Kim #2
Xavier settled into his chair at the head of the table.
I went back to my desk and tried to breathe.
I twisted my hands together. Someone must have seen Zoe at this point.
Since no one had stopped at my desk to ask what was going on, she probably remembered my instructions and the ‘game’ we were playing.
Fifteen minutes in, like a horror movie playing out in front of me, I saw movement in my peripheral vision. Small movement. Low to the ground. Coming down the hallway from the direction of the break room.
My blood turned to ice.
Zoe was walking toward me, her stuffed elephant clutched under one arm. No… Zoe, please, go back.
But she just kept moving with fierce determination in her eyes. She must have gotten bored. Must have forgotten the rules. Must have decided that whatever she needed was more important than staying hidden.
I rose from my desk, keeping my movements slow, trying not to attract attention. If I could just intercept her, redirect her back to the break room before anyone noticed…
"Zoe," I whispered urgently, bending down, trying to catch her eye. "Zoe, baby, come here. Come to Mommy."
She saw me and smiled. But at the last second, she changed direction. I watched, horrified, as she walked toward the conference room.
"Zoe." My whisper was desperate now. I glanced around. No one was watching yet. I speed-walked down the hall, grateful for my shoes that didn’t draw attention.
I tried to close the distance without running, without causing a scene that would be worse than what was about to happen. "Zoe, stop. Come here, baby. Please."
She reached the conference room door. She pushed it open.
I froze in the hallway, three feet too late, and watched through the glass as my daughter walked right up to Xavier Dubois in the middle of his meeting, tugged on the sleeve of his expensive jacket, and reached up with both arms.
The universal gesture. Pick me up.
Xavier stopped mid-sentence. His mouth hung open for a fraction of a second, words dissolving into silence.
On the screen, four executives stared. One of them frowned, deep lines carving into his forehead.
Another looked confused, glancing off-screen like he was checking if someone else was seeing this.
My career flashed before my eyes. I saw the termination meeting, saw Jennifer Holloway give me that awkward handshake. I saw myself carry my box of personal items to the elevator while everyone pretended not to watch.
Zoe tugged on Xavier's sleeve again. "Up, please."
And Xavier picked her up.
He settled her on his hip like it was the most natural thing in the world. Then he turned back to the meeting.
"Sorry about that, gentlemen. My lucky charm decided to join us."
I remained frozen in the hallway, terrified of what awaited me if I walked into the conference room. Besides, I didn’t want to interrupt him more than Zoe already had.
He kept talking. Didn't miss a beat. His hand rested casually on Zoe's back, steadying her against his hip.
Zoe, comfortable in his arms, looked at the screen. At the serious men in suits staring at her. She tilted her head, considering them with the frank assessment only children were capable of.
Then she scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue.
One of the executives laughed. He made a face back at her—crossed his eyes, puffed out his cheeks.
Zoe giggled. Another executive, an older man with silver hair and a skeptical expression, smiled despite himself. The tension in the room—tension I hadn't even noticed building—dissolved like sugar in hot water.
One executive in particular just watched her with an odd expression. Panic flared up in my chest. I hoped he wouldn’t file a complaint after. But.. from this angle, he did look kind of familiar. I tilted my head, but Xavier was blocking half of his face.
Xavier caught Zoe's eye and murmured something I couldn't hear through the glass. She nodded seriously, like she was receiving important instructions, and settled against his shoulder. Quiet now. Watching the screen like she was part of the meeting, like she belonged there.
The call continued. The executives were smiling now, well, all but that one man.
The deal was closing. I could hear it in the tone of the conversation, see it in the body language on the screen.
Something that had been stuck was now flowing, and my daughter was perched on Xavier Dubois's hip like a mascot.
Fifteen minutes later, it was over. The moment the video disconnected, I burst through the door.
"Mr. Dubois, I am so sorry." The words tumbled out, tripping over each other.
"I had no childcare, my neighbor had a family emergency, I couldn't find anyone else and I couldn't miss another day.
I know this was completely inappropriate and unprofessional and I understand if you need to let me go.
I just—I didn't have any other options, and I thought I could keep her hidden but she got bored and she didn't mean to interrupt, she's usually so good, she—"
"Kim."
I stopped and realized I was shaking. Realized Zoe was watching me with wide eyes, still cradled against Xavier's chest.
He was smiling, eyes crinkling at the corners, transforming his face from handsome into something else entirely.
"Relax." He shifted Zoe slightly on his hip. "She's a natural. She just helped me close a twenty-million-dollar deal."
I stared at him. Waited for the other shoe to drop. For the real reaction, the cold one, the one that said I'd crossed a line and there would be consequences.
It didn't come.
Xavier looked at Zoe. "What's your name?"
"Zoe." She said it with complete confidence, no shyness at all. "Zoe Young. What's your name?"
"Xavier."
She giggled. "That's a funny name."
He laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"Are you my mommy's boss?"
"I am."
"Are you nice to her?"
I watched Xavier's expression shift. The amusement was still there, but something else flickered beneath it. Something harder to name. His eyes met mine for a moment, then returned to Zoe.
"I try to be," he said.
Zoe thought about this. Nodded slowly, like she was deciding whether to accept his answer. Then she reached up and patted his cheek with her small hand.
"You have nice eyes," she announced. "And this room is very pretty." She twisted to look around the conference room. "Can I come back tomorrow?"
Xavier laughed again. He looked at me over Zoe's head. "Use my office for the rest of the day. There's a couch. She can watch movies, color, whatever she wants. It's not a big deal."
"Mr. Dubois, I can't…"