Page 26 of Trial Run

Nell cleared her throat. “Anyway. I wanted to ask you about my commission. If I could possibly have the money today, that would be great.”

“Of course. I’ll get you a check.” Amy pulled open the top desk drawer and took out the checkbook.

Her hand hesitated over the book, pen in mid-air. “Thank you for bringing in this sale, by the way. It was a big boost for us this quarter.”

“I didn’t do much. I did him a favor, and I guess this was his way of paying me back.”

“Well, this is a nice payment.” Amy handed her the check, and her heart did a little flip at the number on it.

Her boss paused for a moment before speaking again.

“Nell. When he called me that first day, he said you helped him on a difficult day. Did he mean it was a difficult day for him, or for you?”

Nell gave a nervous little laugh. “I think we’d both had a difficult day. I got an eviction notice that morning, and Marco got sick. I wasn’t at my best. I’m sorry for breaking your rules, though.”

Amy frowned and shoved a hand through her short hair. “No, I’ve been thinking a lot since that day. And maybe the rules need to change. I didn’t think before about how things must be for you, as a single mom, and I should have. So I want you to know, you can bring Marco along with you, anytime you need to.”

“Really? That’s amazing. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much.” Nell’s hand squeezed Marco’s, probably a bit too tightly, and he plastered his torso to her leg, something he only did when he was feeling uncertain.

Amy gave a short nod. “I want this job to work for you. You’re a good employee, and I’m trying to be … more flexible. My wife says I’m too much of a hardass.” Her mouth twisted up in a half smile.

“Oh, well I …” Nell paused, unwilling to confirm Amy’s wife’s opinion, but she sent the woman silent thanks. “This will help me out so much. Thank you, again. ”

“Good.” Amy gave a sharp nod and went back to her desk, clearly uncomfortable with the emotion in the room. “Good.Have a good weekend, then. And you too, Marco.” She started typing again, dismissing them.

Nell backed out of the doorway and shut the door. She dropped the keys to the delivery van on their usual hook by the front desk and patted her pocket, feeling for the check. The bell on the door jingled on the way out.

“She wasn’t mad.” Marco said, as they crossed the parking lot to her car.

“She really wasn’t.” Nell put a hand on his shoulder. “Lucky us.”

* * *

That night, after boxed macaroni and cheese—the only kind Marco would eat—they watched a documentary together. Marco had forgotten he was mad at her. Or more likely, he was saving up his arguments until later, to be used at bedtime. No doubt he’d chosen this show about rock formations on purpose.

They sat on the couch together, a bowl of trail mix between them, with Marco’s body folded in half, knees at his chest. One by one, he picked out all the chocolate chips from the bowl and ate them.

“It’s a good thing I love you so much, or I’d be mad you left me with all the raisins,” she told him.

“But you like raisins, and I don’t.” He sifted through the bowl, finding more pieces of chocolate.

“I like chocolate, too.”

“I’ll share the chocolate with you if you put more in the bowl. I promise.” He gave her a devious grin, then turned his gaze back to the screen. “You’re missing the volcano eruption. The lava is made of melted rock.”

“It’s pretty amazing.”

“If you put a stick in the lava, it’d catch on fire in two seconds.”

“I bet you’re right.”

“Too bad there’s no volcanoes in Missouri.” He sighed and ate another handful of chocolate.

“I always thought that was a positive thing.” She handed him a paper towel, hoping to avoid melted chocolate from his hands making it onto the couch upholstery.

After the show, she got him into the bath. His weekly hair wash day added forty minutes to their bedtime routine, but she loved finger-coiling his curls one by one so they dried in perfect ringlets. Since adopting her biracial son, whose birth mom was Puerto Rican and his dad white, she’d tested dozens of curl products until she found the ones his hair liked.

After he was tucked into bed, she turned on his star projector night light, and he tucked his stuffed brontosaurus under his left arm.

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