“So,” Eli said, propping an elbow on the synthetic turf, “what do you think the mountain’s best legend is? I vote for explorer who ate too much meatloaf and fell asleep.”
Raine thought of the cafeteria trays and the old joke, then offered something more inventive. “Maybe it’s a map. The meat molds are markers. Each layer points to a secret in the building—like which conference room has the best chairs or where they hide the good snacks.” meat log mountain second datezip work
“Do I look okay?” Raine countered, laughing. Eli’s worry transformed into relief and something softer—an openness to closeness that skipped past the usual rehearsal of dating. “So,” Eli said, propping an elbow on the