by Karen Deen
Emily needed a job. She needed to feel like she was looking after her family and not relying on anyone. I could see in the short time I had known her that she is a very proud woman and extremely determined to do things her way.
“Oh God, why didn’t I think of this earlier!” Come on Zach. Make this as convincing as you can, otherwise she will never go for it. “How important is it that you live close to the kid’s school? Would you be prepared to travel a bit or move them to another school?” Emily looked very confused and I knew it seemed like a weird question.
“Why, Zach? Why is that important?” Her voice was quiet and not much more than a whisper. I could see she was still trying to work out what to do with the stranger sitting at her kitchen table drinking tea with her.
“Listen, Emily, just hear me out before you say anything, okay? Please?” She slowly nodded, looking very skeptical at me.
“I have a farm thirty minutes out of the city, where I live. It is a sizeable home and I have spent the last few years renovating it and restoring it to its former glory. On my property there is also a manager’s cottage, which has also been fully renovated. It’s not huge, just a two-bedroom place which is neat and tidy. I have been thinking for a while, that now I have finished the house, I need to get a housekeeper in to help me with the chores and some cooking. I work long hours and need some help around the place. The job would come with the caretaker house for you to live in and a car to use so you could shop and run errands. I would also pay you a reasonable salary and you could work your hours around the kid’s school times. We could work it all out, so it suited both of us.”
I looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction to everything I had just said. I wondered myself what the hell I had just said. I had no need for a housekeeper and I loved to cook. It was a way of relaxing after a hard day at work.
I didn’t have a clue what I had just done, but I couldn’t take it back. The more it circled around in my head, the more I could see what a great idea it might be. Emily, Samuel and Sophia would be safe with me. The kids would grow up in fresh air with plenty of room to run around. Emily could be with them all the time and be stress-free in her job. I could be there to be a friend and protect her. Emily, being my employee, could only ever be a friend. This idea could really work. I didn’t know a thing about her, but the pull towards her was something that was so hard to cast aside and ignore.
A small voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “I don’t know about that, Zach. I mean, it is very generous, but I don’t know you and you don’t know me. You seem nice, but how do I know if I can trust you, especially with the kids? It is just a massive thing, I couldn’t possibly accept it. You are very kind, but I just couldn’t.”
“Please, Emily, just think about it. Don’t say no straight off, talk about it over the next few days. You can come out to the farm, have a look, meet my family and maybe perhaps you’ll feel more comfortable about it. Just say you will think about it.”
In my head I was already planning how I would get my sisters involved. They could talk me into anything and, of course Mom would go crazy over the twins.
I looked into Emily’s eyes and they appeared so conflicted. She sighed, and I could tell her mind was going crazy. She was thinking about all the pros and cons in her head and what she should say. What I wouldn’t give to take all that stress away from her, so she never had to worry again.
“Today has been such an incredibly horrible day, Zach. I can’t remember what I even had for breakfast, let alone make a huge decision. Can I think about this and can we talk later? I have no idea what is even going on in my life anymore and I don’t cope with not being in control. I don’t want to break down and embarrass myself in front of you again today, so maybe it is time for you to go. We can chat again in a few days.”
“Okay, Emily. Please promise you will think about it and at least come out and look at the place. I will call in again tomorrow afternoon to check on you, see how you are feeling.”
I stood there waiting for her to acknowledge that she would think about it. Her face was blank, and I could tell that she was shutting down. A person can only be strong for so long and I think Emily had reached her limits today.
“Sure, I will think about it,” she mumbled, looking down at her feet. “I will see you out.” She rose and motioned towards the door. As much as I wanted to stay, continue this talk and make sure she was okay, I knew she needed space to digest the whole day.
As I walked towards the door, I stopped at the lounge room to say goodbye to the kids who were engrossed in their movie. “I have to run, guys, but I will be back in the next couple of days to say hello. Sammy, look after your girls while I am gone, okay?” I looked at the proud little boy who had been given the most important job, one that he takes very seriously.
“I sure will, Zach! I will do my best to make sure Mommy doesn’t cry anymore until you fix everything.”
Oh God, what have I done promising Sammy I would fix the world for them. Mind you, it is exactly what I wanted to do. I just had to convince Emily to let me.
“Good man,” I said, patting him on the shoulder. “Hope you feel better real soon, Miss Sophia. Maybe next time I see you we can get to know each other better if you are well.” Sophia looked up at me from under her sleepy eyelids with a half-smile. She looked very shy and was wary of me, which was understandable.
I continued heading to the door with Emily following behind me. I could feel her presence there even with my back to her. How could a woman turn so many emotions loose in my body within the first hour of meeting her? It was impossible, considering I thought I’d built a wall so high around my heart that nobody was supposed to be able to break through or climb over it.
