Never Say Never

bowl of pasta in front of her. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Just water is fine.”
Even though Emily looked wildly out of place in her apartment, it was nice to have someone to share the space with. Camila filled two glasses with water, forgoing her usual red wine, then sat next to her new hire.
“Thank you for having me over, Ms. Evans. The carbonara looks amazing.”
“We’re going to be spending a lot of time together. You should call me Camila.”
“Okay. Thank you. Camila.”
It sounded good to hear Emily say her name.
Camila gave Emily a few minutes to eat before she started her next round of questioning.
“So how was it for you spending time with my son?”
“Pretty great.” Emily smiled brightly, and Camila had to look away. “He’s a really great kid.”
“I know,” Camila answered coolly. “You made quite an impression on him—he rarely warms to people so quickly. Should I be concerned about your extensive knowledge of dinosaurs?”
Emily nearly choked on her food.
“I was a dinosaur nerd growing up.”
“Mm. And do you really have a friend who’s an astronaut in training, or was that just something you said to get my son on your side?”
“I wouldn’t lie to him,” Emily said earnestly. “Although technically it’s my ex-girlfriend, but still. I know a few others too, but not anyone I’d call a friend. Comes with the territory.”
“Of?”
“Did you even read my résumé?” Emily teased. It was the most relaxed that Camila had seen her yet.
“I did, along with several others. The details get a little fuzzy.”
“I studied astrophysics at Yale.”
“Wow.” Camila was surprised, though she tried not to show it. “And that’s what you want to get your master’s in?”
“Yeah. And maybe a doctorate, but I’m not sure. Haven’t really decided yet.”
She’s so young, Camila thought. She’s still trying to figure out her career path, her future.
“That’s impressive.”
“It’s just what I’m good at.” Emily shrugged. “And apparently it comes in handy when I want to charm five-year-old boys.”
“Yes, well, Jaime’s quite enamored by you already. I imagine he’ll fall completely in love if you keep talking to him about space. He likes stargazing, but I’m not very good at pointing out the constellations.”
“I’m sure you don’t have much time to learn, considering your job.”
Camila quirked an eyebrow.
“Your occupation isn’t exactly a secret; you’re pretty well-known in this city.”
Camila well knew what was written about her, especially now that her marriage had fizzled out so publicly.
“Mm. So I’m sure you’ve heard what a hard-ass I am, and you’ve experienced it yourself today. So I’ll ask you again: are you sure you want this job?”
“Of course I still want the job,” Emily replied, setting down her fork. “And for the record, I don’t listen to idle gossip, especially about women. I admire you, Camila—”
Emily’s blue eyes met hers, and Camila saw her sincerity. And she wondered if perhaps there was a little hero worship too, and she basked in the attention.
“—and I have a little experience with what it’s like to succeed in a male-dominated field.”
“Astrophysics isn’t popular with the ladies?” Camila asked, surprised to hear teasing in her voice. Maybe Jaime wasn’t the only person in the apartment who Emily was winning over.
“Not really.” Emily smiled.
“Well, the job is yours if you want it—subject to an extensive background check.” Camila doubted if it would reveal anything outside of a parking ticket. “It’s standard procedure for a prospective employee, especially for someone I’ll be trusting in my home and around my son,” Camila explained. “So if there’s anything I should know, now would be the time to tell me.”
“I…I don’t think so.” Emily paused, thinking. “I already told you I was in foster care. My parents died in a car crash when I was eleven.” There was pain in her eyes at the memory.
“Oh, Emily, I’m so sorry.” She knew Emily must have heard the same words hundreds of times before, but she smiled gratefully all the same. “You ended up in a good foster home?”
“The best.”
“Good. So,” Camila said, changing the subject, “the job is yours. It goes without saying that it’s Jaime who comes first. You looked pretty cozy with him, but should that change—”
“—I’m outta here,” Emily finished. “I get it.”
“Excellent. I have a contract in my study that I used with previous hires. Take it home with you and read it over. Follow me and I’ll get it for you.”
Camila led Emily down the hall and into the study. She rummaged through the papers on her desk, and when she turned with the contract in hand, Emily was frowning at one of the framed photographs on the wall.
“What are you doing?”
Emily jumped at the sound of Camila’s voice, looking sheepish. “I just… I recognize most of the other photos.” She pointed at the one on the opposite wall. “Like that one, when you won your first Emmy. It must have been special.”
“It was my first show,” Camila said, a little touched. “You really recognize all the others?”
“I meant what I said before,” Emily said with a shrug, looking down at her shoes. “I admire you. I was a fan of yours growing up.”
“Well, that just makes me feel old,” Camila replied, wrinkling her nose.
Emily flushed.
“That’s not what I meant! I just—”
“It’s all right, Emily.” Camila cut her off, trying not to enjoy how easy it was to make the girl blush. “I know what you meant. Here.” Camila held out the contract. Emily raised her eyebrows at the weight of it. “Take your time looking through it. If everything is okay, bring it by my office tomorrow afternoon, say two o’clock. You can spend more time with Jaime while you’re there.”
“Sure. I can spend the rest of the week watching him at your office, if you want, so you can see how we’re getting along before you leave him with me here. I know it’s difficult to trust someone new with your kid.”
“Especially when they’re barely an adult themselves.”
“Hey,” Emily protested as Camila led her back to the front