Not that we haven’t seen each other these past two months whenever we had a chance, but there’s never really been a reason for him to stop by my work.
A pleasant surprise, as I lift my face so he can drop a kiss on my lips.
“I wasn’t expecting you until Wednesday. I hope you didn’t make plans, I’m about to go into a meeting with the team.”
Janey is supposed to call in from the Caymans to give us an update in twenty minutes and we’re supposed to strategize a plan of attack. It’s not a meeting I can afford to miss.
Mitch grins down at me, his eyes sparkling.
“Who says I’m here for you?”
I glance around the open office space and catch Raj’s smiling eyes. She gets up from her desk, picks up a file folder, and walks toward us. Then she reaches to shake Mitch’s hand.
“Good to see you again, Mitch.”
“Same to you.”
“These are for you,” Raj says, handing him the folder and a pen.
I’m more confused by the minute.
“Can someone please explain to me what’s going on?”
Mitch holds up a finger.
“Gimme just a minute.” He points at the empty desk across from mine. “Can I?”
Nobody sits at that desk, I suspect it’s just there for balance, to match Raj and Janey’s desks which face each other as well.
“Sure,” Raj answers. “It’s all yours.”
Mitch shrugs off his coat and hangs it over the back of the chair before sitting down. I’m surprised to see him wearing casual clothes. He never mentioned being off today.
“Okay, really, guys,” I complain, when he opens the folder and starts signing documents.
Neither of them says a thing and I’m starting to get annoyed when Mitch slaps the folder shut and walks over, sliding it in front of me.
“What is this?”
“I need you to know something first,” he finally says, handing the pen to me. “The decision is yours. If anything about this makes you uncomfortable, there’ll be no hard feelings.”
I flip open the folder and immediately notice four signatures at the bottom.
“It was Mitch’s idea we should all sign for it to be legally binding,” Raj explains, “Even one missing signature would make it null and void.”
I realize I’m looking at the last page of a contract. I flip it over to find the first page, and it all becomes clear.
“Are you serious?”
My voice rises in pitch.
“As a heartbeat,” he returns without hesitation. “You know I’ve been frustrated these past few months.”
He did mention that a few times, but never once had he suggested anything like this.
“You know, you’re the only man who can make me cry,” I sniffle, adding my signature beside my name.
“It’s true,” Raj says helpfully. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her cry as much as she has since meeting you.”
I huff unhappily and hold up two fingers.
“Twice.” That she’s seen anyway.
Then I get up and wind my arms around Mitch’s neck.
“I can’t believe you quit the team.”
He shrugs and puts his hands on my hips.
“They know things changed for me after Sawyer was taken,” Mitch explains as I notice Raj slipping into the adjoining conference room, closing the door behind her.
“I never had a problem handing over any case to the Criminal Investigations Division once our part was done, but you know I’ve been having a hard time letting this one go.”
I nod at him.
It’s frustrating even for us, knowing we haven’t answered every question and tied up every loose end, but at least we’re able to actively plug away at it. That’s not possible for Mitch within the parameters of his job.
“So you called Jacob?”
“Actually, he first called me. I think it was a little over a month ago. He said if ever I was interested in a career change that would allow me a bit more flexibility to let him know. Dangled the carrot so to speak. It’s almost like he knew.”
“Uncanny, isn’t it? He seems to know exactly what to say to put a bug in your ear.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, ended up talking to Matt about it.”
“Yet you didn’t talk to me,” I observe, giving him a little shake. “In fact, looks like I may have been the last to know.”
“You were, and for good reason,” he hurries to add. “It was important to me your team was on board with it before you even knew. They might’ve felt obligated to say yes, thinking that’s what you’d want.”
“You took quite a risk, what if I’d said no?” I’m curious to know.
“I’d have probably done some investigating on my own, I’ve got some money saved up to tide me over. But Jacob was quite certain you’d say yes.”
I lean back a little and raise one eyebrow.
“He was, was he?”
Not sure whether to be insulted or grateful I’m apparently an open book to my boss.
“Hmm,” Mitch hums. “He was more concerned about how serious I was about you.”
Did I say boss? Apparently, now he thinks he’s my father.
“And? What did you tell him.”
A slow grin emerges on his face until lines fan out from the corners of his eyes. He tucks me a little closer.
“I told him I was dead-serious.”
“Yeah?”
I smile back at him, more than a little pleased. It’s not like I don’t know he loves me—I’m pretty sure he knows I love him—we just haven’t really put it into so many words.
To me this is as good as.
“Don’t plan on letting you go, Kate. Ever.”
Even better.
I lift a hand to his face and run my fingers over his stubble.
“I’m okay with that.”
Mitch
“A few discreet candles might’ve been better, Dad.”
Glancing over at Sawyer, I notice she has the cake box open, staring inside.
“Why? What’s wrong with those?”
We just picked up the cake I ordered the day after GEM officially became my new employer. During Pearl’s Cayman briefing, which Jacob asked me to sit in on—he wanted me up to speed before I officially start on Monday—she’d let it slip it was Kate’s birthday Wednesday.
When I asked Kate later if she wanted to do something special for her birthday; she brushed it off, saying she doesn’t really put much stock into birthdays. It didn’t quite ring true, so I came up with the idea to do something special for her. Just the two of us.
It was my mistake to mention anything to Sawyer, who turned the idea for a private party for two into a celebration for three. Complete with the balloons and wrapped gifts stuffed in the back seat, and the hot pan of lasagna wrapped in towels in the trunk, all courtesy of my daughter, who invited herself along.
I didn’t have the heart to say no to her. The couple of times my daughter was there when Kate visited, the two had really hit it off. With Becky a royal mess since Chad was arrested, it’s not that shocking. Sawyer craves a strong, stable female influence and Kate fits that bill perfectly.