It must be a purely physical attraction, I hadn’t been with a woman for such a long time. My body craved the sweet feeling and taste of a woman while she arched and moaned beneath me, my name on her lips from the immense pleasure I was giving her. Before my mind could head off in the direction of imagining Emily in that picture, I turned to face her at the door.
“Em. Is it all right for me to call you Em?” She slowly nodded her head. “Here is my card with my mobile number on it. Please call me if you need anything, and I mean anything at all. I will come straight over. If Sophia gets any worse and you need to take her to a doctor, I can drive you.”
I looked at the beautiful woman before me and saw someone who looked like she had given in to the world because it had become too much. “I will be back tomorrow afternoon to check on you and see if you have had a think about my offer. In the meantime, try to get some rest and sleep. Remember tomorrow is always a new day and the sun will rise no matter what has happened today.”
I held my hand out to give her my business card and our hands touched. I felt a tingle of warmth that sent goose bumps up my arm from her touch. I probably held my hand there too long, but I just wasn’t ready to let go of the amazing feeling that was travelling through my body. It was something I hadn’t felt for a very long time. Come to think of it, I am not sure I have ever felt it this intense. I looked into Emily’s eyes and knew she felt it too. When her gaze met mine, she quickly drew her hand away like she had received a shock.
“Thank you, Zach, but we will be fine. I am used to managing on my own. I will speak to you later and thanks again for your kindness and help.” She was almost pushing me out the door and I sensed she was feeling just as confused as I was about what had just happened between us.
I had a funny feeling that today would be the beginning of a big change. I just didn’t know what that change was going to be.
Emily
As I closed the door to the apartment, I stood there for a long time with my hand leaning against it.
What the hell just happened?
Today had been the most unbelievable day and I could never have predicted the events even if I tried. But none of it compared to the last hour of my life.
Where had Zach come from and why had the universe dec
ided today was the day we should meet? Today, when I was at the lowest of lows and broke down for the first time in a very long time?
Zach would be walking back to his car feeling sorry for this pathetic single mom who was a hopeless case. I leaned my forehead against the door and the tears started to fall again quietly. I wasn’t worthy enough to deserve the chance of a normal meeting with the hottest guy I had ever seen. Of course, my life just kept getting better and better.
I thought back to look in his eyes when he touched my hand. I know he felt the spark at our touch, just like I did. I could see it in the way he looked at me. I had never had anyone ever look at me like they were undressing me with their eyes, but that is what it felt like. Oh God for that split second it felt amazing. I felt like a woman and I have not felt that way in a very long time. Unfortunately, my life had never allowed it. Actually, I wondered if it would ever allow it. What crazy person would ever look twice at a single mother of twins? That is a lot of baggage to take on. I know it will be just me and the kids until such time as they are grown up and off in the world. Then maybe it would be time for my life, if anyone would be interested. Time would tell.
I didn’t have the energy now to think about Zach in any other way except as my landlord who was tossing me out of my home. Pull it together and start to work out how you are going to sort out your mess. I had to find a job so at least I would have the money for food and to secure a place to rent. The bond refund would help but I couldn’t use it as I needed to keep it aside for the bond I would have to pay on a new place. At least be thankful for small mercies. I would have it back now to pay the new bond, rather than having to wait for the old bond to refund.
I heard a little giggle coming from the lounge room, which brought me out of my head. That was the first sign I’d had from Sophia that she might be starting to feel a bit better. Hopefully it was just a twenty-four-hour virus and Samuel wouldn’t come down with it.
“Mommy, I’m a little bit hungry. Can I have something to eat?” Sammy called out from the lounge room.
I looked at my watch and realized Zach had been here far longer than I realized. It was now getting dark outside and Sammy was thinking about his growling tummy. One thing that will never change, no matter what, was Sammy’s appetite. I think he was eating for himself and Sophia! It was like his legs were hollow and he wasn’t even a teenager yet. He was going to cost me a small fortune to feed when that time rolled around.
I moved into the lounge room and placed my hand on Sophia’s forehead to check her temperature. She was resting with her Pinky tucked safely in her arms and Samuel sitting very close to her, watching like a hawk. I think he had taken Zach’s instructions to look after us very seriously.
“How is your tummy feeling, sweetheart, any better?”
Sophia looked up at me, she was still looking a little pale, but a small smile emerged on her face. “My tummy doesn’t hurt so bad anymore, Mommy, but can I just stay here a little longer?”
What is it about kids that gives them special powers to get you to say yes to anything. When they were sick, I would agree to just about anything to make them smile. Even when they weren’t sick, they still had me wrapped around their finger most of the time! Until it came to money and then, unfortunately, I had to be the bad person. I was pretty lucky, though, because the kids never asked for much. When I had to say no, they accepted it and moved on. I never wanted that sort of life for them, but you can’t always choose. My Mom always told me to make the best of the situation you have. That had been my driving force in life. Not to make the best for me, but to make the best of what I could for the kids. My time will come later in life after the kids have grown up.
