Page 30 of Love Me Ever After
We sprang apart, guilt covering both our faces.
“I, um.” Ems ran her fingers through her hair, biting her lip. Seriously, she had to stop that, I was hard enough as it was.
“We weren’t expecting you home yet,” I managed, trying to dodge around the table to hide my arousal.
Sara giggled. “That’s obvious.” She waved a hand between the two of us. “Does this mean you’re definitely back together now after what you told me at lunchtime?” She winked at Ems.
I didn’t want to assume, but everything Ems had done that evening pointed to it being true.
Sara looked at Ems, then at me, then back at Ems again.
She glanced at me, a shy smile creeping across her face. “Yes, we are.”
Sara grabbed Ems’s arm and pulled her towards the stairs. Whispering away to each other they disappeared, leaving me and Noel standing awkwardly in the kitchen.
“Beer?” I asked.
“Sure.” He nodded.
I got us both a beer, then started tidying up the kitchen. Nothing stopped a raging hard-on like cleaning.
14
Ems
Friday turnedinto an unexpected pamper day. Mason had to work, and I didn’t have anything to do. So when Sara called me to say she’d had a couple of cancellations and did I want them, I didn’t refuse. I spent a very pleasant afternoon at Blossom, having a mani pedi and a massage, chatting with Sara and Amber and some of the other regulars. It totally took my mind off where I should have been and the tension between Sonya and me. I didn’t mention anything in front of Amber and she didn’t talk about her mum either. In the evening, Sara invited Noel over and Tasha and Luke came too. The six of us, including Mason, ended up having a Chinese takeaway and a chilled night in.
When Saturday morning came around, I had to leave Mason in bed to go to work. We’d slept last night, nothing more than kissing and spooning. I still couldn’t quite believe we’d picked up where we’d left off. It had all happened so quickly and although it was what I wanted; I had a few reservations. I hadn’t dated much in the intervening months and it niggled me that I should have taken the opportunity to see if there was someone else out there for me. But I knew, deep down, that everything I felt for Mason was as strong as it always had been. Everyone else seemed happy for us too.
I left home with that thought, taking a leisurely walk to the hotel. There were plenty of people around on a sunny Saturday morning, dog walkers, runners, and tourists looking for places to eat breakfast. I passed by E.S. Riverside, Georgie and Marcus’s restaurant, to see a bunch of people milling around the space. Not able to see Georgie herself, I made a mental note to send her a message later wishing her good luck for this evening. The Blue Goose wasn’t busy so I treated myself to a vanilla soy latte to take to work. No reflection on the hotel’s coffee, but it was good to support the local businesses, and Bryony Burton was lovely.
When I got into the office, the first thing I spotted was a pile of paper on my desk. Sonya had left me a bunch of filing, a task we usually shared, but clearly something she was looking to punish me with. On top of the stack was a handwritten note, listing all the things she wanted me to do today. She had even printed off a checklist of all the things I needed to do for Melody Johnson’s mother’s eightieth birthday lunch. I clenched my jaw. An event like this was something I could do in my sleep and had been doing ever since I’d done my work experience all those years ago. Why, suddenly, after one mistake did Sonya think I was incapable of doing my job?
With a huff, I switched on my computer, pushing the pile to one side. As expected, my inbox was heaving with enquiries, answers to questions I’d asked of people with upcoming events and all sorts of supplier spam.
Spotting Barbara Smyth-Hall’s name in the sender list, my breath hitched. The email subject was ‘Thank you and future plans’. My heart pounded. Sonya would have had the conversation with her on Friday. Had they agreed anything?
My fingers hovered over the mouse before finally clicking on the email to open it.
From:[email protected]
Subject: Thank you and future plans
Dear Emily,
Sorry to have missed you on Friday afternoon. Sonya told me you weren’t feeling well and had to go home. I hope by the time you are reading this you’re feeling better.
On behalf of Robert and the rest of the Lane & Parks team, I wanted to say thank you for the wonderful job you did in organising and running our summer conference. We believe the whole event was a success; everything ran smoothly and was as we expected. Please also pass on our thanks to Francine Waterson and her kitchen staff. The duck was absolutely delicious!
I briefly spoke with Sonya in relation to the possibility of us returning for some senior leadership training and development centres later in the year. She confirmed it was something the hotel would be able to host and asked me to provide more information on our requirements once we know what they are.
As soon as I have details and potential dates and numbers, I’ll be in touch. So looking forward to working with you again.
Have a lovely weekend.
