by Emma Quinn
Was there the hint of tears in her eyes? Or was it just anger? Either way, she clearly hadn't forgiven me. And I didn't blame her.
Before I could say another word, her phone beeped and she looked down at her screen.
“I have to go,” she said. “Tell David and Saul I'll be back as soon as I can.”
She walked down the hall, the steam from her coffee rising up over her head. I watched the confidence in her gait. How her hips swayed from side to side because of her high heels, and the way her dress clung to her narrow waist and wide hips.
In that moment, it dawned on me that I wasn't looking at the body of the young girl I'd dated all those years ago. I was watching a grown woman filled with strength and tenacity. A woman who had grown so much since I last saw her.
In some ways I didn't recognize her at all. She was more mature now, feistier and didn't hold a single ounce of self-doubt.
She was more desirable than I'd ever known her to be. More enticing and seductive than any model I'd dated. The intelligence and confidence oozed out of her.
I needed her.
But she was walking away from me.
Don't let her go! Cried out a voice from the back of my head.
Dashing after her, I caught up with her on the stairs as she made her way down to the foyer.
“Sophia. Hang on.”
She looked over her shoulder at me through the veil of her dark hair and looked unamused at me following her.
“I feel like we really got off on the wrong foot. Can we start again?”
“Start again?” she laughed. “You mean just pretend there's never been anything between us? Forget that you treated me like total shit?”
She walked down the remaining last few stairs and out into the street. Her powerful walk and mesmerizing looks attracted admiring glances from everyone in the building. Not that she gave a shit.
She wasn't interested in any of us. Especially me.
All I could do was watch as she strode out into the street just as a taxi pulled up to the curb.
The back door opened before the car came to a full stop and a little boy jumped out the back.
“Mommy!” he yelled and threw his arms around Sophia's waist.
She hugged him tight and kissed the top of his head.
Mommy? Did I just hear right? She's a mother?
Just when I thought I couldn't be in for any more surprises. A short brunette climbed out the other side of the taxi with a suitcase in her hand.
“What the fuck?” I said out loud to myself. “Is that... Is that Emily?”
I'd not seen her in years! Not since I'd left Pikeville.
Out on the sidewalk, the three of them embraced with the little boy sandwiched in between them.
“I missed you so much,” I heard Sophia say as she kissed her son on his cheek. “I can't believe you're here in LA.”
I looked at the little boy closely. He was cute all right. With a button nose, bright eyes and tousled hair. But what struck me most was his energy.
A feeling came over me as I watched them. A feeling I wasn't familiar with. Was it… jealousy? It certainly felt that way. Suddenly, I wondered what it would be like to have my own son. I'd been so caught up building a career for myself that I'd never had time to build a family. Something I deeply regretted. Regretted as much as breaking up with Sophia.
As I stood there, my mind went to a strange place. A fantasy world where I'd followed Sophia to Harvard rather than moved to LA. She would have excelled at her studies, and the two of us would have started our own family. Maybe even had a little boy about the same age as this cute little guy.
“Yo, Ethan!”
Jules appeared at my side and dropped one of his bony hands onto my shoulder.
“I've been calling your name for ages. You were in a dream world.”
He followed my gaze out onto the street where Sophia was guiding her boy and Emily toward the main entrance.
“Oh...” said Jules, seeing Sophia. “Got the hots for the attorney chick? I don't blame ya. She's really something, ain't she? But she's a touch cookie.”
“Yep,” I agreed as I watched her push her way through the revolving door. “She's the toughest cookie. But she's the tastiest one too.”
15
Sophia
Two weeks later
P
arking up at the school gates, I wondered what I had ever worried about. Luca had fitted into his new school routine seamlessly and made friends almost instantly.
If anything, he'd become one of the most popular boys in his class. It seemed as though kids were practically queuing up to be his friend.
I watched him now running out the gates with his coloring book in his hand.
“Mom! Look what I did!”
Jumping in the back seat, he thrust it at me. I was faced with a colorful array of zoo animals who had been transformed into mythical creatures by his expert hand.
“Ooh, what's this?” I asked.
“It's a giraffasaurus rex,” he explained as though I was stupid.
“And what do they do?”
“They're a cross between a giraffe and a t-rex, der. They're really tall and very powerful.”
“Oh... wow. You've got quite an imagination. And what's this here?”
“That's a plesiopotamous.”
“Uhuh.”
“It's a cross between a plesiosaur, like, you know, the Loch Ness monster and a hippopotamus. They can swim really deep, and can crush watermelons with their teeth.”
“That's terrific,” I laughed. “I think you should really start painting these properly. How do you say we get you a big artist's easel and a canvas?”
“Sounds awesome!”
Behind me, a car tooted its horn and I looked in the mirror to see actress, Galileah O'Hallihan waving her arms impatiently as she tried to force herself into my space.
“For Christ's sake!” I moaned, pulling away. “Could she not have waited ten seconds?”
Luca looked through the back window at her and said, “Her daughter's in my class. She's a real bitch.”
