Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Jerome
How did anyone get anything done around here?
I ponder over the question as I sort pile after pile of paperwork. There’s been no rhyme or reason to how it was organized before this. I’m not even sure Grant actually understands it himself.
With my desk right outside of his door, I’m in his direct line of sight. I feel his gaze on me several times throughout the day. It’s like he’s waiting for me to break or ask questions or slack off on work. It could be any of those three or a million other reasons for his helicopter bossing around.
Can’t say I blame him though. The person doing this before didn’t have any type of system. One of the first things I learned about paperwork is the more you ignore building a system, the more chaotic it becomes. The stuff grows like a fungus, spreading and causing issues everywhere it goes.
So, I’m attacking the chaos head-on.
With each new stack organized, my shoulders drop inch by inch. It’s such a relief when I finally get to the bottom and can see the future filing system clearly in my mind’s eye. No more lost files. No more questionable methods of storing things. It will all be nice, neat, and easy to find.
“This looks amazing already,” Grant says as he comes to stand beside my desk. His eyes are on my stacks, each topped with a sticky note letting me—or anyone else—know what’s inside.
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything you need to complete your process? Tell me, and I’ll get you squared away. I can already tell you’ve worked wonders on all this stuff. It was a bit of a mess before, though he tried his best.”
“He?” I ask before I can stop myself.
Grant startles at the question. “Yeah.” He pauses.
“Listen, I’m not saying anything bad about the guy.
I love him to pieces since he’s my boy’s bestie.
It’s just… Jared isn’t all that good with paperwork.
Poor guy gets overwhelmed, then puts it together any which way.
I’ve been lost for ages trying to get it sorted back to my original setup.
There’s just never enough time in the day. ”
“Makes sense.” I nod to let him know he’s not alone in his thinking.
In my opinion, there truly isn’t enough time in the day no matter what kind of job you have. The to-do list is neverending, and sometimes I wonder if the universe loves to mess with us by shaving a few minutes off the day here and there. Maybe us silly humans just don’t notice it.
“Jared is really great. His skill set is more of the charm and distraction variation, which is why he is the guard of the big guy upstairs.”
“You make him sound like a religious figure or something. Do people worship him?” I tease.
“Some probably do. He’s got his own fan base—a mix of admirers for his looks and people who’d give anything to have his business knowledge. Tank is multifaceted that way.”
I already know who he’s talking about, so I don’t ask.
When Chance reunited with Tank, I was a bit skeptical about how it would all go.
The rumors around the man came through the precinct, each one getting more and more outlandish over time.
I couldn’t believe half of them, much less support my friend dating the guy.
But those two were destined to be together. It only took me seeing them together once to realize it. So yeah, I get why they’d call him that. Hearing Grant describe him that way tells me a lot more about the guy than I could have learned from any other question I’d asked.
“Did you happen to see a file for Seashore Cove in there? It’s a case I worked on a few months ago. I need to make some last-minute notes on it before it gets shelved.”
I don’t have to stop to think about it at all. With a few shifts of pages, I pull out the file and hand it over. “Here it is.”
Grant’s eyes are wide as he takes the bundle from me. “Thanks,” he mutters, then turns and goes back to his desk.
I watch him for a moment as he sits at his desk. His lips move as if he’s speaking softly to himself. I hope it’s more surprise and happiness at my work than anything else.
“Mail delivery,” a voice calls. I turn away from Grant to look at the young man standing across from my desk. His lean frame is dressed in plain navy-blue scrubs, and his lanyard has a tag that says mail manager on it.
He’s holding a plastic tray loaded with paperwork. I take it from him quickly, then stick out a hand to introduce myself. Meeting people and getting their names under my belt is a goal of mine. Can’t be the best assistant if I don’t know who I’m supposed to find.
“I’m Jerome. Thanks for bringing this by. Do you do it daily?”
“Percy. And yeah, I deliver daily. If you ever need anything to be sent out, have it ready for when I come by, and I’ll take it back to the mail room. If it’s urgent, you can bring it down before my time if you like too. We’re a few floors down. Has anyone shown you around the building yet?”
“Not yet. I figured I’d wander during my lunch break. Or maybe there’s a map somewhere?”
He laughs, shaking his head. “Not possible. Tank makes sure those types of things aren’t easily accessible. The man has enemies out there. Can’t give them a path to follow, you know.”
“Makes sense.”
“Nice to meet you, Jerome. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of each other. Have a good first day!” He leaves me with a wave as he makes his way down the hall and around the corner.
This part of the office is a bit isolated. Not that I mind. Getting into a workflow is better when there aren’t distracting people around me.
Speaking of distractions, this mail needs to be handled before I get back to the filing. Easing the bin on top of one of the piles, I do a quick glance of every envelope. Nothing is labeled as important or urgent, so I set it to the side in an empty corner as I go back to my filing.
