Page 11 of Lost Little Boy (Pride Camp 2025 #5)

Chapter Nine

Perry

“Hmm… Wonder what this is?”

When I opened the door to the supply closet, there was a box on the desk and the light was on. I’d been greeted with the same scene on Thursday, Friday, and now on Monday morning. There was no note on the desk, but I had an inkling of who was responsible.

Thursday’s gift was a lovely compass in a leather case. There was a small card inside the case that had a smile written in pen. When I opened it, the top of the brass compass was engraved. If you ever lose your way, use this to find your way back . It was so sweet that I’d ridden a cloud all day.

Friday morning’s gift was a two-hundred-fifty-dollar gift card to a sporting goods store not far from my apartment. When I went in search of Wex Grassley, he pretended he knew nothing about it, but there was a twinkle in his eye that I didn’t trust.

Now, as I stared at the box on the desk, I took a deep breath and opened it to find a waterproof outdoor lantern and Bluetooth speaker.

I couldn’t believe it. It did all sorts of things, including charging my shitty cell phone and giving weather reports.

It was chargeable with a USB cord, and I couldn’t wait to use it.

A soft, three-beat knock sounded on the door. When I opened it, there stood the handsome man I suspected was responsible for the gifts. “Good morning, sir.” I couldn’t hide the smile on my face.

“Good morning. Why do you call me sir?” He leaned against the door jam and crossed his right ankle over his left foot, appearing completely casual, and until he’d mentioned it, I hadn’t noticed that I called him sir .

“I don’t know. It just feels right when I’m around you. How was your weekend?” I hadn’t heard from him until he dropped by. I had his number, but I didn’t dare call him. We didn’t have that kind of a relationship.

“It was good. I went to New York to get more of my stuff and bring it down. Looks like I’ll be hanging out a bit longer here in Virginia.

I sent the account reps to meet with the vendors in my place, so they’re getting some field experience, which is a smart move.

My parents are back from the Hampton’s house, so Junior’s back in the saddle, though he wants to see me this afternoon. How about you? How was your weekend?”

“I went to a soccer game for the first time. There’s a soccer field in Barcroft Park where a lot of teams play. I still don’t understand it, but it was full of action,” I said.

Wex grinned. “Sounds like a fan in the making. You have plans for lunch today? I know you don’t have much time, so I’ll pick up food and you can eat with me in my office.”

“Uh, okay. What time?” What the hell was I doing? He was one of the division heads. His father was the president of the company and signed my paycheck.

“You tell me. My schedule is much more flexible than yours.”

“Uh, how about one thirty? I need to replace a towel dispenser in the gym downstairs, and I should be done by one. I’ll need to clean up, but I can be in your office by one thirty if that’s okay.”

“That works perfectly. I’ll see you then. Have a great morning.” Much to my surprise, Wex stepped closer to me and kissed my forehead again. I heard a quiet moan before he stepped back and glanced at me once more, giving me a wink and then heading to the stairwell.

I sounded like a fanboy with the sigh I let out before stepping back into the closet. If nothing more happened that day, it would be the best day I’d had in a long time.

When I showed up to work on Tuesday morning an hour earlier than usual, I caught Wex slipping out of the supply closet. “Gotcha!”

He turned to me and smirked. “Oh, you sure do. But I wasn’t doing anything. It’s my job to go check the locks in the morning to be sure the keys work.” He held up a key ring with the key to the supply closet on it.

I laughed. “Wow, you Grassleys are a multitasking family. Thank you again for lunch yesterday. That gyro was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. I wouldn’t have tried it if you hadn’t bought it for me. I’m so glad I did.”

Wex chuckled. “Sometimes, trying new things opens our eyes to things we didn’t know we’d like.

Do you have time to go to a soccer game with me this evening?

I got the company tickets at Audi Field.

I’ll drop by here and collect you at five thirty.

We can run by your place so you can change into something less…

confining?” He pointed to the work coveralls I wore, which made me laugh.

“I have other clothes, you know. I don’t wear these all the time.” It would be easier if I did, but I had other clothes—mostly thrift store finds, but they were decent.

“Don’t get me wrong. You make them look good, but it’s supposed to be a warm evening. We can eat at the field, if you don’t mind.” He stared at me for a moment before he chuckled.

