Lauren looked down, her fingers tracing the rim of her own glass. ‘Longer than I should have. I wasn’t sure if involving you in my complicated life was a good idea.’
Rain leaned back in her chair and smiled. ‘Last I checked, we’re both adults. And you haven’t involved me in anything. Not yet at least.’
Their eyes met, Rain’s gaze filled with understanding. Lauren relaxed a little.
‘So where do we go from here?’
‘There’s only one realistic path. The friend zone.’
Lauren laughed, sharing the remaining wine between their glasses. ‘Ah, the dreaded graveyard where rejected beaus are sent.’
‘I’m not rejecting you, Lauren,’ Rain said, after a moment of contemplative silence. ‘It’s not easy, you know, doing the right thing. This is the first time something like this has happened to me . . . falling for a married woman.’
Lauren searched Rain’s eyes, seeing a raw honesty that mirrored her own feelings.
‘I never imagined falling for a woman,’ Lauren said. ‘But here we are.’
A loaded silence enveloped them as they both contemplated the situation. Lauren cleared her throat.
‘Another bottle?’
‘Sure, why not.’
While getting their wine from the bar, Lauren decided to guide their conversation to lighter topics. They both needed a break from the emotional weight surrounding them.
Returning to their table, Lauren smiled brightly as she set down the bottle and sat down.
‘I just realised how little I actually know about you, aside from your love of classic literature. Tell me about yourself.’
Rain shrugged. ‘There’s not much to tell.’
‘Nonsense. What about family?’
‘My dad passed away a few years ago, but my mum’s doing well. And I have one sister. What about you?’
‘Well, I’ve got Sydney – my rock. I don’t know where I’d be without her. And of course, there’s my little guy, Ben.’
Rain latched onto the new subject. ‘How old is he?’
‘Ten. The light of my life. Definitely keeps me on my toes!’ Lauren took a sip of wine. ‘What about you? Any kid-related skeletons in your closet?’ she joked.
Rain chuckled. ‘No. Motherhood hasn’t been a priority for me.’
‘On the fence?’
‘More like . . . I don’t feel the need to have my own children, but I’m open to a partner who already has kids.’
Relief washed over Lauren at Rain’s words. ‘That’s good to know.’
Their conversation flowed easily, sharing family stories and laughter. However, when the topic turned to Lauren’s biological father, she found her mood dip.
‘I can’t remember a thing about him. He died when we were so young, I don’t even remember him.’
‘Sorry to hear that.’
‘It’s okay.’ Lauren poured more wine. ‘So how did your first day at work go?’
‘Despite seeing an unconscious man on the floor? Hmm, I’d say it was fifty-fifty. I’d forgotten how difficult super-king-sized bedding is to manoeuvre. It’s definitely a two-person job.’
‘I’ll make sure I inform the boss and see what she can do.’
‘Is that why the previous cleaner left,’ Rain said with a smile, ‘couldn’t handle the workload?’
The smile faded from Lauren’s face, replaced by a sombre expression.
‘Oh, was she that bad?’ Rain pressed.
Lauren shifted in her seat, her eyes narrowing slightly. ‘Yes, she was.’
‘She must have been some piece of work. I haven’t heard one nice thing said about her yet,’ Rain said.
‘Maybe there’s a reason for that.’
Rain leaned forward, elbows on the table as she studied Lauren. ‘Such as?’
‘Nothing, it doesn’t matter,’ Lauren said, her tone making it clear that further questioning would not be welcomed.
Rain rubbed the back of her neck, a pained expression on her face. ‘Look, there’s something I need to tell you . . . Something I should have mentioned earlier . . .’
