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Vivian stared absently at the closed door long after Emma left. Meeting Lily had been such a treat. She’d never interacted much with children, but she found that she’d loved spending time with Lily.
It made Vivian wonder how different things might have been for her if she’d decided to have children. Of course, that path was off the table for her. If personal relationships would mess with her career, that was nothing compared to the chaos a child would cause.
Emma seemed to manage it really well, but Vivian couldn’t take the risk that everyone in her business would suffer if she made such a life-changing choice.
As glad as she was to have met Lily, the encounter made her heart ache even more than it had been before. Vivian caught a brief glimpse of a future that she knew she could never have; her and Emma taking Lily out for ice cream before coming home and putting her to bed, then making love together in their room.
Vivian forcibly shoved the enticing image out of her mind.
That was not the life she had chosen. It simply wasn’t to be.
6
Emma
“And she let me see the company accounts! They have so much money, Mom! Vivian said that it’s usual for a good business to run in those numbers. Is that true?”
“It is for some, but Vivian is being modest. Her business is so much more successful than most.”
“She’s so nice,” Lily gushed. “And her cat is so cute! Please can I go meet him, please, Mom?”
Emma stared at Lily in bemusement. For the last three days, she hadn’t been able to talk about anything except Vivian. Vivian had clearly made quite an impression—and from the sounds of it, she had been a lot warmer with Lily than she had been with any of the adults in the office, even Emma.
It gave Emma hope to know that there was a small chink in Vivian’s armor. Perhaps there would still be a way to get through to her. Emma wondered if Vivian would like to take Lily out for ice cream together. Lily had asked for that at least six times now.
“We’ll see. Not everyone is comfortable with people they don’t know that well in their homes.”
“So maybe we can get to know her better… with an ice cream trip?” Lily asked hopefully.
Emma laughed. “You’re too smart for me, and you don’t give up, do you?”
“Never give up. It’s what you taught me.”
“I’m beginning to regret it,” Emma muttered, but she couldn’t help grinning. “Now come on, you’ve got homework to do.”
To her great surprise, Lily squealed in excitement—a first when it came to homework. “Mom, I’ve got a project! We have to do a business report, and my teacher said we could shadow someone if we liked. Can I shadow Vivian, please, Mom? Please?”
It took all of Emma’s restraint not to roll her eyes. How did the subject keep coming back to Vivian?
“I don’t know if she’d want that,” Emma hedged. She hated to disappoint Lily, but she also didn’t want Vivian to have to spend an entire day with her daughter when she was supposed to be working.
“But you can ask, right?”
She really didn’t give up. Emma supposed there was no harm in asking. Vivian was assertive enough to say no if it wasn’t something she wanted. “I’ll ask. When is the project due?”
“Not until next quarter.”
That at least left Emma some time to find the right moment to ask Vivian. “I’ve got that business trip I told you about coming up this weekend—when you’ll be staying over at Miriam’s place. I’ll see if I can ask Vivian when we’re back from that.”
“But why can’t you ask her now?”
“Because she’s busy and stressed right now. If you really want something, sometimes you have to wait for the right moment to ask for it, the moment when people are more likely to say yes.”
Lily nodded seriously, and Emma had a feeling she was going to regret teaching this to her. Sometimes, Lily was too smart for her own good.
“What?”
“I’m so sorry, ma’am. I see now looking at your email that you reserved two rooms. I think it must have gotten lost in translation somewhere. I’m afraid the room you booked is the only one we have available. This is our busy season.”
