Grant ended the call, let out a sigh, and when his eyes met mine, his face lit up with a brilliant smile.

"Take a seat, Ms. Hudson,

" Grant gestured to me., No sooner had I sat down than he sighed again,

"It's so tough to find top talent these days.

", I had overheard a bit of his phone call,

"Are we short on tech talent then?

",

"Short? Yeah, we lost an engineer from the tech department yesterday. We were already struggling to find skilled professionals, and this is just adding insult to injury,

" Grant shook his head, a rare look of stress painting his otherwise cheerful demeanor., Since I'd joined the company, Grant was always all smiles, seemingly carefree, as if nothing ever required his immediate attention or worry.,

"The labor market at home is really polarized right now. We've got plenty of folks with degrees but a real shortage of experienced, high-end talent. Plenty of casual labor, too, but not enough people willing to rol up their sleeves and get their hands dirty on the front line,

" I chimed in with a snapshot of the current employment landscape., Grant nodded vigorously, giving me a thumbs-up,

"You hit the nail on the head, Ms. Hudson. You really get both the business and the human resources side of things. A true jack-of-all-trades.

", His flattery left me with an awkward chuckle as I pulled out a contract Lester had discussed,

"I've looked into this company. They're new, but they have a solid leadership team and promising prospects. Plus, they seem really keen on collaboration.

", Grant took it from me,

"Alright, I'll take a look and then decide.

",

"Sure!

" I replied, remembering my lunch date with Jacqueline, which meant I might return to the office later in the afternoon,

"Mr. Smith, I need to step out for a bit at noon; I might be back a bit late.

",

"Ms. Hudson, you don't need to report these things to me. Just manage your time as you see fit,

" Grant was refreshingly straightforward.,

"Thanks!

", I got up to leave, but Grant called out to me again,

"Ms. Hudson, about what you said earlier, you seem to have a good grasp on the talent market. Do you know any tech talents, perhaps? It'd be great if you could refer someone.

", His request immediately brought Ernest to mind, though he was happily employed. I couldn't exactly ask him to quit his job, could I?,

"I'll keep an eye out,

" I offered Grant a non-committal response.,

"Ms. Hudson,

" Grant called out just as I reached the door., Turning back, I faced him,

"Anything else, Mr. Smith?

", He chuckled before speaking,

"You're not off to a blind date, are you?

", I was speechless for a moment.,

"Just curious. A beautiful woman like you, single... So, I just wondered... Ha ha...

" At that moment, Grant's grin was irresistibly mischievous., Despite his teasing, it was hard to be offended. I didn't bother hiding the truth,

"It's not a blind date.

",

"That's good to hear!

" His response oddly made me feel as if he had some interest in my personal life., Though Grant was overly attentive, he hadn't shown any other intentions., Still, it was best to clear the air before things got more complicated., So, I added,

"I'm not single, actually. I have a boyfriend.

", Grant's eyes sparkled with curiosity,

"Really? Who is it?

", His question was a bit too personal, making me wonder how to evade it., Just then, someone from outside called,

"Is Felicia Hudson here?

", It saved me from having to respond to Grant, so I headed out,

"That's me...

", I stopped mid-sentence, frozen by the sight of the person calling me, especially what he was holding., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.