Page 66 of Rhet

“Is he okay?” Someone asks.

“Mommy.” He cries looking around more as people gather slowly. I look up and they look like giants to me from this low angle. Poor kid.

“Come with me, let’s find your mommy.”

I didn’t want anyone to take him. He looks around at the crowd and walks to me.

I scoop him up in my arms, his chubby arms wrap around my neck, his head rests on my shoulder and his body shudders.

People begin to talk behind me. Each having a suggestion about what I should do with this child. I ignore them all, looking for the only person who can help me.

I approach Rhet and Cole; they are now surrounded by women. As if he senses me, Rhet turns around and pauses the conversation.

The women look at me upset, like I took away their chances with Rhet and Cole.

“You leave us for three minutes, you found a man, got pregnant and you had a kid. You work fast.”

He keeps his polite smile on his face, but his forehead crunches in confusion.

“This is serious. He lost his mommy. Can you have them make an announcement or something?” I shift the little boy in my arms.

“I’m leaving this one to you Rhet. Zeeta?” Cole takes a gold case out his pocket, opens it and takes a card out. “Give me a call when you are free. If we can’t have lunch, dinner is even better.” As he gives his card to me Rhet grabs it.

“You want to meet the grim reaper don’t you?” Rhet grumbles

Cole laughs out “The guys are going to hear about this. I’m out.”

As Cole departs, Rhet focus is back on the child and me.

He looks at the kid on my hip. “Hey, little man.”

The child looks at Rhet then moves his face into my neck. I think I am in love with this kid.

“I guess he doesn’t like me. He’s a smart kid.”

“Rhet, help me, please,” I plead, holding the child’s head, as I move from side to side

Rhet has the announcement made and I’m ushered into the hotel boardroom. I sit with the kid in my lap rocking him slowly.

Rhet opens the mahogany door, pulls out a chair next to me. He places a box of apple juice in my face.

“Should we feed it more?” Rhet asks as he sits next to me looking over at the kid sleeping in my arms. His dark-haired curls lay on my chest and his arms are to his side.

“First, he’s not an it and no because we don’t know if he has allergies.” My hand passes over the little boy’s head.

Rhet laments. “Only you would find a crying child in a crowd of a billion people.”

I draw my back head like I’ve been slapped. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s nothing bad, but you do have a knack for trouble and drama.” He closes his eyes, folds his arms and leans his head on the chair’s headrest as if he just ended the conversation.

“I do not,” I counter.

“You came to my house, running in one heel in the pouring rain,” he responds flexing his neck from side to side.

“Because of your demon dogs,” I retort.

“Yup, but that only happens to you. No one else.” The light from the large windows brightens the wooden walls in the broad room.

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