The next week, Emily came again.
Then she came again.
Before long, I realized we no longer needed an excuse.
Sometimes she would simply call after work and ask,
“Do you have coffee on the patio today?”
I would laugh.
“For you? Always.”
Nothing happened quickly between us.
For a long time, I did not even allow myself to think of her that way.
The age difference between us was so large that the idea of Emily ever seeing me as anything more than an old friend seemed ridiculous.
But over the months, we became best friends.
She knew when talking about Mary made me sad.
I knew when she was worried about her mother’s health.
She never treated me like a rich old man.
And I no longer saw her as the housekeeper who once cleaned my home.