Chapter Five
Summit
How disappointing. And at the same time, heartwarming.
I would have liked spending more time with him, but his kindness at hurrying to help his friend said a lot about him. Rowan had taken care of my things as well, although they were not as important as a person.
Still, many others would have sold the computer and even the bag that had a designer label on it and had been a gift when I made partner. It certainly could have brought in a nice chunk of change.
I waited awhile but Rowan never came back, so I asked the attendant for a pen and piece of paper and wrote him a note.
I tucked it into his bag and left it at the desk.
I could barely keep my eyes open and needed to get some sleep if I was going to be any good at all in the morning.
So, with regret, I drove home, hoping he’d find my note.
The plain-Jane bag bothered me. There was nothing wrong with it, per se.
It was functional, which mattered most, I supposed, but nothing about it was cute or funny or any of the other qualities in the packs carried into the club and to the changing rooms by the other littles.
Generally bright colored, all featured cute cartoon animals or trains or cars.
Their names embroidered across the flap.
Sometimes various sparkly additions or danglers that had become so popular in the forms of all sorts of baby animals or characters from favorite shows.
In short, the type of thing to delight any little and allow them to share their favorite things with their friends in the main changing room.
Going to bed that night, with about three hours before I had to be up again, I closed my eyes on dreams of what Rowan might like. No two littles were alike, and I didn’t know him well enough to have any idea what embellishments he might enjoy on his pack.
Halfway through my first meeting of the day, I realized that I didn’t need to do all that. If I bought a high-quality bag, the rest of it could come later. At least one with potential.
My phone chimed, and I got a disapproving look from a couple of the senior partners.
They were old—very old—and really preferred cell phones not even come into the room during meetings.
Over time, they had been convinced that having us without our devices for hours on end was a poor use of them, and of us, but silencing the ringtones was a firm rule.
Obviously, checking to see who called would be a bad idea when I was already in trouble, but while changing the setting, I stole a peek anyway.
Found your note. Thanks for being so understanding and nice to meet you! Rowan.
I saved the number in contacts and turned my phone face down on the table.
As if it hadn’t already, the meeting felt like an eternity. The HR person conducting it was well-known for enjoying the sound of her own voice, today being no exception.
“Please turn to page sixteen in your packet where we cover recent changes in oversight rules in three states.” None of which we had offices in or were likely to have.
However, no one argued. It was faster this way. We had to be able to say we had held and sat through trainings periodically in order to keep in line with the regulations in our own state. I just wished they would make them more relevant.
Two hours later, I closed the door of my office behind me and hit the new contact.
“Hello?”
“Rowan, it’s Summit. Sorry I didn’t reply sooner. I was stuck in a meeting.”
“That’s okay. I just wanted you to know I got your note. And I felt bad about having to leave when I promised to buy you dinner.”
I settled back in my chair, glad to hear this voice after the one that had droned on all morning. “Truly, it’s fine. I thought it was very nice of you to go take care of your friend. Was it one of the two boys you were standing with when I got there?”
“No, another friend.”
“How is he?”
“He’s better today. Thank you for asking.”
A short silence ensued. Not uncomfortable at all.
Then I said, “Are you still up for getting a bite to eat?”
“Absolutely. I owe you.”
No more point than arguing with the HR lady. He wasn’t backing down. I’d much rather buy him a nice meal, but I wasn’t giving up spending time with Rowan just to prove a point. If we had a nice time, there would be other opportunities to treat him.
“Where shall we meet? Do you have a favorite place?”
He hemmed for a moment before asking, “Do you like diners? I know it’s not very fancy but—”
“I love them.” I wasn’t going to let him apologize because he wasn’t taking me to a steakhouse or something expensive. “In fact, I’ve been hoping to find a good one with no luck.”
“That’s just great!” Enthusiasm replaced his apologies. “You’re going to love this place. They have the best burgers and if you get a shake… Would you get a shake?”
“I might.”
“Well, if you do, they give you the full glass and whatever is left in the steel mixing thing. It’s like a shake and a half.”
We agreed to meet at the diner that night. His excitement for the place was contagious, and I spent fifteen minutes looking over a copy of their menu someone uploaded to the internet. So many flavors of shakes. I hadn’t had one in years, but I would tonight.
It would be a great opportunity to listen to him and maybe get some ideas about what he might like on a backpack as well.
Color and decorations. Maybe one of the other daddies could tell me the best place to get one.
Like the clothes they all liked to wear, the pack would need to be adorable as well as bigger than most of the cute ones that could be found.
When the endless day ended, I drove home for a shower and change to casual clothes. Jeans and a button-down worn open over a T-shirt would do it, I thought, excited about my evening for the first time in a while.