she needed to destress and regain her sense of humor about Jessie's clumsy pursuit. Over glasses of crisp wine, they traded amusing stories and good-natured jibes about the girl's increasingly blatant attempts at sabotage. "I have to hand it to her, she's got persistence," Kayla chuckled ruefully. "Even if her single-minded tactics are becoming more of an embarrassment than anything else." "Aw come on, you've got to admire her...unique charms," Lance teased with a rakish grin. "The dogged commitment, the relentless optimism in the face of certain humiliation..." "Don't forget the flaming incompetence masked by feigned airhead syndrome!" Kayla played along with a snort of laughter. "True, true. Really though, I feel I should apologize for letting this Jessie fiasco go on too long," Lance said, suddenly serious. "Her crush seems to have gotten out of hand, and I don't want you feeling disrespected or uncomfortable at work because of