Chapter Twenty-Three
Jake
“When’s my next appointment?” I asked.
“An hour from now,” Kristen replied. “It’s only two blocks away, so you still have a while left.”
“Right,” I nodded. “Thank you, Kristen.”
“Of course, sir,” she nodded.
There were two other people from the department in my office today, Matt and Samantha who were coordinating a few things with me. Because of their presence, Kristen and I were forced to maintain an air of stiff professionalism and formality. She had seamlessly fallen into calling me sir again, and I had changed my tone to one of impersonal indifference.
It was harder than I expected to look at Kristen without smiling and to keep my eyes from wandering to her even in small, quiet moments. She was wearing a white dress with a high collar. Her auburn hair was turned up into a tight knot at the back of her head, and her hazel eyes looked particularly bright this morning. She looked like a 1920s movie star, and I wondered what on earth she was doing working under me when she could have been out there conquering the world.
Just as she was leading Matt and Samantha out of my office, Kristen turned back and gave me a secret smile that was meant for me alone. I felt a little tingle of desire, and then the door closed on the three of them. Sighing, I leaned back in my seat. I had made this big speech to her not even two days ago about taking things slow and waiting to have sex until we had gotten to know each other better. But already, my resolve was weakening.
My mind kept wandering to the night we had slept together. I kept remembering the way her thighs had felt wrapped around my waist, the way her hair had tickled my skin, the way her mouth had felt on my neck and my lips. She was like my own personal siren, pulling me in, reminding me what it was like to be a red-blooded American man again.
I was looking through my papers, preparing for my meeting in an hour, when a call came through on my personal line. Only Noah’s caregivers and teachers had that number, so I answered immediately. I had dropped him off barely two hours ago.
“Hello?” I said, forgetting all phone etiquette in the panic of the moment.
“Hello?” a voice I recognized as one of Noah’s teachers spoke. “Am I speaking to Mr. Middleton?”
“You are,” I said.
“I’m Kate Lowry,” she introduced. “I’m Noah’s teacher.”
“Is Noah alright?” I asked impatiently.
She heard the panic in my voice and rushed to reassure me. “Don’t worry, Mr. Middleton, I think Noah’s just caught a stomach bug. It’s been going around lately. He’s been feeling a little under the weather ever since you dropped him off. It’s nothing a little hot soup and rest won’t fix.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling a little better now that I knew it was nothing terrible. “How is he now?”
“He threw up a little while ago, so we thought it was best to call and inform you,” she said. “I think it would be best if you came and picked Noah up so that he can rest his body. He might need to stay at home for a few days until he recovers completely.”
I glanced at my schedule sitting in front of me. “Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll get him picked up in half an hour.”
She was still talking when I cut the line, but I was in a rush and needed to get to his babysitter as quickly as possible. I knew Elaine wouldn’t show up on such short notice, so I skipped her altogether and dialed Emily’s number.
“Emily?”
“Yes?”
“It’s Jake,” I said, rushing through my words. “Noah’s sick, and he needs to be picked up from school. I can’t go because I have meetings all day, so could you please—”
She cut me off before I could finish. “I’m sorry, Jake,” she said quickly. “I have classes all morning.”
“What?”
“I’m in college,” she said. “And, I have lectures I need to be at. I can pick him up in two hours if you want?”
“Fuck,” I said, under my breath. “He needs to be picked up now.”
She hesitated a moment. “Sorry, I don’t think I can help you today.”
Sighing, I looked at my schedule and then at my watch. There was no way I could pick Noah up and still make it back here in time for the meeting. But I knew I had to try.
“Fine,” I said, hanging up. So much for being flexible... I needed to find someone reliable and soon.
I grabbed my coat and rushed outside. Kristen looked up with a start as I zoomed past her.
“What—”
“Kristen, see if you can push my meeting. I need to pick Noah up from school”
I didn’t even stay to make sure she had understood my instructions. I just got into my car and drove. Nine minutes later, I parked in front of the school and rushed inside. Noah was sitting outside his classroom with the teacher I assumed was Ms. Lowry. When Noah saw me, his face widened into a tired smile, and I was instantly glad I had come myself.
“Daddy,” he cried, as he walked to me.
“Hey, buddy,” I said. “What happened?”
“I threw up,” he said. “I hate throwing up.”
“I know, buddy,” I said, shocked that I had forgotten that. “How are you feeling now?”
“Little better,” he said as he sunk into my arms.
I returned the hug and then pulled back a little so that I could examine his face. His bright eyes were dim, and his color looked a little off. Other than that, he seemed fine, just a harmless infection that would no doubt pass. I picked him and immediately, he rested his head on my shoulder. I felt a wave of love wash over me, and I kissed the top of Noah’s head, glad that I hadn’t sent anyone else in my place.
