“Pal, it sounds like you were pretty wound up to me. And I’m not shocked, exactly. I mean, I wouldn’t have imagined bouncing on the hay was your style, but hey, whatever works.” She grinned and sampled one of the cookies Laura had picked up at the bakery. “And I take it that it worked just fine.”

Mollified, Laura took a cookie herself. “I,” she said smugly, “was an animal.”

With a snort, Kate raised one of Laura’s arms over their heads. “Way to go, champ. So, now—about the details.”

“I can’t. Well, maybe. No.” The gleam in her eye matched Kate’s. “No.”

“Come on, just one detail, then. One little detail of Laura’s Wild Night.”

She laughed, shook her head, nibbled on her lip. God knew, she could tell Kate, or Margo, anything. And it had been so rare lately for her to be able to share something so wonderful and reckless. Fastidiously, she brushed crumbs off the counter.

“He ripped my clothes off.”

“Metaphorically or literally?”

“Literally. Just tore them to shreds. Just . . .” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “God.”

“God,” Kate echoed, fanning a hand in front of her face.

“That’s it.” Laura scooted off the stool and dumped her cold tea into the sink. “I can’t do this. It feels like high school.”

“Pal, you’ve graduated and your cap and gown are in tatters. Congratulations.” She cocked her head as Laura rinsed out her cup. She knew the woman who carefully washed out china as well as she knew herself. “Are you in love with him?”

Laura watched the water run and drain. “I don’t know. Love, this kind of love, isn’t as simple as I once thought it was. I’m afraid I could be, and I don’t want to complicate everything.”

“You once told me that love just happened, couldn’t be planned,” Kate pointed out. “I found out you were right.”

With care, she set the cup to drain. She’d already given Kate’s question a great deal of thought, knowing it would be asked by those who cared the most. “If it does happen, I’ll deal with it. There’s so much more to him than I ever imagined. And every time I see one of those pieces I didn’t know was there fall into place, I’m more involved.”

Laura dried her hands and turned back to Kate. “I’m not going to get dreamy-eyed this time around, or want more than someone’s capable of giving. I’m just going to enjoy it.”

“Is that going to work for you?”

“The way I feel this afternoon, it’s working perfectly.” Feeling loose, she stretched her arms high. “Absolutely perfectly.”