by Amy Brent
Reality took on a surreal quality as I made my way to work. I suppose that was how it went when a guillotine was hanging over your head, waiting to inevitably swing down and end everything that had been going well for me.
Sure, while I had never intended to be a janitor and it wasn’t what I went to school for, it was so far away from my field that I doubted that he could ever find me. After all, who expected a ASL interpreter to be content with cleaning floors for a living?
And now I wasn’t even going to be able to do that.
Maybe, if I played my cards right, I could get him to spill how he had found me out. If I knew where I went wrong, I could perfect my technique, then I could try this again in a new city and maybe have some peace.
Yeah, that was a great idea. I would just have to be as charming as possible and hope I could get that vital info.
Having a plan made me feel better, and I walked much more confidently to the room that my world had crumbled in just twenty-three hours earlier. Rafael was already there, sitting at the head of the table with an impassive expression.
I wouldn’t let him cow me, however. I hardened myself and sat across from him, plastering a kind expression across my face.
“Miss Grady,” he said, tilting his head. He was using my fake name. Interesting.
“Mr. Barbos,” I said, just as politely.
“You made good timing here.”
“I try. Punctuality is very important to me.” Not that he cared.
“I see. Then let’s get started, shall we?” Crap! I didn’t even have any time to ask questions. How was I supposed to get info now? I guessed that I would just have to play this next part very carefully. “First of all, I owe you an apology.”
Of all the things in the world I had been anticipating, this was not one of them. I stared at him, eyes wide, as I tried to figure out what the hell he was talking about. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Our investigation showed that you have never participated in any sort of corporate spying, and that you have been a loyal employee from day one. You stated that your assumed identity was for your own protection and I should have respected that. I caused you undue stress and for that, I am quite sorry.”
…this couldn’t be happening… could it? Was something good actually happening to me? Was I getting off the hook for lying about who I was? Was I still dreaming?
“T-Thank you,” I sputtered, still so surprised by the turn of events that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.
“No need to thank me. We would not be in this position if I had treated you with the respect you deserve. Please, allow me to make it up to you.” I knew that I was still staring at him like a monster with two heads, but what else could I do? He wanted to make it up to me? Was I hearing him right? “I’d like to give you a week’s paid vacation, as well as a dollar raise. But if you want to leave the company after everything that has happened, I understand, and I have what I hope you’ll find to be a quite generous severance package.”
Holy hell. I had no words, none at all, but I realized I needed to answer him. “I-I’d like to continue working here, i-if that’s okay.” I had to be dreaming. After everything that had happened to me, none of this made any sense.
“We’re happy to have you. I know you ride public transportation here according to your file, please, allow me to pay for-”
Suddenly the door bounced open, nearly giving me a heart attack, and a small figure streaked in.
“Daddy!”
I blinked and suddenly there was a little boy flinging himself at Rafael, arms wrapped tightly around the man’s neck. The similarities between them were so stark that I knew without a doubt that this had to be his son.
It was strange to think of the devastatingly handsome yet intimidating men of having a child, and yet the evidence was right in front of my eyes.
“Sorry,” the man murmured to me. “I’ll be back with you in a moment.”
“No problem,” I answered. I needed the time to catch up with everything that had just happened anyways.
He smiled gratefully and pulled his son away to look him in the eyes. The expression on Rafael’s face was full of kindness and pride, making me wonder just who he was outside of work.
“Hey, my little man, what are you doing here? I’m not supposed to get you until tomorrow morning.”
“I have a flight I have to get to, so I dropped him off early.” With impeccable timing, a woman stepped into the room. Dressed from head to toe in pink, designer clothes, I got the distinct impression that this was not a woman I wanted to mess with.
She had ice-blond hair that was impeccably coiffed under her hat that probably cost the same as my rent. Her waist was tiny, and her legs were shapely, but her chest and hips bore the telltale sign of implants. Huh. So, this was the kid’s mother?
“You know, with how hard you fought for joint custody in court, outside of it, it seems like you almost don’t care.”
The woman rolled her eyes and I had never seen such a calloused reaction. I felt my own temper flare, and as much as I didn’t want to get involved, I had to hold my tongue, so I didn’t say anything.
“Get over it. I have an important fashion show to go to. What, did you want me to miss it?”
Suddenly Rafael was on his feet, body tense. I flinched, expecting him to lay her out, but he made no move to strike her. Maybe… maybe he wasn’t like that?
“For your son, yes, I expect you to miss it! Or are those damn clothes more important than him?”
I knew what this was. A full-on couple fight, complete with raised voices and red faces. As awkward as it was for me, I couldn’t imagine what it was like for the little boy. Where was he, anyways?
Looking around, I finally spotted him under the table, sitting with crossed legs and looking dejected.
