Page 52 of Loving Jemima
“I enjoy organizing,” Ellie said. “But to be honest, I had an internship at a planning company when I was in college and it just sort of went from there.” She cleared her throat. “I’d, um, ask how you became what you became but…”
“I didn’t become anything?” Jem offered. She squeezed Ellie’s hand to show that she was kidding.
“Well, sort of,” Ellie said, shifting in her seat so that she was looking at Jem full on. “I mean, you’re obviously intelligent, you’re definitely charming, you have a lot to offer, I just don’t really see why you’re not doing something that you love, I suppose.”
“You really think that?”
There was a slight pause. “Yes,” Ellie said quietly. “Yes, I do.”
Jem shrugged. “I suppose I just… missed a step somewhere. I never found that thing that I love, I never had to. I think my parents assumed I’d just get married and then I didn’t, obviously, so now it’s all… complicated.”
Ellie debated saying something. But she didn’t want to ruin the evening with talk of Jem’s family, of her secret. Not this one evening. She was supposed to be having fun, she reminded herself.
“We’re almost there,” said Jem, distracting them both as the car pulled up in front of a darkened building.
“Almost where?” Ellie couldn’t see the lights of a bar or anything similar.
“Just you wait,” Jem said. She started to open the door, then hesitated. “Um, just one thing.”
“Yes?”
“There, er, there are probably some people I know in here, or who know who I am and, well, if we could…” She trailed off.
“Be discreet?” offered Ellie. If she’d known this was how it was going to be, she might not have come.
“Mmmm.”
“Fine,” Ellie said. She supposed that she’d let Jem into herworld. Now it was her turn to see Jem’s. And she was more than capable of behaving herself, even if that meant not touching Jem for the next few hours.
But she felt sad as she followed Jem out of the car.
“I HAD NO idea places like that really existed,” Ellie said, laughing as they stepped back out into the night hours later.
“It’s a private club,” Jem said. “There are tons of them hidden around the city, but they don’t exactly advertise. You should see my father’s, it’s all pipes and hunting trophies and women can’t go into half the rooms.”
“Sounds lovely,” said Ellie.
“Come on,” Jem said. “This way.”
Ellie let herself be led, surprised to find that she wasn’t as tired as she would have expected. Jem took her hand as they rounded a corner and headed toward the river. The sky was already lightening, turning a pale gray.
“Just in time,” said Jem, stopping in the middle of the bridge. A pale edge of orange was visible at the horizon. “This is my favorite time of day.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sunrise,” Ellie said, starting to shiver with cold.
Jem pulled her in close, warming her with her body. “It’s a brand new, fresh start, and it happens every morning,” she said softly. “Something I’ve always found to be quite miraculous.”
Ellie laid her head on Jem’s chest as the sky turned from gray to pale gold and then bright orange, as the sun rose over the city, balancing on the water of the river for what felt like forever. She could smell Jem, could feel every inch of her body. “It is miraculous,” she said.
“I thought you’d fallen asleep,” Jem laughed, and Ellie could feel the vibrations of it all through her self.
“No,” Ellie said, half to herself. “No, not yet. I wouldn’t want to miss this.”
“You’ll miss work if you’re not careful,” Jem said pulling back. “We should get at least a bit of sleep, don’t you think?”
Ellie didn’t want the evening to end. She couldn’t imagine being alone. Not after spending the entire night with someone there. It sounded cold and lonely to let Jem go. “My flat’s close,” she said, hardly believing that she was saying anything.
Jem said nothing for a long moment. “Well, we’d better go then,” she said finally.