“Yes, baby. I’m just tired and I have a lot on my mind. The scotch probably didn’t help either.” He stroked my arm with his fingers. “Look Em, I know we’ve fallen into a bit of a rut. I promise I realize that, and I have every intention of doing something about it. But right now, I’m just too tired.”
“I understand,” I assured him and propped myself up on one elbow, planting another soft kiss on his lips.
“I think this is normal,” I continued. “Every couple goes through a sort of ebb and flow in the bedroom. I love you. That’s all that matters.”
He pushed my hair back from my face. “I love you too, Emily. And I promise I’ll kick things back into ‘flow’ just as soon as I adjust to my new schedule.”
Ben rolled over onto his side and pulled my back into his chest. His scruffy stubble tickled my neck as his breaths slowed and his snores started again.
This man loves me and together we’re going to build the life I’ve always wanted. So what if we go through some dry spells. At least we’re going through them together.
CHAPTER 2
“Thanks again for my special snack, Miss Kinkaid. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Alfie Hollis stood in the doorway of my classroom, waving at me with a bright smile.
Unlike a lot of schools, The Day School hadn’t yet imposed a ban on parents bringing treats to school on their children’s birthdays and other special occasions. The parents were asked to keep their selections allergy friendly, but they seemed to consider this as a suggestion, not a requirement. I’d anticipated the problem and stocked the bottom drawer of my desk with dried fruit and vegan, nut free cookies so Alfie would never be left out.
“You’re welcome, Alfie. Have a good night.”
“You too, Miss Kinkaid.”
He darted into the hallway and I shut down my laptop. I’d had a long, exhausting day complete with an injury report after one student whacked another upside the head with a wooden train. The principal and I were scheduled to meet with both sets of parents the following afternoon and I’d given my entire class a long talk about the importance of sharing. When the dismissal bell finally rang, all I wanted to do was go home, change into my pajamas, and have a lazy night with Ben. I locked up my classroom and found him in the school gymnasium shooting free throws.
“Nice shot,” I called out as the ball swooshed through the net. He turned to me with a charming smile.
“Thanks, babe. How was your day?” He dribbled the ball toward me and then tucked it under his arm as he leaned down to kiss the top of my head.
“My day was terrible.” I leaned all my weight against him. “Are you ready to go? I thought we’d lay around my place and maybe order dinner in.”
“I wish I could, baby. I have practice at the club tonight. And after, I’m meeting with the volunteer moms about the cheer program they want to start, remember?”
“That’s right,” I sighed. “I forgot all about that. Do you want to come to my place later?”
“I need to stay home tonight. The landlord is stopping by in the morning to look at the garbage disposal. I’m sorry, baby. I can tell you’ve had a rough day. Do you want me to cancel practice?”
I shook my head. “No. I wish you could hang out with me, but I don’t want the kids to be disappointed.”
“You could go to my place. I’m not sure what time I’ll be home. But we could have a little time together.”
“That’s okay. I really feel like being home right now. Tomorrow night?”
“It’s a date,” he agreed. “Go home, take a hot bath, and pamper yourself. I’ll call you when I leave the club.”
I leaned in for a quick hug and then turned toward the door. “Have a good practice,” I called over my shoulder.
“Thanks, baby. I’ll talk to you soon.”
The sound of his basketball bouncing off of the court echoed down the hallway as I made my way out of the building. I slid behind the wheel of my blue Prius, a graduation present from Uncle Walt, and drove out of the King neighborhood and into a much older, more white collar Irvington area.
When my parents passed away, I was left with just shy of a quarter of a million dollars in life insurance money. Half of it was safely in the bank, earning interest. I’d spent the other half on a small condo about twenty minutes away from the school. If I’d gotten my way, I’d have bought something closer to work. But Walt insisted that I live in a safer area. He didn’t believe the King neighborhood was as revitalized as the locals claimed.
I pulled into my parking space and quickly retreated to my unit before any of my neighbors spotted me. After the day I’d had, I was in no mood to make forced, friendly small talk.
I changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, pulled my hair on top of my head, and settled in on my soft white sofa to binge on reality television. After three hours of watching spoiled socialites choose their wedding gowns, I realized I’d forgotten all about dinner. And the meal I was craving came from a diner that didn’t deliver.
I’ll call it in but eat at the counter so I don’t have to deal with the take-out trash.
I padded across the beige carpet in my socked feet and retrieved my phone from my purse. I called in my order and was told it would be ready in fifteen minutes.
That doesn’t give me time to change. I’ll probably run into half of my parents if I leave the house looking like this. Screw it. My job is to teach their children, not wow them with my fashion sense.
The Day School was technically a public school, so families weren’t charged tuition. But the school’s innovative teaching programs drew both the lower income families in King as well as the more affluent families in my neighborhood. Some days, I felt like I couldn’t turn around without tripping over someone from the school. But I was starving and didn’t have time to worry what they’d think of my sweats and oversized t-shirt. I stuffed my feet into laceless sneakers, grabbed my purse, and set off for the diner.
I arrived ten minutes later and found the parking lot nearly empty. A bell chimed when I pushed open the heavy glass door and the smells of bacon, coffee, and pie hit my nose. A short, curvy woman with curly grey hair greeted me as I sat down at the counter.
“What can I get for you, darlin’?”
“I called in an order for Emily,” I explained.
She looked at a little notepad. “Chicken fry with mashed potatoes and salad?”
“That’s the one.”
She turned to the order window, where a small bowl of ranch covered lettuce and tomatoes waited atop a bucket of ice. She delivered it to me with a set of silverware rolled in a paper napkin.
“Your steak will be up shortly. What can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll have a Coke, easy on the ice,” I replied, mixing the salad with my fork.
She filled a tall plastic cup and slid it across the counter. I took a long drink and shoveled lettuce into my mouth with a saltine. The bell chimed again and a few moments later, the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen sat down two stools away from me. I felt my face flush hot and kept my eyes fixed on my bowl.
“Back so soon, Ethan?” the waitress asked, passing him a menu.