Single dad comes home to find his CEO cleaning his house! Her reason left him in tears
Three weeks later, Jake walked through the glass doors of Wilson Enterprises with his new security badge clipped to his shirt. Senior Operations Manager. The title still felt surreal.
The changes had started immediately. David was gone, fired after the full audit revealed he’d stolen over $200,000 in phantom salaries. Two other department heads had been let go, and Lara had been true to her word.
Independent review boards, anonymous reporting channels, and company-wide audits were now standard. But it was the smaller changes that hit Jake hardest.
The break room on the operations floor now had actual coffee—good coffee. The overtime policy had been rewritten. And every technician now had their real performance reviews on file.
Jake’s first week in management had been overwhelming. Learning new systems, meeting with teams, trying to figure out how to lead people who’d been his peers just days ago. But Lara had been there every step. Not hovering, just present. Available. Real.
And somewhere in those late-night strategy sessions and early morning coffee runs, something had shifted between them.
His phone buzzed. A text from Lara: Conference room B, five minutes. Bring coffee.
Jake smiled despite himself and headed to the third floor. Lara was already there, standing by the window overlooking the city, her blazer draped over a chair. She looked tired but lighter somehow, like she’d been carrying a weight and finally set it down.
«You texted me for coffee?» Jake asked, holding up two cups. «You know there’s this amazing invention called a coffee maker.»
«I texted you because I wanted to see you.» She took one of the cups, her fingers brushing his. «And because I have news.»
«Good news or bad news?»
«Good. We’ve identified 12 more employees who are being exploited like you were. We’re correcting their salaries and backpaying what they’re owed.» She took a sip. «It’s costing the company $3 million.»
«The board is furious, and you don’t care.»
«I care that we’re doing the right thing.» Lara turned to face him fully. «The board will get over it. And if they don’t, they can find a new CEO.»
Jake studied her face. «You’d really walk away? From the company I built?»
«It would hurt, but yes.» Her voice was steady. «I’d rather lose the company than lose myself again. I spent 15 years becoming someone I don’t recognize. Someone who’d walk past good people suffering and not even notice.»
She paused. «Someone who’d never sit at a kitchen table drawing butterflies with a seven-year-old.»
«Sophie asks about you, you know. Almost every day.»
Something soft crossed Lara’s face. «Yeah?»
«Yeah. She wants to know when you’re coming over again. I keep telling her you’re busy, but…» Jake set down his coffee. «She’s not the only one wondering.»
The air between them shifted, charged with something unspoken.
«Jake, I know this is complicated. I know there are rules about fraternization and power dynamics and all that corporate stuff. But I can’t stop thinking about you.»
The words came out in a rush. «And not as my boss. As the woman who showed up at my house and was brave enough to admit she was wrong. As the person who sat with my daughter and made her laugh. As someone who’s trying so damn hard to be better.»
Lara’s eyes glistened. «I think about you too. Constantly. About you and Sophie and what it felt like to be in your kitchen that night. Feeling more like myself than I have in years.»
She took a shaky breath. «But I’m terrified, Jake. I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be someone’s anything. I’ve spent my entire adult life alone.»
«So have I. Since my wife died, it’s just been me and Sophie. I forgot what it felt like to want something for myself.»
Jake stepped closer. «But then you walked into my life, and suddenly, I’m remembering.»
«What if I mess this up? What if I’m too damaged? Too focused on work? Too…»
«Then we figure it out together.» Jake reached for her hand. «I’m not asking for perfect, Lara. I’m just asking for real.»
She looked down at their joined hands, and a tear slipped down her cheek. «Your daughter drew me a butterfly.»
«I know. It’s on my fridge.»
«I cried when I got home that night. Cried because I’m 31 years old, and a seven-year-old’s drawing made me feel more valued than a decade of board meetings and profit reports.» She laughed wetly. «How pathetic is that?»
«It’s not pathetic. It’s human.» Jake squeezed her hand. «Come to dinner. Tomorrow night. Nothing fancy, just me and Sophie and whatever I can manage to cook without burning.»
Lara looked up at him, hope and fear warring in her eyes. «Are you sure?»
«I’m terrified, but yeah, I’m sure.»
She nodded, a real smile breaking through. «Okay. Tomorrow night.»
The next evening, Jake burned the chicken. Of course he did.
He’d been too nervous to focus, too busy making sure the apartment didn’t look like a disaster zone. Sophie had helped, which meant her toys were now neatly organized in somewhat chaotic piles.
When the doorbell rang at 6:30, Sophie sprinted for the door. «I’ll get it! I’ll get it!»
Jake caught her before she could yank the door open. «Easy, kiddo. Let’s use our manners, remember?»
Sophie nodded seriously and opened the door with exaggerated care. Lara stood there in jeans and a soft sweater, holding a bakery box and looking just as nervous as Jake felt.
«Hi, Sophie! You came!» Sophie threw her arms around Lara’s waist. «Daddy said you might be too busy, but you came!»
Lara’s eyes met Jake’s over Sophie’s head, shimmering with emotion. «I wouldn’t miss it for anything.»
Dinner was chaotic. The chicken was definitely overcooked, the vegetables were somehow both mushy and undercooked, and Sophie spilled her juice twice.
But Lara laughed. She really laughed when Sophie told her about the science project that exploded in class. And when Jake apologized for the third time about the food, Lara just smiled and said it was perfect.
After dinner, Sophie insisted on showing Lara her room. Every toy, every book, every drawing on her wall. Jake watched from the doorway as Lara sat cross-legged on the floor, giving Sophie her complete attention.
«This one’s Mr. Hoppy,» Sophie explained, holding up her worn rabbit. «He was Mommy’s when she was little. Daddy gave him to me after she went to heaven.»
Lara’s expression softened. «He must be very special then.»
«He is. He helps when I’m sad.» Sophie looked up at Lara with those two wise eyes. «Do you get sad sometimes?»
«Yes, sweetheart, I do.»
«Do you have a Mr. Hoppy?»
Lara glanced at Jake, then back at Sophie. «No, I don’t think I do.»
Sophie considered this seriously, then held out a smaller stuffed bear. «You can borrow Mr. Buttons. He’s really good at making people feel better.»
«Sophie, you don’t have to—» Lara started.
«I want to. Friends help friends, right?»
Lara’s voice cracked. «Right.»
She accepted the bear carefully, like it was made of glass. «Thank you, Sophie. I’ll take very good care of him.»
