The whole story poured out of me. Every bit, from start to finish. The proposition. The kiss on the wrist. The brush of lips by the pool. Watching him in the shower. The night on my piazza…the eighteen hours we spent together. I told her everything. Every feeling and every thought that passed through my head during the time we spent together. Every feeling and thought I’d had since. Told her about our shared calendar, and the trip to Costa Rica, and the harsh words he had for me a few weeks ago. I told her all of this, but I didn’t even say his name.

I didn’t have to.

“I knew that mannish boy was nothing but trouble.”

“But he wasn’t, Minnie. He woke me up, and... I think… I think I might…” I couldn’t say the words out loud, but that didn’t matter either.

Minnie nodded knowingly. “I know. I know.”

She sighed and let her head sag between her shoulders. She held that position for a long moment, then turned, opened the freezer, and pulled out the half-empty bottle of whiskey. Grabbing a mug from the cabinet, she poured herself some coffee and sweetened it with a generous pour.

I ate, and she drank, and when both my plate and her mug were empty, she set her piercing blue eyes on me.

“So, what do you want, Darcy? What do you want to do about this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you think you might be in love with this boy, and he’s always been in love with you, so what do you want? What are you going to do about it?”

“He’s my son’s best friend, Minnie. His very best friend! It doesn’t matter what I want. There’s nothing to do.”

“Of course, there is.”

“No, there isn’t. We can’t be together.”

“And why? Why can’t you be together? What are you afraid of?”

“Uh… I could destroy my relationship with my only son, and he’d could lose his best friend for something that might only be a fling.”

“So, don’t tell him. Don’t tell Jared.”

“Minerva!”

“What? It’s not like it’s something you haven’t already done.”

I stared at her in disbelief. Was she drunk already? “But that was just one night. I can’t do that to Tommy. He deserves better than to be treated like some dirty secret.”

“Have you asked him about this?”

“Why would I? It’s not like I can—”

“Again, why not? If you take the time to figure out if this thing between the two of you is real before you bring it to Jared, I can’t see him denying you or Tommy happiness.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t ask Tommy to do that. He deserved to be loved out loud.