Page 14 of Emma
Vanessa smirked, her eyes narrowed in mock suspicion. “Obviously, you didn’t, but the first time I saw Freya, she reminded me a lot of you.”
“I thought the same thing.” Emma’s voice softened. “The way she was just standing there, all alone. She reminded me of myself when I was a kid.”
“Well, you’ve broken the ice with her now, and you’ve found her a friend. I hope it goes from strength to strength.”
Emma pushed off the desk and shoved her hands in her pockets as she grinned. “Oh, it will. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Give me a hand to clear away so we can get home at a reasonable time.”
As they stacked the last of the workbooks together, Vanessa quickly realised that she couldn’t imagine a world where Emma didn’t work at the same school as her. It almost felt as though they’d been colleagues for a number of years…and married even longer.
Emma cleared her throat as she shoved a pile of books on the windowsill. “What are your thoughts on Graham Hobart?”
Vanessa shivered slightly at the mention of his name. “Graham…from your department? Porno tache, Graham?”
Emma barked a laugh. “That’s what you call him?”
“Have youseenthe moustache?” Vanessa grimaced, shivering again at the thought of it. “It gives me the creeps, to be honest.” She paused, shaking her head as she stacked the papers on her desk into a neat pile. “As for him, well, he’s always been alittle…I don’t know how to put it.” Vanessa’s shoulders slumped. She didn’t want to label Graham as anything in particular, but she couldn’t help the way he made her feel. “He’s looking in places he shouldn’t be for far longer than would be deemed acceptable.”
Emma snorted. “Fucking perv.” She shook her head, a hint of anger in her voice. “I have a feeling he’s a bit of a misogynist, too.”
“What’s he said?” Vanessa asked, pulling her coat on and grabbing her satchel. “You wouldn’t be the first person to have a run-in with him. He’s been the talk of the staff room many times over the years.”
Emma shrugged, her hand wrapping around the back of her neck as she sighed. “I don’t think he likes me very much anymore. He was fine with me when I joined the staff here, but since I got the head of department job, he won’t even look at me unless he has to…and even then, it’s a bit of an effort.”
“You’ve just answered your own question before you’ve even asked it.” Vanessa could already see the worry that was starting to settle over Emma. “He won’t like that you got the job over him. He thinks that being here longer automatically gives him the right to promotion. He’s an arsehole.”
“You’re right. He seems to be.” Emma rested back against a desk again. “But I don’t want to work like that. I can’t help it if the school preferred me for the job rather than him.”
Vanessa moved closer, hooked her fingers under Emma’s chin, and lifted her head. “Donotworry about him. You focus on the good things you’re doing, on the improvements you’re making to the P.E. programmes, and let him sulk in the corner. It won’t last long.”
Her words seemed to soothe Emma’s concerns. She could see the unease fading from her wife’s features, that frustration falling away. Emma nodded, then pushed off the desk and heldonto Vanessa’s hand. As they walked out into the corridor, the dim, flickering lights above them seemed to mirror the mood right now. “So long as that’s what it is rather than him just not liking me, then whatever. I’m not going to lick his arse hoping he’ll be my friend. He’s not the type of person I’d ever really be friends with.”
Vanessa’s heart swelled with pride for Emma’s brutal honesty. It was a quality she admired in her more than anything. Emma was never one to compromise when it came to integrity, and it showed in the way she carried herself. “You have all the right people in your life already. Don’t go out of your way to please him. He’s not the type of man who would thank you for it anyway.”
Emma smiled as she turned to face Vanessa, that appreciation ever present. They’d been through so much together, and yet, in moments like this, it was as though the weight of the world could be lifted with a few carefully chosen words.
Vanessa tugged her satchel higher on her shoulder, entwining her fingers with Emma’s as they strolled down the corridor and towards the main entrance. “You’ll never need to please people like him,” Vanessa said. “I know what it’s like being the head of your department and dealing with those egos. The way they twist things and how they try to make you second-guess yourself. It can mess with your head. I felt it too when I was in your shoes in the beginning. But it all becomes clearer when you see who’s really on your side.”
Emma wrinkled her nose as she side-glanced at Vanessa. “You think it’ll settle down?”
Vanessa nodded. “Eventually. It always does. People like him can only fight for so long before they show their true colours. And when they do, it’ll be obvious to everyone.”
As they reached the end of the corridor, the school felt eerily quiet, just the echoes of their footsteps accompanying them this evening. “Now, let’s go home and unwind. It’s been a long week, and it’s only Wednesday.”
Emma leaned in and kissed Vanessa on the cheek as she said, “Sounds perfect.”
CHAPTER SIX
Awarethat this meeting could go one of two ways, Emma steeled herself for the potential rejection she had a feeling was coming. Her chest tightened with the fear that Lauren might slam the door shut before they even got a chance to speak. God, she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. They’d been best friends for years—practically inseparable at one time—but Lauren’s ability to cling to a grudge was quickly becoming infamous. Emma had never understood where she got it from. Vanessa was warm and forgiving, which was the complete opposite. But Richard...well, he was stubborn as stone. Maybe that’s where it came from. Maybe it went hand in hand with the attitude.
Emma exhaled slowly and walked up the garden path as her nerves threatened to get the better of her. It wasn’t normal to be worried about seeing her best friend, she knew that, but Emma was forever trying to keep the peace, knowing her best friend’s mother was also her wife.
If her timing was right, Daisy would be at nursery, and they’d have space to talk. Meaning no distractions and no excuses. Just them. Just honesty. She pressed the doorbell, her foot tapping anxiously against the concrete step. She could hear the faint sound of music coming from inside…a sign Lauren was home.
Her palms started to sweat as the seconds dragged on. She was about to knock again when the front door opened, and Lauren stood there, her arms crossed and her expression unreadable. There was a hint of surprise in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by annoyance. “Hey.”
“What’s up?”
