“Button,” I say, walking up to her and taking her in my arms. “I’m sorry about earlier. You’re right. You deserve to have your own thing, too. I’m sorry I wasn’t on board right away, but I know you’re going to be great at whatever it is you do.”
“I think I’m just going to stack books,” she mumbles against my chest as her arms come around my back.
“Well, you’ll be the best goddamn stacker they’ve ever seen,” I say, kissing the top of her head.
She leans back and smiles up at me. “I should have told you sooner. I just didn’t think it would matter.”
“Everything you do matters,” I say, placing my forehead against her. “Everything.”
I kiss her softly on the lips right before the boys come running through the kitchen begging for food.
“We’re going to pick up where this left off after they go to bed,” I say, giving her one quick kiss.
“Just don’t keep me up too late. I start tomorrow,” she says, turning in my arms and walking over to the stove.
“Oh really?” I say, keeping my voice even.
“Yeah, the head librarian, Nancy, called and said they were desperate. They’ve hired a new director and he’s overloaded. I think I’m going to be doing a lot of his work until he’s settled. Then I’ll work directly for Nancy.”
“Oh really?” is all I can manage again. I’m silently filling with rage when I think about her serving another man.
“Are you okay, Dylan?” she asks, glancing over her shoulder at me.
I look down and see I’ve got a white-knuckle grip on the countertop. “Yeah,” I choke out, and then clear my throat. “Sure. Sounds great, Button.”
She turns back to the stove and stirs something in the pot. “I guess I’ll see how it goes. I haven’t worked in so long, I was kind of surprised they picked me. But I met the new director and he must have liked what he saw.” Again, she sounds a little hesitant and I can only imagine that’s because she’s nervous.
I want to black out from jealousy as I pull out my phone and send a message to my assistant. He sends me a bunch of texts back, but I ignore all of them. I’ve got new plans and none of them involve meetings.
“Are you hungry?” Emily asks, turning around with dinner in her hands.
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” I answer.
Chapter 3
Emily
I sneeze for what must be the twentieth time. The dust from all the books is driving my nose insane. I haven’t been down to the basement for a while and I’m still sneezing. I wiggle my nose, wondering if it’s red.
I packed my own lunch last night and sit down to open it up. When I get settled I take a bite of my sandwich and wipe my mouth. I can’t help but wonder if Dylan is enjoying the one I’d packed for him. I’ve loved packing my guy’s lunch since the boys started school. I’ve been coming up with new and different ideas every day. Today’s is tuna with cranberry and pecans. They all like tuna so I gave it a go and it turned out amazing. I wonder if I’ll have time to find something new to make for tomorrow.
It’s my first day and I’ve already been asked to stay late. I understand, this place is a mess. No wonder they had to hire a new director. It’s chaos and needs a complete restructuring.
I was excited when I started this morning feeling like I had a purpose after everyone else was off for their day. I had something to fill my day and thought I’d be contributing to something. Now, after spending the morning down in the basement, I think I’m bored and not really enjoying what I’m doing.
I close my eyes and shake my head. This is my first day and I’m already second-guessing it. I need to dive into this. I can’t just give up so easily. I need to give this all I have and try to be positive. Sure, I’m a little disappointed that I won’t be the one to greet the boys when they get home from school. Dylan said he’d pick them up, which means he’ll be home early tonight, something that hasn't been the norm lately. I’m just sulking because I’m missing those moments, but it won’t always be like this.
Dylan came around a lot faster to me getting a job than I thought he would. Even today when I told him they asked me to stay late he jumped at the chance to pick the boys up for me. He was super possessive of me last night and I can still feel him between my legs, but overall he’s been really supportive.
Picking up my phone, I smile when I see a text from my husband asking me where I keep the kids’ art supplies. Apparently, they’re working on a school project. I text him back where he can find them, wondering how big of a mess they’re about to make. I finish my lunch while searching the internet for new recipes. When I find one I like, I save it before I clean up my lunch.
A new text from Dylan dings on my phone. It’s a picture of the boys sitting at the dining table working on posters. At the top it says All About Me. My heart drops a little. I love the picture. My boys are the most adorable little men in the world, and I’m sad I’m missing this moment.
I reassure myself that they’re getting some one-on-one time with their dad right now. That I don't need to be by their side at every waking moment. They’re growing up, even if it’s faster than I want them to.
I send back heart emojis and tell Dylan to tell them I love them and will be home soon.
“Emily?” I look up at the sound of my name to see a man in slacks and a dark blue button-up shirt standing there. He looks to be about my age, with blond hair and light blue eyes.
I stand up and smile. “That’s me.”
“I’m Mark, the new director.” He reaches his hand out and takes mine in a soft but firm hold.
He doesn't let go for a long moment and I feel his fingers rub my wrist before he releases my hand. The handshake felt intimate, but I ignore it. He’s probably just friendly and I’m reading too much into it. My husband has made me think that everyone breathing is flirting with me. To say my husband is the jealous type is an understatement.
Not that I’m not the same. We’re all either of us has ever known when it comes to relationships. We’ve belonged to each other before we even really knew what love was. Dylan had the boys at school running the other way when they saw me. It makes me laugh now when I think back on it.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I grab my bag and phone.
“The pleasure is all mine.” He motions for me to follow him. “I was hoping to get here sooner, but I got caught up in a few meetings today.”
We walk down the hallway and he stops at a door with his name on it. He opens it to reveal a nice-sized office. He goes in and sits behind the desk.
“Nancy told me all you’ve gotten done today.” He smiles at me. I sit down in the chair in front of his desk, crossing my legs. “You knocked out a lot more than I thought you would. You’re a fast worker.”
“Thank you.” I feel pride at knowing I was helpful. I think a part of why I was working so fast was because the sooner I got it done, the sooner I’d be out of that basement. I’m pretty sure I’m allergic to dust.
“I think you’re being underused here. I took a look at your résumé.” He pulls out a sheet of paper and looks down at it. “You graduated with a degree in liberal arts?”
I nod. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I entered college but was told liberal arts was a versatile degree.
“But you never picked up a job after that?”
“No. I became pregnant with my twins a little before I graduated. I’ve been staying home with them until now. They just started kindergarten.” Thinking about them makes me smile even more. I wonder what they put down on the posters.
“You had twins? You’d never know.” His eyes run over my body.
I’m not sure how to respond to that. Is that a compliment? I get nervous and just play it off.
“I know I look young for my age,” I finally say. People do remark how young I look all the time.
“Not just that,” he says, and I’m beginning to feel uncomfortable.
“Thanks.” I think. But I keep that last part in my head.
“Well, I have some projects I want you to work on. It will be on the computer—entering inventory data. More of a desk job.”
“That’s fine,” I tell him.
When I went searching for a job I wasn't really sure what I was looking for. When I saw the library was hiring I jumped on it. I didn't think I’d get the job, but I was wrong.
“I’m going to find someone else to fill in for what you had been doing and move you upstairs. We’ll share an office for now. I’ll have a desk brought in for you.”
“Oh. You don’t have to share your office. I don’t want to intrude. I can work anywhere,” I say, looking around and thinking there’s no way a second desk could fit in here.
“No, I’ll need you close. We’ll be working on the same projects, so it will be easier.”
Day one and I’m already being promoted. I guess this is a good thing, so I ignore the feeling in my stomach. I should be excited that I’ve been offered a chance to do this instead of being stuck with the dust bunnies. I smile and nod, thinking I can’t wait to get home and tell my guys.