Page 142 of Broken
“It’s okay with me, if Uncle Prescott doesn’t mind him going upstairs.”
“Whatever it takes to get this child out the door on time.”
AN HOUR LATER,Prescott was saying goodbye to Ethan in his preschool classroom. “Have fun today, bud. I’ll pick you up later.”
Ethan peered at him. “Where do you go?”
He brought him to the window. “I work right there in that building on the top floor.”
“Can I come see you?”
“Of course, but you have to ask Miss Nancy. You can’t just leave.”
A little boy ran over. “Come play with me, Ethan.” Then, he eyed Prescott. “Are you his daddy?”
“I’m his uncle,” Prescott replied.
Ethan flung his little arms around Prescott’s legs. “Bye.”
Warmth filled Prescott’s chest and emotion gripped his throat. He rubbed Ethan’s back and tousled his hair. “I’ll see you later.”
Ethan bolted toward the table with his friend.
As Prescott was leaving, Nancy stopped him. “Ethan’s settling in really well. He asks me—a lot—where you are, so I thought it might be nice to set up a time when I can bring him by.”
Like the other day, her cheeks flushed with color.
“Absolutely,” Prescott replied. “I’ll give you my assistant’s contact info. She keeps my schedule and can set something up. Later in the day is better, in case Ethan wants to leave.”
She nodded. “That’s what I’ll do.”
He jotted down Francis’s number and left.
As he rode the elevator to his office, the effects of getting no sleep started creeping in. He would have to kick up his energy with coffee until he could burn through the fogginess in his head.
The image of Jacqueline, naked and in his bed, popped into his thoughts.That’s not the kind of waking up I need right now.
He stopped at his assistant’s doorway. Francis was on her computer.
“Perfect timing,” she said lifting her mug. “I’ll grab a refill. You ready to get started?”
“Absolutely. Grab a mug for me.”
“Always do.” She jetted out, and he continued on to his office.
A few moments later, she returned, set down his coffee. After catching him up on everything he’d missed, she asked about Ethan.
“He’s doing great,” Prescott replied. “I have no idea how single parents do it.”
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s all about time management.”
Though he knew she was a single parent, he’d never pried into her life beyond asking about her weekend or her holiday. Her three children were in college, with one about to graduate next week.
“How the hell do you get it all done?” he asked.
She chuckled. “I’m very organized, which you know, so I tried to do that with my kids, but I had to adapt my methods for each of them.”
“Any advice for me?”
