New York Billionaires Series

“Hi,” he says back. “We’re out doing our Christmas shopping.”

Freddie makes a show of looking between the two of us. “But where are the bags?”

“We just left home,” I reply. Freddie’s eyes dance, not quite meeting mine. Redness starts to tinge her olive-toned cheeks. “How’re you doing?”

“Good. Great, I mean. I’ve spent the morning doing laundry.” Her gaze flicks from me to Joshua. “I was at the same conference as your dad this week.”

“In Boston?”

“Yes,” she says. “He spoke in front of several hundred people.”

Joshua turns to look up at me. “Really, Dad?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“That’s pretty cool,” he says, with the air of someone who can make such judgements. “Did you do it too?”

Freddie shakes her head. “No, I don’t think I’d dare.”

“You would,” I interject. “I have no doubt you would.”

Her eyes return to mine, and there’s a question in them I can’t decipher. Not when she’d been the one to rush out of my hotel room in Boston as if we’d committed a sin. We haven’t spoken in the days since.

“We’re going to Tahiti for Christmas break,” Joshua tells her. “Dad’s taking me to swim with whales.”

“Really? That’s so exciting!”

“Yes, we’ve done a lot of research,” I say.

Joshua nods. “There should be humpback whales there this time of year, migrating from Antarctica. They stop in French…”

“Polynesia,” I fill in.

“Right, they stop there to have their calves. And there are whale sharks. And dolphins.”

Freddie’s eyes widens. “And you’ll swim with them? That sounds a bit scary.”

“No, it just seems really, really cool,” Joshua says.

I can’t help but smile at the bluster. We’ve had long discussions about this very topic, because even if he won’t admit it, he thinks it sounds a bit scary too. I’ve told him it’s fine to stay on the boat, but he’s committed to getting into the water.

“It sounds out-of-this-world cool,” Freddie confirms. “How awesome of your dad to take you there.”NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

“Yeah, and my grandma is coming too,” Joshua adds.

I clear my throat. “Where are you going for the holidays, Freddie?”

“Probably back home to Philadelphia. My extended family celebrates together every year, with all of my aunts and uncles and cousins.” She shrugs, a wry smile on her face, as if she’s described something dull and ordinary. “It’s not swimming with whales in French Polynesia, but it’ll do.”

“It sounds lovely,” I say. I mean it, too. Her gaze warms, her hands falling still where they’d fiddled with the sleeve of her coat. Looking at her, I realize just how much of a fool I’ve been for being hurt she rushed out of my hotel room in Boston like that.

Perhaps she’s regretting what she did. Thinking about her job, the possible consequences if someone finds out… If she’s having doubts, I’m not helping.

Joshua’s voice cuts through the silence. “Do you have a lot of aunts and uncles?”

Freddie refocuses on my son. The winter sunlight glints off her raven hair. “I have a few, yes. Let’s see… three uncles and two aunts. Do you have any?”

Oh, no.

“Yes,” Joshua replies. “Dad is actually my uncle and my dad. I think that’s pretty cool.”

I close my eyes. He doesn’t understand how that sounds to people, and I’ve never wanted to enlighten him about it. But that leaves us with encounters like this. God help me if he goes around saying that without context at school.

Freddie’s silence is shocked.

I clear my throat. “Joshua is biologically the son of my sister and her husband. After they passed, I adopted him.”

“I was tiny back then,” Joshua adds, helpfully holding up his index finger and thumb to indicate just how small he was.

“I’m really sorry about that,” Freddie says, and then doesn’t seem to think of anything else to say. I don’t blame her. Most people have the same response whenever Joshua wants to let them know. I always let him decide if and when, both with friends and adults.

I put a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. We do all right, don’t we, kid?”

“We do,” he confirms.

“We also didn’t mean to keep you here. Are you heading somewhere…?”

Freddie’s smile turns rueful. “Just the grocery store. Good luck with your Christmas shopping.”

“We’ll probably need it,” I say. “Here’s hoping the stores won’t be full yet.”

Freddie smiles and takes a step to the side. “I’ll let you go, then. Enjoy your day.”

“You too.”

“I’ll see you at work,” she tells me.

It’s the last place we’ll see each other, with the floors and red tape separating us. As much as I’ve wanted to over the last couple of weeks, walking into the Strategy Department and talking to one of their trainees is verboten for me. All the power of the CEO, and yet I can’t choose which of my employees I want to talk to.

“We’ll talk later,” I say.

“Bye!” Joshua calls.

She heads past us down the street. Joshua peers over his shoulder before tugging on the sleeve of my jacket. “She’s really nice.”

“I think so, too.”

“She’s your friend, right?”