Page 42 of For the Lover in You
By the time I had finished my administrative work, it was eight p.m. and time for me to wrap up and head home. I needed to work on my bullet points for the conference. I stood to get my stuff but suddenly heard a commotion coming from the other side of the door.
I froze and waited. I wanted to be certain I had heard something before I reacted. Once I heard the chairs move, I reached into my drawer and pulled out my gun. I had forgotten to lock the front door, but I didn't think I would've stayed as late. I walked to the door, listening closely. Finally, I recognized the voice. It was Mila.
"Shhh. Go over there and sit down. Hey, stop touching stuff, please, KJ."
I placed the gun back in the drawer, locking it away before I made my way out of the office and saw Mila standing at her desk. It looked as if she was searching for something. KJ spun around in one of the rolling chairs. Neither of them noticed me. I staredat the innocent boy as curiosity covered his face. He was the spitting image of his jackass father, but he had his mother's eyes.
"KJ, stop that! Didn't I tell you to..." She paused when she saw me standing there.
"Mr. Houston... um... sorry for being here this late. I accidentally left my notebook here and I need it for tomorrow."
"Understandable."
"Hi," KJ's small voice said.
By this time, he had made his way over toward me. He had a bright smile on his face. I squatted down to his level.
"What's up, little man? You're KJ, right?"
A big smile spread across his face. He nodded his head up and down.
"Use your words, KJ," Mila instructed.
"Yes, sir."
I smiled. "Nice to finally meet you. I have heard a lot about you. I heard you're pretty cool."
He smiled bigger. I held my hand up for a high-five, and he received it. I scanned him from head to toe and tugged on his Spider-Man shirt.
"I have the same shirt. Actually, I have tons of Spider-Man shirts."
"He's my favorite."
"Mine too," I stated with a wink.
"Here it is!" Mila declared, holding up her notebook. "Alright, KJ, come on. By the time we get outside, an Uber should be here."
I stood back up while KJ ran over to his mom. She had him by the hand as she headed toward the door.
"Sorry to disturb you. We are out of your hair. Have a good night, Mr. Houston," she stated.
"You called an Uber?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Cancel it. I'll take y'all home."
"Mr. Houston, that's unnecessary?—"
I shot her a look, and she stopped talking. It was the same look I'd given her every time she objected to my doing anything for her.
"My bad."
"Exactly. Give me a second to get my stuff together, and we can be on our way."
"Okay," she whispered.
I took off to my office, grabbing my keys and jacket. They stood by the door, but this time, Mila squatted down, speaking to KJ.
