Page 7 of Pleading Innocence
I snuck out of the room. I’d moved my clothes to another room so that I wouldn’t disturb them in the morning as I got ready for work. So after my shower, I got dressed in the other room and was about to step out when I decided to check my daughter’s room just in case. She wasn’t there, of course. The nanny had taken her to school.
Hurrying down the stairs, I folded my shirt and jacket collar and straightened my tie before grabbing my keys and heading out the door. I stopped by the office first to make it to a meeting I almost missed, then decided to take the rest of the day off to visit with Jared and perhaps meet up with Tiffany if she was up for it.
Man, it had been a while since I stepped through the doors of Crawford & Beam during the daytime, and not drunk while people worked away. I saw a bunch of people I used to work with when I was here briefly attempting to pursue the path of law myself after law school. But, yeah, it wasn’t for me. I stopped and chatted with a few people before hopping onto the elevator and going up to the top floor to Jared’s office.
“Well, hello stranger!” I heard Melissa’s familiar voice boom through. “What’s the occasion? What brought you here?”
“Hello, Melissa! You’re looking as beautiful as usual,” I said.
“Oh, don’t flirt with me or I’ll tell Mrs. Levine,” she said, and I grinned. “So how is she? I heard you just had a new addition to the family.”
I smiled and nodded. “She’s hanging in there as best as a new mom can,” I said.
“Oh, I know about that! I hope you’ve been rubbing her feet!” she said.
“I think she needs more than just a foot rub at the moment.” I let out a huge breath.
“I think you’re right!” She grinned. “Well, congratulations! Do you have pictures?” she asked.
“Of my wife?” I asked.
She laughed and waved me off. “Silly. No, of that new son of yours,” she clarified.
“I think I might, on my phone. Hold on,” I said as I searched for one of the pictures we’d taken when we first brought him home.
She gasped and held her chest with the happiest look on her face. “He’s the spitting image of his mother, with your red hair. Oh, he’s gorgeous!” she gushed.
“Thanks,” I said, all proud.
“Give your wife all the hugs and kisses for me. In fact, I’m going to send her some spa tickets,” she said, turning to face her monitor and tapping away as if she was making the purchase at that very moment.
“I’m sure she’d love that,” I said.
“And how’s that daughter of yours?” she asked.
“Bright and bubbly as ever,” I grinned.
She grinned in return. “I’m sure she is. What grade is she in now?” she asked. Our conversation continued for a while about my daughter and what she was doing in school before Jared spotted us on his way to his office.
“Christopher! My man! Congratulations on the new baby! What are you doing here? You know if you stand here, Melissa will talk your ears off,” he said.
“Mr. Crawford, that’s not very nice, is it?” Melissa said, though she knew he was just messing about.
“You here to see me?” Jared asked.
“And why couldn’t he be here to see me?” Melissa asked.
Jared and I grinned. “I’m afraid he’s right, though it was lovely to see you too, Melissa,” I said.
She waved me away with a smile.
“So what’s up, man?” Jared asked as we sat down and closed the door. “You know, I was going to ask Melissa to send this to you,” he said, pulling out a package and opening it. “It’s matching shirts, except there’s you knocking back alcohol.” He held up one shirt. “And then there’s him, knocking back milk from his bottle.” He grinned.
I laughed out loud at the image of the baby at a bar, sitting at the counter drinking milk from his bottle while a lineup of other bottles awaited him, and the image of the dad, dressed exactly the same, knocking back beers. “You know, Jared, you just get me,” I said. “I’m wearing this shirt as soon as I get home.”
“You better,” he said, leaning back in his chair.
I draped the shirts over the handle of the couch in his office and turned to look at him. “I hear Tiffany walked off the job,” I said.