Babysitter, Nanny, Friend ...

I'd fantasised about Eve for a long time and I knew that I was madly in love with her. I accepted that and also that I'd have to be careful because she didn't feel the same way about me. She wasn't a lesbian, she was older. I'd need to bide my time until the right person came along and that obviously wasn't Eve.

Graduation and beyond

My graduation ceremony was going to be a proud moment for me and my Mum, but I was stunned that my Dad had travelled back home especially for the occasion. He and Mum had got along nicely in the three days since he'd arrived and they'd had a civilised conversation about divorce.

As I walked out of the hall to meet Mum and Dad, clutching my scroll and feeling pleased with myself, I stopped in my tracks. Eve was standing with my parents. Oliver was beside her grinning at me. My Mum and Dad gave me big hugs and made all sorts of proud noises, but I could see Eve watching me. I bent down to kiss Oliver and he giggled as Eve spoke, "Your boyfriend insisted that he wanted to see you collect your award." She laughed, grabbed me around the waist, kissed my cheek and whispered, "Well done, I'm very proud of you. You've done so much for Oliver and me in the last few years, I couldn't bear the idea of not being here and your Mum helped."

I was now in tears. My parents, Eve and Oliver had all made the trip for this day and I realised how special that was. Eve had booked lunch for us at a country hotel far enough away to avoid the mass of other students who were also celebrating. We chatted over a very nice meal and after the main course, Oliver was sitting on my knee asking about my gown, when I noticed Dad watching at me. He touched Mum's arm and quietly said, "She looks like a natural Mum doesn't she?"

Mum turned to him to reply, "I'm sure that one day she will be. She loves Oliver a great deal and has been very good with him."

*****

I had a job as a trainee working for a management company that supplied a variety of services to small businesses: HR, accountancy, legal services, stock-taking, that sort of thing. The office was close so I could live at home with Mum. It wasn't a glamorous outfit, but they had a good reputation for training.

I started off working in the administration department which helped me to get to know the other staff, who were pretty friendly. It wasn't taxing work and after a few months, I was moved to the audit and stock-taking section. This was more demanding, there was lots of paperwork and dozens of checks to be carried out. Stocktaking got me out of the office and opened my eyes to the range of businesses that there were. I quickly realised that I was able to spot anomalies, no idea why or how, but I found quite a lot, which pleased my bosses.

I hadn't been dating, but I'd been out with some of the other girls a few times and I'd heard a couple of them talking about me one day, apparently, I was a 'cold fish.'

I saw Eve a couple of times a month, for a girl's night and on other odd occasions. I also watched Oliver if she had to go somewhere. One night Mum was heading out with friends for the evening, so I packed a few things and headed over to stay over at Eve's and take Oliver swimming the next morning.

Oliver was excited as he told me about school and his new friends over dinner. Eve got up to clear the table and told Oliver to get ready for bed, he resisted until I promised to read him a story. As he walked away he stumbled and knocked over a small stack of papers that Eve must have brought home from work.

"Go get ready, I'll sort these." I picked the papers up and noticed that the pages were numbered but were now out of sequence.

I read to Oliver and he was soon asleep, so I kissed his forehead and headed back downstairs. Eve was on the phone exchanging words with her mother in law. I smiled, they still didn't get along and I knew that Eve would spend ten minutes cursing as soon as she hung up. I sipped my wine and started to sort out the papers. As I was doing so I realised they included estimates for jobs and prices for components. A couple of things caught my attention that didn't feel right.

Eve saw me taking a photo of a couple of pages, she looked at me quizzically, "Are you spying on my business?"

"Oliver stumbled and they went flying, so I've sorted them out again. There are a couple of prices that I want to check. I've just done an audit and I think that you might be overpaying for a couple of things."

"That's not good and it would be interesting to know. Don't get in trouble because of it. Now, wine?"

"Yes, please. Thanks for dinner, I really enjoyed it."

"How are you getting on with your colleagues, you were out with them last week weren't you?"

"They're great at work, but socially they want to talk crap. Men, shopping, TV shows, celebrity gossip. As you know; not my thing, not one conversation about current affairs or the real world. Not like the conversations we have or the things I talk to Mum about. And apparently, I'm 'a bit of a cold fish,' I overheard two of them talking about me."

