Her Mom Likes Girls

25

1 Year later

Pulling myself out from under Sam's manipulation was harder than I initially thought. At times, Sam completely turned Hailey against me. I tried my best to be civil. But it was hard to hold back my anger towards them.

I tried my best for my daughter. I sympathized with her feelings of betrayal. I didn't blame Hailey for being confused over the end of my marriage. But I did despise Sam.

Sam continued to do what she wanted. And eventually Hailey caught on that Sam was the one who made our marriage fall apart.

I sat in my office and looked at the framed picture of my daughter at her graduation. I did my best for her. And that allowed me to feel at ease with anything I decided to do in the future.

Hailey was one month into her first semester of college. And I was left to an empty nest. No wife. No kid. Just myself in a tiny apartment.

When I heard a knock on my ajar office door, I didn't expect it to be Jamie. We'd seen each other in passing on almost a daily basis. But things were never the same between us. "Miss Aspen?" Jamie called.

I smiled at her. "You can call me Peyton, you know."

Jamie smiled back hesitantly, "I was hoping that you could sign off on my time-off form."

"Sure." Jamie placed the paper in front of me. I looked at it before looking back at her. "Do you have vacation plans?"

Jamie shrugged. "My sister's wedding."

"Taking anyone?" I asked.

Looking at Jamie, I could tell that she was uncomfortable. "No," she mumbled.

"Haven't dated anyone since Audrey?"

Jamie looked at me questionably. "I have, nothing has worked out."

"That's too bad," I said. I signed the form and slid it towards her.

"I hope you and Sam are doing well."

I stared at her. "Thanks. But we've been divorced for over a year now."

Jamie's eyes widened. "Really? I didn't know."

"I never mentioned it before," I said.

"Why?" Jamie asked.

I got up and closed my office door before turning to her. "It's been a tough divorce. I didn't want to talk about it, I guess."

"I understand."

"Jamie, are you seeing anyone?" I asked as seriously as I could.

"I'm not dating anyone at the moment," she answered.

I asked, "are you sleeping with anyone then?"

Jamie shook her head. "It's been a while, why do you ask?" I could see the bright flush on her cheeks.

"I'm just curious."

"Curious?" Jamie narrowed her eyes at me. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting a divorce?"

"Because I really thought I was going to make my marriage work."

Jamie stared intensely at me. "It was hard staying away from you. But I do appreciate you not stringing me along."

"You deserve better than that," I told her.

"And now?" Jamie stepped forward, but I stepped aside and walked behind my desk.

She seemed disappointed.

"I think I'm ready to get back out there. I've done my part for my daughter."

Jamie smiled. "I don't know if I can. It was hard to get rid of my feelings for you. I'm not sure I can regain them."

I studied her. I didn't want to act on anything at that moment. We were in my office. And it would be very unprofessional.

I walked over to her, took her hand and led her into the mid-sized closet that stored all of the school's paper records. "Can I kiss you?" I asked.

Jamie's eyes flickered and she hesitated. "Peyton, I—"

"We can finally try. Even with all that's happened, I still can't get you out of my head," I tell her.

"Peyton, I never stopped thinking about you either. But I don't know if I can open my heart to you."

I nodded slowly. "I guess I lost my chance, didn't I?"

Jamie reached for my cheek and caressed me with her thumb. "I'm scared, that's all. I didn't expect all of this."

"Me neither." I took her hand. "I hope you find what you're looking for. Anyone will be lucky to have you," I fought back the tears in my eyes.

Jamie slid her hand around my waist. "It's silly to say this now, but I've had a crush on you since I can remember. I think that you actually reciprocating my feelings is hard for me to process."

I looked into her unreadable eyes and found the courage to lean in. When my lips brushed against hers, I felt a surge of urgency to dive in. Jamie grasped my waist tighter and intensified our kiss. I felt a rush of excitement consume my chest. Something I hadn't felt in a long time.

When she pulled away, we were both out of breath. "I have a class in five minutes," Jamie breathed heavy. "Can we see each other tonight?"

I caressed her arm and nodded. "I'd like that."