Chapter 6
1078 Words
Nathan studied the projection on the screen as he listened to the director go over the results from the last quarter. The conference room was packed with executives in elegant suits. Through the enormous floor-to-ceiling window that covered an entire wall, they could see the Empire State Building.
Yet no one was paying attention to the view.
Every eye was fixed on the presentation.
“If the acquisition is completed by the end of this month, we’ll be able to expand internationally early next year,” concluded the grey-haired man with oversized glasses.
Murmurs of approval spread throughout the room.
Nathan reached for his phone when he felt it vibrating in his pocket.
Martha was calling. And she rarely did.
Something must have happened.
He excused himself from the meeting and stepped into the empty doorway.
“Hi, Martha. What happened?”
“Mr. Fletcher, I’m sorry for calling you during work, but I just got a call from my son’s school. He has a fever and he’s been vomiting. I need to leave early, and I won’t be able to pick up Emma.”
“All right, Martha. Don’t worry about it. Go take care of your boy.”
When Nathan returned to the conference room, everyone’s eyes turned toward him.
“I’m going to have to call it a day.”
“Are you sure?” the director asked, frowning.
“I need to pick up my daughter from school.”
—- —- —-
Emma ran toward the car.
“Today I drew a pink dinosaur.”
“Really? A pink dinosaur?” Nathan smiled. “I want to see it.”
“I’m not showing you.”
“Why not?” He frowned as he started the car.
“It looks like a chicken.”
“I bet it’s beautiful anyways.”
“It’s not!” she insisted stubbornly.
“Then you can try drawing another pink dinosaur later,” he suggested. “Would you like to go get ice cream before ballet class?”
“Yes! You’re the best daddy ever!”
Nathan couldn’t help laughing.
—- —- —-
After ballet class, Nathan and Emma spent a couple of hours at home. While her father took care of paperwork on his MacBook, his daughter procrastinated over finishing her math homework.
Time passed quickly.
Through the office window, they watched the sunset fade into a dark sky, the stars completely obscured by the city’s lights.
“Daddy, what are we having for dinner?”
“How about this: if you eat your vegetables, we can go out and have a slice of chocolate cake.”
“Really, daddy? I want to!”
He nodded.
He had worked far too much that day and deserved a generous cup of coffee.
—- —- —-
Nathan’s favorite café smelled of cinnamon and coffee. The décor was minimalist, decorated in shades of brown, white, and beige. Only a few tables were occupied that evening, and soft jazz played in the background.
Nathan and Emma had barely chosen a table when the girl suddenly exclaimed,
“Miss Dashwood!”
She ran toward the table beside them and threw her arms around Sophia.
“Hi, Emma! What a wonderful surprise!”
Nathan approached them.
“Sorry. She gets excited easily.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Today I drew a pink dinosaur,” Emma told her teacher. “But it looked like a chicken.”
Sophia laughed.
“I’m sure it’s beautiful.”
“My dad said the same thing.”
“Your dad is absolutely right.” She looked at Nathan. “Would you like to join us?”
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
Emma sat beside Sophia, while Nathan took the seat next to her friend.
“Miss Dashwood, how old were you when you started ballet?”
“I was three.”
“Did you always want to be a teacher?” Nathan asked.
“I…” she hesitated. “No, not always. But I love what I do.”
“What do you do?” Sophia’s friend asked, turning her attention to Nathan.
“I run a company,” he replied. “We buy land, develop properties, and manage investments. Basically, I spend my days making decisions and hoping none of them cost me money.”
“You build buildings?” Sophia asked.
“It would be more accurate to say I help other people build them.”
“Did you know my dad has never done a plié?” Emma announced, her voice a little too loud.
“I’d embarrass myself.” Nathan said with a smile.
For nearly half an hour, the four of them talked about the most random subjects: ballet, school, work, and the weather, which was beginning to cool with the arrival of fall.
Nathan realized, with some surprise, that it had been a long time since a conversation had entertained him this much.
Maybe he needed more friends.
When Emma finished her chocolate cake, she looked at her father and whispered shyly,
“Can we go home?”
“Let’s go.” He stood up. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Sophia.” He smiled. “And it was nice meeting you, Hannah.”
“The pleasure was ours,” the florist replied.
“I think it’s time for me to go too,” Sophia added.
They headed toward the register.
While Nathan waited for the cashier to count his change, something slipped from Sophia’s backpack. She didn’t notice, but a waiter passing nearby immediately stopped to pick up the piece of paper from the floor.
“Excuse me,” he said. “You dropped this.”
“Thank you.”
Before Sophia could put the paper back into her backpack, Nathan caught sight of the words:
Formal notice
He looked away, feeling awkward.
He took his change from the cashier, took Emma’s hand, and said a polite good night to Sophia and Hannah before heading toward the car.
Before starting the engine, he glanced through the café window.
The two friends were still talking near the register. They seemed animated.
It wasn’t difficult to notice that Sophia smiled easily. But sometimes, it seemed to be a hint of weariness behind her blue eyes.
What was her apparent happiness hiding?
And why had she received a formal notice?
- Writer
