Page 32 of Enemies, Lovers & A Valentine's Baby

“Yes, ma’am,” I chuckle, doing a salute even though I know she can’t see it.

“I’m serious, Lila. You work too damn hard,” she sighs.

“No, I work just enough to keep us both employed,” I say drily.

“Food, Lila. No more computer screens for today,” Katie says sternly.

“Now who’s being bossy?” I grin, picturing the scowl on her face.

“Well, someone’s gotta look out for you,” Katie quips.

“And that someone is you?”

“I happen to think you’re an excellent employer and I would like you to stay healthy so you can continue to employ me,” she says matter-of-factly, jokingly, but serious at the same time.

“I appreciate that,” I chuckle.

“Have a good day, Lila,” Katie finally says right before dropping the call.

I yawn, my neck making a satisfying cracking sound as I tilt my head from side to side. I stand and stretch, glancing at the clock that hangs on the wall across from me.

6:07 P.M.

Katie’s not wrong. I’m definitely due for some dinner. All I had today was coffee and toast. It only takes me a couple of minutes to heat up the pasta I’d made for dinner last night. Imake my way back to my work desk, trying to clear some space. I accidentally knock over a pile of files, and they clatter to the floor with a thud.

Sighing dramatically, I set my food on the table, crouching down to pick them up.

I’ve just about put them all back together when something slips out of one of the folders. It’s a small photo of Sue and me.

We were just about to turn seventeen when we took this photo. I remember that day vividly. We didn’t make the cheerleading team our freshman and sophomore years, so we decided to try one more time as juniors, and to our excitement, we both got on the squad.

I smile softly as I stare at us grinning from ear to ear in our cheerleading uniforms. We’d fantasized for years about being in those short skirts and waving our pompoms at a crowd full of cheering people. I didn’t think life could get any better. We were living the dream.

My fingers trace the curve of our smiles in the photo. Food long forgotten now, I pick myself off the floor and sit back in my chair, my gaze still fixed on the photo, wishing for the days when our biggest worry was making the cheerleading team.

Today, we have much bigger things to worry about. Me, the family I’ve dreamt of having my entire life slipping further away from me with each passing day, and Sue having to deal with the idea that the man she’s been married to for the last eight years may be cheating on her.

It’s not a reality that I want to accept.

I know the misery that Sue is living in right now. The chaos that must no doubt consume her every thought day and night. The fear and the uncertainty of what is to come.

My heart hurts for her. If it does turn out that Greg is cheating on her, it will destroy her, and as selfish as it sounds, I need it tonot be true for me too, because Sue and Greg are my last hope of faith in love.

I’ve faced that pain, and I hate that my best friend is experiencing it too. It’s scarred me for life, and is the reason that I’m still single at thirty-nine.

I’ve never been able to completely trust another man. That’s why my dream of having a family is slowly slipping out of my reach.

I drag a hand across my tired face.

Picking up my phone, I dial Sue’s number, my fingers drumming nervously along the smooth surface of my desk. We’ve barely spoken since I left her house the other day, and I have no idea what to expect.

Is she mad at me for saying no to her? Or does she—

“Hey,” Sue’s voice comes through the speaker.

“Hi, Sue,” I start awkwardly, clearing my throat to release some of the tension I feel. “I uh—I wasn’t sure if you were mad at me after the—”

“I’m not mad at you, Lila. I understand why you said no. I just…I didn’t know what else to do. I thought maybe there was a way you could help me, but you’re right. It’s not fair to you, and it’s a terrible plan anyway,” she sighs, exhaustion evident in her voice.

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