Mia

Mia sat at her desk and rolled her shoulders, trying to get the knot in the back of her neck to relax. There was still so much paperwork that needed to be done, as well as a special project from her boss she'd just been told about today. It felt like she still had hours to go, but it would never be enough.

Today had been a rough day. She'd been to court with one of her other kiddos, and it hadn't gone well. Her heart hurt with how much she wanted to help, but couldn't do to lack of resources. The kids needed and deserved so much more than she could give.

She sighed and tried not to look at her phone. She wanted to reach out and talk to someone but wasn't sure who. Carter had messaged her earlier in the day, but he was busy, and she didn't want to bother him. All of her friends were working and wouldn't be able to talk. She sighed and decided just to try to finish her work.

Mia checked her watch. Her boss needed her to stay late tonight to work on a special project. She didn't know what it was, but her boss didn't make the request often, so she was doing it. Even though it was a Friday night. If she could just get through some of the paperwork before it was project time, she'd feel better about the week.

Her phone buzzed, and Mia hoped it was Carter. She quickly reached for the phone to see it was just a message from her boss.

Mia sighed and tried not to feel discouraged, but the last thing she wanted was to work with another kid tonight. Not after her day in court. She needed a win today, and she just didn't have the energy to fail again. She wished there were more resources and options for the kids she looked after. If she could, she would adopt every single one of them so they could succeed.

So, if there was a kid that needed her help tonight, she was going to do it. She might sigh now, but this was her life's work, and even though she felt burned out today, she wasn't about to let another kid down. He'd be here in a minute, so she focused on getting one last bit of paperwork done.

“Hi, Mia,” Carter greeted her.

Mia's head whipped up from the desk, and she grinned. This was a much-needed surprise, although poor timing. Her project would be here any second.

“Carter,” Mia greeted him warmly. She stood up from the desk and kissed him. All she wanted to do was curl up in his arms, but that wasn't in the cards today. “I'm afraid I don't have much time. My boss is sending over a project for me. But, it's so good to see you.”

Carter nodded and looked around. “So, this is where you work?”

“Yeah.” Mia followed his gaze, noting the drab gray cubicles and flickering florescent overhead lights. It wasn't exactly glamorous. “This is where I do my paperwork. I try not to have the kids in here too much.”

Carter's eyes went to the stack of paperwork on her desk. “Wow. That's a lot of paper.”

“Yeah, and this is with our new 'paperless' system. You should have seen it last year.” She sat down in her chair with a sigh. “I'm sure I've killed an entire forest.”

Carter watched her for a moment, and she wondered just how exhausted she looked. “What's wrong?” he asked.

“I wish I could do more.” Mia pointed to a stack of folders on her desk. “Every one of these kids needs something, and I wish I could do it all. I hate having to say that we don't have the funding or the personnel or the time. It kills me. It's the part of the job that I hate.”

“I'm sorry,” Carter said simply.

She sighed and ran a hand through her tangled hair. Her project would be here soon, and she needed to get some energy. She did her best to smile. “I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated. Today isn't going the way I planned.”

Carter walked around behind the desk and put his hands on her shoulders. His strong hands instantly found the knot between her shoulders, and he started massaging it out. She groaned softly at his touch, letting herself relax for just a moment. With him here, she could feel her energy slowly coming back.

“Maybe I can help,” Carter offered.

She smiled but shook her head. “I told you, I have a project coming.”

“I'm the project,” he told her, stopping his hands for long enough to bend to the side to look at her shocked reaction. She stared at him, and he chuckled at her expression.

“How are you a social work project?”

“Well, not me exactly,” he amended. He grinned. “I set it up, so I'm the one who is going to tell you about it.”

She looked at him, waiting for him to explain what he meant. This was not what she was expecting at all. “When did you set this up? How did you set this up?”

“Your boss and I talked about more than just giving you a day off to go on a trip with me,” he said, shrugging and looking far too proud of himself. He held out his hand to help her up. “Come with me.”

She had no idea what he could possibly have planned, but it was definitely better than paperwork. She took his hand and stood, not letting go once she was up. She didn't want to let go of him.

He took her around the row of cubicles to the entrance of the staff bathrooms. Mia frowned as they came to a stop outside the doors. The office was mostly empty, so she had no idea what they were doing here.

“Go in,” Carter told her, nodding at the bathroom.

She gave him a strange look but did as he asked. She paused at the door, looking back at him and his knowing smile before opening the door.

The bathroom was completely transformed. A hairstylist and makeup artist had taken up residence at the sink counter, and there was a beautiful new gown hanging from the stall door. She'd never seen so many lights in a bathroom before.

Carter's head popped through the door, watching her expression.

“Have fun,” he said. “I'll see you in twenty minutes for what comes next.”

And he closed the door and left her to get pampered.