“What, uh, what’s wrong?” I reached up and wiped my nose in case there was something hanging out. God, I hoped not. How embarrassing.

“Absolutely nothing. Have a great day.” He kissed my forehead again, which was kind of odd, but I smiled. It was nice.

I went into the supply closet and saw a bag on the desk with tissue paper sticking out of it. I had guessed Wex was the one leaving the surprises for me, but catching him exiting the supply closet, I knew for sure that he’d been my secret gift giver.

I pulled out the tissue paper and found a card inside. I opened it to see another heart. “Here’s to safe travels.”

I reached further into the bag and pulled out a wrapped package.

I ripped off the paper and found an RV play set with a fake campfire, camping chairs, a dog, Mom, Dad, and a little boy.

The top of the camper opened to reveal play areas, and inside, I found a Hot Wheels pickup truck like the one in the daycare center.

For a minute, I was stunned. How did Wex know I loved that truck? It wasn’t the truck from the center, was it? Shit! I’d have to come up with a reason to go check the daycare.

Hiding the toys in my backpack and with questions circling my head all morning, I went about my chores.

I had to touch up some paint in the hallway outside the main conference room on the second floor, so I found the white and gray paint I’d need and packed the cart with brushes, bowls, and other tools to perform the repairs.

I quickly patched the dents made by a mail cart and looked up the next ticket while the Spackle dried.

After fixing a clogged toilet, I took the elevator up one floor because I couldn’t get the cart up the stairs. When I stepped off, the head of human resources was standing outside the conference room with a few of her employees .

I pushed my cart to the side and waited, glancing at the time on my phone to see it was after nine in the morning. The department heads were meeting in that conference room at ten, so I had to rush to finish before the next meeting.

Hanging a sign over the repairs for them not to lean against the wall was necessary, but I had no paper. Once I finished with the paint, I moved all my tools onto the cart and walked down the hall to find paper. It wasn’t my usual floor to work on, so I wasn’t sure what to do.

Surprisingly, Victoria Wintz stepped out of the ladies’ room. “Oh, Perry, how are you?”

I swallowed my nerves. “Ms. Wintz, I need paper to make signs so nobody leans against the walls I just touched up by the conference room.”

Why did I tell her my problems? That was stupid. She didn’t care about my stupid issues, and I shouldn’t have burdened her with them.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Wintz. I’ll find some paper.”

Ms. Wintz smiled. “I’ll get you some paper from the copier. Do you have a pen to make a sign? How about tape?”

I glanced at my cart, and luckily, I had everything except the paper. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you. ”

She rushed away and came back as I finished the touch-up paint. She handed me the paper and smiled. “You’re very conscientious, Perry. If you run into any trouble at the office, come see me, please. We need more employees like you.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Have a good day.” I hurried to finish the job and hung the signs near the spots before I rushed downstairs to check the day’s tickets for any other jobs I needed to do before lunch.

I felt good about the work I did at Grassley, though it wasn’t the job I wanted to do forever.

It was a good place to work for now while I figured out my life.

I cleaned up the area and took the cart back to my supply closet, finding a note taped to the door. I pulled it down and opened it, seeing the handwriting that matched all the other notes. Wex.

I had no idea what to think about Wex’s note. I’d told him I didn’t want to go now after the confrontation with Mr. Jenkins. Why was Wex worried about filling out paperwork for the camp?

I checked my phone to see it was almost one, so I took the stairs up to the executive floor, literally running smack into Junior Grassley, the president of Grassley Industries and Wex’s father.

“Whoa! Slow down, young fella. You okay?” Mr. Grassley Senior grabbed my arm to catch me. He was a large man with gray hair and a nice tan for the end of May in Northern Virginia.

“Sorry, sir. I’m fine.” He wouldn’t let go of my arm, and I wondered if he thought I was some weirdo off the street. “I work in Janitorial Services, sir. I’m Perry Castle.”

“You’re the young man who saved my Wexler’s life. My wife and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Wex stepped out of his office. “Oh, hey. Thanks for coming up. Dad, this is a friend of mine, Perry. Perry, this is my father, Junior Grassley.”

“Yes, son. Young Perry just introduced himself, and I remembered he was the guy who found you behind the dumpster. I didn’t realize you were friends with—”

“Careful, Dad. When we say stupid things out loud, we can’t take them back.” Wex was giving his father the evil eye if I’d ever seen it.