Free Headhunters by Charlie Cole Page B

it, we kissed. Oh God,
the scent of her… I hadn’t been that close to someone in a long time. It was
gentle and soft and kind and when it was over, although little had actually
happened, we struggled to compose ourselves.  It was difficult not to share
smiles with her through the rest of the day.
    But now, it was just a peck and she got into her car. She
fired up the engine and rolled down her window.
    “Alaina doesn’t like me, does she?” As she asked the
question, she was putting a green fabric band in her hair, pulling it back into
a ponytail. I’d bought it for her just months before and I still loved the way it
looked in her hair.
    “Alaina… likes you,” I replied. “More than you know.”
    Jess looked at me suspiciously, not sure if she should
accept my answer or not. I could have let it drop at that but decided to
complete my thought.
    “It will take time, but you know what? We have time.”
    “We do. We’ve got time,” she said and I kissed her again,
lingering more this time. I realized the kids might be peeking through the
curtains, so I broke away.
    “See you later, Simon,” Jessica said.
    “Later, gator,” I replied.
    I watched her drive away and missed her even before she was
out of sight.
    That night, I fell asleep in my leather chair in the living
room with Melissa in one arm and David in the other. Their faces were perfect
little angels, innocent and beautiful as they slept. I should have put them in
bed, but I needed my kids just then. Time would take care of itself. For now, I
needed my babies around me and for the first time in a long time, I had sweet
dreams.
     
    ***
     
    I got up on Monday morning and went
for a run. Six miles every morning. That was my routine. I sought out hills in
the area and punished my legs by sprinting up the incline, then jogged to the
bottom and pounded out push-ups, crunches and then back up the hill. I retraced
my path and returned to the house. I let myself in the back door and went up
the stairs.
    Everyone was still sleeping. It was just after 6:30 in the
morning. I showered, shaved and dressed quickly. I kissed the kids in their
beds and passed Alaina in the hallway.
    “I’ll be home early tonight,” I said.
    “Would you like me to start dinner?” she asked.
    “No, I’ll bring something. Chinese?”
    “Sure!”
    “Sweet and Sour chicken, right?” I asked.
    She nodded and smiled. I said good-bye and ducked out the
door.
    I listened to the radio on the way into the office, caught
the news, weather, then had to flip to avoid the incessant chatter of early
morning radio shows. Finally I gave up and put in a CD. It was Miles Davis’
“Birth of the Cool”. Davis had contributed to major changes in jazz, surrounded
himself with only the best people in his profession. I felt like I could
relate.
    I pulled into the parking garage and circled up until I got
to my level. The lot seemed relatively sparse at that hour and I realized that
I’d actually beat Max into the office. It was a little competition that we had.
Who could get in first? It stoked the professional fires and helped me get a
jump on the day.
    Grabbing my briefcase, I walked across the skywalk, greeting
the security guard as I went and showed him my employee badge. I took the
elevator up to seven and exited. I had to punch a code into the office door
before it allowed me inside. I walked past Isabelle Athabasca’s reception desk
and made my way back to our offices. I’d seen Ms. Athabasca when I was out with
Jessica after work one night. I had barely recognized her. Her hair was down
and she’d abandoned her perfect business suit for a clingy blue top and jeans
that perched so precariously low on her hips, I wondered at the physics
required to keep them up. Few women can pull off wearing jeans like that, but
Ms. Athabasca did it very well. I saw her eating sushi, alone, and wondered if
she was waiting for someone. When I saw no one approach for a while, I thought
about inviting her