She hesitates, then nods. “Fine.”
We walk out of my office and nearly collide with one of the new hires, Hanson.
He looks down at the boys. “And who are we?”
Myles straightens proudly. “Myles West.”
“Oh,” Hanson says, then his eyes lift and land on me standing behind them.
His spine snaps straight. “Sir. Good morning, I mean, afternoon.”
I give him a short nod.
Jess shakes her head and steps forward, offering her hand. “Jessica.”
Hanson shakes it a little too eagerly.
I add calmly, “West.”
He drops her hand like it’s on fire and nods rapidly, eyes darting between her, the kids, and me. “Yes, sir. Ma’am.”
I decide to put the poor guy out of his misery. “Get to work.”
“Yes, sir,” he says, practically sprinting toward the break room.
Smirking, I usher the boys toward the elevator.
“You enjoy that way too much,” Jess says.
I glance at her. “Can you blame me?”
She smirks back. “No. I’d enjoy it too.”
Chuckling, I slip an arm around her waist, already looking forward to dinner with my family.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
I check the screen.
Mackie.
Deciding not to let her ruin my night, I let it go to voicemail.
We’re in the parking garage when Jess’s phone rings.
Leaving her to take the call, I get the kids buckled into their seats while she finishes up.
When I climb into the driver’s side, she looks over at me. “It was Mackie.”
I blink. “She called you?”
“She said you sent her to voicemail.” Jess waves a hand. “It’s fine. I told her to courier the documents we’ll need for the work-from-home setup next week. She also asked if she could still come into the office since her roommate’s a nightmare and she lives right around the corner.”
She searches my face. “I told her it was fine.”
I nod, starting the engine. “I already told everyone it’s not mandatory. Just a safety precaution.”
The boys have a blast, stuffing themselves with pasta and breadsticks. I end up finishing both their plates when they give up halfway through.
