Jade couldn't believe what she saw. She wanted to rub her eyes like in an old cartoon to make sure she wasn't seeing things. But the longer she looked, the more certain she was; standing at the side of her first love was a boy, no older than five, his face a spitting image of his father's.

"What's going on, champ?" asked Leon as he squatted down to his son's height. "And why aren't you in school?"

"It's a day off, duh," said Oliver. "Remember? You said that we'd go get hamburgers for lunch."

"You know what?" said Leon. "I did. It's all coming back to me now."

Is this…really happening? thought Jade. I mean, I guess it makes sense – it's been eight years since we last saw each other. But this…not in a million years did I expect this.

"Who's that?" said Oliver, pointing to Jade over on the couch.

"This," said Leon, "is my old friend Ms. Jade. We've known each other from way back from before you were born."

Oliver turned to Jade and looked her up and down in a childish, appraising manner. And as he did, Jade couldn't get over how he had the same eyes as Leon, those same sparkling, piercing blues.

"Oh," said Oliver, apparently not impressed. "Hi."

"Um, hi!" said Jade, trying to give her voice some enthusiasm but feeling like the words just ended up coming out too loud. "Nice to meet you!"

She stuck out her hand towards Oliver. The boy responded by looking at it like a strange thing that he didn't quite know what to do with.

"Buddy, be polite," said Leon. "You know how to give a handshake."

Oliver checked himself and took Jade's hand, his tiny fingers cool against her skin.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Jade," he said.

"There you go," said Leon. "Now, why don't you have a seat while I finish with Ms. Jade?"

"OK," said Oliver, plopping into a big chair on the other side of the room and taking a portable video game out of his bag.

"I think that's about all I have time for during the work day," said Leon. "Are you free this evening? We can go grab dinner and discuss some more of the preliminaries for the article."

But this new development had taken much more of a priority to Jade.

"You have a kid?" she asked in a voice lowered as not to attract Oliver's attention.

"Are you that surprised?" asked Leon. "I mean, having kids is something people do."

"I guess you're right," said Jade. "But, I don't know, it's just weird to go from college to this."

"Yeah," said Leon. "Like jumping into a time machine and ending up in a place that you're not sure you recognize. But let's talk about all of this later tonight. You know the Cardinal? Good place on the Lower East Side. Let's meet there at, say, seven. We can talk about all of this and more."

"Sounds good," said Jade, still feeling quite off-kilter.

"Excellent," said Leon. "Oliver, say ‘goodbye' to Ms. Jade."

"Bye," said Oliver in a flat voice, his eyes still fixed on his game.

"Real charmer, huh?" asked Leon with a smile.

"He's, um, really cute," said Jade, meaning every word. "Um, I'll see you tonight."

"Great," said Leon. "My secretary will show you out. See you then."

And just like that, Jade was back out into the hallway being led to the elevator. Minutes later, she was back on the busy streets of the financial district, wondering just what the hell had happened.

That wasn't some kind of hallucination, right? she thought, holding onto the nearest lamp post to steady herself. That was really Leon fucking Sebastian up there. Leon Sebastian, the former drug-dealer and now one of the wealthiest men in the city? And he had a kid?

She walked back to the subway as if in a daze. Back at her apartment, she collapsed onto the hard surface of her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

This probably means he's married, she thought.

Jade scanned her memories of the meeting, trying to remember if he was wearing a ring. But everything was a strange, surreal blur.

I mean, that would make sense. Unless he knocked up some girl. But that doesn't really seem like Leon's style. Then again, neither did having a kid and the kind of job where you wear a suit.

The hours ticked by until the dinner, and Jade looked forward to the next meeting with both high anxiety and eager anticipation. She wanted answers, sure, but working with Leon was still something she couldn't wrap her mind around.

And on top of everything, she thought, this is a goddamn cover story for the New Yorker. This is going to make or break my career; I can't afford to let my history with Leon mess this up for me.

She heaved herself out of bed and made herself a pot of cheap coffee. As she waited for it the brew in the lousy, rundown coffeemaker, she looked out of the window at the sliver of Manhattan and reflected on her meeting with Leon.

And…he looked good. Really goddamned good, she thought. Him in that suit, at that desk, in that office; it was strange, but also, really fitting.

Jade knew that, despite coming from the bad part of town, Leon had a cool, calculating mind and the sort of street smarts that had the potential to transfer flawlessly to the business world.

The only problem now is getting him to open up about his past, she thought. Something tells me that it's going to take some doing to have him give me any interesting details about his past. If I let him get the better of me I'll end up writing some fluffy PR piece. And that's not the kind of work that makes a name for a writer.

