But instead of the rebuke we were expecting, all he did was take a napkin off the table and clean his face. Then he stood up and nodded to the door. “Let’s go before one of you sets the place on fire, and Rhett will have to pay for the damage.” He didn’t even blink.
“We would never do that,” I said, defending myself while trying to wipe some of the food off Josie’s hands. She was distracted, too busy mimicking me, her eyes squinting up at Gunner, her mouth smiling. “Come on, we’ll get some muffins we can eat in the car.” I helped Josie out of the booth and carried her over to the counter.
Gunner followed us patiently and once we made up our mind what we wanted, he carried the bag of muffins I’d purchased and placed it on the passenger seat. He even helped Josie into her seat and buckled her seatbelt. Then he turned to me with his best bad-ass Rambo look. “Don’t speed.”
“I never speed,” I said and got in the driver’s side. We both knew I was lying.
Denver was as busy and suffocating as always. I was relieved to park the car in the garage of the apartment. Gunner stuck to my tail like glue the entire way, his headlights a comforting companion on the monotonous drive.
I helped a wiggling Josie out of the car, her tiny body humming with energy ready to be released. She was never good at sitting down, a drive to Denver almost her limit. The walk would be just the right thing for her.
Gunner took the bag as soon as he saw me wrestle it out of the trunk. “Thanks, Gunner. I’ll get the other bags later.” We were running late and needed to get to the office. He grunted his response and followed us out of the parking garage and down the sidewalk. Josie was skipping next to me, then stopping, then going back to skipping.
I was holding her hand even though she wanted to walk on her own like the big girl she thought she was. The walk took double the time it normally did, but I didn’t mind, despite us being late. Josie’s joy at strolling through the city was infectious. Not even Gunner complained, happy to continue doing his broody, tough guy thing behind us.
I made it to my desk only ten minutes late. Gunner was carrying Josie who decided she was too tired to walk any further about halfway to the office. He put her on his shoulders, continuing on effortlessly while carrying our bag. I offered to take the bag or the child many times, but he refused.
I guess he must have relaxed as well, not insisting on shadowing us but rather keep next to us while entertaining a shrieking Josie.
Gunner lowered Josie down on the floor and dropped the bag. She immediately dove in and started to pull out her toys.
“Thanks, Gunner, we’ll be okay from here.”
He nodded at me and disappeared towards Rhett’s office. Lexie watched him with wide eyes and jumped up when he was two steps away from the closed door. “You can’t go in there. He might be on a call.”
Gunner did his Gunner thing and ignored her. He did knock before he entered, leaving a red-faced Lexie behind.
“Who the hell does he think he is? Nobody can just walk in there. That’s the rules. He needs to follow the rules.”
She kept mumbling under her breath, but I tuned her out and started my computer. It came to life in seconds, the new machine more efficient than I ever was.
The phone on my desk rang, and I knew who it would be before picking up. There was only one person who called this line.
“Hello Rhett.”
“Emmi. My office. Now.”
He hung up, and I slammed the phone back down. “No problem, since you said please, I’d be delighted to join you in your office,” I said to the silent phone.
I looked at Lexie, who held up her hands. “No way. I’m not a babysitter.”
“Please?” I asked, batting my eyes.
“Take her with you. He seems to let you do whatever the hell you like anyway.”
“Fine. But if he blows a gasket, don’t blame me since it was you who refused to keep an eye on a very well-behaved child.”
She scoffed and got back to her to-do list that from the looks of it was a mile long. I almost felt sorry I’d tried to add to it. Almost.
“Josie, let’s go visit Rhett,” I said in my most enthusiastic voice, hoping she’d think it was the best idea ever.
“Rhett,” she exclaimed and crawled out from her spot under my desk. “Go slide?”
I lifted her up and carried her to Rhett’s office. “You can go on the slide. But only if I’m there with you.”
The door was open, so I went inside without knocking. Rhett was pacing in front of the windows while Gunner frowned at his phone.
“What’s going on?” I asked, setting Josie down next to the giant pile of toys, that yes, still included the small slide.
