Disastrously Delicious

Standing in front of the heavy old oak double doors, Dean Carrington resisted the urge to reach up and ease the collar of his button up shirt. With a steadying breath, he pushed against the wood and took a step inside.

'You wanted to see me, Mr. Greene?', his deep voice sounded too loud in the eerie quiet of the large room.

Edmund Greene, the CEO of one of the leading online retail platforms in America, was seated behind a large and daunting desk. He turned to face him at the sound of his voice. A little on the roundish side for his average height, the older man sported a noticeable beer belly and a heavy mustache that compensated for the receding hairline. All things considered, his almost ordinary features gelled together, making him appear friendly and approachable. But the cuddle-able exterior hid an impressively sharp mind that had not only kept the company afloat but also ahead of its competition.

'Dean, yes,', he stood with a wide smile, '-please, have a seat.'

Awkwardly, Dean stepped ahead and sank down in a plush leather chair facing the desk. 'Is- is everything okay, sir?', he asked unsurely.

Edmund stared at him blankly for a moment before Dean's unease seemed to register and he laughed good- naturedly, 'Oh yes. You don't have anything to worry about. You're one of the best one we've ever got from those fancy colleges you kids go to. This isn't a visit to the principal, I assure you Mr. Carrington.'

Dean relaxed on hearing that. He had been exceptionally worried why his boss' boss' wanted to meet with a newly recruited software engineer.

'Well, that's a relief.', Dean let a rare half smile slip as he pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose. 'What can I do for you Mr. Greene?'

'First, tell me how you like working at Cartwheel.', the older man leaned back in his chair.

'It's been pretty amazing so far. I've learnt more in four months here than I did in my final year of college.', he answered honestly.

Edmund nodded thoughtfully, 'Good. Now tell me how you really feel.'

His lips turned up at the corners, 'Frankly, I feel the lunchroom could use more doughnuts.'

Edmund threw his head back and laughed, 'I knew I liked you.'

'This meeting is not work related,', he sobered up, '-Actually, I have a favour to ask of you.'

Dean's skin prickled. Work he could handle; criticism- though rarely come across- he could work with, but the look on the other man's face gave him a bad feeling of what was to come. 'What kind of favour?', he asked cautiously.

'It's my daughter, I'm afraid. I need a blind date for her. Wait- here me out first.', he added urgently when he saw Dean open his mouth to protest.

'You see, she's recently gotten out of a bad relationship. Messy break- up and such. But the optimist that my girl is, she had the idea of the right guy stuck in her head and she's Hell bent on finding him.', Edmund frowned.

Dean shook his head bemused, 'And that's a bad thing?'

'Well, for her, right now- yes. She's had a bad experience. She's obviously not over it and in no way is she ready to dive head first into another relationship yet!', he ran an exasperated hand through his thinning brown hair.

'-To make matters worse, this silly friend of hers introduced her to this online dating site which sets up its users on blind dates. I mean, it doesn't take a genius to know how dangerous these sites are!'

Dean had to agree with that. Although such dating platforms seemed rosy on the outside and were widely popular, they were high on the risk quotient.