Eve laughed. "You? Oh dear, you're far from that, maybe you change your persona when you dress for work."

We talked into the early hours of the morning and laughed a great deal. I went to bed smiling. The next morning we took Oliver swimming. It was fun, but I knew that I'd need to do some work on my hair later because the chemicals dried it out and made it look a bit freaky.

*****

It was the middle of the week before I managed to get hold of the documents that I wanted to check. A quick look told me that my suspicions were correct and I stayed behind for an extra half hour to complete my research.

When I reached my car I called Eve. "Have you eaten yet? Do you have plans?"

"Oliver's eaten. I was going to rustle something up and I don't have plans, I never have plans."

"How about I bring some Thai take away and I'll be there in half an hour?"

"Okay. Mysterious, but see you then."

She wanted to know what was wrong, but I insisted that we eat first. We cleared away and sat down together. "I think that you're overpaying for quite a lot of your components, fastenings, that type of thing. Some of the stuff that you buy is far more expensive than one of the companies that I was working for is paying. You need to check on the specs, but there's something wrong and I'd guess that if I found it that easily, then there's likely to be more."

We discussed the details and tried to work out how to confirm what I suspected.

On Saturday my Mum looked after Oliver. It hadn't been hard to persuade her to help out and he enjoyed being with her because she spoiled him. Eve and I went to her factory to trawl through piles of paper records and numerous computer files. I made lots of notes in the four hours it took me to gather the information that I needed.

Mum brought Oliver over to Eve's house late that afternoon and stayed for dinner. I loved that evening, being with my favourite people, laughing and at ease. I'd not intended to stay overnight so I headed home with Mum.

I was back early the following day having stopped to buy croissants for breakfast, including a pain au chocolat for Oliver. He loved it and managed to get the filling all over his face. Eve kept me going with coffee for several hours until eventually, I threw down my pen and sighed.

Eve sat down opposite me and raised her eyebrows. "It looks as if you're paying over the odds for a lot of small components. Each item on its own doesn't amount to much, but a few pence on each one when you buy a thousand adds up. I don't want to make accusations, but either your buyer is not doing his job properly or they're getting a kickback. I don't know which, but my guess would be the former."

Eve looked sad, "That guy's been there for a long time, a nice man. Can I confront him or is there something else you need?"

"I need to get a day off and sit with you when you make some calls. I'd do it, but if it got back to my boss I'd be fired."

I got my day off later in the week and sat giving Eve the questions as she called several companies. By the end of that day, we'd identified new suppliers offering far better prices and, in some cases, better quality products. When Eve confronted the person responsible he admitted that he'd taken a few shortcuts and was working towards his retirement in a year's time because he had health problems. Eve surprised us both when she held his hand and told him that he could take early retirement and that she'd ensure that he wouldn't lose out. He burst into tears and I admit that I came close as well.

Eve phoned me a couple of days later, "Glad rags on Friday; I'm taking you out to dinner to thank you. Your Mum has agreed to take Oliver, not that she needed much persuasion."

The two of us looked pretty hot as we linked arms and strolled into the restaurant. She was still my hero and I still felt the same way about her, but she was also my closest friend and that was good enough. It was modern small food, haute cuisine, but it looked stunning and tasted great.

"Would you like a coffee here or come back home with me? There's something I want to talk to you about."

Eve called my Mum to check on Oliver and she was able to report that they'd watched a film and eaten popcorn. "Your Mum says that Oliver is cuter than you were at that age." We both laughed.

We sat at opposite ends of the couch with coffees and brandy. "So what's the big mystery?"

"Firstly, I want to thank you for the work that you did, you've saved us quite a bit of money. It also made me realise that I have lots of deadwood and too many people are coasting along. I need someone with some dynamism, someone who helps me to push things forward."

I sipped my drink. It made sense, but I didn't see how it involved me.

Eve took a deep breath, "I want to offer you a job. As Trainee Manager, but I'd want you to do the buying, audits, the stuff you've been doing and I'd gradually show you the rest of the management process. Eventually, you'd become my assistant."