Jade sat down at her computer and began work on her outline, coming up with a general idea of where she wanted the article to go. And as she looked over the blank areas labeled "early life," "career," and "family," she realized just how little she knew about Leon. Her time with him was something she knew she'd never forget, but it was only a few months – such a small sliver of a life.

Eventually, it was time for her to get ready for her dinner. Jade showered and when she was done, a towel wrapped around her body, stared into her closet at something to wear.

One nice thing in this whole closet, she thought, taking out a reasonably nice black cocktail dress that she'd treated herself to after getting her second book published. When she bought it, she imagined it being the first quality piece in the wardrobe that she'd eventually build with her writing earnings, a dress that she'd wear to cocktail parties in Williamsburg and the Upper West Side where she'd rub elbows with the elite of the New York literary scene as they fawned over this incredible new talent in their midst. However, so far, she'd only worn it out for a night of drinks alone at a bar she could barely afford.

Might as well get some use out of this, pulling it out and holding it up to her body. Minutes later, she was dressed and ready to go. As Jade rode the subway to the Lower East Side, she felt that familiar creeping of anxiety in her stomach at the prospect of meeting Leon again. She was nervous before because she didn't know what to expect; now that she knew just who her client was, she was nervous for an entirely different reason.

Once back onto the city streets, Jade took a deep breath as she approached the restaurant, which appeared to be a none-to-fancy southern food place. Looking in through the tall, glass windows, Jade suddenly felt a little overdressed.

Too late to do anything about that, she thought, stepping in through the front doors.

Sure enough, the restaurant was a down-home affair with unvarnished wood floors, rustic tables and chairs, and clientele feasting eagerly on plates piled high with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and other heart-clogging foods. Over in a corner booth, she spotted Leon seated with a drink to his left and a laptop in front of him.

"There she is," said Leon, standing up and giving Jade a quick hug.

Jade looked over Leon, noting his outfit of black slacks, a light gray button-up, and sharp dress boots. He was dressed simply, but all of the items were of a quality that made it clear that they'd been designed for Leon's body alone. Jade gulped as she remembered just what this body looked like.

"A ‘little black dress' kind of evening?" asked Leon, looking Jade over.

Jade felt her face flush red.

"I, um, wasn't sure what to wear."

"You look great," he said. "Have a seat."

Jade slid into the booth and took out her laptop just as Leon closed his. But before she could start, the waitress –a pretty blonde college-aged girl- approached the table.

"Another mint julep, honey?" she asked Leon, a warm smile on her face that Jade sensed was charged with sexual interest.

"Make it two," said Leon, flicking his eyes to Jade.

The waitress glanced over at Jade and gave her the cutting sort of look that a girl gives to another that she views as competition.

"Sure," she said, a smile returning to her face as she looked back over at Leon.

"And two of the chicken specials," he said, handing the waitress the menus. "Mashed potatoes and slaw for both."

"Comin' right up," said the waitress, giving Leon a wink before heading off.

Jade couldn't help but feel more than a little jealous.

"She was pretty ballsy," said Jade. "For all she knows I'm your date."

"Huh?" asked Leon. "You mean her? Well, she is working for tips."

Jade wondered if Leon was just being coy, or if he really wasn't aware that between his good looks and obvious wealth that he was easily in the top percent of men in this city.

"I hope you don't mind me ordering for you," he said. "The chicken here is just amazing."

"No problem at all," said Jade, still trying to find a balance between "client" and "old lover" for her interactions with Leon.

"Anyway…" she said. "So, you've got a kid, huh?"

"That's right," said Leon. "Oliver's five. Great kid; most important person in my life."

"Along with Mrs. Sebastian, right?" asked Jade, getting to the question that she really wanted to know the answer to.

Leon's expression turned grim.

"Want to start there, huh?" he asked.

A tinge of ice ran through Jade's stomach; she realized right then that there was more to the story than a happy marriage.

"I mean, if you're OK with it," she asked.

Leon sat back in his seat and drained the last third of his mint julep. And as he did, Jade pulled out her recorder, placed it on the table, and pressed "play."

"Not much of a story," he said. "I met Abigail during my first couple of years at Sanderson, back when I was spending the first half of the day working at the office and the second half doing night classes for my MBA at Columbia. She just…came into my life out of nowhere, at a time when I wasn't looking for love in the slightest."

Jade listened intently as Leon went through the story of his and Abigail's whirlwind courtship, how they fell in love nearly instantly, and within months had decided to get married.

"And we figured that this was it, that we'd found each other and all that was left to do was get married and start a family. The wedding, well, it was a pretty simple affair. Both of us were so focused on work that we almost viewed it as something to get out of the way so we could get back to the office."

"And Oliver?" asked Jade.

Leon's expression darkened.

