“You have a beautiful home,” she told Brandy, who was now opening the sliding door, which led to a pool that was almost as big as the public pool.

“Thank you so much. You’re so sweet.” Brandy’s eyes lit up as if an idea had just popped into her head. “What are you and Nolan doing for dinner tonight?”

“I’m not sure,” Erin answered honestly. “I didn’t have time to plan anything. I’ll probably just pick something up on the way home.”

“Nonsense.” Brandy waved a hand at her. “You two should stay here.”

“Oh my gosh, no. We couldn’t. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family time.” Erin had to admit that a home-cooked meal she didn’t have to make sounded wonderful, but she also didn’t want to make Blair uncomfortable. Plus, she was sure Brandy was just being nice and didn’t actually want her to stay.

“You’d actually be doing me a favor. I made enough food for Blake and his girlfriend, and he just called to let me know they made other plans. I don’t want that food to go to waste.”

Erin looked toward the pool to see how Blair felt about her mother’s invite. If the deer-in-the-headlights look she was giving her mom was any indication, she definitely did not want Erin to accept her mom’s offer.

“We’d love to stay, but I don’t want to make Blair feel like she’s working overtime.” Even though she was addressing Brandy, Erin kept her eyes on Blair as if they were having a secret conversation.

“But I want to have dinner at Bear’s big house!” Nolan yelled.

Blair’s face softened as she reached out to grab ahold of Nolan. “Then I think you should stay.” Her eyes drifted back to Erin and a small smile parted her lips. “Hanging out with this dude never feels like work. I’d love it if you stayed.”

I’d love it if you stayed. The words echoed through Erin’s brain as if there was a deeper meaning to them. For just a moment, she let herself believe there was. She stared at Blair, who was still smiling at her, and was transported to a different time and place that didn’t actually exist. She pictured Blair standing at her front door and reaching out a hand when Erin turned to leave. She imagined Blair pulling her back into her arms and saying those exact words. As they both struggled to catch their breath, their lips were drawn together like magnets and…

“Mommy!” Nolan shouted. “I want to stay.”