My eyes were out on stalks, my mouth was open, but no words were coming out of it. I sipped my brandy and eventually managed a response, but not much of one, "Come and work for you?"

"Yes, you want to learn how to run a business and working for my company would put you right in the middle of everything, not a small cog in that big place where you are just now."

It was a lot to think about, Eve was my friend, could this harm our friendship? I had no idea. We talked for hours and I fell asleep still thinking about her offer.

The next morning we went over to my house where Oliver was watching from the window. "He's been great, we had fun didn't we?" Oliver nodded as he hugged Eve and then me. We chatted for a few minutes before the two of them headed off, Oliver shouting as he walked away, "Thanks Isla's Mum, it was good."

I made coffee and told her about Eve's offer. "What do you think?"

"What you think is more important. Ask yourself this, will you get a better experience and will you enjoy it? You two are close, that could be good and bad, but you know that I like Eve."

We talked about it on and off all day, except when we were shopping. I bought myself several pairs of shoes and they all had high heels. My ankle was fine now and I hadn't worried about it for a long time. Even the scar had faded a lot.

I woke up feeling great on Sunday morning and made breakfast. "Mum, I'm going to take Eve up on her offer. I think I have more to gain than lose."

"Good, I think that you're right, but it had to be your choice."

I called to tell Eve that was heading over and was, once again, knocked senseless by Oliver as soon as I stepped inside. "Isla, Isla come and see, I've got some new stuff."

The next hour was spent on my knees helping him to assemble some parts from a huge kit so that we could make a crane. We were both pleased when it worked. "Thanks, Isla, I love you."

I sat back on my heels lost in thought. I wish that he was mine, but maybe one day I'd have my own. Eve found me and smiled, "Thanks for that, he loves you. Coffee?"

"Yes, please. Eve, if I take this job will it affect us, our friendship? I value it too much to put at risk."

"I don't think so. We've been friends for a long time. If you take the job, I'd want you to help me and in turn, I want to help you." She told me how much she would pay and although that wasn't as important in the long run, it was generous, to say the least.

*****

My employers were stunned by my decision and there were a few catty comments from some of the girls. Maybe that would be a thing of the past soon. I just needed to remember that Eve would be my boss and to control those stupid thoughts I had about her, but I'd been doing that for a few years now.

For a couple of months, I wondered if I'd made the right decision, but as time passed I settled in. I did most of the buying and when I went to speak to the people who used the bits and pieces I started to understand more about their jobs. In turn, they explained some of their frustrations and were stunned when I asked how we could change things or if we could get different components. Before long I had people coming to see me and we made a few modifications. That understanding helped me to deal with the suppliers and to drive a hard bargain. It was very satisfying and Eve kept complimenting me, apparently, profits were improving.

I was on my knees playing with Oliver one evening when I overheard Eve on the phone talking to my Mum. "She's doing well, Sandra, making a real difference. It may have been the best decision I've made." I smiled as Oliver extracted another block from the Jenga tower which somehow stayed upright. It stayed upright until I started to move a block and he rolled on the floor laughing as the tower collapsed.

"Isla, you're rubbish at Jenga. Want to play again?"

"One-day young man I'll beat you. Set them up."

*****

I'd worked for Eve for almost a year. It was all business in the office, but we were still close friends and enjoyed great evenings together and had lots of fun with Oliver.

One day Eve came into my office, "Isla would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow. A girl's night and I'm sure Oliver would like to see you."

"Okay." There was no need to think about it. I had things under control; Eve was a friend and my boss.

I played a board game with Oliver whilst Eve was cooking. He still giggled a lot and he had me beaten at every game, no matter what it was. "Oliver it's time for bed. Go and wash, we'll come and say goodnight after we've had some dinner."

He stood up and packed the game away, then smiled at me, "Thanks Isla you're good fun. I love you. Will you read to me?"

"Sure I will. I love you too."

I walked over towards where Eve was plating up the food. "Do you love him?" She asked.

"Of course I do. It would be impossible not to given how close we were."

"I had an awful thought a couple of days ago, about ..." I was sure that she might burst into tears. "I had a thought about something happening to me, like Mike, and what would happen to him."

