Emory stirred then, her eyes fluttering open, before a slow grin took shape on her face. “You’re here,” she whispered. “Hi.”
Sarah slid down so they were face-to-face on the pillow. “I didn’t mean to wake you. You were so peaceful.”
Emory wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled Sarah in. “Just so we’re clear, you can wake me anytime you want, for anything you want.”
Sarah traced the outside of Emory’s breast, causing her to hitch in a breath. “Dangerous declaration.”
“I’m a risk taker.”
They hadn’t had much time to spend together that morning, but a quick breakfast with Walter followed by an impromptu make-out session against the kitchen counter had gotten the day off to a promising start.
Emory was off for a run, and Sarah looked forward to spending the rest of the day with Grace. They would first go school supply shopping and then head to the mall so Grace could pick out an agreed upon three new outfits for the first week of school. Sarah knew she needed to broach the subject of Emory with Grace soon, especially since she’d already hinted at an early understanding. It wouldn’t be the easiest conversation to have, and admittedly, she was nervous, but it needed to happen.
“So how was the slumber party?” she asked Grace, who twirled her straw around her cup to thin out the consistency of her milkshake. They sat at a table nestled in the bustling mall’s food court, on short hiatus in their day of shopping.
Grace took a swig of her shake. “Kind of lame. Millie made us all play Chutes and Ladders for two hours and cried whenever anyone wanted to quit. We had fun once she fell asleep though.”
“Oh yeah, what did you do then?”
“Truth or Dare.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Uh-oh. Aren’t you a little young for that?”
“All we did was dare each other to prank call Uncle Danny until Millie’s mom made us stop. What about you? Did you have fun with Emory?”
“Yeah, I did. It stormed a lot, so we didn’t get to go down to the beach, but we had a good time anyway.”
Grace beamed. “That’s great, Mom.”
“So what do you think about Emory?”
“I like her. She’s sofixicated and smart. Plus, her house rocks.”
“Sophisticated, and yeah, she is smart.” Sarah paused, searching for the right words. “I like her a lot too.”
“I know. I think that’s cool.”
“You know, in the past, I’ve always gone on dates with men.”
“I know.”
“But I wanted to talk to you about something kind of important and get your opinion because what you think matters to me a lot.”
“Okay.”
“Well, lately, I’ve started going on dates with Emory too.”
Grace looked back at her confused. “I know. I told you already, I think that’s cool.”
“Wait. So you knew that we were…dating?”
“You guys make it kind of obvious the way you stare at each other all the time.” Grace was still smiling.
“What are you talking about? We do not.”
“Mom, please.” Grace rolled her eyes and scanned the food court for more interesting pastures. “Can we go to A’Gaci next?”
“So this doesn’t bother you at all?”
Grace offered a small sigh and turned back to Sarah. “Have you ever read a book called Heather has Two Mommies?”
Sarah squinted, shaking her head.
“Well, they have it in our library at school, and I read it during lunch recess last year. You should read it too.”
Sarah was reeling. Her eight-year-old not only knew all about her incognito personal life, but was now offering her advice about coping with adversity. Ordering her head clear, she pressed forward. “I haven’t talked to your grandparents about this yet, but I plan to. Hopefully soon. I would never ask you to keep a secret from them, and I’m not asking you to do that now either. I’m just not sure I’m ready for them to know about Emory yet.”
“I think it’s better if you tell them, not me.”
Sarah’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Thank you. But if you change your mind and feel like you need to talk to them about any of this, I won’t be upset.”
“Okay. Ready to finish shopping? I have one whole outfit left to pick out.”
Sarah grinned at her, so proud of the person she already was and the one she would someday be. She had the best kid. “Let’s do it.”
*
At nine o’clock on Thursday morning, Lucy stuck her head around the corner of Emory’s office and playfully fanned herself with a document of some sort. Emory stared at her momentarily, but then returned to the pile of work on her desk. Lucy took it one step further, holding the document up to the light and studying the words before hugging it to her heart with a smoldering gaze.
“Is there something you’d like to say, Luce, or is this a new mime routine you’re developing?”
“Oh hey, Em. Strange. Didn’t see you there. Listen, I was just perusing this totally random press release I saw hit the wire. Turns out, it’s about Immaculate Home and its newest division headed up by one Sarah Matamoros. This, by chance, wouldn’t be the Sarah Matamoros, would it?”
Emory shook her head at Lucy’s performance, hating to admit that her overly excited tone of voice was actually amusing. “Yes, they are one and the same.”
“So interesting. I’m going to take the fact that we’re now running pro bono press releases for this little upstart-that-could as a good sign for your love life. Please confirm. Minds are inquiring.”
“I offered them a couple free releases to see if they liked what the exposure could do for them. If Sarah and her company receive a good response, it’s my hope that they’ll open an account with us and voilà, we’ll have a new client. A very basic sales strategy.”
Lucy’s response was a big thumbs down sign. “Lame and businesslike. That isn’t what I asked you. I did like how you worked in a voilà though. You don’t hear that one much.”
“Thank you. And if you must know, things are good,” Emory answered sincerely. “I’m meeting her family this weekend, and…she stayed over on Saturday.”
Lucy balled up the press release and pelted it at Emory. “And you’re just now telling me? This is big news. Huge! She has located the horse, ladies and gentlemen, and she’s climbing back on.”
Emory laughed and threw the ball of paper at Lucy’s now retreating form. “Very funny, Luce. Hysterical.”
“I’ll be here all night.” And then from her office next door, “Tip your waitress!”
Chapter Twelve
Sarah was consistently amazed at the number of people her parents were able to cram into their backyard and feed. Friends, neighbors, and relatives milled around the large outdoor area, snacking at picnic tables or competing in games of badminton or touch football. Platters of burgers, chicken, and roasted pork abounded and a large cooler of beer sat proudly on the patio, all in celebration of her older brother’s thirty-fifth birthday.
Her mother slid her hands onto Sarah’s shoulders and kissed her cheek roughly. “Why are you bustling around like a loco person? Go get yourself a beer from the cooler and enjoy your brother’s party. Everything here is good to go.”
Sarah obediently set down the extra plates she’d brought outside, just in case, and covered her mother’s hands with her own. “If you say so, boss lady.”