“Luca! Where did you learn that word?”
He pretended he didn't hear me and began scribbling in his book.
“Luca? Answer me.”
“TV,” he mumbled with his head down.
“What TV?”
“TV that Emily lets me watch.”
“Oh, really. Well, I'll have to have a word with Auntie Emily about that.”
He kept his head down and continued to scribble frantically.
“How come Emily couldn't pick me up from school today?” he asked.
“Because Emily isn't feeling too well,” I replied. “Looking after you has exhausted her.”
“Really?” he asked, concerned.
“No. I'm joking. She's just got a headache is all. But she needs to rest. Which is why you're coming back to the office with me today.”
“The office?” he groaned. “That's so boring!”
I didn't disagree with him. The office at McSweeney and Sons was boring enough at the best of times let alone for a seven year old with a terrible attention span.
“It'll be fun!” I tried to reassure him. “You can bring your books and tablet and watch a movie and draw. You could even get a head start on your homework.”
“I suppose,” he mumbled. “But will there be snacks?”
“There will be snacks,” I laughed. “Healthy snacks.”
“Aaaaw! Healthy snacks?”
“That's right. I thought you liked healthy snacks. Aren't carrot sticks and hummus your favorite?”
“Emily let me have cookies.”
I made a mental note of another thing to bring up with her. Not that the occasional mild curse word and cookie was the end of the world.
Maybe I'm just being a helicopter parent, I though to myself. Emily looks after him amazingly and I know it.
“Do I really have to sit in your office?” asked Luca. “Can't I watch TV?”
“No, honey. Not for a few hours. Mommy's still got a lot of work to do.”
I could feel the sadness emanate from him. I knew he hated how much I worked and wished he could spend more time with me playing and doing all the fun stuff other parents did.
And here I was making him hang out in an attorney's office. I was just about the most boring mom there was.
Pulling up outside the office, I noticed his enthusiasm wane as he shuffled out the car onto the street.
“Come on, Squirt. It's not gonna be that bad.”
But he clearly didn't believe me.
Traipsing behind me as we entered the foyer, he looked around at all the gray walls and glass windows. This wasn't a place for a kid. A child needed to be somewhere colorful and happy. Not somewhere filled with boring old guys in suits and highly strung career women with faces like thunder.
As we stepped into the elevator, Helen from our accounts department walked in behind us. She looked down at Luca as though I'd presented her with a wild animal.
“Oh, wow a child,” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here, little man?”
“I'm here with Mom,” replied Luca politely. “She's working late.”
“And you've got no one to look after you until she's finished?” she asked.
Lucas shook his head.
Helen gave me a simpering smile. It was a smile that spoke a thousand words. One that said you poor thing you must be a single parent.
Ignoring her, I took Luca's hand and pulled him out onto the fourth floor. Leading him into my office, I set up a comfy place for him on the couch and poured him a glass of juice.
He looked around the room, unimpressed at how boring it was.
“Don't look like that,” I said, handing him his juice. “You can have fun here while Mommy works. Can't you?”
“I don't think so.”
“Well, I do. Look, you can make a fort under my desk where you can draw. How does that sound?”
He perked up at this idea and, with his glass of juice carefully balanced in his hand, he crawled beneath my desk.
“Not bad, eh?”
“Forts are supposed to be secret,” he said. “This isn't very secret at all.”
“You're right. What if I drape my coat down the front here like this and... Oh, we can take some cushions off the couch and place them here like this and... There we go. What do you think now?”
“Awesome!” he yelled from beyond the cushions.
“Is it secret enough?”
“Top secret!”
Taking a seat at my computer, I could feel him writhing around my feet as he got comfy. A few moments later, I heard the sound of him slurping on his juice followed by the noise of his crayons scratching in the pages of his coloring book.
Finally, he's happy.
I set to work, opening up Ethan's case files. But as soon as I started reading, a knock sounded on the door.
“Come in!”
The door opened inch by inch to reveal Jules' greasy face.
“Oh, hey!” I said, standing up to shake his hand. “I didn't realize you were coming in today.”
“I wasn't supposed to. I was just picking up my son from school and was passing your office. Thought I'd swing by. Maybe get a quick update from you about the case.”
It was then that I noticed a small boy clinging to his side like a barnacle.
“Who have we got here?” I asked, happy to see another child in the building.
“This is my son, Sebastian,” Jules said, proudly. “Are you going to say hello, Seb?”
“Hello,” he replied with a timid wave.
I couldn't believe that someone as obnoxious and unattractive as Jules could have such a cute kid.
“Sebastian, would you like to come in and meet my little boy, Luca?”
He nodded and followed me over to the desk.
“Knock knock,” I said, pretending to rap my knuckles against the fort entrance.
“Who is it?” called out Luca.
“Who do you think it is?”
“Mom?”
“Yes, it's Mom!”
“What's the secret password?”
“I dunno!”
“You have to tell me the password or you're not allowed in.”
“Luca! Just... Okay, is the password, erm, I dunno. Is it taco?”
