Chapter 58

“Claire!” Josie excitedly ran up to Claire, then glanced at Sean standing next to her. “Sean, you’re back!”

Claire raised her hand and playfully flicked Josie on the forehead. “You’re so happy, already missing us?”

“Yeah, I missed you!” Josie’s face turned slightly red. Though a little embarrassed, she decided to be honest.

Even though she hadn’t known them long, their kindness had already made her grow fond of them.

Claire laughed loudly. “At least you’ve got a conscience. Come on, we’ve applied for a lab space with the school. Let’s go check it out!”

The lab building was behind the teaching block. Only senior professors had the privilege of applying for a lab space for their teams.

David’s lab was on the top floor of this building.

“The lab’s on the first floor, right at the entrance. Sean picked it because it’s the closest, saves us time,” Claire explained, trying to reassure Josie in case she thought this lab didn’t compare to the one at David’s.

“Good thinking by Sean,” Josie said casually. “The first floor works perfectly. It’ll make getting to the cafeteria quicker!”

Claire chuckled. “I should’ve known you’d be thinking about food.”

Josie smiled sheepishly. “I’m just too thin, and I love good food. If I go late, all the good stuff’s gone.”

“You poor thing.” Claire reached out and pinched her side. “You’re so thin. Stick with me, and I’ll make sure you eat well. You’ll gain weight in no time.

“Look at me,” she continued with a laugh. “I’ve got so much meat, I can’t even lose it if I try.”

Josie smiled. “You’re exaggerating. You’re just the right amount of fit – nothing excessive.”

“Oh, you’re such a sweet talker! I’m lucky I don’t have to put up with Sean’s cold face every day.”

Claire gave Sean a playful look before pulling Josie into the lab.

“The room’s still a bit messy. We haven’t had a chance to organize things yet. We’re planning to add some lab equipment, and we’ll put a cabinet here for the files. The office area will be here.”

As she spoke, Claire showed Josie around. “What do you think? What kind of chairs do you like? I can have someone order them based on your preferences.”

“You can do that?” Josie asked, surprised. She thought there were strict rules in place and that they couldn’t customize things.

After all, when she was with David, she had bought a colorful desktop organizer to suit her taste, only to be scolded for it.

He had told her she didn’t know the rules, that she was disrupting the office’s aesthetic and making it too flashy, which wasn’t fitting for a scholar.

How could something as simple as an organizer ruin the office’s aesthetic? How could it not look scholarly?

She still didn’t understand that.

Claire nodded, “Why not? We’ll be using this space long-term, so we should make it comfortable for ourselves. If it’s not how we like it, it’ll affect our mood.”

Sean glanced around the room before turning to make a phone call.

“I’ll have someone come in and clean up. We’ll set up the desks and cabinets first, and the equipment can be moved in this afternoon. As for the chairs and decorations, you two can take care of that.”

“Sounds good,” Claire said, pulling Josie over to her phone to pick out chairs and supplies. “Let’s see what you like.”

Josie swallowed nervously, then took her phone out of her pocket. “Maybe I should just buy it myself?”

“Sure,” Claire said, taking back her phone. “Just make sure you give me the receipt, and I’ll reimburse you.”

Josie was a bit stunned. “Reimburse me?”

“Of course! This is the research funding for our team, and Professor Wilcourt applied for it through the school. Since we’ve had a small team, we didn’t spend much, so there’s quite a bit saved up.”

Claire paused and then looked at Josie, teasing her a little.

“Wait… you didn’t claim any expenses when you were with Professor Lawson, did you?”

It was kind of funny. Back when she was in David’s team, the seniors would have her buy everything they needed, and she’d pay for it. But no one ever told her that she could submit receipts for reimbursement.

Coming from a rural background, she didn’t understand these things. She had assumed the professor covered all team expenses, so she was always saving money for the team and putting in more than she should, all out of respect for David. Looking back, she realized just how naive she had been.