went wide when she saw all my T-shirts neatly tucked inside.

I folded my arms and leaned against the doorway as she

opened each drawer and laughed. “What can I say? Stylish yet

functional.”

She ran a hand through her curls and looked at me. “Well,

I suppose you never have to worry about anyone stealing your

clothes.”

We walked back into the living room, and Hailey looked at

some of my framed prints hanging on the wall. “I’ve tried to hang

a few pictures, but I can’t get a nail in the mortar.”

“You need a special drill bit. I have one if you want some

help.”

Hailey grinned back at me with her hands on her hips. “I

suppose you keep your tools packed away in a file cabinet?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” I said with a grin of my own.

“Shall I fetch my drill?”

“Yes, please.”

Fuzzy chose that moment to growl in protest, and the slimy

ball was once again rubbed on my pants leg. “Okay, we’ll play

ball first.” I looked back up at Hailey with a mock scowl. “Now

you have me talking to your dog.”

After a long, long game of bounce and catch with Fuzzy, we

went back upstairs to Hailey’s apartment. Her furnishings were

not so utilitarian. Every piece of furniture was a dark cherry

that stood out against the light wood floors. Thick rugs gave

it a comfortable feel, unlike my naked floors. I kicked off my

shoes, afraid that I’d track something on them. Fuzzy led me to

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her corner of the living room first, so I could see her dog bed and

toy basket. She plucked out a few and rubbed them on my leg.

Fortunately, they were dry.

Hailey’s bedroom was equally cozy, if not more so than the

living room. In the corner was a sitting area with a chaise longue

and a small table with a reading lamp. I dug my bare toes into the

thick rug that covered much of the floor and gazed at her bed.

For a split second, I saw us lying there together, legs and arms

entwined.

“I haven’t done anything with the spare bedroom yet,” Hailey

said, calling my attention. “It’s still full of boxes that I’m in no

hurry to unpack.”

Even though she had no idea of what had crossed my mind,

I felt transparent and embarrassed. I backed out of the room,

thankful that Fuzzy was at my side demanding attention. We

played tug-of-war with a rabbit that she’d chewed the ears off of.

“You tell me where you want the holes, and I’ll make them,”

I said as I regained my composure.

We spent the next hour hanging her pictures, frequently

taking breaks to wrestle with Fuzzy and her mangled rabbit.

When the job was done, I planned to leave so as not to overstay

my welcome. Plus I’d totally blown off work for the day, and the

stress of being behind was creeping up my neck.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Hailey asked. “I was

going to make grilled pork chops.”

It was just after three and nowhere near dinnertime. “As much

as I’d like to say yes, I have a ton of work that I didn’t do today.”

Hailey looked at me apologetically. “That’s my fault, isn’t it?”

“No,” I said with a reassuring smile. “I enjoyed myself.”

“Well, why don’t you go home and work and I’ll have dinner

ready for six? You have to eat.”

“Great idea. What can I bring?”

“Nothing at all, you did all the work today with my pictures,”

Hailey said with a pleased smile. “It feels more like home here

now.”I gave her my phone number. “If you find that you need

anything, call me and I’ll run out for it.”

Robin Alexander

I put on a pot of coffee when I got home and dove into more

bank reconciliations. About an hour later, I realized that I’d not

poured myself a cup, so after a quick trip to the kitchen, I settled

back at my desk. Out of curiosity, I checked my messages, and to

my surprise, a new one from Newbie had arrived.

Hi, P.U.,

I hope you’re doing wel . Sorry that I haven’t written. I’ve

been a bit busy the last few days. I’d like to ask you a question.

Are you completely honest with the women you chat with here?

Newbie

I thought the question odd at first, but I answered anyway.

Hi, Newbie,

Nice to hear from you. I don’t answer any questions that I’m

not comfortable with, like telling someone where I live, but the

responses I choose to give are honest. Why do you ask?

P.U.

I turned up the sound on my computer so that if she did

answer, I’d hear the tone when the message hit my box. Twenty

minutes went by, and I heard the tone.

Hi, P.U.,

Thank you for your prompt answer. I’ve met someone I

real y like, and I haven’t exactly lied to her, but I haven’t been

forthcoming with the entire truth. I think she might be upset with

me when I tell her, but I don’t want to go on perpetuating half

truths because I think she’s someone I real y want to get to know.

Do you have advice?

Newbie

I sat blinking at the screen. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe I’d

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read too much into our conversations, but her earlier rebuff stung.

I didn’t take the time to think about my response.

Newbie,

Keep up the lie and hope she never finds out. That’s how the

game is played.

Good luck,

P.U.

I regretted the harsh response the minute I hit the send button.

The fault was my own. I should’ve responded to her last e-mail

when she told me she wasn’t ready to meet me. I went back and

read all of our prior e-mails, and they were brief and polite. I’d

read too much into them. I was too embarrassed to write her back

again. It was time to get my head on straight and leave Newbie

alone.

To make things worse, Hailey called me. She sounded upset.

“Hey, Shannon, I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to cancel our dinner

plans. Something has come up, and I’m gonna have to step out for

a while. I’m sorry.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just bad timing, I guess.”

“You want me to keep Fuzzy while you’re out?”

“No, I appreciate the offer, but she’ll be fine. I’ll talk to you

later.”

She disconnected before I could reply.

Robin Alexander

Chapter 8

The return of the Jedi sister.

Days went by, and I didn’t see Hailey at all. I went by her

place and knocked a few times, but she never answered, nor did

she answer my calls. I wondered if something was up with her

ex. I was standing in front of my window looking out at a clear

winter’s day when I saw a familiar head of curls coming down the

block. I hightailed it downstairs and met her as she came into the

courtyard. “Hey, how’re you doing?”

She didn’t smile, and her eyes were hidden behind her dark

glasses. “Hey, I’m fine. How about you?” She wasn’t rude, but her

tone was cool.

“I was worried about you. I haven’t seen you around.”

“There was a problem at the office. My vacation was cut

short. Been working a lot of long hours.”

I looked at the dark gray suit she was wearing and the briefcase

that she had slung over her shoulder and felt a little silly.

I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jeans that were

hanging loosely on my hips. “You want to go hit a few balls

tonight? Maybe work off some stress?”

She frowned then and shifted her briefcase to her other

shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have a lot of new job stuff.” Her

face flushed, and she started moving quickly toward the door.

“I’ll see you later,” she called over her shoulder.

She didn’t appear happy to see me at all, and I stood there

0

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wondering what I’d done. Everything was fine when I last saw

her. Dejected, I went back up to my apartment, and instead of

going back to work, I sat on the sofa, my head still swimming

from our encounter. I went back over every word… new job stuff.

In retrospect, I should’ve figured it out then, but I guess my

emotion clouded my judgment.

“Who the hell are you?” Kalen asked as she walked into my

apartment. She reached up and fingered my hair, then lifted up

my shirt and patted my shrunken belly. “Not that you looked bad

before, but, Shannon, you look amazing.” She hugged me tight,

then held me at arm’s length again. “I feel a shopping trip coming

on. We have to outfit this new body of yours.”

“You look great, too. Your hair is full of highlights.” I looked

closer at Kalen. Maybe it was the lighter hair framing her face

that gave her face a radiant glow. “I think you might’ve gained a

pound or two, and on you, it looks spectacular.”