Page 17 of Lost Little Boy
Now, as I stared at the box on the desk, I took a deep breath and opened it to find a waterproof outdoor lantern and Bluetooth speaker. I couldn’t believe it. It did all sorts of things, including charging my shitty cell phone and giving weather reports. It was chargeable with a USB cord, and I couldn’t wait to use it.
A soft, three-beat knock sounded on the door. When I opened it, there stood the handsome man I suspected was responsible for the gifts. “Good morning, sir.” I couldn’t hide the smile on my face.
“Good morning. Why do you call me sir?” He leaned against the door jam and crossed his right ankle over his left foot, appearing completely casual, and until he’d mentioned it, I hadn’t noticed that I called him sir.
“I don’t know. It just feels right when I’m around you. How was your weekend?” I hadn’t heard from him until he dropped by. I had his number, but I didn’t dare call him. We didn’t have that kind of a relationship.
“It was good. I went to New York to get more of my stuff and bring it down. Looks like I’ll be hanging out a bit longer here in Virginia. I sent the account reps to meet with the vendors in my place, so they’re getting some field experience, which is a smart move. My parents are back from the Hampton’s house, so Junior’s back in the saddle, though he wants to see me this afternoon. How about you? How was your weekend?”
“I went to a soccer game for the first time. There’s a soccer field in Barcroft Park where a lot of teams play. I still don’t understand it, but it was full of action,” I said.
Wex grinned. “Sounds like a fan in the making. You have plans for lunch today? I know you don’t have much time, so I’ll pick up food and you can eat with me in my office.”
“Uh, okay. What time?” What the hell was I doing? He was one of the division heads. His father was the president of the company and signed my paycheck.
“You tell me. My schedule is much more flexible than yours.”
“Uh, how about one thirty? I need to replace a towel dispenser in the gym downstairs, and I should be done byone. I’ll need to clean up, but I can be in your office by one thirty if that’s okay.”
“That works perfectly. I’ll see you then. Have a great morning.” Much to my surprise, Wex stepped closer to me and kissed my forehead again. I heard a quiet moan before he stepped back and glanced at me once more, giving me a wink and then heading to the stairwell.
I sounded like a fanboy with the sigh I let out before stepping back into the closet. If nothing more happened that day, it would be the best day I’d had in a long time.
When I showed up to work on Tuesday morning an hour earlier than usual, I caught Wex slipping out of the supply closet. “Gotcha!”
He turned to me and smirked. “Oh, you sure do. But I wasn’t doing anything. It’s my job to go check the locks in the morning to be sure the keys work.” He held up a key ring with the key to the supply closet on it.
I laughed. “Wow, you Grassleys are a multitasking family. Thank you again for lunch yesterday. Thatgyro was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. I wouldn’t have tried it if you hadn’t bought it for me. I’m so glad I did.”
Wex chuckled. “Sometimes, trying new things opens our eyes to things we didn’t know we’d like. Do you have time to go to a soccer game with me this evening? I got the company tickets at Audi Field. I’ll drop by here and collect you at five thirty. We can run by your place so you can change into something less… confining?” He pointed to the work coveralls I wore, which made me laugh.
“I have other clothes, you know. I don’t wear these all the time.” It would be easier if I did, but I had other clothes—mostly thrift store finds, but they were decent.
“Don’t get me wrong. You make them look good, but it’s supposed to be a warm evening. We can eat at the field, if you don’t mind.” He stared at me for a moment before he chuckled.
“What, uh, what’s wrong?” I reached up and wiped my nose in case there was something hanging out. God, I hoped not.How embarrassing.
“Absolutely nothing. Have a great day.” He kissed my forehead again, which was kind of odd, but I smiled. It was nice.
I went into the supply closet and saw a bag on the desk with tissue paper sticking out of it. I had guessed Wex was the one leaving the surprises for me, but catching himexiting the supply closet, I knew for sure that he’d been my secret gift giver.
I pulled out the tissue paper and found a card inside. I opened it to see another heart. “Here’s to safe travels.”
I reached further into the bag and pulled out a wrapped package. I ripped off the paper and found an RV play set with a fake campfire, camping chairs, a dog, Mom, Dad, and a little boy. The top of the camper opened to reveal play areas, and inside, I found a Hot Wheels pickup truck like the one in the daycare center.
For a minute, I was stunned. How did Wex know I loved that truck? It wasn’t the truck from the center, was it? Shit! I’d have to come up with a reason to go check the daycare.
Hiding the toys in my backpack and with questions circling my head all morning, I went about my chores. I had to touch up some paint in the hallway outside the main conference room on the second floor, so I found the white and gray paint I’d need and packed the cart with brushes, bowls, and other tools to perform the repairs. I quickly patched the dents made by a mail cart and looked up the next ticket while the Spackle dried.
After fixing a clogged toilet, I took the elevator up one floor because I couldn’t get the cart up the stairs. When I stepped off, the head of human resources was standing outside the conference room with a few of her employees.
I pushed my cart to the side and waited, glancing at the time on my phone to see it was after nine in the morning. The department heads were meeting in that conference room at ten, so I had to rush to finish before the next meeting.
Hanging a sign over the repairs for them not to lean against the wall was necessary, but I had no paper. Once I finished with the paint, I moved all my tools onto the cart and walked down the hall to find paper. It wasn’t my usual floor to work on, so I wasn’t sure what to do.
Surprisingly, Victoria Wintz stepped out of the ladies’ room. “Oh, Perry, how are you?”
I swallowed my nerves. “Ms. Wintz, I need paper to make signs so nobody leans against the walls I just touched up by the conference room.”