I felt Sophia’s head move under my hand and realized that I was still standing there staring into space. I was doing that a lot today and that is certainly not usual for me. I glanced down to acknowledge her question and nodded my head, giving her a smile. My brain wasn’t functioning properly and talking felt like a big effort right now. Wandering out of the lounge room and into the kitchen, I tried to think of what I could throw together for Sammy to eat. I definitely wasn’t hungry. My stomach was tied in such a big knot that I don’t think whatever I ate would stay in there for too long.
It was going to be a long night. I had so many problems to think about and no answers even close to helping me. Then there was Zach, who was a whole complex emotion I didn’t even know how to absorb. In one meeting, he had infiltrated my thoughts and I couldn’t think straight. I needed to be able to put that aside. There were much more serious problems to solve. But thinking about Zach was more exciting. For once, I wanted fun and excitement for five minutes. Just five minutes, that’s all I was asking for. Could I ever get five minutes for me?
What was happening to me?
I was at one of the most desperate moments of my life and I was thinking about Zach.
God help me.
Zach
I am not sure how long I had been sitting in my car, but it felt like time had stood still.
What did I just walk into?
On a day that I thought was going to be hard and upsetting handing out the eviction notices, it was so much more. Nothing I was even close to imagining. Walking into Emily’s apartment had done something to me that I didn’t even know how to grasp. I had met plenty of women in my life. Some have taken my eye and caught my attention. One, in particular, had me thinking I was heading to that happily-ever-after but that was not to be. Looking back, though, I now know it was nothing on what was buzzing through my body right now. The problem was that woman who’d had me believing she was the one, was always going to be the one. She had me staying in the ‘friend zone’ with Emily. I could never go through that hurt again, it was the reason for my wall. It had served me well and the higher and harder it was to scale, the safer I would be.
The feelings that I’d just felt being with Emily, though, were trying very hard to start chipping at that wall. I had never felt such a connection to woman that I’d just met and spent such a short time with. Never in my life had I felt the urge to be so protective of someone. Emily broke all the rules.
As I walked away from her apartment, I’d had the overwhelming urge to turn around and go straight back to the door and bang on it. I wanted to take her right there and then to my home and make them all feel safe and cherished. Samuel and his friendly nature, along with shy and vulnerable Sophia, had already pried open my heart and started to burrow their way in.
I hadn’t any real contact with young children before as none of my siblings had even married, let alone started a family. I had no problem at all, however in forming a great connection with little Sammy. He was a cool kid who, like me, just wanted to make his Mom and sister happy. Sophia was different to her brother and, like Emily, had me feeling like I wanted to wrap her up and keep her safe. She’d seemed very wary and that worried me. What had happened to make her that way?
My mind drifted back to Emily’s comments about her previous landlord. No one should ever get away with that behavior. Emily was having a hard-enough time just surviving, she should never have had to go through that. While Emily was digesting my offers today, at least I could fix this.
“Zoe, I need a favor.” My voice was strong and straight to the point.
“Wow, hang on a minute. Hi Zoe, how are you? Great thanks, Zach, how did you go at the Branch Street property this afternoon?” Her sarcastic tone rang through the phone.
“Sorry Zoe, it has been a strange afternoon. I’ll explain another time. I just need you to get me an address and name of one of the tenant’s records for Branch Street. Can you look up the previous landlord for Emily Jacobs and his address? Message it straight through to my phone, please.” There was silence on the other end of the phone, but I could hear the clicking of her finger nails on the keys as she typed away, searching for my information. One thing about Zoe was she knew me sometimes better than I knew myself. She obviously recognized in my tone that I wasn’t in the moo
d to banter.
“I have the details, they should be appearing on your phone now. Is everything okay, Zach? You sound like you have an issue.”
“Thanks Zoe, and yes, I definitely have an issue. Nothing you need to worry about. Is there anything urgent I need to know? I have another stop I need to make on my way back to the office.”
“Nothing to be concerned about. Just your brother on my ass wanting to know where you are and what the hell has taken you so long at Branch Street. You know, the brother? The one who walks around here like he has a stick stuck up his ass all the time. Apparently, you have taken longer than normal and, rather than calling you to voice his caring concern, he barges into my office every fifteen minutes wanting to know where you are.” The lightness in her voice let me know he doesn’t scare her in the slightest and Zoe has it completely has it under control.
“Sorry, I know he can be a handful. Even though he is my brother, you would think he is my father the way he carries on. Just send him a message letting him know you have spoken to me. Everything is fine, and I will call into his office once I am back. I have to go and sort this out first, it is important.”
“Should I ask what you are doing, Zach, or should I be worried? This isn’t like you.” Zoe spoke softly, and I could hear the concern in her voice.
“It’s okay. I am just going to teach someone some manners and a very big lesson on how to run a business. If you don’t hear from me after a while, then you should check at the address you just sent me first. Don’t say anything to Grant about where I am going, please. Just in case, though you know where I was headed.”