Well, that wouldn’t do. Sliding out of my chair, I knelt on the ground to and gestured for him to come over. He looked at me suspiciously at first, clearly wondering why an adult was on the ground, but a quick glance back to his still-fighting parents seemed to convince him, and he crawled towards me.
“Hey there,” I said, offering him my hand. “I’m McKenna. What’s your name?”
“Dominic,” he answered, making himself comfortable in front of me. “My Dad always tells me not to talk to strangers, but he’s in the room so I guess this is okay.”
Huh, he was certainly well spoken for looking so young. “That’s a very good policy to have, Dominic. Strangers can be dangerous sometimes.”
“Yeah, that’s why Dad made sure we have kidnapping insurance.”
“Kidnap- Oh, yeah, that’s very wise of him.” Geeze, what a strange thing to hear from a child. Being rich certainly came with its own set of issues. “So, Dominic, what do you like to do for fun?”
He gave me another skeptical look, as if he wasn’t sure if I was patronizing him or not. “I like to read I guess. And build things. With blocks. I like soccer too.”
“Oh! What kind of books?” I asked, clapping my hands. “I like fantasy books, with elves and all that, and Science Fiction too! Something about spaceships and aliens just gets me.”
Now he looked interested, and I felt like I was getting somewhere. “Really?”
I nodded emphatically. “Uh-huh. In fact, I just finished up this series about a shape-shifting alien and this boy she becomes friends with! It’s so good and the action had such a great balance with the banter and character progression.”
“What’s character pro-progression?” I could practically feel his distrust drop and he leaned forward, eyes alit in the way that all book lovers did when they found someone else to geek out with.
“Oh, good question. You know how sometimes a character will start out one way at the beginning of a story, but then by the end of the story they’re completely different? That’s character progression.”
“Ahhh.” The boy sat back, satisfied with the knowledge I had given him. I was so surprised at how into books he seemed to be
. He had to be five, maybe six at the most, but he talked like a preteen. I was sure that Rafael had more than a handful with this little guy.
Our conversation went on, going over everything from foreshadowing, to my favorite troupes to even what a troupe was. It was absolutely fantastic, and I forgot about the adults until Dominic laughed and it suddenly went quiet.
The sudden silence was such a stark contrast that I looked up to where the two feuding parents had been standing. My stomach flipped several times when I realized they were just staring openly at me, both of their eyes wide.
Had… had I done something wrong?
Chapter Eleven
~Raphael~
I hadn’t directly fought with my ex in months, and a small voice inside of myself told me that I shouldn’t be doing this in front of both of my son and the woman I had already wronged once this week, but I couldn’t stop.
I was so sick of how she treated Dominic! He was a treasure on this Earth, too smart for his own good and kinder than anybody I knew. He deserved the best in the world and, yet she treated him like a burden.
It steamed me beyond all logic, because I knew that if I had full custody, he would never be treated as an afterthought. And also, because I knew the only reason she and her lawyers had fought so hard for even partial custody was because she wanted yet another way to siphon money from me.
So, when I heard his laugh, I stopped cold. I knew Dom hated it when we fought, so what could possibly pull that sound from him?
Turning my head, I saw that McKenna was sitting on the floor, Dominic in front of her with a massive grin on his face. I hadn’t seen him so happy with a stranger in ages -mostly because Dominic was as wary around new people as I was.
“Who the hell is that?” My ex asked, narrowing her snake-like eyes at McKenna.
“An employee,” I answered coolly. “And don’t you have a flight to catch?”
She sent me a look like she wanted to argue, but seemed to think better of it and turned on her red-bottom heel then headed out. I shut the door behind her, as if I could close it on her negative energy and toxicity itself, and turned back to my son.
“Hey there, my little man. What’cha up to?”
“We’re talking about anti-heroes,” he chirped, jumping up to his feet. “But I’m hungry. Mom said I could eat when I got to you, so can we go get lunch?”
Of course, she didn’t feed him. It was just past two in the afternoon and she hadn’t given her own child lunch. God, I loathed her.
“Yeah buddy, what are you thinking? Craving pizza? Burgers? That Greek place?”
“Greek!” He did that excited wiggle he did whenever he heard we were going someplace he liked, and I had to laugh. I don’t know how it was possible, but my kid definitely had inherited all of the best genes in existence.
“Alright then, let’s go. Miss Grady, we will continue to use the names you find most comfortable on your employee file. I hope you enjoy your vacation.”
As much as I didn’t want to part with the redhead, who looked exceptionally beautiful in the dress she was wearing, my son came first and foremost before everything. But to my great surprise, Dominic grabbed her hand and tugged her forward.
“I want McKenny to come with us! She knows about books and cool alien stuff!”
“It’s McKenna,” the woman corrected gently, ruffling my son’s hair. “And come on, don’t you think your daddy wants to spend time with you after you were away with your mother?”
