Page 32 of Bone to Pick
My heart kicked up speed, only partly fueled by tequila. “I’m going to sonnet the fuck out of him.”
Everyone cheered and reached forward to clink various glasses, or cheesy appetizers in Sean’s case, in celebration of my decision. “To Porter and Doctor Hot-Cock! May you weasel your way into his withered Grinch heart and make it grow to ten times its size.”
The conversation returned to a discussion about everyone’s plans for the holidays and the remaining shopping and wrapping everyone had to do. Nolan sniffed and glanced over from the corner of his eye. “I still think a candle wouldn’t go amiss,” he muttered.
No. It wouldn’t. I’d candleandsonnet the fuck out of Theo Hancock.
And this time, I would force him to take me seriously.
* * *
The following day at work was nonstop. The kids were jacked up on holiday sugar treats, and they were all talking a mile a minute about how grateful they were it had been the last day of school before the holiday break.
I spent the first half of the day discussing new programming for preschoolers that would begin in January, brainstorming some marketing ideas, and decorating my new, tiny, closet-sized office, which came complete with a brand-new laptop, a dedicated phone line, and the world’s oldest, creakiest desk chair.
After working for the Hub the past several years, I already had notebooks full of ideas on how I’d like to grow and expand the program if I had the wherewithal, including coordinating with the local schools to identify families who would benefit from the Hub’s programs and integrating the Hub with other local early intervention efforts for at-risk kids. I’d been holding myself back from believing this could happen for so long I felt like a cannonball that had finally been launched. I knew I needed to pace myself eventually, but for now, I was just enjoying the newfound freedom to turn my ideas into reality.
Once the kids showed up in the afternoon, I didn’t have another minute to even think, much less worry about what I had planned for later that evening.
Which was probably for the best. Last time, I’d had no script, and things had worked out pretty damn well in the end…mostly.
“Hey, Porter,” Raquon called as he entered the main room and shucked his coat. “Happy graduation. You’re done with school forever. Wish I was. I can’t wait until I can work on science experiments all day.”
“Uh-huh. Wait, how’d you know I was done with college?” I asked as I finished setting up a holiday craft station for the younger kids.
Raquon froze in place. “Oh! Uh… I mean… doesn’t everyone know? You’ve been in college for like ten years, right? ’Bout time you kicked it.”
His sister Kyrie elbowed him hard in the ribs and rolled her eyes. “Nice job, dummy.”
“Hey,” I warned. “No name-calling. And for your information, Raquon, it’s been six and a half years. Not ten.” I set out some markers. “Even though it felt like ten,” I added under my breath.
As soon as the majority of the kids arrived, I announced the various activities we had planned for the afternoon. “To recap: greeting card making over here by Tim. Star suncatcher making by the window, but please be careful not to get glue on the glass this time. For those of you who are scheduled for music lessons, Miss Jones is waiting for you in the music room. And those of you who absolutely can’t stand to be locked inside on this freezing afternoon may shoot hoops on the court as long as Jada is out there keeping an eye on everyone. Be sure to come back when you’re done because the Hannabury faculty brought goodie bags for each family to take home.”
Everyone moved off in different directions. I turned on a holiday music station before moving between the two craft activities to help out. Time passed quickly, the way it always did on Fridays, and I made sure to check in quietly with a few of the kids who might struggle at home with the upcoming school vacation.
I appreciated the distraction because otherwise, I would have been thinking of nothing but Theo. What was he doing? Was he remembering what I’d said about coming for him when the semester was over?
When it was finally time for us to clean up and get ready for the parents to pick the kids up, I felt a strange vibe in the room, like the kids were expecting something. While the faculty had provided bags of food and small gifts for each family, they weren’t the kind of gifts that would make these kids feel very pampered. I hoped the anticipation wasn’t about that. Had I built it up too much by mentioning it?
“Porter! Someone’s here asking for you,” Laci said with a singsong tone in her voice.
I turned around from where I’d been cleaning up the last of the shredded tissue paper leftover from the star suncatcher project and saw a very nervous-looking Dr. Theodore Hancock standing in the doorway, holding a giant bouquet of colorful flowers.
My heart leapt into my throat, and all I could think wasHe remembered. He definitely remembered. “Theo—uh… Dr. Hancock?”
“It’s Theo, Porter,” he said, clearing his throat. “For you… just Theo.”
Everyone stood still and watched with knowing smirks on their faces. None of them looked confused about who he was or what he was doing there. “What… What’s going on?”
He walked into the room and held the flowers out to me. “I wanted to ask you to dinner. Last night, I mean. But you weren’t here at the Hub, and when I called, you didn’t answer your phone.”
My face heated. “It was turned off. I was… out with friends. Celebrating.”Making plans.
He scraped his lip with his teeth, a nervous gesture I’d never seen him do before. It was endearing as hell. “I thought that might be it. So I… made alternate arrangements.”
Laci bounced on her toes and made a muffled squeal sound. Kyrie let out a giggle. Raquon elbowed her.
“Okay…” I said, looking around. “Yeah. I’d like that. Dinner, I mean.”
