“I’m glad I’m here,” she said, looking up at me with a smile. “I missed you guys.”
“Let’s let Emily get settled in, okay?” I said to the kids. “Then we can all have breakfast.”
“I’ll just throw these bags in my room and come back down,” Emily said. “Who wants french toast?”
Tommy and Sarah both erupted in cheers of joy. Emily laughed, and I helped her haul her bags up the stairs. We were silent as we dumped her bags in her room and awkwardly made our way downstairs.
There were a million things I wanted to say to her. I was so grateful that she’d agreed to come back. Her presence here was going to make the kids so happy, but just looking at her was enough to make my stomach tighten painfully.
My entire body reacted to Emily without my permission. I felt like a teenager, popping boners left and right without knowing why. As we sat down to breakfast, I tried to keep my thoughts in check, but Emily made that impossible.
She leaned over the table, making her tits once again fall forward. I swallowed and looked away, focusing my attention on Tommy. He was telling me all about the book he’d just read. I didn’t remember the name of it, but I pretended to be interested while he chattered away. When the kids finished breakfast, they ran upstairs to get changed for the day, and I helped Emily with the dishes.
We stood side by side, just as we’d done that night I fired her. The energy between us was palpable, and I wondered if she felt it too. Whenever our eyes met, she looked away quickly, almost as if she were afraid of what she might find staring back at her.
I couldn’t blame her for her nerves because mine were worse than ever. I fucking ached to touch her. Our hands brushed against each other in the sink, and I felt my entire body stiffen. We both froze, and when our eyes met, my desperation to kiss her was stronger than ever. Instinctively, I leaned forward, but immediately thought better of it and pulled away. Clearing my throat, I took a step back.
“I’m going to get some work done in my study,” I said. “Are you okay out here?”
“Absolutely.” She smiled. “I think I’ll take the kids into town, if that’s all right with you? I have some errands to run, and I think they’d enjoy getting out of the house for a while.”
“Sure,” I said. “Sounds great.”
She smiled again, and I hurried down the hallway toward my study. I pulled the door closed behind me and waited until I heard the front door close before I sat down at my desk. Laying my head on the cool surface, I tried to force my boner away. It was impossible. Emily’s scent still lingered in the air, and I was powerless against it.
I knew hiring Emily back would be complicated. It was the right decision for my kids, but it was a dangerous decision for me. I couldn’t breathe around her. No matter what I did, she overwhelmed all my senses. My attraction to her was only growing stronger, but I hoped, eventually, it would subside.
As I pulled my notebook toward me, I couldn’t think of anything to write. Finally, I decided to jot down my thoughts about Emily. I hoped that by putting them on paper, they would leave my mind, and I’d be able to be in her presence without wanting to bend her over and fuck her senseless.
I wrote for what felt like hours, filling pages and pages of my notebook. By the time I was finished, it was getting late, and I knew Emily would be back with the kids any minute. With a sigh, I closed my notebook and tucked it safely in my desk drawer.
***
“This is amazing!” Tommy said as he shoveled food in his mouth.
“Thank you,” Emily said, smiling at him affectionately.
“I’ve never had chicken parm…” Sarah tried, but she couldn’t get the word out.
“Parmesan,” I said.
“Yeah, that,” Sarah said. “It’s so good.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Emily said.
The four of us ate in silence for most of dinner. The kids were too busy eating as fast as they could to speak, and I was afraid of what I might say to Emily. My feelings were still just as strong as ever. Writing them down did nothing to assuage my discomfort.
Still, Emily’s eyes continued to flicker to mine, and I knew she wanted to talk. Finally, I came up with something safe to discuss, something I knew wouldn’t get me excited.
“So,” I said. “Tell me about your boyfriend.”
“My boyfriend?” Emily asked with a frown.
“You have a boyfriend?” Sarah asked with interest. “I wish I had a boyfriend.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.” Emily laughed.
“You don’t?” I asked, surprised.