I waved to Jeannette as I pushed a trolley full of food towards the big wooden doors. She smiled, her eyes bright and fingers quick on the keyboard despite her gray hair. She was used to our nightly dinners and was always friendly. Jack opened the door to his office, letting me in. His hair was messy, as though he had run his fingers through it one too many times. He looked worn and tired, but his eyes were shining as he smiled at me.
“I don’t know how you keep this all straight,” I said, waving my hand over the unruly stack of papers covering his desk. He grimaced and grabbed my hand, leading me over to the couch on the far side of his office. The wheeled trolley followed me dutifully with two silver food covers ready to be opened. I pushed the tray so it made a little table in front of the couch for the two of us to eat off before sitting next to him. He made sure I sat close to him, our bodies almost touching but not quite. “What are you working on today?”
“No work for a little bit. You are my break from work.” He kissed my cheek, smiled and lifted the tray to reveal a salmon and risotto dish that smelled heavenly. His knee bumped mine and stayed there, pressed against my leg.
“Did you get my picture of that dog today?” I asked, taking a bite of the salmon, but my thoughts entirely on how nice it felt to touch him.
“I nearly spit my coffee across the board of directors,” he said with a laugh. “Best part of my day, other than right now.”
I grinned and took another bite. Since the camera on my new phone surpassed the abilities of my actual camera by a great deal, I was having a blast taking pictures of things I found in the city. Dean and Rachel kept me busy during the day, sending me to various well supervised events throughout the area. If something appealed to me, I would take a picture and send it to Jack. At first I thought it might be too silly for a busy man, but he always asked for more. He seemed to live vicariously through the pictures I took throughout the day.
“The woman said it designed by a groomer in Queens who does only specialty cuts.”
“If we ever get a dog, can we please never die it blue and give it a lion’s mane? Please?” He laughed. My breath caught in my throat for a moment at the implied future. I was about to tease him about possibly going with a tiger striped look instead, but a knock on the door interrupted me.
His secretary poked her head inside, a crisp gray bun at the nape of her neck. “I’m very sorry Mr. Saunders, but Mr. Ryans is calling from Saudia Arabia. He says it is urgent,” she said. Jack sighed and set down his meal. There wasn’t much left, as he had wolfed it down. My own plate had only been nibbled on.
“Thank you, Jeannette. Tell Owen I’ll talk to him in a moment,” he said with a sigh. Jeanette nodded and gave me an apologetic smile before closing the door. “I’m sorry to do this to you... again.”
“You are very busy. I don’t know how you juggle all of the transition details as well as the day to day stuff. I’m just glad I get to see you at all.”
“You are too sweet. I have stolen you away from your life and friends, and all I can give you is an hour a day, and not even a guaranteed hour!” He shook his head. I could see guilt weighing down on his broad shoulders.
“Hey, I’m having a great time. Rachel and Dean have been keeping me busy. I saw the Statue of Liberty today. I never thought I was going to see it, let alone have a special tour. I’m finding a routine, and we’ll make this work. Rachel is even coming up with a way for me to help you get through all this,” I said, motioning to the crazy stacks of papers threatening to overwhelm his desk.
“What is she having you do?” Jack’s brows came together as he stood and moved towards the blinking light on his desk.
“I’m not sure yet. I told her I was going to go stir crazy if I didn’t have something productive to do. I’ve been here almost two weeks and I don’t want to be a burden. I want to help,” I explained as I began to put the dishes back on the tray.
Jack beamed at me. “You are the exact opposite of a burden. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have these evenings to look forward to.” The little light flashed faster and he glared at it.
“Will you be coming home tonight or sleeping here again?” I asked as I headed towards the door. I realized he was a busy man, especially right now, and that he often found it easier to spend the night at his office. If he did come back to the apartment, he always came to see me. Two nights before, he even slept in my room. We had intended for more, but he fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillow and I enjoyed watching him sleep. It wasn’t much, but I treasured any time I got to spend with him.
“I don’t know yet. Depends on how long this takes.” He jerked his head towards the angry flashing light. “Don’t wait up for me.”
“Come wake me up if you do make it back. I have more pictures of that dog to show you.”