Chapter 32
Marco
“ T his place is impressive, Marco. I’ll give you that,” says Brock, as we walk the rooftop workspace of my building.
I’ve spent the better part of the late morning trying to convince him that he should house one of his many businesses here in my building, making me co-owner.
A welcome distraction after my meeting with Erica.
So far, so good, but it’s hard to tell with him.
He has a good poker face. Almost better than mine.
Brock owns one of the first start up tech companies in New York, passed on from his father to him.
With his tech company under my roof, we would be unstoppable not only in tech, but in combining tech and journalism, which is my goal for the newspapers I’ve acquired.
He would be the first one to house a business in my building, as all the businesses here are owned by me.
It’s a risk, but one I’m willing to take if it means our names together in the business world.
“I’m surprised you have room for me,” he says with a chuckle. “What, with all your business ventures.”
“They’re split between here and the West Coast. I have a few floors to spare you.” I smile cockily.
He shakes his head, taking one last look across the rooftop that’s covered in miniature Zen gardens, covered work areas, and a coffee cart.
It’s a common place for the employees of the building to come for their break or get a change of scenery for work.
It’s a place I’m most proud of, but hardly visit myself.
With the summer heat breaking soon, as the city heads for fall, I’d like to spend more time up here.
By the look on Brock’s face, it looks like might want to, too.
Maybe my rooftop workspace will be the tipping point.
“Anywhere else to show me?” he asks, as we head back toward the elevators.
“I think you’ve seen just about everything.”
He nods as I press the button for the elevator.
“And what about services for your employees? Childcare? My employees will be expecting that if I do decide to make the move.”
“Of course.” I step into the elevator as he follows in after me. “I can take you there on the way out.”
I press the button for the floor of the daycare, a place I’ve maybe visited once when it was being designed.
There’s no reason for me to go there. I truthfully only put one in for the tax incentives.
Plus, it looks good on me if I’m putting the care and convenience of my employees’ families first. My father always drilled into me the importance of good press.
He also liked to drill his secretary behind my mother’s back.
He was good at business, but a lousy family man up until the day he died.
The elevator doors ding and I lead Brock down the hallway toward the daycare.
Through the viewing window, it’s just as I remember, with large windows that allow sunshine to pour in and a hand-painted mural on the wall.
Plush floor chairs in pastel colors are scattered throughout with baskets of books.
Wooden shelves line the walls filled with wooden toys and plush animals.
It looks impressive, and I can see that Brock thinks the same as he looks through the glass.
“Wow. This is three times the size of mine,” he murmurs, taking it all in.
“It was three times the tax credit.”
Brock chuckles beside me.
“You’re something else, Marco.” He shakes his head.
As we turn to leave, I feel like something is pulling me to stay, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
It’s a feeling tingling just under my skin.
I ignore it for now, walking Brock toward the elevators and riding down to the lobby.
As the doors open, I see Erica hugging a tall, dark-haired man by the front doors.
I stop right in my tracks, causing Brock to look back curiously.
“S-sorry. Shoe’s untied.” I lie, bending down.
He nods and turns away, looking at the lobby, unaware of the beautiful woman who has caught my eye, no matter how hard I try to look away.
I take my time on my shoe, watching from afar, curious as to who the man is.
My jealousy fades quickly as I recognize him.
It’s her brother. I breathe an internal sigh of relief.
She doesn’t see us as she waves goodbye and heads to the other elevators on the far wall.
I watch her brother exit through the glass doors, and wonder if he knows about me.
About me being Josie’s father. I don’t know how she would be able to keep a secret like that from her own family.
From what I know about her, she seems close with her brother.
Then again, I haven’t told my mother. Some secrets are just too hard.
“Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour,” I say, putting my hand on Brock’s back as soon as Erica has disappeared in the elevator. “The souvenir shop is that way,” I joke.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a shop full of coffee mugs and stationery with your face on them.”
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea…” I muse.
“I appreciate you showing me around, and I plan on taking the next few days to think about our possible partnership. I think it might be a solid move for my company.”
“Wellington and Vallejos take over New York,” I say, putting my hand in the air as if I’m reading a headline.
“We would certainly shake up the business world.”
“That we would.”
“You’ll be hearing from me,” he says, holding out his hand.
I shake it firmly and lead him to the front doors where the doorman already holds it open for him.
I give the doorman a nod and a final goodbye to Brock.
Back inside the elevator, I find myself pressing the button for the floor of the daycare again.
