I drew a deep breath and took a moment to collect my thoughts before pressing the doorbell.
I heard a brief commotion from inside, before Sarah opened the door, shooting me a quick smile. "Hey Jake. Come in, he's just gone off to sleep."
"Thanks, sorry again for being so late, work's been nuts recently. I'll just grab him and get him in the car. How long's he been down?"
"No problem, only about ten minutes. Come in for a coffee before you go." She was already walking toward the kitchen. I watched her with some resignation for a second, before slipping my shoes off and following her.
Sarah was our childminder, and one of my (soon to be ex-) wife's close friends. I'd not bumped into her since the split a few months before, usually collecting my son from my wife.
She was sitting at her dining table as I entered the kitchen, waiting for me. I pulled up a chair opposite her and resigned myself to what must've been the hundredth conversation I'd had about the split.
"So," she fixed her green eyes on me. "You and Laura."
I glanced around. "Where are the girls?"
"At their Dad's. What happened?"
I shook my head lightly and looked at her. "Honestly, Sarah, I don't really want to get into it. I'm sure Laura's told you everything you need to know; from my perspective, we just drifted apart over the years. Nothing to gain from dwelling on it."
She gave me a slight smile. "Alright. But, you know, I went through the same thing with Chris. It sucks. I might be Laura's friend, but we've known each other for, what, fourteen years? Nothing to say we can't remain friends."
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. It sucks. And I appreciate that."
We sat in silence for a few moments, and I took the opportunity to appreciate Sarah. She was beautiful, her green eyes accompanied by wavy blonde hair and full, plump lips.
She glanced down at the table. "So, have you been seeing anyone new?"
I tried not to show the flash of irritation that passed through me. "No. Furthest thing from my mind, to be honest."
She arched an eyebrow. "Really? It's been months."
"You can assure her there's no-one else."
Sarah let out a soft tinkling laugh. "Oh, Laura didn't ask. Ah, the coffee." Her lips curled back into a smile. She stood. "Or would you prefer some wine?"
"Tea sounds good, thanks."
"Let's have some wine." She turned and as she walked to the kitchen top I couldn't help but run my eyes across her. She was wearing a loose white sundress that ended just above the soft curves of her calves, and white socks. Her hips swayed slightly as she walked, and I briefly pictured the hourglass figure I knew she was hiding under the dress.
"So are you still living in the house?" She asked as she made herself busy.
"No, I wanted to, just to make things less disruptive for the boy, but it was too much. I found an apartment for the time being. Nothing special, but it's a roof."
She sighed theatrically. "That's a shame. Oh God, you don't think Laura will want to cook instead now do you?" I snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure we'll just order in. Still, it'll be different without you there. Now who's going to stare at my butt when he thinks I'm not looking?"
My eyes snapped up from her legs to her head, but she hadn't even turned around. I gaped for a moment before mumbling, "Come again?"
She turned to face me, leaning against the kitchen top, her hands spread either side of her. Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Oh, come on, Jake. We're big boys and girls. I've noticed lots of times."
I laughed awkwardly. "Well... It's a great butt. I'm sure there's a ton of guys falling over themselves for you."
She grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses and sauntered over to stand very close to me. She filled both glasses. "I don't know about that," she said. She was almost a foot shorter than me, and she was so close I could smell the coconut scent of her hair.
I took an offered glass and pushed my chair back and to the side to face her. "Was I really so obvious?"
She rolled her eyes. "Please. That week in Cornwall you were eyefucking me so hard I almost bought a morning after pill." I laughed sheepishly.
She picked up her glass and before I really took stock of what was happening, she sat sideways on my lap, her hand reaching around the back of my head. I could feel her nails lightly as she wound her fingers through my hair.
She leaned in close, her face only centimetres from my own. One of my hands found her lower back, the other found her thigh. I could feel her breasts pressing lightly into my chest. "And, if I'm being honest; I loved it."