The Daddy Box Set

By noon, I’d barely dented the pile, but I’d fallen into my routine much quicker than I’d anticipated. Allison held off on any meetings or phone calls for me, so I was able to lock myself in my office and get caught up.

A little after noon, I received a photo from Jess. She and Gina were at the park on the swings. I took a satisfying breath and looked at their smiling faces. How I wanted to get back home to them and extend our vacation just a little longer.

Seeing the stack on my desk propelled me to work harder so I’d be able to get home to Jess sooner.

My phone buzzed. I groaned and picked up. “I thought I said I needed time to catch up.”

“I know, Noah, but the warehouse just called, and one of the trucks is out of commission, affecting three deliveries today.”

I hung my head. “Get me in touch with them now, please.”

As Allison connected me to the warehouse, I closed my eyes and tried to remember the calming crash of water on the shore from my many trips to the beach last week. I was already fired up and needed to calm down before someone else was about to be.

It was seven o’clock by the time I got home from work. I’d texted Jess to let her know she’d have to stay late that night. Guilt snaked through me at the fact that I wouldn’t be able to see Gina until tomorrow night, but it wasn’t something I could help. Once I got back on track, I’d be able to get home earlier, but I had no idea when that would be. We were backlogged an entire week, and with my stress levels, no one was going to have a good week. My company hadn’t been this off track since we’d first started.

“Hey,” Jess said to me when I got home.

I pecked her on the lips and placed my briefcase on the kitchen table. I had a lot of work to complete tonight, but now that I was home, all I wanted to do was go to bed.

“Rough day?” she asked.

I rubbed my eyes. “Rougher than I can remember for a long time.”

She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure tomorrow will be better.”

“I damn well hope so,” I said.

Jess frowned. “I made a casserole for dinner. Do you want me to heat it up for you?”

I checked my watch. “If you wouldn’t mind. I know it’s late though.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sort of the reason you’re stressed out now.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said. “I should have done more work when I was over there. Allison significantly underestimated how much was going on while I was gone.”

“Do you think you can catch up this week?” she asked.

“Probably not; I have this week’s work to do as well. I’m going to be pulling a lot of hours this week. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” she said. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a glass container. She moved around the kitchen as it were her own.

I sat down on one of the bar stools and watched her take a plate from the cabinet and place a chunk of the casserole onto it.

“Gina really missed you today,” she said.

“I feel guilty enough, Jess. I don’t need to hear that.”

“I’m just telling you what your daughter said,” I noted a hint of annoyance in her voice. Her attitude wasn’t helping my mood. I knew Gina missed me, but what the hell was I supposed to do about that? I had to work. Someone around here did.

“It will take her a few days to adjust to the new schedule,” Jess said. “Sometimes vacations, especially ones halfway across the country, need a little time. That’s all I was saying.”

“I know,” I said. “Today is the first day in a long line of days of adjustment for me.”

Jess broke up the chunk of casserole with a fork while she spoke. “Well, it’s a good thing you have a lot of money. If it gets too stressful, you can always sell the business and retire comfortably. I know Gina would love having you around more. Or you could take a demotion and be a salesman if you get bored with retirement.”

What? “Retirement? Jess, I’ve worked too hard to retire this early.”

Her eyes met mine. “You’ve made more in a short amount of time than most make their whole lives.”