He grinned. “Trust me, I can afford it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course, you can.”
I went back inside to find Jace sitting on the couch with the TV on. I sat down beside him. “Did you have fun today?” I asked.
He bobbed his head up and down. “That was so fun!” he exclaimed. “I want to go again!”
“I think I can take you, but you’ll have to put the worm on your hook all by yourself.”
“I know how,” he said confidently. “Nash showed me.”
“Good.”
“I can show you,” he offered.
“I don’t think I want to mess with a worm.”
He laughed. “It’s not bad, Mom,” he said. I could see the confidence in him. A few hours with Nash and he was already changing into a stronger boy.
“Maybe I’ll let you show me, but I think I’m going to need you to do it for me. You’re going to be much better at it.”
“Nash says he has a boat,” he said.
I nodded. “I heard him.”
“Can we go on his boat?”
“I don’t know. Nash is a busy man. He might not have time.”
“But he said,” he argued.
“We’ll have to see.”
He watched the TV for a minute before turning back to me. “I like Nash,” he stated.
“Good. He’s a nice guy.”
“Isn’t he your boss?”
I slowly nodded. “He is.”
“I thought you didn’t like your boss?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why would you think that?”
“Because you told Joss you weren’t going to work there anymore. You said you quit.”
I sighed. “I did say that, but I’m working there again and he’s okay. Sometimes, adults get angry just like you get angry with the kids at school.”
“He said he would buy me a BB gun and show me how to shoot it,” he announced.
“He did, did he?” I asked with surprise.
“Yep. He said boys shoot guns at things, but we can’t shoot at animals or people.”
“No, you definitely can’t. We’ll see about the gun. I think fishing is good for now.”
“But Mom, I’m going to be a man,” he reminded me. “I have to know how to shoot.”
“It’s not a requirement,” I said dryly. “We’ll see. I’ll talk to Nash on Monday and maybe we can find some time for you guys to hang out again.”
“I want to!” he said with a great deal of enthusiasm. “I want to go fishing again.”
“I will see if he has time. He’s a very busy man.”
“I bet he will,” he said matter-of-factly. “He told me he liked hanging out with me.”
I smiled at my little boy that was happier than I’d seen in a while. It wasn’t just happy. He had a look about him that said he felt good in his own skin. It had been too long since I had seen that. Maybe I was reading into it, but I was certain a few hours with a male figure transformed him. I knew for certain I needed to find a male influence to help keep up the progress. I wanted my boy to be happy and healthy. I wanted him to feel confident and certain of who he was.
Chapter 40
Nash
I nodded at the security guard as he closed and locked the door behind me. I needed to catch up on some paperwork. It felt strange to be back at headquarters after being gone all week. I wasn’t able to tear myself away from the tax firm. Technically, I could have, but I didn’t want to. I had enjoyed working with Saige, even if we spent very little time together.
It was the occasional conversation or being able to watch her interact with the employees. It was nice to watch her. Very nice. The little daytime fantasies that went along with the watching were an added perk. It certainly kept the day interesting.
I stepped out of the elevator and walked toward my office. As usual, my eyes were scanning the area. I was always on the lookout for anything that was out of place or presented a less than perfect first impression. I wanted potential investors to see my headquarters and understand just how much I paid attention to every detail.
There was a neat stack of paperwork on my desk awaiting my attention. I sat down and got busy. I didn’t have anything planned for the day, but I was hoping to catch Davin. I had not seen him at all this week. I usually saw him almost every day. I kind of missed the guy, but I would never admit to that.
After finishing up with the most pressing tasks, I shut everything down and headed downstairs. The lobby of the building was open for the bar only. I could hear the sound of a sportscaster mingled with what sounded like a reporter.
I walked into the bar and found a few customers sitting at the tables. The TVs were on to provide just enough background noise to drown out conversations. Davin was behind the bar with a clipboard in hand.
“Woah, I didn’t know if you still worked here,” he teased.
“Funny. You’re still getting paid, so I guess that means I do.”
“Want a drink?” he asked.
“Just a club soda,” I said and sat down on a barstool. “It’s quiet in here. I’m not sure it makes a lot of sense to open on a Sunday.”
“It’ll pick up. Guys do the family thing in the morning and manage to escape by late afternoon.”
I nodded and took the glass he offered. “Speaking of family things,” I said as a very uncool segue into the topic I wanted to talk to him about.
“I don’t even know where you’re going with that,” he said with a laugh.
“I spent yesterday with Saige and her kid,” I said.
He raised an eyebrow. “And the kid is still alive?”
“Very funny.”
“Why?” he asked with a confused expression.
“Because I wanted to help her out.”
He shook his head. “Again, why?”
“Her little boy is getting picked on at school because he doesn’t have a dad,” I explained.
“Newsflash, I guarantee you there is a dad.”
“He’s dead, smartass.”
He winced. “Ouch. That’s awful.”
“He never met his father. She said the guy died when she was pregnant.”
“Wow. That’s really sad.”
He actually seemed affected by the story. “I don’t get the feeling it was a love match,” I told him. “Probably wouldn’t have been in Jace’s life if he did live.”
“I don’t know,” he said.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked. “You’re acting like a girl. Are you crying?”
“I’m not crying. I just feel really bad for her and the kid. That’s harsh. I can’t imagine having to go through all that alone.”
I stared at him and wondered if there was something seriously wrong with the guy. “What are you talking about?”
He sighed. “We’re pregnant.”
“Who? Me and you? Are you fucking high?”
“You really are an asshole,” he shot back. “Me and my girlfriend. She just found out Friday. She’s pregnant.”