While the idea of exploring during lunch is great, I don’t manage to go. Grant opts to take me out with him to talk a bit more about the job and my life as a cop. His boy Donny shows up, confirming my inner thoughts about him being a Daddy.
“Normally, I wouldn’t tell someone this upon first meeting them, but we’re going to be working together closely. There’s no hiding my lifestyle to anyone in my close orbit,” Grant says while holding a not-so-shy Donny in his arms.
The pair stares at me, watching and waiting like they expect the worst out of me.
I’m mad on their behalf that it’s even a question of whether I accept them or not.
Why does it matter to me what they do in their private life?
It’s not like they invited me into their relationship.
That would have me raising my brows. This doesn’t.
Shaking my head, I take a sip of water before answering. “It’s not an issue for me, so long as my own status as a Daddy isn’t a problem. I’m boyless at the moment, though I do hope to remedy that now with a more reliable work schedule.”
Donny perks up instantly. “OMG! You need a boy? Tell me your type. I might know a boy or two who would fit.”
“Easy, sweet boy. Don’t scare the man off with your matchmaking goals. Not everyone needs you to try to Princess Aster them.”
“Princess Aster?” I ask.
“He’s a friend of ours. We’ll have to introduce you. He collects friends like he’s building a Warhammer army.”
“Daddy, no one knows what Warhammer is. You should say something like a regular army or a football team or something. Make it make sense for everyone.”
Grant shakes his head. “You’re making assumptions again.”
“Your Daddy is right, Donny. I do know what Warhammer is, though I’ve never built any myself.
I would love to meet more people in the lifestyle.
I’d been going to Club Deny for a bit, but work got too hectic, and I stopped attending.
Even back then I couldn’t seem to find my perfect boy.
” My tone goes soft as old wounds arise.
Every one of the boys I met online or in the club would flirt and dance with me. Some even wanted to go home with me until they realized I had a job that would have to come before them. Being out of that role opens me up more, though I’ve been reluctant to even try.
“We know the CD guys. They’re fun,” Donny says with a big smile. “You still didn’t say your type though. How do you feel about adorable twinks who love to bake and snuggle?”
“Donny,” Grant grumbles.
I wave my hand. “It’s not a big deal. This person sounds right up my alley. I’d have to meet them to be sure though. Can we wait a couple of weeks while I settle into work? They deserve my full attention if I’m going to be their Daddy.”
The boy across the booth from me nods quickly. “Yep. Yes. Uh-huh. You’re going to be great for him. I can already tell.”
Our conversation shifts from there, turning more to the community of friends they’ve built who are Daddies and boys. I get a rundown of everyone along with an invite to come hang out with them the next time there’s a big gathering.
“We all get together often. It’s kind of our own little family.” Grant smirks. “Since you’re not a cop, we can even introduce you to the mafia friends.”
I scowl. “Don’t go tempting me with stuff I could have used a while back. I still have contacts in the force.”
“Yeah, but you wouldn’t separate a Daddy from his boy because of something so silly as the law, would you?”
Grant’s words come out teasing. I can tell from the tone, but also because he works in the very same law he’s now mocking. Maybe his standards are different since he’s a lawyer who handles business stuff. I bet if he took on criminal cases, he’d be singing a different tune.
By the time we wrap up and get back to the office, I’m more than ready to tackle the mail from Percy that morning. I tell Grant I’ll work on that next unless he has something for me to do.
“Nope. You’re good to work on that. I will shut my door for a bit since I have two calls I need to make back to back. After that we can go over more of what you’ll be doing.”
“Sounds great. Good luck in the meetings.”
As soon as his door closes, I pull the letter opener from the desk drawer and get to work. First step is opening everything. Once that’s done, I sort them by size. After that, I pull each item out and go over it.
I start from largest to smallest, since I prefer to take on more at first and work my way down to the simpler tasks. As I go, I make note of anything I think Grant needs to look at urgently. The farther I get, the more accomplished I feel.
Everything comes skidding to a halt when I flip over an envelope and see it’s addressed to Santa Claus.
Guilt runs through me at the thought of already opening this letter meant for someone else.
It’s quickly followed by curiosity because…
who is trying to mail a letter to Santa in the NightShade offices?
Before I can think better of it, I’m pulling the letter out to read it. I notice the drawings on the edges right away. They’re cute and whimsical. Then I read the letter itself.
Time stops.
The clouds part.
My heart races.
It’s a letter asking Santa to bring this person a Daddy. They want to be like their friend and be taken care of. The words are equal parts adorable and heartbreaking. I want to wrap this person in a hug.
The signature says it’s from Jared. It makes me wonder if this is the same Jared who Grant told me wasn’t good at paperwork. That would definitely explain how outgoing mail managed to make it here.
What am I supposed to do now though? Do I mail it and let things play out? Or do I accept the gift the universe has tossed in my lap and meet this young man to see if we’re compatible?
I don’t have to think it over for long. Daddy or not, I can’t pass this up.