Secretly loving her

uffman

in Summit Ridge. The usual morning energy was there-machines humming, coworkers chatting-but for him, everything seemed muted. Mia

t drifting. Every time he glanced at Mia's workstation, he felt a pang of con

it anymore. He opened the work

you o

sponse. He tried to reassure himself-maybe she was just running late, or m

s, he found himself glancing at his phone. Still nothi

all is

ilities. Was she sick? Did something happen at home? He wondered if Tyler, Mia's husband, might see the message

If he were in Tyler's shoes, he wouldn't want a coworker m

Morgan and a few others talking about shift swaps and weekend plans, but no one mentioned Mia. He co

nt one last message, tr

lieve you d

ry task feeling heavier without Mia's presence. She had a knack for making even th

his phone buzzed. He snat

e reply

. Relief washed over him. She was okay-maybe just sick, m

lm her with messages, especially if she was resting. Instead, he slipped

oke, the way she handled challenges without complaint, and the subtle way she ma

was driving under the speed limit until other drivers honked and sp

ound himself watching a murder mystery show-one Mia had mentioned she liked. He

oped Mia would be back soon. The d