Outside Work We... •[TNN One-shots]•

Nice To Meet You?... •|| MARJOREECE + CARLY + OLIVE ||•

Prompt: Carly meets Olive for the first time.

Carly hummed softly to herself as she balanced two Tesco meal deals in her hands, expertly nudging open the office door with her elbow. She didn’t bother knocking—it was Reece’s office, after all. “Here we go, Reece,” she called out cheerfully. “Our boring meal deals have arrived!”

But instead of Reece, she was greeted by a tall girl with long black hair sitting comfortably in Reece’s chair, her feet propped up on his desk. The girl glanced up from her phone, seemingly unfazed by Carly’s sudden entrance.

Carly froze in the doorway, her cheerful demeanor vanishing. “Uh, excuse me?”

The girl raised an eyebrow, sitting up straighter. “Hi?” she said hesitantly.

“What are you doing in here?” Carly demanded, stepping inside and setting the meal deals on the desk.

“I’m just waiting for—”

“For Reece?” Carly interrupted, narrowing her eyes. Her voice took on a sharp edge. “Right. Let me guess, you’re one of those parents who can’t keep their hands to themselves. Well, let me tell you something, lady: Reece is happily married to a wonderful woman, and he doesn’t need you sniffing around like some…some desperate dog!”

The girl’s face turned bright red, her hands shooting up in protest. “What?! No, I’m not—”

“Don’t even try to deny it,” Carly snapped, crossing her arms. “Do you know how many people like you I’ve seen trying to pull stunts like this? It’s disgusting. Reece deserves better than—”

“I’M NOT HITTING ON HIM!” the girl shouted, standing abruptly. Her voice cracked slightly, but Carly wasn’t swayed.

“Yeah, sure,” Carly said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve heard that one before. Let me guess, you ‘just wanted to talk’ to him, huh?”

“No, I—”

Before the girl could finish, the door swung open, and in walked Reece and Marjorie, both looking concerned.

“What’s going on in here?” Reece asked, his sharp blue eyes scanning the scene.

“Reece!” the girl exclaimed, her expression flooding with relief. She immediately ran to him and threw her arms around him. “Mom! Dad!”

Carly’s jaw dropped. “Wait. What?”

Reece blinked in surprise, but a warm smile quickly spread across his face. He hugged the girl tightly before pulling back to look at her. “Olive! What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming home until next week.”

“I wanted to surprise you,” Olive said, grinning up at him.

Meanwhile, Carly stood frozen in place, her brain struggling to process what she’d just heard. “Hold on,” she blurted. “Did she just Reece Dad?”

“Yes,” Marjorie said gently, stepping forward to place a reassuring hand on Carly’s shoulder. “Carly, this is Olive, Reece’s daughter. She attends school abroad, which is why you haven’t met her until now.”

Carly’s face turned beet red. “Oh my God,” she whispered, burying her face in her hands. “I…I thought she was one of those parents. I can’t believe this. I am so sorry—I didn’t know! I just—she was in Reece’s chair and—”

Olive stared at Carly for a moment before bursting into laughter. “You seriously thought I was hitting on my dad? A guy 20 years older than me.”

“I didn’t know you were his daughter!” Carly wailed from behind her hands.

Reece chuckled, pulling Olive into a side hug. “Well, I guess it’s good to know Carly’s looking out for me, huh?”

Marjorie laughed softly and patted Carly’s back. “Don’t worry, my love. It was an honest mistake.”

Carly peeked out from between her fingers, her voice muffled. “This is so embarrassing. I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

Reece smirked, grabbing his meal deal from the desk. “Probably not. But hey, at least we know you’ve got my back.”

“Ugh,” Carly groaned, letting her hands drop. “I’m just gonna…I don’t know, go hide in the storage room or something.”

“Oh, don’t go,” Olive said, still laughing. “I kind of like you already. You’re…protective. It’s nice.”

Carly gave her a sheepish smile. “Thanks, I guess? But seriously, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“It’s fine,” Olive assured her. “If anything, it’s kind of funny. And flattering. In a weird way.”

Marjorie wrapped an arm around Carly’s shoulders, pulling her into a side hug. “See? All forgiven. Now, why don’t we all sit down and eat lunch together? You can get to know Olive properly.”

Reece grinned as he unwrapped his sandwich. “Yeah, Carly. I think you’ll like her. She’s got an awesome attitude, just like me.”

“Oh great,” Carly muttered, sinking into a chair. “One of you is bad enough.”

Everyone laughed, and the tension melted away as they all settled into a surprisingly comfortable meal together.