Page 16 of Fierce-Zander

“There isn’t,” his mother said. “Which is why he’s bored. He goes and meets up with the guys for lunch a few times a week while they are on duty.”

“He can’t get his head out of the game, can he?”

“No,” his mother said. “I don’t think he needs the stress of it or wants it. But maybe he wouldn’t mind doing something to occupy him if you could use a bit of a break.”

“I’ve always got shit to do,” he said. “Betsy is doing a lot of the computer work I used to and still running the office. I’m sure Dad isn’t interested in doing that.”

“I think he’d do anything you gave him,” his mother said.

“I’ll bring it up this weekend and see how it goes,” he said. This way it would give him an idea if his mother was right and his father was bored, or his mother just assumed something.

“That’s all I can ask,” his mother said.

“That’s not all you ever ask,” he said, laughing.

“Well, no. I’d like some grandkids someday, but you’d need to find a woman for that. At least I hope you don’t have a kid out there somewhere and don’t come home and say you do without knowing.”

He snorted. It’d been a comment said one too many times in his life.

What he thought was a joke was actually his mother being serious.

Maybe he didn’t have the best track record with women and relationships, but he’d never been reckless either.

He didn’t think Royce was and yet his best friend got his wife pregnant even though they’d been protecting themselves.

Shit happened in life.

“None that I know of,” he said. “You’ll be the first I tell if one suddenly pops into my life.”

“Not funny, Zander.”

“It was a little funny,” he said. “And now I’ve got to go and I’m sure you do too. I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“I better see you on Sunday.”

“You will because you’ll call Betsy later and tell her to put it on my calendar if it’s not there.”

His mother laughed and hung up.

“Everything okay?” Betsy asked, coming into his office.

He picked up the sticky note. “My mother is having dinner for my father’s birthday.”

She took the note. “I’ll add it to your calendar.” She looked down at the two things he wrote. “Sunday at one?”

He’d written “1Sun.” Betsy understood his notes and chicken scratch.

“Yep,” he said.

“Anything else I need to know before I get to work? I’ll be spending most of my day doing background checks. I swear it’s the hiring season right now.”

“You love doing them,” he said.

“I do.”

“Speaking of which. My mother says my father is bored and wants to know if there is any work I can send his way.”

“There is always work,” Betsy said. “I mean, you know I’d love to do more in the field, but my heart was racing just trying to get pictures last night.”

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