Page 30 of Life After

Elsie grinned and nodded. “Yeah. That sounds fun.”

“Okay, well, I’m going to help Jen clear up the kitchen. If you need anything, just shout, and I’ll be right in.” Suzanne ruffled Elsie’s hair as she stepped away and focused on Jen’s back through the archway to the kitchen. She could be entirely wrong, but it looked as though Jen’s shoulders were shaking. “Jen?”

Jen suddenly cleared her throat and turned around. “Yeah?”

“Is everything okay?”

“Of course, yeah.” Jen brushed the back of her hand against her cheek and smiled, but Suzanne saw through it immediately. “Just clearing up. It’s one less thing for you to do then.”

Suzanne wouldn’t question Jen’s sudden dip in mood. They could discuss it later. Maybe once Elsie had gone to bed, if Jen was still here. “I appreciate that, but I’ll give you a hand.”

“This is the least I can do.” Jen rested against the counter and pulled Suzanne against her. “I’ve had a really lovely afternoon with you and Elsie. Thank you for inviting me over.”

“Thank you for being so open to the idea. I hadn’t expected to introduce anyone to one of the most important people in my life. But now that I have, I’m very happy thatyouwere that person.”

“Me too, gorgeous.” Jen sighed as her shoulders slumped. “I, um…I managed to get a swap tomorrow. I’m not working in the morning now, just the afternoon.”

“You don’t seem very happy about that.” Suzanne dipped her head and locked eyes with Jen. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m happy I got it off. It’s just…I wondered if I could come over in the morning? Maybe spend some more time with you and Elsie before she goes back home.”

Suzanne loosely hung her arms over Jen’s shoulders and leaned in for a kiss. It was tame—Elsie was sitting just feet away from them—but it was enough. Jen’s lips would always be enough. “How about I go one better and just invite you to stay the night?”

“I’d love to, but I don’t want to get in the way of your precious time with Elsie. You should spend uninterrupted time with her. I know you don’t get to see her as often as you’d like.”

“I’d…like you to stay.” Suzanne grazed her nails against the back of Jen’s neck. “I think Elsie would like it, too.”

“You think?” Jen smiled, the brightness of her eyes putting Suzanne at ease.

“Of course. She’s already told me that she would like you to be her teacher. Bless her.” Suzanne laughed, but Jen had that unfamiliar look on her face again. As though the word ‘teacher’ seemed to trigger something inside of her. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Maybe we should just see how the rest of the evening plays out. If you don’t want to stay over, that’s okay. But maybe we could all enjoy some TV together before you leave?”

“TV sounds nice.” Jen offered Suzanne a chaste kiss and then turned out of Suzanne’s arms. “I’ll finish up in here, and then I’ll be with you.”

Sensing that Jen wanted to be alone for a while, Suzanne chose to take a step back and rejoined Elsie in the dining room. Whatever was going on in Jen’s mind, Suzanne hoped to get to the bottom of it. She didn’t enjoy seeing that look in Jen’s eyes. A look of apprehension…perhaps even fear.

“Right. It’s almost time to put your homework away. You have the rest of the weekend to finish it with Mum and Dad.”

“Yay!”

“I’m veryhappy you decided to stay the night.” Suzanne sunk down into the mattress, cosying up to Jen the moment she pulled the cover over them. “Today has been perfect. It really has.”

Jen wrapped an arm around Suzanne and pressed a kiss to her hair. “I don’t know what I expected, but Elsie is lovely. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though, given who her auntie is.”

Suzanne placed a hand against Jen’s chest and smiled. She adored these moments. Moments when they could relax and just be. Moments that Suzanne hoped would last many years. Jen’s arms felt…homely. They felt right. They felt…incredibly strong and sexy. In this moment, Suzanne knew she could talk about anything at all with Jen. “Can I ask you something?”

Jen sunk further down into the bed and turned her head to Suzanne. “Sure.”

“Earlier, when you were helping Elsie with her homework,” Suzanne said, pausing briefly. She didn’t want to bring anything painful up, but she did want Jen to know that she could be open and honest if something was playing on her mind. “The atmosphere changed when she mentioned wanting you to be her teacher.”

Jen turned her face away and looked straight ahead of her. “Just…a dream of mine. That’s all.”

“To be a teacher?”

Jen chewed her lip. “Mmhmm.”

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