Read All She Wanted (2) for Free Online

night it had been.

Charlie
    Several candles and other miscellaneous
decor filled my arms as I made my way to daddy’s office. Trying to adjust the
largest candle under my chin so that I could maneuver my keys in the lock was
proving a difficult task. It was then that I was offered help from a paramedic
who looked like he’d just walked off an exotic island. He swung the door open
for me.
    “Thanks,” I said, laying down my
treasures on the desk, “if only I had a few more arms.”
    “Whoa…you’ve made quite a dent in
here.” He looked around the office in surprise, “I saw the work he left for
you—this is impressive.”
    “Yeah, well, it’s not quite up to par
with extinguishing fires or saving lives…but someone has to fight the war
against clutter.”
    He laughed, holding out his hand for me
to shake, “I’m Kai Alesana, I’m sure you don’t remember, but we met years ago
at a Christmas party.”
    I shook my head, sheepishly. There was
hardly a fireman here I did remember—it had been too long.
    “Well, I hope Briggs isn’t irritating
you too much.”
    Briggs?
    “Oh…you mean Manny, nah he’s alright,”
I replied as he released my hand.
    “Manny?” Kai asked, confused.
    “Yeah...that’s what I call him anyway.”
I shrugged, “He’s my man-nanny.”
    Before I could even give my explanation
in full, Kai was bent over, cackling. Two other guys came into the office then,
asking what was so funny. Between broken breaths Kai repeated what I had just
said. I smiled as the men responded in much the same way.
    Each time I walked through the station
to grab something I needed from the supply closet or kitchen, I heard the
phrase swirling about. I hadn’t seen him yet today— Briggs, now that will take some getting used to —but I was sure he
was around.
    The alarm had sounded several times during
the morning, but I was never alone for long. Men popped in and out of the
office to see what the cleaning-fairy had been up to, each introducing
themselves as they entered. I understood now why my dad always spoke so highly
of them—they were a fun bunch.
    With the surfaces streak-free, windows
open and candles lit, I started to sort through the piles. I reached into my
satchel and grabbed my reading glasses. My dad’s script was tiny. Each document
not only needed to be re-categorized, but also needed to be logged by date.
    Oy Vey.
    I couldn’t help but wonder if all these
papers had been mixed up on purpose, but my father liked efficiency too much to
do something that extreme. With all the work ahead of me, I’d be lucky to have
it finished within the timeframe he allotted.
    While bent over a file labeled “equipment
updating”, I felt something hit the top of my head, before falling onto the
desk. I glanced up.
    A french fry.
    “You missed lunch, Shortcake,” Briggs
said, putting a bag of fast food down in front of me.
    I wanted to tell him I didn’t eat fast
food and that I found it quite repulsive that anyone did…but I didn’t.
    “Oh…uh, thanks,” I said.
    “Although,
I’m none- to -pleased that you out- ed me this morning.” Briggs’ eyes were full of amusement as
it dawned on me what he was referring to.
    “If only I’d known you wanted to keep
it as a pet-name between us,” I mocked in my best southern-belle accent, “I
never would have told them.”
    He laughed, pulling a chair up to sit down
opposite me at the desk. Suddenly, I was nervous.
    What is he doing?
    He pushed the lunch sack closer to me
as if my lack of chowing-down was due to proximity of the bag, and not the
contents inside it. I opened it slowly, the overpowering aroma of greasy fries
filling the air. My stomach growled.
    Oh shut up, stomach! Not all food is created equal…
    I placed the fries and chemically
altered chicken sandwich on the desk and waited for him to say something more.
    Nope. Nada.
    Okay, this isn’t awkward…
    I ate a couple of fries and my stomach
growled again in response.
    “So, I