Page 49 of Stolen Kisses

Duncan was in one corner with a boy who seemed to be around nine or ten years of age. He waved at me, and I walked straight toward them.

"Hey," I said.

"Hi, Hannah. This is Jeremy, my son."

I turned to the boy. "Nice to meet you, Jeremy."

"Nice to meet you too," he said, munching on a sandwich.

"Today’s a Take Your Kid to Work Day," Duncan said.

"That's cool. What grade are you in?" I asked Jeremy.

He looked at me with wide eyes. "I'm in the second grade."

"Do you like school?" I went on.

He frowned. "No. I like basketball more, but Dad says I have to go to school."

Duncan patted his head. “That’s right, buddy. School is important.”

“I bet you have friends at school, though,” I said. “It's nice to spend time with them, isn't it?"

"Yeah, sometimes.”

“What do you like to do with your friends?”

“We playMario Karton Nintendo. We want the special edition one, but it’s sold out everywhere. Anyway, I’m glad I don't have school today."

Duncan shook his head. "I swear to God, he's more like Knox's or Finn's son than mine. I used to love school."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Are Uncle Finn and Uncle Knox here? Can we go say hi?"

"They're not here now. Not sure if they’re coming to the office at all today. How about after you eat, I'll show you around and find someone you don't know to talk to, and you can ask them about their job?"

"I can talk to you about my job,” I cut in.

Jeremy gave me a huge smile. "Yes. Dad, please?"

Duncan nodded. "Sure. Thanks, Hannah.”

"But can you ask my uncles if they'll come to the office? Can you tell them I’m here?” Jeremy pleaded. He was obviously close to them.

"Sure. We'll see if they have time. I'm sure Chase is somewhere around here."

My heart skipped a beat at hearing his name, but I kept my expression schooled.

I asked Jeremy about his favorite subjects while we all ate our lunch. The pastrami sandwiches they sent today were pretty good. The conversation somehow circled back toMario Kart, and Duncan confessed that the whole family was looking for thevideo game. Chase already got him one, but there were several, and they were hard to find.

I noticed a few people watching us and wondered if this was smart. Until now, no one had put two and two together that I knew at least some of the Sterling brothers from before I started working here.

Once I finished my sandwich, I took out my phone. I had several reporting apps on my phone that I could show Jeremy.

"All right, so look. This is what I do. These are tools with which I work through information and transform into graphics."

I immediately realized this must be dead boring for him. I mean, I liked numbers, but he was a kid.

I glanced helplessly at Duncan, who shrugged and laughed. He seemed to get exactly what my problem was, because he said, "I've got the same issue with him every time I try to explain what I do."

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