Wow. "Surely Mike's Mum ..."

"No, no. If that happened I'd prefer you to look after him. Stupid I know and an imposition, you're so young, have a life ahead of you and you'll have your own family one day."

"Look it's not likely, is it? But if it did I promise you that I'd be there for him. He's so sweet.

"Thank you." She looked relieved. Would it be that easy?

We ate and afterwards I read a Cat in the Hat story until Oliver fell asleep. I sat on the sofa with Eve and sipped at a glass of wine.

"I'd like to get away, I need a break. Oliver needs some time with me, without work distracting me. I've rented a villa in Mallorca that has a pool."

"Wow, that'll be great. I loved Mallorca when we were there."

"I know you did and I'd like you to come with us. You're my best friend, please say that you will."

I sipped my wine, being so close to her could be dangerous. I'd avoided dating and other close friendships because I would never feel that strongly about anyone else. 'Could I do this?'

"If you're sure, that would be nice, thank you." The grin extended across her face from ear to ear and it was so bloody sexy.

Things happen

The villa was on a cliff overlooking the Med. It was beautiful and had a private pool, so I spent lots of time playing in it with Oliver. The day after our arrival we'd gone to a restaurant in the village for dinner. As we set off to walk back, we realised that another couple, who'd been eating near to us were heading in the same direction. We got chatting and discovered that they were staying in the villa next door. They were from Hamburg and their little boy, Stefan, was almost the same age as Oliver.

A couple of nights later we looked after Stefan so that Hans and Sabine could have a romantic evening. They'd returned the favour the following evening; ours had lacked much romance, even though it was nice not to have to worry about Oliver.

I'd spent a lot of time enjoying the sun with a good book and needless to say Eve and I talked about every subject under the sun, except one; how I felt about her. Seeing her in a bikini or bathing suit did terrible things to me, she was a stunning woman. I'd managed for six days and only had another week to go, I could manage this, I'd done so for such a long time now, but it was going to be hard.

Oliver was playing in a pool at the house next door with Stefan, being looked after by Hans and Sabine. I finished rubbing sun cream onto Eve's back and she rolled over holding her bikini top over her breasts. Then she started to laugh, "I don't know why I'm holding this, you've seen these before." She nodded towards her breasts.

"Yes, and they're very beautiful." Blood rushed to my face, I didn't know where to look.

"Have you been peeking?" She had a huge grin and her eyes were full of mischief.

I nodded and muttered, "Sorry."

Then a different look crossed Eve's face, one that made me nervous. "Isla, have you ever been with another woman, girl?" The colour in my face became a deeper shade of red. I nodded, but I couldn't look at her.

"I did too. A long time ago, when I was at University before I met Mike. It was good."

I looked down at her thinking, 'please, please kiss me,' but I left that thought in my head and stayed silent. It's possible that she could read my mind because she put her fingers against my cheek and sat upright. Pulling gently on my shoulder she closed in on me and applied her lips to mine. They touched briefly and then I woke up and pulled back.

"What are you doing?" I was terrified, even though I'd wanted this for a very long time.

"I was trying to kiss you, Isla. You have feelings for me and I'm in love with you. Can I kiss you?" She was pleading.

I fell into her arms and we kissed. I felt her soft touch against my lips; she ran her tongue over them and gently forced my lips apart. Her tongue touched my teeth and I parted them to allow her in. This was so wonderful, surprising, and it felt as if it was meant to be. I moved my lips and they danced against hers, so soft and gentle, our tongues played with each other. I'd never had a kiss that felt like this one. I started to melt and then suddenly it hit me, she'd said that she loved me! Maybe I'd misheard, it wasn't possible, it couldn't be.

Eventually, I had to pull away. I was scared and stared at her, afraid to believe that what had just happened was real. "This isn't right, it's not right we can't...."

Eve took my hand and placed the forefinger from the other hand against my lips, shushing me. "Isla, the first time that I saw you I felt attracted to you and put it aside as being stupid, I was married for goodness sake. Over the last few years, we've become friends as well as all the other stuff, but I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to kiss you." She looked away, embarrassed and lowered her voice, "And a few other things as well."