His Secretary

Chapter 19: Zoe

I climbed out of the vehicle and thanked the driver for holding the door open. I leaned in and lifted Dakota from his seat and stood him on the ground.

"Wake up, buddy. We're here." I leaned forward to him to tighten his coat on his small body as the wind blew past unforgivingly.

His tired body swayed as he rubbed his eyes.

"Mathew! What a lovely surprise!" I heard a voice call.

I leaned over slightly look glance at Mathew as he slowly walked up the stairs to whoever it was that had called on him. Their face was hidden from my sight as they lifted a sweatery jumper over their head.

I turned back to my boy as they conversed.

"It's cold, aunt Zoe." He whined.

He folded his arms across each other and glared at what was around him, still sleepy.

"I know, Kota. Come on. Maybe if we go next to Mr. Johnson they'll let us inside." I say.

He nods, eyebrows furrowed, and reached up for my hand.

I clasped my hand over his and turned to the two people at the top of the stoop. Mathews body hid whomever he was talking to from my sight.

They sounded as though they were a woman, though, with a type of femininity to their voice.

I caught on to a bit of the words she warily said to him, "I see you've brought a friend..."

I bit my tongue and looked down

I must not the first woman he's brought home to the family.

"Zoe?"

I lifted my head to meet the blue eyes I saw almost every night, ordering her usual: coffee and eggs.

"Ms. Campelle?" I asked, disbelief closing my throat.

"Oh, Zoe! Two surprises in one day!" She shouts and hurries down the stairs and enraps me into a tight hug.

"How unexpected." She pulls back and looks into my face. "When I said 'I  hope my son finds a woman like you,' I didn't think you'd take it so literally."

My face reddens.

"Oh no," I shake my head and wave my hand, "no, we arent..." I motion between Mathew and I.

"Oh." Her face falls, but she still had yet to release me.

"Then why are you here?" She asked bluntly.

"Mr. Johnson asked me to attend the party." I muster, leaning past her to find Mathew, who looked extremely confused, confused on the reason myself.

Her face brightened again. "Oh, so my son has found you, indeed." She winks.

Now Mathew hurries over and pulls his mother away from me, ripping apart our embrace, his hands clutched on to her upper arms,"No, mother. I have not 'found' her. I've just invited her to the party cause I thought her boy might like to make some friends." He releases her and gestures to me, "This is my secretary, from work. We bumped into each other on the way here and I asked them to come." He let out a deep sigh and rubs the back of his neck.

"Whatever you say, Mathew dear." She pats him on the chest and winks. "Whatever you say."

She turns back to me and looks to the smaller frame hidden in my side. "This must be Dakota. I've heard a lot about you." She cooed, kneeling to be eye level with him.

He seemed to not fear her as he did other beings, and came out from behind my leg to stand infront of the older woman, and his brown eyes stared into her blue ones.