“Taco? Why would it be that?”
“Okay... Okay... Is it... Let me guess. Oh! Is it plesiopotamous?”
Slowly, he pulled the covering away from the front of the fort and poked his head out.
“You may come in,” he said. “Please... Enter.”
I nodded toward Sebastian, but he just sat frozen to the spot nervously.
“Go on. You can climb in,” I told him.
He glanced up nervously at his dad before eventually crawling on his hands and knees inside the fort.
“Hey,” I heard him say. “Do your parents work late too?”
“Yeah,” replied Luca, wearily. “My mom works aaall the time.”
Jules approached me and looked down at the fort as the two boys became acquainted beyond the veil of my coat.
“I can tell you're a good mom,” he said.
“I try.”
“Well you obviously try very hard.”
Inside the fort, the sound of the boys' giggling filtered out.
“They got along quickly with each other, didn't they?” remarked Jules.
“Luca's a friendly boy. He loves to make friends.”
“I wish I could say the same for Sebastian. Honestly, you wouldn't meet a shier kid. He's like a little mouse.”
He thought for a second and twisted his mouth to the side as an idea churned around in his mind.
“Say, we were gonna have a picnic on the beach this weekend. Nothing fancy, just some folk from the studio with their families. Some hot dogs and maybe a few glasses of wine. You should come. Bring your son too. He could keep Sebastian company.”
“That sounds great. We'd love to come!”
I was seeing Jules differently now. I couldn't have imagined him as a family man, but here he was acting all cutesy over his son. Maybe I'd got him all wrong.
“So... the case,” I said, gesturing for Jules to take a seat on the couch. “What would you like to know? I'll be honest there's not much to tell. It's pretty cut and dried. Vincent Roberts will be hanging by his balls by the end of the trial. Which is a shame because I always liked him in The Administrator. Used to be one of my favorite films growing up. Didn't realize he was such a douche.”
“Oh, he's the douchiest,” laughed Jules. “Hideously jealous of other actors. Especially if they're younger and better looking. And he'll sue anyone for anything. Seriously, he does this at least once a year. It's just Ethan's turn right now.”
“Sounds like a nut. I'd hate to be his agent.”
“Me too!” guffawed Jules.
His laughter was soon interrupted by the sound of a knock on the door.
Who is it now? Don't people realize I've got work to do?
“Who is it?”
“It's Ethan!”
Me and Jules glanced at one another in surprise.
“I didn't realize he was meeting you here,” I said.
“Neither did I?”
The last thing I wanted to do was see him. In fact, I'd been going out of my way to ignore him completely. Did he not get the hint?
“Hey...” I said, opening the door. “I wasn't expecting you.”
He looked over my shoulder to where Jules was sat before noticing the fort beneath the desk and the sound of the boys' giggling.
“Didn't realize you were having a little get together,” he said. “I'll be honest I'm a little upset you didn't invite me. I love forts too, you know.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, cutting to the center of the conversation.
“I was wondering how things were going on with the case,” he said. “I've been trying to get a hold of you to find out wha
t's happening.”
“I've been updating Jules,” I said, firmly. “Haven't I?”
“Yeah, she's got it all under control,” added Jules. “It's all going just great. Roberts isn't going to get away with shit.”
But Ethan's mind was no longer on the case because he was more interested in the sound being made inside the fort.
“Hello?” he said, kneeling down beside it.
“Who is it?” called out Luca.
“I'm not telling.”
“You have to otherwise you're not allowed in.”
“My name's Ethan.”
Frantic whispering sounded as the boys conferred.
“What's the password?” asked Luca.
“Erm...”
Ethan looked up at me for help.
“It's plesiopotamous,” I told him.
“What the hell is that?”
“Just say it.”
“Okay, the password is plesiopotamous?”
“Permission granted,” said Luca and pulled open the fort to reveal him and Sebastian huddled up beneath the desk surrounded by crayon drawings.
“Wow! I love what you've done with the place,” joked Ethan. “This is the best fort ever!”
“I think so too,” said Luca.
Deep down in my stomach, an intense nausea was setting in. I wanted to grab Luca and drag him out of there. I wanted to protect him from Ethan forever. But I knew I couldn't do that. And making a scene would only look suspicious. So I simply stood there gritting my teeth hoping Ethan would leave as soon as possible.
“So yeah!” I said, trying to grab his attention. “There's really nothing to worry about with the case. It's all sorted.”
But Ethan wasn't listening to me because he was too busy looking at Luca's drawings.
“Woah, these are crazy!” he said. “You should be an animator when you grow up.”
“You think so!” beamed Luca.
For a second, Ethan looked up into Luca's face and it felt as though my heart could stop. He had no idea he was looking into the face of his own son. Did he not recognize the hair and eyes? Did he not see some of himself looking back at him?
I waited for the flicker of recognition in his eyes, but if it was there, I didn't see it. To my relief, it appeared as though Ethan was oblivious.
“Luca is coming to the picnic on Sunday!” squealed Sebastian with delight.
