Played By Riggs

26

Stalking wasn't on my resume, but after today I was for sure going to add it in. I would side note that it was not a regular activity, I was pretty much an amateur in the whole department, but that I had managed to spy on two people having coffee from behind a letterbox and felt darn chuffed about it.

Her legs were not on show. A skinny pair of black jeans saved me a visit from the envy devil over leg length and sculpture, though it visited me anyway regarding the possessive storm that churned deep in my gut.

How long did it take to drink a cup of coffee? For Claire, apparently more than twenty minutes. James had finished his, the waitress came to collect his cup about five minutes ago.

"Excuse me."

I turned around to see a little girl frowning up at me. "Hi," I said. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"Why are you hiding behind that?" she asked in a cute whisper. "Are you hiding from someone?"

I bit back my smile and crouched down to her level. "Kind of. What's your name?"

"My name is Kelsey, like you," she giggled. "Will you take a picture with me? In school we had to make an inspiration board to show what we want to be when we grow up and I said that I wanted to be like you... my friends will be so jealous when I tell them that I saw you hiding behind a letter box spying on your boyfriend."

My cheeks grew hot. "I'm not spying, sweetheart."

"That's your boyfriend in that coffee shop," she explained with a devilish giggle. "I have seen you kissing him on the newspapers. I want to be like you but I don't want to do that... boys have germs."

"That's right," I smiled, still blushing. "Boys do have germs. Let's take that picture, shall we? Do you want to smile or make a funny face?"

"A funny serious face," she gasped, fussing with her hair. "Look professional, like a really serious business person."

I held up her phone and pulled my best funny serious face. She giggled again and hugged me. "Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome," I said. "How old are you, Kelsey?"

"I'm ten, but I'll be eleven in five days!"

"Wow, five days, huh? Are you having a party?"

"My mummy said me and my friends could go to Jump and have McDonald's afterwards."

"Jump... that's the indoor play centre?" I asked. "You must be excited."

"I am, I've asked my Mummy for a bra. My daddy said no but I convinced him."

I laughed, tried to resist the urge to pick her up in my arms and squeeze her. She was so cute.

"Well, in five years you'll be sixteen and at sixteen you can get a job. How about when you turn 16, you come to my office and I'll give you one. You can work for me. How would you like that?"

Her eyes widened and she gasped. "I'd love that!" With another gasp, she jumped into my arms and wobbled my balance. I laughed, hugging her with one hand and holding onto the letter box with the other. "Pinky promise?"

I held out my pinky. "Promise."

"Kelsey, time to go!"

She frowned. "That's my Mummy. I have to go but... I will see you when I'm sixteen. Don't forget me!"

"I won't," I smiled, waving as she ran off back into the gates. I then tried to swallow down the lump in my throat because little Kelsey's words had sailed straight to my heart. I knew girls aspired to be successful, because I was often told in interviews or through online social media that I was influence, but being told in person was on a whole other level of impact.