Sitting down behind my desk, I pulled my notebook to me and opened it to a fresh page. My pen was in my hand and already pressing down on the paper when I heard a soft knock on the door.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“Emily,” she said, her voice muffled by the wood.
“Come in,” I said, not bothering to hide my journal.
“Hey,” she said, opening the door and walking over to me. “You came in here so fast, I was worried. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said with a smile. “Sorry I didn’t say hi.”
“It’s fine.” She shrugged. “Tommy and Sarah are playing out back anyway.”
“Good,” I said, nodding. “I really just wanted to get some work done.”
“What are you working on?’ Sarah asked, glancing down at the notebook on my desk.
I paused for just a second, wondering if it was finally time to share the truth with her. She had been so amazing lately, taking care of the kids and being there for me. I knew if anyone deserved to know about my writing aspirations, it was her.
“I’ve always wanted to be a writer,” I said quickly, the words sounding strange on my lips. For years, I thought them, but I never once spoke them aloud. Not until now.
“A writer?” Emily asked. “Really?”
She walked closer to me and sank into my lap. With her so close, I couldn’t help but get excited. My dick twitched and got hard quickly. Emily felt it and glanced down at my lap with a laugh.
“I can’t help it,” I said. “I blame you.”
“Stop it.” She laughed. “Talk to me about your writing. I’m curious.”
“What do you want to know?” I asked.
“How long have you been pursuing it?” she asked.
?
??I haven’t,” I said honestly. “Not until recently. I never thought I could. I’ve never even told anyone about it until now.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because I thought everyone would think it’s stupid,” I said with a shrug. “I was a lawyer, Emily. A really successful lawyer. My entire life was the law firm, and then I just left it. It wouldn’t make sense to anyone if I admitted I just wanted to write stories for a living.”
“So, you’ve never tried to write anything before?” Emily asked, her eyebrows raised. “Ever?”
“I mean, I wrote short stories and comic books when I was a kid but nothing major. I think I’m finally ready to start writing a book. A real one.”
“That’s amazing,” Emily said, smiling brightly. “I think that’s great!”
“You do?” I asked, surprised. “You don’t think it’s a stupid dream?”
“Of course not!” she said. “Why would it be?”
“Because I’m supposed to be this big-time lawyer,” I said with a sigh. “When Philip suggested I move, he wanted me to start my own firm. That was the whole point of moving.”
“Maybe not,” Emily said with a shrug. “Maybe the whole point of moving here was so you could finally follow your actual dream.”
“You think?” I asked.
“Well,” she said thoughtfully. “Let me ask you this: Do you miss being a lawyer? Do you ever wish you could go back to the lifestyle?”