“I’ll take him home now,” I said to his teacher.
Ms. Lowry turned her dark eyes onto Noah. “We’ll miss you, Noah,” she said. “But rest up, and we’ll see you again in a few days, okay?”
“Okay, Ms. Lowry,” Noah nodded, without raising his head from my shoulder. “Buh-bye.”
I carried Noah back to my car and strapped him into his seat in the back. Then we started the drive home. I was aware that my meeting would start in ten minutes and I was also aware of the fact that I would never make it in time. The moment we got home, I got Noah into his favorite pajamas and into bed.
“Hey, buddy, do you feel up to eating anything?”
Noah shook his head vigorously. “I’ll throw up again… I hate throwing up.”
“I know, buddy,” I said, rubbing his head slowly. “You don’t have to eat anything now if you don’t want to. But some soup might help.”
“No.”
I nodded. “Okay then… Listen, buddy, Daddy has some important meetings today—”
“I want you to stay,” Noah protested adamantly before I could even finish my sentence. I felt myself tense.
“Buddy, I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can, okay?” I assured him. “It’s just for a little bit. I’ll come home in the evening—early evening, and I’ll spend the rest of the night with you. How’s that?”
“Who will stay with me?” Noah asked, with a frown.
“I’ll call one of your babysitters—”
“I don’t want them,” he said instantly.
I raised my eyebrows. “Buddy—”
“I want Krissy,” he said, without missing a beat.
I paused for a moment. “You want Krissy?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I thought you liked Emily?” I asked curiously.
“She’s not like Krissy,” he told me. “I love Krissie.”
“Love, huh?” I said, unable to suppress my smile. “That’s a strong word.”
“I know.”
My smile grew wider. “Okay, why don’t you try and get some rest. I’ll call Krissy.”
I left Noah lying in his bed with a smile on his face. I walked into the living room and dialed in Kristen’s number. Her first question was for Noah.
“How is he?”
“He’s okay,” I said. “Just a stomach bug. He’ll be fine.”
“Soup might help when he’s up to eating something.”
I sighed. “Kristen, I have a huge favor to ask.”
“Of course,” she said willingly. “Ask me anything.”
“I need you to come and watch Noah for me,” I said. “I have meetings the whole day, and I can’t miss them all. I would have called Emily or Elaine, but Noah is refusing to stay with anyone else. He personally requested you.”
“Really?” Kristen sounded exceptionally pleased.
“Yes.”
“Of course, I’ll come and stay with him.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, aware that I was taking advantage of the fact that she was my assistant. “I know you have tons of work yourself.”
“I’ll bring my laptop with me so that I can still work from your place,” she said. “Don’t worry; I’ll manage.”
“You’re something else; you know that?” I said, extremely grateful.
I couldn’t see her, but I knew instinctively she was smiling. “I’ll see you soon,” she said. “Oh, and I pushed back your meeting. It starts in half an hour.”
I smiled. “Bless you.”
Fifteen minutes later, Kristen was at my door, and I ushered her in with relief. “He’s sleeping now,” I told her. “Went out like a light, a sure sign that he really is sick. He never sleeps that easy when he’s healthy.”
She smiled. “I’ll keep you posted if there are any new developments.”
“Thank you,” I said.“Also, you should know, he hates throwing up. He usually refuses to eat anything even when he can because the memory’s fresh in his mind.”
She nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I was at the threshold of the front door when I paused and leaned against the doorframe. Kristen looked at me sympathetically, and after a moment she put her hand on the side of my face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked kindly.
I just wanted to turn into her arms and let her comfort me like she had done that first night. But I resisted the urge. “I’d forgotten…” I admitted.
“You’d forgotten what?”
“How hard it is when you’re the one who has to show up for everything,” I said. “The last year I’ve been palming off my responsibilities on babysitters so that I could focus on building this company.”
“You’re juggling a lot on your own,” Kristen said. “Don’t beat yourself up about that. You were there for him this morning when his teacher called, weren’t you?”
“I was prepared to send someone else in my place.”
“But you didn’t,” she pointed out. “You went yourself.”
“Because I had no choice.”
“No one ever said being a single parent was easy.”
I sighed. “You’re kinder than I deserve.”
Kristen leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek. I desperately wanted to pull her in for a long and passionate kiss, but this was not the time, and I was already late.
“Go,” she said as if she could read my mind. “Noah’s in good hands.”
“I know,” I said.
It was amazing how quickly and unexpectedly it had happened, but I realized as I made my way down to the car, that of all the people who’d come in and out of my life in the last three years, Kristen was the one I trusted the most.