Erin sighed and pushed herself away from her desk. It had been a long day, and all she really wanted to do was curl up on her couch with a good book. Shaking her head a little, she stood up and grabbed her purse from the desk drawer, heading over to the door and flipping off the lights. Cracking her neck slightly, she smiled to see Helen was still plugging away at something, humming under her breath.
"You know, you don't have to wait for me to head home. You're free to leave at five."
"I know, but Deb is away on business this week, and the apartment is much too empty without her." Erin smiled and nodded, motioning with her head to the door. Helen nodded eagerly and got up, tugging her purse off the back of her chair and following Erin over to the elevators. "I bought a ring."
"I didn't realize it was quite that serious."
Helen blushed. "I've found that I miss her too much when she's away. And now that we can get married and get our benefits, why should we wait?"
"There is that." Her assistant nodded eagerly as they stepped into the elevator. "Did Agent Jareau say anything when you handed her the key?"
"Just that she'd see you at home tonight. Are you sure it's wise, inviting her into your home? I mean, she doesn't exactly have a good track record with you."
Erin smiled at how protective Helen was being towards her and she shook her head. "It will be fine. We've made a lot of headway in the last few months. I mean, she did invite me to her wedding, after all."
"I suppose that there is that. Just, I don't know, be careful?"
Erin nodded, trying not to laugh gently at the woman's concern. "I think I've learned to be careful over the past few years, Helen. Have a good evening," she said as she stepped out of the elevator and headed over to her car. It was so nice to have someone in her life that was still talking to her, even as she wished that things had stayed the way they were going before John Curtis had decided to throw a wrench in everything.
She saw that Jennifer had parked outside, and kicked herself for forgetting to get her an extra garage door opener. After she had parked, she left the garage open so that the woman could park her car inside. Heading in her home, she breathed in the delicious scent of baked salmon. A small shiver of pleasure travelled down her spine as she wondered how Jennifer had known that that was one of her favorite dishes.
"I'm home," she called out as she entered the kitchen, a wide smile gracing her lips as Henry looked up at her grinning. "Do you like my house?"
"I do, Miss Erin. Mom even said that I could play on the swing set after supper. And maybe, if we stay here long enough, I can get a puppy?" His eyes widened as he continued to look into her eyes, as if begging her to say yes.
Erin looked away to glance at Jennifer, watching her shake her head a little. "We'll have to see, Henry. After all, this is just a temporary situation. Your mom is going to find a new home for you to live in, and then you'll have to negotiate for your puppy."
He nodded a little before patting the seat next to him at the table. "I guess. You have to sit here, Miss Erin." She nodded as she took the seat he wanted for her. "Mom said that she was going to try a new recipe out tonight, that we were going to be guinea pigs. What does that mean?"
Erin couldn't keep from giggling at his question, and he frowned a little at her, folding his arms across his chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you, honey. A guinea pig is sometimes used to test out new things, like vaccines and drugs and cosmetics. When your mom called us guinea pigs, she was just saying that she was testing something out on us that we might not like. But it is always the thought that counts."
She met Jennifer's gaze, and saw her smile sweetly before turning back to the oven, pulling out her large baking pan. Erin went to get up and help when the younger woman shook her head. "I've got this, Erin. Don't worry."
Erin sat back down and nodded, watching as Jennifer plated up their food before setting the plates in front of them. Picking up her fork, Erin flaked off a small piece and placed it in her mouth. The flavor exploded on her tongue, and she tried to keep from groaning loudly at the taste. Instead, she dug in with relish, enjoying every bite.
Henry seemed to copy her motions, and Jennifer smiled at her occasionally as they ate quietly. Erin felt like she should try to make conversation, but nothing came to mind. Fifty years of quiet suppers had left their mark on her, unfortunately, and she sighed a little as she helped Jennifer clean up. "All right, Henry. Let's go outside and play while it's still daylight."
Erin picked up her water glass and followed Henry and Jennifer out to her back yard. As she took a seat on the swing on the deck, she marveled at how quickly they had acclimated themselves to her space. It felt odd to think that things could change that rapidly, and she desperately wished that she could adjust as quickly. Henry made a beeline for the slide and she smiled, remembering how her Bruce loved to slide as well. "He's so adorable," she sighed.
"Yeah, he is. He's the best thing that ever happened in my life. While I may hate Will right now, he helped to create someone so precious to me. I will always be grateful to him for that." The woman sank down on the swing next to Erin and used her foot to push them back and forth slowly. "Though this does free me up to start looking at other people. I hope that I can find someone a little more faithful this time."
"Isn't that what we always hope for? To find someone in our lives who will cleave only to us?" Her thoughts turned bitter as she looked inwards to the past infidelities of her husband. When she was drinking, it had been easier to overlook his stepping out on her. Now, though, she could ruminate on the course of her marriage and see that she should have cut her losses before he had cut ties with her.
"Where's your mind at, Erin?" Turning to face Jennifer, she took in the concerned look in her eyes before she acknowledged the feel of her hand on her upper arm. Shrugging a little, she tried to drag her gaze away from the deep sapphire of Jennifer's eyes, feeling a little like she was drowning in her gaze.
"I was just thinking about my ex-husband," she finally murmured, shivering a little. Jennifer nodded and she felt the insane desire to lean forward and kiss her. Gasping a little, she stood suddenly and wrapped her arms around her stomach. "It's been a long day, I'm going to head upstairs and read for a bit before I go to sleep. Feel free to pull your car into the garage, the extra opener is in the kitchen by my keys. Have a good night."
Before Jennifer could say anything, Erin turned and scurried into the house, shutting the screen door firmly before making her way up to her bedroom. Once she was safe behind closed doors, she sank onto her bed and buried her face in her hands. She had no idea why she was feeling so off kilter, why she was thinking about kissing Jennifer, but it unsettled her. Letting out a deep sigh of regret, she stood once more and made her way over to her armoire, pulling out a silk negligee.
As she stripped, she tried to think about something other than Jennifer, failing miserably. Shaking her head a little, she padded over to her full length mirror and stared critically at her reflection. Without her bra on, she noticed that her breasts were starting to sag a little. Her stomach was a little too rounded to be conventionally pretty. Her face was lined with the experience of decades. And there was no way someone fifteen years her junior would ever give her a second glance, even if she was bisexual.
It was something that she hadn't admitted to many people, the only one who knew was Alex Blake, and they weren't talking at the moment. Though it would figure that these feelings were bubbling up to the surface just when they were starting to figure out where their relationship was heading. Shaking her head, she slipped the negligee on and padded over to her bed, crawling beneath the covers and picking up her book and reading glasses.
Erin found it hard to concentrate on the words of Antonia Fraser, and she gave up after reading the same paragraph four times in a row and still now knowing what she was reading. Setting her things aside once more, she turned onto her stomach and closed her eyes, trying to drift off to sleep. It was a long time coming, though, as thoughts of Jennifer and Alex ran through her head, keeping her up long past when she wanted.