There was also the fact that I’d have to take the subway tomorrow, since I’d be leaving my car here. But it was late. I was exhausted. And Zoe was waiting.
"Okay. Thank you."
The car was waiting in the underground garage. It wasn’t the sleek European thing from last night, but one I could identify. Cole used to drive one just like this. He talked about it a lot, his precious Rolls Royce. Except this looked newer and more expensive.
I was surprised to see him get behind the wheel. No chauffeur. No driver. We didn't talk much. I gave him directions.He nodded, checked the GPS, adjusted the route, and merged into traffic.
At one point, he glanced over at me. "So, your first day. What's the verdict?"
I considered the question. I could be polite. Say something safe and forgettable. But there was something in particular that had irked me all day. This was my chance to get it out in the open.
"The filing system is a nightmare," I said instead. "And the phone manual might as well be written in hieroglyphics."
He laughed. I was beginning to get used to his laugh. "Fair enough."
I looked out the window. I couldn’t understand why people thought he was scary. Apart from the inappropriate flirting, he didn't seem like that kind of person. And if you counted what had happened at the bar, then he might just be a pretty decent human being.
His car rolled to a stop in front of my building. It wasn't a nice building, I knew that. I could see him noticing the cracked front steps, the flickering light in the hallway visible through the glass door. But he didn't comment on it.
"Thank you," I said, gathering my bag. "For the ride."
He nodded. “Goodnight, Kim Young.”
I climbed out of the car. Headed up the steps. Didn't look back.
Inside, I picked up Zoe from Dani's apartment. She was sleepy but not cranky—Dani had fed her mac and cheese, her favorite—and she wrapped her arms around my neck the moment she saw me.
"Mommy," she murmured into my shoulder. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, baby." I held her close, breathing in the strawberry shampoo, the particular warmth of her small body. "So much."
I thanked Dani again, feeling the weight of another favor I couldn't repay, and carried Zoe back to our apartment.
The evening routine was simple. Bath time, where Zoe made the rubber duck have an elaborate conversation with the soap bottle. Pajamas, the ones with the stars that she insisted were magic. Stories in bed, her favorite about a princess who saves herself from the tower without waiting for a prince.
After she fell asleep, I sat on the edge of her bed and watched her breathe.
My daughter. My whole world. Everything I did was for her. Every exhausting shift, every thankless task, every moment I pushed through when my body screamed for rest. All of it was for this. For her.
I thought about my new boss. He wasn't what I expected. I’d expected a monster, someone who’d make me want to quit after five minutes. I hadn’t expected him to be kind enough to give me a ride home.
Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
I pulled Zoe's blanket up to her chin, dropped a kiss on her forehead, and went to bed myself.
2XAVIER
The rooftop partywas exactly like every other I'd attended for the past decade. Twinkling string lights strung between potted trees. A DJ spinning something moody and electronic. Champagne towers and passed appetizers and beautiful people saying beautiful nothings to each other.
This was my world. This was where I belonged. Where I'd always belonged.
I moved through the crowd with ease. Kiss on both cheeks for Miranda, whom I'd dated briefly three years ago and who now pretended we'd never slept together. Firm handshake for Jonathan, whose father played golf with mine when he was still alive, and who always wanted to talk about investments I didn't understand.
"Xavier! God, it's been ages." A woman in a sequined dress materialized at my elbow. Blonde. Tall. Vaguely familiar. "We should get dinner sometime. Catch up."
"Absolutely." I flashed my signature smile. The one that promised everything and committed to nothing. "I'll have my assistant reach out."
I wouldn't. She knew I wouldn't. But we both played our parts, and she drifted away satisfied with my response.
