Apparently I really impressed Nick that day because as time went on he called me more to shoot the breeze than to get updates on the situation and we met up for lunch or dinner whenever we were both free. It was nice feeling like someone understood me. The real me. Not the actress who lied every day of her life. His teasing reminded me a little of the way Cindy had been when we were little. Before things changed and her sole focus was getting us out of harm's way. Nick was actually pretty cool, as far as guys went.
I was losing sight of the mission. Faye hadn't talked about her thesis in weeks. There was no sign of Robin Hood. My free time was completely filled between hanging out with Nick, getting more hours at the shelter, going to the gym, and strengthening my relational alibi. Jon took me out several more times, including roller skating and to see the new Disney movie with his girls.
The first thing Kaylee ever said to me was, "You're pretty. You have to hold my hand while we skate so I don't fall down."
Jon's face flushed and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, she doesn't really understand the concept of boundaries."
I understood. Sometimes when kids had experienced extreme neglect they latched onto anyone and everyone. I leaned down as if telling her a secret. "I'd be happy to hold your hand while we skate. Can't have a princess like you getting hurt, now can we?"
She nodded, happily showing off a gap-toothed grin.
Cindy was a little more hesitant but when she saw how much fun her sister was having as we skated around the track, suddenly she wanted to hold my hand too. "Kaylee, you're hogging her," she complained. "It's my turn to skate with Lori. You go with Daddy."
"I had her first," Kaylee argued. "I called dibs."
Tears sparked in Cindy's eyes and Kaylee immediately softened. "She has two hands. She can skate with both of us."
"But what about Daddy? He'll be left out!"
"What if we make a chain?" I suggested, trying to deescalate. "You can both hold my hands but one of you can hold hands with your dad too."
This solved everything. We were a very slow-moving group, but the girls were enjoying themselves and that was what mattered, right? Jon and I exchanged smiles every time the girls said something funny. After a while they let us go and we trailed behind, keeping a close eye on them.
At one point Cindy fell and before she could start crying, Kaylee helped her up and gently patted her elbow. They looked out for each other, the way all kids who had suffered at the hand of a parent did. My heart ached for the sisterly bond I once knew. I almost cried just looking at them. Thankfully I was able to swipe the tears away before Jon saw. Explaining why I was crying on a date would have been a nightmare.
Once they were bushed from rollerskating, we went to see the latest Disney princess movie. It was cute and had enough hidden adult jokes to be enjoyable for the dozens of parents in the theater with us. At a "scary" part, Kaylee jumped in her seat and grabbed my arm. I melted a little that she was so innocent and trusting after all she'd been through.
At the end of the night I had truly enjoyed myself and was in very real danger of being in love with those kids, which was problematic since my "relationship" with their dad wasn't real. Still, I secretly hoped I'd get to see them again soon. Jon seemed even more impressed with me after that outing and I felt guiltier than ever for taking advantage of his interest.
My personal life overtook my thoughts so much that I almost missed the mention of a big boss on the news. I frantically dove for the remote to turn up the volume, startling Micah, who hissed at me before trotting away with his tail held high in disdain. Sorry, kitty.
"…here we have Anderson Davis of DavInc making a statement about his decision to terminate his company's widespread, highly-praised employee assistance program."
A slick looking man in an expensive suit appeared on the screen, spouting drivel about budget cuts and the need for all of his employees to band together in this time of need. Please. The watch on his wrist could feed a family of four for a year. If this didn't boil Robin Hood's blood, I didn't know what would.
I dialed Nick's number and it went straight to voicemail. He must've been at work. I left a brief message explaining my plan. "Hey, it's me. Have you seen the news? I'm going to do surveillance tonight at DavInc to see if anything happens. Call me if you get the chance. Bye."
A second risked peek at Faye's files while she was asleep on the couch told me that Robin Hood never operated during the day. So just before sunset I told Faye I was going out with Jon and headed out the front door instead of sneaking out the fire escape like usual. It was nice to have an alibi. After parking by an overcrowded mall I changed from date clothes into stealthy parkour clothes in my car and strolled nine blocks toward DavInc offices like I didn't have a care in the world.