"It was during the birth," he said. "Everything seemed normal at first, and then as I waited in the lobby, the mood of the doctors seemed to turn grim. Eventually, I realized that something was terribly wrong. I tried to rush into the room where Abigail was giving birth, but the doctors blocked my way. All that they would tell me is that something went wrong, and that she just wouldn't stop bleeding."

A silence hung over the table.

"I'm…sorry," said Jade.

"It…was a long time ago," said Leon. "And I try not to think about how Abigail died, but what she brought into this world as her last living act. Oliver's been, well, it's hard to explain how he's changed my life; as clichéd as it sounds, it's not something that you really understand until you have a child of your own."

Then, as if sensing that the mood of the table needed to be lightened up a bit, a small smile crossed Leon's lips.

"And speaking of which, what about your love life?" he asked. "I'm sure you've been fighting off the wannabe writers this city's packed with by the dozen."

Jade let out a snort-laugh that she was powerless to stop.

"Not so much," she said. "I've been barely keeping my head above water here in the city. Not much time for dating when you're scrambling to make deadlines."

"That's a shame," he said. "I would've thought you've been snapped up the second you stepped off the plane."

"Oh, really?" asked Jade.

But then she shook her head, as if trying to snap out of the spell of Leon's charm.

"OK, enough of this," she said with a smile. "I'm not the one being interviewed here."

"Just want to know what you've been up to these last few years, is all," he said as the waitress returned and placed the fresh drinks in front of Jade and Leon.

Jade leaned in, wrapped her lips around the straw, and took a drink. It was minty, fresh, and delicious.

"See?" asked Leon. "Told you."

"I'll never doubt you again," said Jade, flashing another smile and already feeling comfortable around Leon, just like old times.

"That's the spirit," he said. "You keep talking like that and I just might hire you."

"Please," said Jade. "There's a reason why people like me are writers; we're barely functional enough to hold down regular jobs."

"Speaking of which," said Leon, "tell me about what your career's been like?"

Jade nearly went into a spiel about her trials and tribulations during her time in New York trying to eke out a living as a writer in a city where it seemed as though every other person she met had the same goal. But she thought better of it.

"Nice try," she said, "but you're not getting me distracted again that easily."

"Such a taskmaster," he said.

"You have no idea," Jade responded.

"I think I have some idea," said Leon with a sly wink.

"Um, so," said Jade, a little flustered, "tell me about your family. I think nearly ten years is enough time for me to finally find out about that little mystery. So, don't be shy – inquiring minds want to know."

Leon took in a slow breath and rolled his shoulders; it was clear that this was a topic that he didn't particularly enjoy discussing.

"I came from…less than ideal circumstances, as you know. My dad wasn't the best parent around, to put it lightly, and my mom did what she could, which was barely enough. And then there was Hunter…"

Leon went on, finally telling Jade about the family life that he'd kept secret for so long. She listened as he told her about his abusive father, helpless mother, and the brother he'd taken it upon himself to look after.

"Wow," said Jade. "I…had no idea that you were dealing with all that."

"And that's why I didn't like to talk about it when you and I were together – it was just something I didn't like to burden other people with."

"It wouldn't have been a burden," said Jade. "I could've been there for you."

Leon shook his head.

"No," he said. "It was my situation to deal with."

"And what happened to them?"

"As soon as I had money to spare I got them the hell out of that neighborhood, just like I told them I would. And they're doing well, as far as I can tell. My mom's working at a flower shop, and Hunter's about to start college."

"Wow," said Jade. "You really came through for them."

"It was the least I could do," he said. "And I never heard from my father again. It was like he dropped off the face of the earth."

"That's got to be hard," said Jade. "Did you ever send anyone to look for him? Like a private investigator or something?"

"I thought about it," said Leon, taking another sip of his drink. "But I figured that if he was willing to rob me, rob the family, and leave like that without saying a word, then I didn't really give a damn what happened to him. He wanted to leave without a trace, and I was fine with things staying that way."

"So," said Jade. "You moved to the big city, made something of yourself, had a kid, and now you're, like, a master of the universe or something."

Leon laughed.

"Something like that."

But before they could continue, the waitress returned and placed two large, metal trays on the table, each one loaded down with fried chicken with all the fixings.

"Enjoy," she said with another wink directed at Leon that made Jade want to smack her silly.

"Let's call the interview over for now," said Leon. "We've got more important matters to deal with at the moment."

"It looks amazing," said Jade, her eyes on the pile of fried chicken in front of her.

"How about tomorrow night?" asked Leon, holding a drumstick in front of his face. "You can come by my place and I can give you the attention you need."

Jade gulped.

"Huh?" she asked. "The what?"

"For the article," he said. "We'll be a little less distracted there."

"Oh," said Jade, feeling a little silly. "Sounds good."

"Perfect," said Leon. "Now, let's dig in."