In his office, his cologne hangs in the air. Always my own worst enemy, I decide to spend my afternoon in here.
I set myself up at the massive desk with my laptop and a cup of hot tea. Winter is barreling down on the city. A thin layer of frost covers the windows. The wind is strong this afternoon.
With my sweater pulled over my fingers, I scroll through the local school district’s website looking for job openings. It’s the middle of the school year and I’ll need to get my license transferred to the state, but maybe there’s a permanent substitute position open.
The door to the office opens and Mrs. Popova hurries inside, a cell phone in her hand.
“You left it in the kitchen.” She comes to the desk offering it to me. “Whoever it is called a few times, so I answered the last time.”
Worry pulls her brows together, and a soft frown settles on her lips.
“Oh, thank you.” I drop my feet down to the floor and take the phone, seeing Melody’s name on the screen.
She gives a little nod then leaves me to the call.
“Hello?”
“Sienna. Oh, good. I was a little worried when someone else answered,” Tommy’s personal aide greets me.
“Yeah, sorry about that. Is everything all right?”
“Nothing terrible, but Tommy had a fall this morning. Normal kid stuff, he was riding his bike and hit a rock. Split his chin open unfortunately, so he needed three stitches.”
“Oh no!”
“He’s fine, Sienna.” She cuts me off before I unleash a barrage of questions. “It’s a little swollen and hurts a bit, but nothing the ibuprofen can’t take care of. He’s already back to himself.”
“He’s a tough kid.”
“We had to inform your uncle. Since he’s the legal guardian, we needed his consent for the stitches.”
“Right. That’s right. He didn’t give any trouble with the consent?”
“No. Of course not. It was just three stitches.”
“Good.” She doesn’t know Uncle Vicente the way I do. Luckily, she doesn’t know anything about my family the way I do.
“Besides, what were you going to do, fly to Chicago from New York? By the time you got to JFK, we’d have been done.” She laughs, trying to thin the air with some levity.
“Oh, my god. I didn’t tell you. I’ve been so caught up in—well it doesn’t matter. I’m here already.”
“Really? I thought you said you’d be arriving on Wednesday.”
“The plans changed. I got in last night.” Pacing the office, I run my fingers over the bookshelves. “I’m here now permanently, so you can call whenever, and I can get over there.”
“Oh, he’ll be so happy. He’s been waiting for Wednesday, has a countdown on his calendar and everything.”
“I can’t wait to see him. I was thinking to come over tomorrow? Will you guys be around?” I should kick myself for not calling her first thing this morning. I could be over there now, instead of here, wandering around this museum Kaz calls a home.
“Tomorrow’s Monday. He has school until two, but after that we’ll be home.”
“I keep forgetting he’s old enough now to be in school.”
“It’s okay, Sienna. Don’t beat yourself up. The situation has never been ideal for you.” Or him, but she’s kind enough to leave the last part off.
“Tomorrow. I will be there tomorrow at three, give him some time to get home and relax a little before I get there.”
She laughs. “He’s a six-year-old boy, Sienna. He doesn’t relax until he’s asleep for the night. But I’ll let him know to expect you at three.”
