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In truth, I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I couldn’t when my body kept reliving my time with Maks, the spell he puts on me every time he touches me.
He’s like a drug.
And I’m happily addicted.
I know I need to keep things in perspective, that this is just a temporary high, and eventually, our time together will come to an end. But I’m determined to enjoy every last second of it while I can.
And afterward, I’ll go back to being the responsible, disciplined, chaste mother Sarah deserves.
Though I can’t get Maks’s phone call out of my head, I refuse to stop working until I’ve put in a full morning of research and layouts. I need to stay on top of my work if I’m going to rise to the challenge of decorating one of the Painted Ladies.
As soon as the morning is done and my clock informs me it’s time to get lunch and collect Sarah from daycare, I’m up out of my chair in a flash. Biting my lip to calm my smile, I head to my office door.
“You want anything while I’m out?” I offer Zoe as I reach the reception desk, where she sits diligently, waiting to answer any calls.
“I’m all set,” she says, holding up her to-go salad she must have had delivered.
“Hey, do you think you could keep an ear out for Sarah tonight if I’m gone? She should already be in bed and asleep by the time I leave. But just in case she wakes up and needs anything.”
Zoe quirks an eyebrow, her lips curving slightly.
“I have plans...” I say to answer her silent question. But I’m confident the warm embarrassment that pools in my cheeks gives me away.
“You know, I’m starting to think you took my advice a little too literally when I said you needed to have more of a sex life,” she teases, her eyes dancing.
“Zoe!” I object, my cheeks burning now.
“Of course I’ll be there for Sarah. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”
“I’ll be back before morning,” I promise, flashing her a grateful smile.
Then I head toward the door.
“You'd better not be late!” she calls in her best mom voice. “Be safe! Play nice with the other kids!” she tacks on, making me laugh.
As I step out into the sunny spring day, her admonishment to be safe reminds me that I want to pick up a second form of birth control—just to be proactive. Glancing at my watch, I determine that if I skip lunch, I’ll have enough time to stop by the doctor before collecting Sarah.
Loaded up with my first birth control shot, I head to Sarah’s school, collecting her from her classroom, where she hops up from her seat at the art table to show me the colorful crayon drawing she’s made.
“Look, Mommy,” she says, her broad grin showcasing pride in her work.
“We’ve been working on drawing our favorite animals today, haven’t we, Sarah?” Miss Irine says with a kind smile.
Sarah nods, watching closely for my reaction as I kneel beside her.
“What did you draw, Sarah?” I ask, studying the rainbow-colored animal with four legs, three ears, a long, skinny neck, and a tail.
“A unicorn, silly!” she says, giggling as she leans against my leg.
“Oh, there it is!” I agree, tracing her adorably thick outline of a body that tells me she put all her strength into keeping the line straight. “What a colorful unicorn,” I admire.
“It’s magic,” she explains solemnly.
“We’ll see you again Friday, right, Sarah?” Miss Irine confirms, waving goodbye to my little girl as I take Sarah’s hand and straighten.
Sarah gives her signature wave, holding her palm out and rotating her entire arm from the shoulder in her best impression of a princess wave.
“What did you learn today?” I ask as we head out to the little white BMW I bought to replace my old Honda Civic just this year.
