“What are you up to now?” I asked.
“Watching TV,” Noah replied.
Again, I gritted my teeth. “It’s after six, buddy,” I said gently. “You’re not supposed to be watching TV.”
“But I wanna see the Ninja Turtles.”
“Why don’t you play a game with Janet, instead?” I suggested, hoping to tempt him away from the television.
“She’s sick today.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her head is hurting.”
“She’s got a headache?” I asked.
“Uh-huh.”
I frowned, but I didn’t say anything else. Instead, I suppressed my reservations and put on a light tone. “I’m sorry I can’t be there to tuck you in tonight, kiddo… I’ll make it up to you, okay?”
“Okay,” Noah said agreeably.
I smiled. He was a sweet kid and was always ready to forgive. He had my dark brown hair and my blue eyes, and even at the age of four, he was a looker. I was intensely proud of him, but there were moments when parenting weighed heavily on my shoulders.
“Goodnight, buddy.”
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
I hung up and sighed, wondering what I was going to do about Janet. It was obvious that she was unhappy babysitting, too. Apparently, no matter how great the money was, it wasn’t making up for anything. She had come highly recommended. She even had a degree in child psychology, but I was starting to realize that all the qualifications in the world didn’t actually inspire a love for children or the ability to look after them properly.
I changed my shirt and left my office. Kristen was still sitting behind her desk, her head poured over paperwork. She looked up when I passed.
“Goodnight, sir,” she said.
“Shouldn’t you have left at six?” I asked, realizing that she was usually gone by now.
“I wanted to organize all the files for the Milton collaboration, sir,” she replied. “It’ll come in handy for the meeting next week.”
Impressed with her work ethic, I gave her an approving nod. “You’ve been doing a really good job,” I told her.
Her face ironed out into intense relief, and then she gave me a brilliant smile. Again, I noticed the dimple on her right cheek. When she smiled, she looked younger and more beautiful.
“Thank you, sir,” she said. “I really appreciate that.”
“Not all my previous assistants have understood my military management style.”
“Well, that’s understandable,” Kristen smiled. “Considering your background.”
“Right,” I nodded awkwardly. “Well, anyway… I better get to my meeting.”
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow, sir.”
I nodded and headed out, wondering what it was about her that I was missing. She was uncommonly pretty, and I realized with a sharp pang that I found her very attractive. Perhaps that was it. Perhaps what I found unsettling about her was my own feelings in relation to her. Maybe it was nothing more than guilt.
Chapter Two
Kristen