“Daddy needs to hang out with more people anyways!” I couldn’t believe it. My own son seemed completely enamored with the woman he had only known for ten minutes. He never acted like this around anyone that I knew, which made me wonder just who this woman was and how she had such a way with the Barbos men. “Please, can she come?”
Who was I to refuse him? Besides, his therapist said that he needed more positive adult role models in his life. But I had already stepped on it big-time with McKenna and I couldn’t exactly ask her a favor all things considered.
“Um, I don’t think…” she started, but I gave her a pleading look even though I knew she owed me nothing. It was just so rare to see Dom like this that I wasn’t ready to give it up just yet. And spending more time with her would be nice too.
She trailed off, and I could tell that she was debating with herself. I stayed quiet, but a never-ending stream of pleases came from Dominic’s mouth. Maybe I should feel guilty for him being my negotiator-by-proxy, but I didn’t.
“I guess I can manage that.”
“Yay!” Dominic jumped up and down and I swear you’d think it was Christmas by the way he was acting. “Come on! You’re gonna like this place. It’s my favorite!”
She gave me a sheepish look as he pulled her out of the room and I followed along behind them, certainly enjoying the view of her hips in the fitted, yet professional outfit she was wearing.
If someone didn’t know any better, they might think us a family. Her, the mother figure with curves that spoke to obvious fertility and a mildly frazzled expression on her face. The young boy, happily skipping along while pulling her hand, and me, the father figure. Stern but not withdrawn as he followed along behind and made sure they were both safe.
A strange sort of longing rose in me, and I remembered the times before everything had gone to shit and my ex and I had been happy. It seemed so long ago, but it only had been three years. To her credit, the woman had been able to keep her charade up for quite a while, only dropping when I found her in bed with one of my business partners.
Was I missing that? Having a family unit? Someone to lean on when I needed help and share all of the joys of my son with? I had long since given up on ever trusting someone like that again, so I didn’t quite see how that computed.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but feel a strange excitement within me as we reached my car. Before I could say a word, Dom ran to the back, explaining that ladies should always have shotgun. When had I raised such a polite little gentleman? It made me glow with pride, and I opened the door for both of them then shut it after they slid inside.
Who would have thought that this was how my day was going to go? I was all set to apologize until I ran out of spit to the woman I had wronged, and now I was taking her to lunch with my son, something only one other person in the company had ever had the privilege of doing.
It was certainly a strange turn of events, but I wasn’t complaining. In fact, I just hoped that my luck could continue to go in such a great direction. I had absolutely no idea who this amazing woman really was, but I desperately wanted to.
Chapter Twelve
~McKenna~
I had never been so tense in a car ride, but I guessed there was a first for everything. Of all the things that had happened today, I was pretty sure going out to lunch with the CEO and his son was so far down on the list of possibilities that it might as well not be there at all. Yet that was exactly what was happening, judging by the buildings rushing by the expensive looking buildings of uptown.
I had meant to refuse, I really had. But with the way both of them were looking at me, I found myself agreeing. The little boy, Dom, really was a sweetheart, and I couldn’t imagine disappointing him after just becoming friends.
That was just like me. Putting myself into a pickle and then complaining about it. But still, at least I was going to get an insane meal at a restaurant I probably could never afford on my own. There was an upside to everything, I supposed.
That was what I kept telling myself, and it helped me from panicking as we arrived at what looked like one of the fanciest restaurants I had ever seen. Its exterior was obviously Greek inspired, but not gaudily so, and there was a line of valets already waiting outside. Dominic’s hand was back in mine the moment I was on my feet outside of the far. While I loved children, I had never had one attach to me so quickly and so emphatically. It almost made me wonder if he was missing a certain sort of maternal affection.
That was depressing to think of
. He was obviously a sweet and charming little boy. He deserved a mother who was every bit as impressed with him as Rafael obviously was.
Speaking of Rafael, he came up along beside us and gestured for us to walk ahead. His face was still stern, his green eyes sharp in his attractive countenance, but I could see something softening at the edges. Maybe I didn’t need to be scared of this man? After all, I had seen him get pretty angry less than an hour ago and he had never called Dom’s mother a name or moved to threaten her in any way, shape or form. Sure, he had raised his voice, but I couldn’t blame him given what I had observed about the woman’s treatment of her son so far.
Still, it was too soon to tell, even if I did feel inexplicably drawn to him. It was like we were magnets, total opposite polarities but helplessly pulled together. Or at least that’s how it felt for me. Raphael would probably forget about me in a week or two as anything other than that strange woman who his son seemed to be okay with.
We sat in a fairly nice booth towards the back of the restaurant and Dom seemed to be practically vibrating with excitement. He was grinning like a madman and bouncing in his seat almost as soon as the hostess sat us down.
“Do you like Greek, McKenna?” The smile he gave me was just too cute as he opened a menu. “I like gyros, and souvlaki and doulmas and-”
“Let her answer the question, little man,” Rafael corrected gently, ruffling his son’s hair.