Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a secret lunch with President Barack Obama on Thursday — an unannounced meeting sure to fuel extensive speculation at a time when she's widely expected to seek his job in 2016.

“The president enjoyed an informal, private lunch with Secretary Clinton at the White House this afternoon," a White House official told Yahoo News on condition of anonymity.

The get-together was not on Obama's public schedule. Word of the lunch emerged thanks to People Magazine, which tweeted a photograph of its Washington bureau chief, veteran political reporter Sandra Sobieraj Westfall, standing with Clinton, apparently at the former first lady's home in Washington.

Hillary Clinton tweet screenshot pic.twitter.com/s5jQBLgHmm — Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) May 29, 2014

Without explanation, People deleted the tweet after it gained considerable attention among reporters. (But Washington Examiner White House Correspondent Susan Crabtree got the screenshot above).

The magazine later republished the Tweet, changing "mtg" to "lunch."