Never Say Never by Rachael Sommers (books to get back into reading TXT) 📕

“I’ll miss you too,” she said. “But it’s not forever. I’m going to come back and visit.”

“It won’t be the same,” Jaime wailed. “I won’t see you every day.” Emily squeezed him tighter, rubbing circles on his back. He leaned away and allowed Emily to wipe away his tears. “Please don’t go,” he pleaded, and Emily felt like her heart was shattering. “Please.”

“I’m sorry, buddy, but I…I have to. I’ll be back to visit before you know it.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” And she intended to keep that promise, no matter how strained things might be with her and Camila. “Now, come on, I think we’ve kept your dad waiting long enough.”

“Oh, it’s all right.” Chris had been hovering behind the couch while Jaime and Emily said their goodbyes. It was the first time he had said anything since arriving to take Jaime for the weekend. “We probably should get going, though, before it gets too late.” He picked up Jaime’s overnight bag.

Emily gave Jaime one last hug before climbing to her feet. “Come on, Jaime. You be good for your dad, okay?”

“I will.”

“And I’ll see you soon,” she promised, walking toward the door with them.

“I know we didn’t really know each other that well,” Chris said, turning to her as he opened the front door, “but I really appreciate everything you’ve done for him. It’s a shame you couldn’t stay longer.”

“Yeah.” Emily gazed at the little boy who had stolen her heart the first moment they met. “It is.”

She stood in the doorway watching until the elevator shut behind them before letting her tears fall.

If Camila were there, she could say goodbye to her too, and while things hadn’t been great between them over the past couple of weeks, she had hoped Camila would make an effort to be there on her last night to maybe wish her luck, but apparently Emily was less important than her work.

She shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but it still stung.

Her phone rang as she turned back into the apartment, and her heart leaped, wondering if Camila was calling to say she’d be back soon. She scolded herself when she saw Cassie’s name on the screen.

“Hey.”

“Hey, how are you doing? I know today can’t be easy for you.”

“I’m…as okay as I can be, I guess. Jaime just left with his dad, so it’s just me.” She collapsed onto the couch and leaned back against the cushions.

“Camila’s not there?”

“Nope.” Emily’s voice was tight. “I thought about waiting for her to come home, but… I feel stupid being here without Jaime, you know? And wouldn’t she be here if she really cared?”

“I’m sorry, Em. I don’t…I don’t think waiting around there is the best idea.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Emily said. “I’ll head home.”

“Call me if you need anything.”

“I will.” She gathered up her things, taking one last long look around before she left. She hadn’t had the job long, but it felt like the end of an era. Even when she came back to visit, it would be different because she was no longer Jaime’s nanny.

She was excited to begin classes next week—it was a new start and something she had wanted for a while, but she felt…empty, as she rode the elevator down to the lobby.

She got off the subway three stops early to walk the rest of the way to her apartment. She needed the time to clear her head.

She was focused on her phone when she reached her front door, so she wasn’t paying much attention, didn’t look up until she was ready to pull out her keys, and she halted abruptly when she saw someone standing in front of her door.

It was Camila. She leaned casually against the wall, looking completely out of place in the white dress and black blazer she had worn for work that morning, a bouquet of roses in her hands.

“Camila? What are you…what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you.” Camila looked nervous, and she squeezed her lips together.

“About what?” Emily couldn’t imagine why Camila was at her apartment holding flowers.

“I think it’s a conversation we should have in your apartment, not out here. May I come in?”

“Oh. Um, yeah, of course.” She fumbled with her keys. She had been knocked off-balance by Camila’s appearance and hoped she wouldn’t notice that her hands were shaking. “I didn’t, uh, expect to have company.” She tidied up as surreptitiously as possible. “Sorry about the mess.”

“It’s all right.” Camila waved a hand. “These are for you.” Camila handed her the roses, and Emily found the tallest glass she had for them, not having a vase. “To say thank you for everything you’ve done for Jaime—and me.”

“Oh, um, thanks.” The petals were soft against her fingertips. “Do you always buy your employees red roses when they leave?”

“Just the special ones.”

Camila was close, closer than she had been since they kissed. close enough that Emily could feel the heat from her body. She shrank back against the kitchen counter.

“Emily, I—”

She was interrupted by the front door opening, and Camila stepped away from Emily guiltily.

When Cassie caught sight of Camila in Emily’s kitchen, she dropped the bag she’d been holding, splattering rice and potstickers all over the floor.

“What the hell is wrong with—oh.” Maia appeared from behind Cassie and quickly summed up the situation. “I’m just gonna—” She motioned with her thumb and tugged on Cassie’s elbow. “Babe? Maybe we should—”

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Cassie’s anger was unfiltered, her eyes narrowing into slits. Camila took a step back.

“What are you doing here?” Cassie turned to glare at Camila, and it was only because Maia’s hand still held Cassie’s elbow that she didn’t advance.

“We were just about to get to why when you barged in here,” Emily said, feeling like she needed to shield Camila from Cassie’s anger.

“I wasn’t aware that I was going to be interrupting anything.”

Emily had never seen Cassie in full-on big sister mode, and it was kind of