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I woke up before the sun was out, aching as I got out of bed. Last night with Jack had been rough and passionate, beyond sexy, but it had left me feeling empty and sad when he’d gone back to his room. I wished that things were different between us, that things could be normal and we could be in a happy relationship, but I knew that I could never trust Jack—he was too much of a player with too much baggage, and the last thing I needed was for my life to be further complicated by a man.
I got out of bed, my heart feeling heavy, and got dressed for the day. I peered out the window to see that Jack’s car was already gone from the driveway and I felt relieved; I didn’t think if I ran into him that I could keep my resolve to go. Right now, I was clear-headed, ready to do what needed to be done. Seeing Jack would have clouded my judgment, even if it did mean that I’d get to see his face and look him in the eye one more time.
I picked up the phone and dialed the number of a local nanny agency, arranging for them to have someone sent to Jack’s as soon as possible. I sat down before I went to write a letter to him. I wanted him to know that I cared about him, and Ivy and Corina as well. I wanted him to know, too, that I had enjoyed my time with their family, but that it was time for me to move on in order to protect myself from the inevitable heartbreak of ending up with someone like him.
The doorbell rang and I hurried to answer it, not wanting it to wake Corina or Ivy. I opened the door to see a young girl, and welcomed her in. It was then that I heard soft footsteps on the stairs and my heart dropped as I turned to see Ivy standing there, rubbing her eyes with her fists.
“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice sweet and curious. “Who is this?”
“She’s going to be your nanny for the day,” I said to her, wrapping my arms around her when she came to me. It was hard to get the words out, but I wanted to comfort her before I left. I bent down, looking her in the eye. “I have to go now, Ivy. But I want you to know that I love you.”
Ivy’s bottom lip poked out in a pout and her eyes started to water. I felt something within me shatter and the tears started running down my face as I wrapped her in my arms and pulled her against me.
“Why are you going?” she asked, her face buried in my neck.
“It’s time for me to get a new job,” I said to her, holding her tight.
“I don’t want you to go, Lauren.”
“I know,” I said to her, then kissed her cheek and pulled back. “You can ask your daddy for my email, okay? And you can have Corina help you send me a message whenever you want.”
Ivy nodded, still crying, as I stood up to go. I hugged her one more time and left, trying to keep myself from sobbing. The pain of leaving her, knowing how upset she was, was an almost physical feeling. I got to my car and took a deep breath, steadying myself before leaving. I glanced in the rearview mirror to see Ivy standing in the doorway watching me as the nanny tried to usher her inside. I looked away and focused on the road, driving to Sam’s house. I knocked on her door, praying that she was home, and she answered it quickly. The moment she saw my tear-streaked face, she frowned with concern.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, pulling me inside.
“It’s Jack,” I said. “I—I quit the job. I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
“Wait, did you have sex with Jack Stephens?” she asked, gaping at me. “You did, didn’t you?”
“Sam,” I said, shooting her a look. “That’s not the point.”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. We’ll get to that part when you’re in a better mood.”
I rolled my eyes at her, following her into her bedroom. We both flopped down on her bed and she propped herself up on her elbow to look at me.
“Spill,” she said. “How did you get involved with Jack Stephens?”
I sighed. “It just kind of happened. We were flirting and one thing led to another.”
“Sidenote. I have to ask. How was it?”
“Sam—”
“I’m just asking,” she said, putting her hands up. I had to laugh.
“It was amazing, okay?” I said to her, trying not to remember the details of the times that I’d been with Jack and how incredible they had been. He seemed to instinctively know my body inside and out, how to give me the most pleasure and make me come fast and hard.
She grinned at me. “Okay. I just had to know that. Details later.”
“Details later,” I promised. “For now, my heart is broken.”
“What happened?”
“His ex-wife came over. She called me a whore. She told me that he’s a massive player. I should have known from the beginning. No guy who’s that hot would ever settle down with anyone.”
Sam frowned. “How do you know she wasn’t just making it up?”
“Because I know him. He’s charming. I saw him with another girl, too. He says he wasn’t flirting with her—”
“Maybe he wasn’t, Lauren,” Sam said, keeping her voice gentle. “I know that you had it rough with Connor and Josh, but not all guys are like that.”
“Jack’s like that,” I insisted. “Trust me. And either way, I can’t risk it again. I’m done with love.”
“Do you think you love him?” Sam asked. I closed my eyes. It was something that I had tried not to think about but I couldn’t help wonder if I truly loved Jack or not. I felt connected to him and could melt at one look, but I couldn’t truly let myself go as far as to let myself fall for him.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I just know I’m going to miss him. I know this sucks.”
“I know it does, hon,” Sam said, putting her hand on my shoulder. “Do you think there’s any chance you might rethink it? Give him another try?”
“I just can’t,” I said.
She nodded. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
“I am, too,” I said, then sat up straight, trying to perk myself up. “But it’s over now and it’s time to move on.”
“Okay,” Sam said. “What are you going to do now about work?”
“I think I’m going to try to advertise music lessons. It’s something I’ve been wanting to try,” I said.
“That would be good for you,” she agreed enthusiastically. We talked then about a possible plan for that, and by the time I left Sam’s, I told myself that I was feeling better and looking forward to the future.
