Checkmate

4

"Destiny, if you have the misfortune of seeing Mr. Luther looking for me past nine o'clock, please send him off."

"Got it," she replied into the phone and I ended the call before getting back to work.

I was preparing Sam's lunch box while he ate his breakfast. Once I'd put the last sandwich in the zip-lock bag, I picked up my mug and brought it close to my lips, "So, what can I expect to hear at that parent-teacher conference?"

"Usual stuff," he replied as he came back with an empty bowl, "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome," He kissed me on the cheek before going off looking for his bag. I hadn't told him about Colton yet. All I could think about last night was how he would react knowing that his father wanted to see him. At first, I thought I would keep it a surprise and when he came over for dinner, Colton could tell him himself. But after thinking about it, I decided it'd be best to give him the heads up, in case this wasn't what he wanted.

As I finished making his lunch box, I smiled at him when he came into the kitchen with his backpack on, "Ready?"

"Yup!"

"Okay. Come here for a second, I need to talk with you."

I walked him to the living room and we sat down on the couch, "So, remember what you were telling me the other day about your dad?" I began and he quickly nodded, a smile already forming on his face.

"Okay, so... he's back in town, and he wants to come over for dinner this Friday. Are you okay with that?"

"Can he come tonight?!" he asked excitedly.

"I... I'm not sure, sweetie. I think Friday is better because at least you don't have school the next day and who knows; if everything goes well, maybe you could see him more often."

"That would be awesome."

"Yeah? Come here," Extending my arms towards him, I chuckled as he leaned into me. I caged him in my embrace, squeezing him tightly.

Even after all these years, it's still hard for me to wrap my head around how much he's grown. This little human being was my entire world. I might seem very lenient for letting him see Colton. Considering how we ended, it made sense for Sephora to worry that this was just yet another excuse that I fed myself to get close to him again. But I've tasted the heat, and I don't need that wildfire in my life.

"Mom, I can't breathe," he said in a muffled voice and I now noticed how hard I was holding him.

"Sorry. Let's get going," I picked up my bag and we were on our way.

   At the office, I had an appointment with a client that I managed to wrap up by 8:42. I didn't usually have meetings this early, but since I had to make space for Colton, everything was squeezed into my normal schedule. As the clock ticked closer to nine, I couldn't help but think about the case. I knew that Colton didn't choose me by accident. There were plenty of great attorneys in this city. All over the country for that matter, but he chose me.

   If I wasn't so good at reading people, I doubt I would've noticed all the things I did from a simple tape. The reason why I wanted to meet Mr. Pavelka was to study his profile a bit better. The victim, whose name I found out is Ella Smith is hiding something big which I have no doubt has to do with this case.

As I paced back and forth in front of the floor-length windows of my office, there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. Luther and Mr. Pavelka are here to see you," Destiny announced, poking her head inside.