I still have that feeling rattling in my bones.
I can’t shake it. I walk back down the familiar hallway and this time, walk inside the large room.
“Mr. Vallejo,” says the young woman at the counter, her eyes wide.
“Good afternoon.”
“Y-you’re here. In the daycare,” she stammers.
“I am,” I say in amusement at her greeting.
“Right. Of course. Come in, come in.” She stands from behind the front desk and fumbles with the safety latch on the small white gate. She pops open the top lock and it swings outward. She holds it open as I step inside.
“Um…” she says quietly, looking down at my shoes.
“Yes?”
“We don’t allow shoes in here. I’m so sorry. It’s just a policy. I’m sure you know. I mean, you own the place.” She nervously rambles on.
“Right. Of course.” I bend down and take off my loafers, placing them in a nearby cubby where the rest of the shoes are stored, except those are a quarter the size of mine.
“Germs. You get it.” She gives me a meek smile.
“Good thinking.”
“Well, let me know if you need anything.” She looks at me curiously.
I didn’t realize that my presence would give her such a start, or the rest of the employees who are eyeing me curiously as they lead story time or rock babies to sleep.
I smile at them to try and ease their upturned minds.
I don’t know what I’m doing here, but the feeling I have is growing stronger, like it’s screaming at me.
I walk around the daycare, pretending like I’m doing a sort of mental inventory, but I’m really looking for the source of the invisible force that called me here in the first place.
I listen briefly to the story time that has the toddlers enthralled.
I peek in at the newborns asleep in their rocking cribs.
I laugh to myself watching the older babies crawl around like little inch worms.
And that’s when I see her.
Josie.
She’s sitting on the lap of one of the daycare workers, shaking a plastic ring with beads in it.
I feel like the air has been knocked out of me as I’m glued to the spot, watching her eyes dance as they follow the colorful beads dancing around in the tube.
Then she stops, as if she senses me standing there, and her eyes find mine.
My eyes. It’s as if I’m looking at myself.
I don’t know how to breathe as I reach out and clutch the padded wall that surrounds her.
Her brown eyes, still on me, crinkle slightly at the corners as her mouth spreads into a gummy smile. She lets out a coo of a sound and it might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. I find myself smiling back at her.
I instantly know she’s mine, and it has nothing to do with the photo I saw on Erica’s phone.
It’s just this instinct I have running through me.
A paternal instinct. It’s as if my whole world is shifting right here in this room.
Like the only two people in it are me and Josie.
My daughter. The feeling is overwhelming.
I realize that the reason I’m not breathing anymore is because I’m choked up with emotions I’ve never felt before.
I’ve never experienced love at first sight until now.
Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced true love until now.
I can’t process these feelings, or the fact that I was quite literally called by some invisible thing to come here.
Some divine universe wanted me to know she was here. Wanted me to see my daughter.
She coos again as she looks at me. She throws the toy she’s holding on the floor and holds her arms out to me. I take a step back, terrified of this little bit of acknowledgment she’s showing me. The daycare worker follows Josie’s gaze up to me and smiles.
“She seems to like you, Mr. Vallejo.”
“Oh, I don’t know…” I take another step back, when all I really want to do is take Josie in my arms and hold her.
But I can’t. Not here. Not in front of these people who are watching me so closely.
It’s too risky because the moment I hold her, I’m going to completely melt into a puddle and be wrapped around that little girl’s finger for all to see.
I have this innate urge to protect her, partly from myself, if I’m being honest. But this overwhelming feeling of love is telling me I won’t be able to stay away. Now that I’ve seen her, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to let her go.
But I have to. I should walk away now before I grow any more attached. I told Erica I wanted nothing to do with her or the baby. The baby who’s still staring back at me, but the smile has washed away into a confused look, like she’s wondering why I’m not scooping her up and claiming her as mine.
I have to get out of here. I walk swiftly back toward the little white gate at the entrance of the daycare, grabbing my shoes from the cubby as I go.
Outside the gate, I quickly slip them on and give a wave to the woman behind the front desk.
I mutter a quiet thank-you, rushing past her, desperate to get out of there.
But the feeling I have after seeing Josie follows me, and I know it’s a feeling that will follow me forever.
As I walk down the hallway, out of sight of the daycare, I find a wall to lean on. I rest my head against it and close my eyes. I know I’ve made a mistake by cutting Erica out of my life in the way that I did. That means I’ve cut Josie out of my life. I don’t think I can survive without her.