“You’d look great in a little pleated skirt.”

“I’ve a daughter that wears pleated skirts.”

“I’m not interested in your daughter.”

“I’d feel like a freak.”

“How do you think I’d feel in crotchless leather pants?”

“Fabulous.”

He stops walking and turns to face me, and I walk smack into the middle of his chest. He’s taken off his wet shirt and tucked it into the back of his shorts and I lean against his warm, bare chest. “You’re fabulous,” I say, my voice dropping as I press closer.

His body is hard. He’s hard. I’m just as turned on, and one kiss leads to another and pretty soon we’re ducking behind a fallen tree and getting busy.

The tree bark is rough, the rain is warm, and Kai is amazing. I feel amazing.

I feel younger than I have in fifteen years.

Of course, nothing lasts forever. Not even six idyllic days in paradise. Vacation’s over and I’m back home again, even more crabby and jet-lagged than last time.

Nic calls Monday after the kids have returned to school, asking if I’ve time to meet her for lunch. I don’t know that I should go for lunch, but I don’t want to be alone. We agree to meet at Cactus at eleven-thirty.

We’re so busy talking that we take half an hour just to order. Nic’s a former Catholic school teacher and is in the process of starting her own photography business. She doesn’t have an official studio, shoots mostly kids—black-and-white candids in parks and their own home.

She’s finding it’s taking a lot of time and not necessarily paying a lot in financial dividends. “I like the work, though. It’s interesting, and it keeps me busy. I was getting so bored staying home.”

“Why didn’t you go back to teaching?” I ask.

“I wanted to have more freedom and flexibility than teaching would have given me. I wanted to work when the kids were in school and then be home when they were home.”

“That’s how my business started.”

“And now you work…?”

“All the time.”

“That’s because of your divorce.”

She says it so bluntly that the air catches in my throat. I look at her closely, trying to figure out exactly what she meant. “I’m working a lot because my business has really grown.”

“But you don’t need your income, do you? Daniel pretty much took care of you, didn’t he?”

“He was generous with the kids, and he made sure the kids had a roof over their heads. But I have to work. I can’t pay my bills without having a job.”

“Maybe you guys could still reconcile.”