MEARA
I wobbled in place, unmoored from the floor. Sean retreated to the door, his back to me. He swept in like the tide, kissed me, and then washed right out again as if nothing had happened. I would have expected something like that from Kent. I knew the ex-football player had a thing for me. But I thought Sean was above it all.
He’d never indicated any interest before. I wondered if by sending flowers to his father, I had crossed a line. If I had, it seemed like that line was meant for me to cross. He wasn’t angry, far from it. Instead, he seemed to think that it showed some kind of romantic interest on my part.
Did it? Did I like Sean that way? I kind of thought I did. And yet wasn’t I supposed to be with Damien? We hadn’t set up any kind of monogamous relationship, so I wasn’t technically cheating on him. But it went without saying that once you slept with someone, there was a courtesy cooling-off period involved.
We hadn’t had the “relationship talk,” but that didn’t mean I was free to make out with the rest of the partners. Only it had just been one kiss. Surely that didn’t rise to the level of a betrayal.
I had a thousand emotions to sort out and no way to see a clear path. There were only a few more hours left in the workday, so I sat back down and tried to focus on my job. Sam came back into the office and gave me a quizzical look. I smiled sweetly, unwilling to spill the beans to someone I’d just met.
I needed a friend and confidant. I needed my sister. As soon as five o’clock came around, I raced to the parking lot. Thankfully, I didn’t run into any of the partners on my way out. All three doors were shut, which I took to mean they were all hard at work on different projects.
I usually spent some time with Damien at the end of the day. It was a wonderful way to finish up, but this time, I was just as pleased that he had more important things to do. Instead of coming to find me, he sent a message over the project management software saying that he apologized but he wouldn’t have time to mentor me that day. I agreed politely, telling him not to worry.
Escaping with my reputation intact, I sat in my car, staring out the windshield. I texted Millie to ask where she was.
I’m on my way home, she responded.
Where?I demanded. Millie had three homes and rotated between her boyfriends with regularity.
Warren’s.
I’m coming over, I wrote.
Meet you there,she answered promptly.
I drove to Warren’s house where the party that had started it all had been held. Warren wasn’t home yet. I didn’t see his car in the driveway. I beat Millie as well, so I had to wait a few minutes until she pulled up.
As soon as she saw me, she knew that something was wrong. “What’s going on?” she asked, pulling me in for a hug.
“Sean kissed me,” I blurted out.
“You need a glass of wine,” she decided without waiting to hear the rest of the story.
She opened the door and let me in, directing me to the living room. Disappearing into the kitchen, she returned with two half-full glasses. I took mine gratefully and emptied the liquid almost at once.
Millie blinked. “Should I get more?”
“Please,” I responded.
She went back for the rest of the bottle and topped me off. This time, I retained my self-control and just set the glass down on the coffee table. It was there if I needed it, but I wasn’t trying to get drunk. The little bit I swallowed left me feeling lighter, as if my problems weren’t that bad after all.
“So,” Millie began, “what happened? Tell me everything.”
“I walked into Sean’s office a few days ago and found him on the phone. His father is in a nursing home, did you know that?”
Millie shook her head.
“There’s some kind of issue. I think he’s getting older and requiring more and more care.”
Millie pressed her lips together and hummed sympathetically.
“Anyway, I could see that he was swamped, so I sent some flowers.”
“That was nice of you.”
“That’s what I thought,” I agreed. “But then he found out somehow and he came to see me early in the afternoon.”