Never Say Never

somehow it didn’t bother her coming from Emily, and she wondered how she had gotten under her skin so easily.
They finished eating, and Camila waved away Emily’s offer to help clear the plates, nodding instead at Jaime, who had jumped off the couch at the sound of chairs being pushed away from the table. He tugged on Emily’s hand.
“Can we go see the stars?” he asked. Camila nodded and watched as Jaime led Emily toward the balcony door. After tidying the kitchen, she joined them, pausing in the open doorway to take in the sight of them: Emily lay back on one of the lounge chairs, Jaime in her lap. Her arms were wrapped gently around his middle. Every few seconds, he pointed up at the sky above and listened with rapt attention as Emily patiently answered each and every question.
“What’s that one?” He gestured wildly up at the sky. Camila wondered if Emily even knew where he was pointing to because she herself would have had no idea.
“Leo,” Emily answered without missing a beat.
“That one!” Jaime pointed again, and Emily followed his finger.
“Orion.”
“This one!”
“Hercules.”
“Now you’re just making them up,” Camila teased, unable to help interjecting. Emily jumped at the sound of her voice, turning to face her.
“I am not,” she protested. “Most of the modern constellations have their basis in Greek myth.” Then she seemed to notice the look on Camila’s face. “And you’re totally teasing me.”
Camila grinned. “You make it too easy.”
“Mama, come sit!” Jaime was sleepy but still excited, and when Camila sat in the lounge chair next to them, he moved to her lap instead, and she wrapped him in a tight hug. “Emily’s teaching me.”
“I can see that.” She kissed the top of his head. “You really know your constellations,” she said to Emily.
“Yeah, well.” Emily shrugged. “When I was a kid and couldn’t sleep, my dad used to take me into the backyard and tell me about the stars.” Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight. “After my parents died… I’d always try and find the stars in whatever foster home I was in that night because that was something that never changed, you know? They were constant, unlike everything else around me.” She paused, and Camila wanted to tell her she didn’t have to continue, but she couldn’t find the words and maybe didn’t want to, maybe didn’t mind that Emily was opening up to her after being so timid.
“When I went to live with the Joneses, I still had nightmares. They moved me into Cassie’s room so I wouldn’t be alone, but then I just kept her up too. Once we were both awake, I’d tell her about the constellations. My foster parents even painted a galaxy of glow-in-the-dark stars on our ceiling.”
“Is that why you went into astrophysics?”
“It was definitely where it all started for me. I’ve always loved space, and my dad, both my foster parents, and Cassie are all scientists, so I guess it runs in the family.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. We’re real fun at parties.” Then nodding at Jaime, she said, “I think someone’s tired.” Camila looked down. Jaime’s eyes were drifting closed.
“I think it’s bedtime for you, young man.” Camila said. Jaime didn’t protest.
Emily glanced at her watch. “I should probably be heading home. It’s getting late.”
“Of course.”
“Here, I’ll help you get him inside.”
Emily lifted Jaime easily and carried him to his bedroom. He was small for his age, but he was heavy. She must be strong to make carrying him look so effortless.
“You gonna wake up, buddy?” Emily asked as she gently set him down on his bed. He blinked his eyes open long enough for Camila to help him into his pajamas and tuck him in.
“I’ll be back to read your bedtime story after I show Emily out.”
“Okay,” he replied, yawning. “Bye, Emily.”
“Goodnight, buddy. I’ll see you in the morning.” Emily ruffled his hair gently before following Camila to the door. “Same time tomorrow?”
“Of course.” She handed Emily her coat. “Hopefully he’ll be dressed by the time you get here. Oh, and before I forget—there’s a gala dinner I have to go to on the fifteenth.” She hated the damn things but she had to show her face and rub shoulders with others in the industry. “Can you stay late that night? I’ll pay you double.”
“Yeah, sure. No problem.”
“You’re a godsend. I know you’ll say no, but do you want me to call my driver for you?”
Emily shook her head. “It’s fine. Goodnight, Camila.”
“Night, Emily.” Camila shut the door behind her and went to read Jaime his bedtime story, although he was asleep before she read the first sentence.
She returned to the kitchen for a glass of wine and retired to her study. The apartment seemed too quiet and empty, intensifying her loneliness. She shook it off. She needed to get some work done before she went to sleep.
* * *
The rest of Emily’s first week with Jaime was uneventful. They played in the apartment or went out to explore the city. Sometimes they dropped by Camila’s office at lunchtime so that she could have a few minutes with her son.
Camila didn’t ask her to stay for dinner again, and Emily tried not to be disappointed—she loved spending time with Jaime, but she also loved any time she got to spend with Camila. She was a fascinating woman, and Emily’s crush wasn’t fading.
If anything, it was only growing in volume. The more she got to know Camila, the more she saw the real person, the woman behind the persona she showed the world. Camila was soft and warm with her son (she looked at him like he was her whole world, and Emily nearly melted every time she saw it); she was kind and funny and all kinds of beautiful—and Emily was definitely screwed.
Because it was Camila Evans that she was thinking of like that, her boss, she needed to stop before she got fired, but she just… She didn’t know how to look away when Camila stood in