I’m always rushing off to work or to take the boys to some activity or worried about leaving them alone for too long or so tired I just want to clean myself quickly and then pass out. But this morning, there’s none of that, so I wash my hair and put on the expensive French body butter I save for special occasions. And because I don’t have anywhere to be, I put on a silk robe with nothing underneath. I plan to thoroughly enjoy my day off.

I’m in the kitchen, taking my first sip of coffee, wondering if I should order lunch from my favorite Italian restaurant when the doorbell rings. I clutch my robe closed and walk carefully to the front door. When I look through the peephole, I’m not shocked to see Jourdan there. I honestly should have expected this when Darren smiled at me this morning, but the hangover was wild.

I take a deep breath and then unlock the door, opening it just enough to peek my head out.

She smiles at me and holds up the bag in her hand. “I brought lunch,” she says.

“I—”

“Darren said you had a little too much fun last night, and you had to stay home today. I’d say I’m sorry, but I don’t like lying.”

“How did you…”

“He said you might like some company and some lunch from…” She turns the paper bag in her hand to show me the logo. “La Bella Rosa?”

“It’s my favorite Italian restaurant,” I say with a smile. God, I love that man. “I— I thought you had to open at work today?”

She shrugs. “Yeah, but when I do that, I take a half-day. I’m usually dead on my feet by noon if I have to open, and then I start fucking up basic measurements, and my dyslexia gets worse when I can’t concentrate. It’s a mess. Darren didn’t tell you?”

“Uh…no.”

She holds the bag out to me. “You can just take it, and I can go. No worries. I don’t have to come in.”

“No, no, sorry, come inside. Please.” I duck behind the door and pull it open for her to enter.

The house feels different with her inside it, and so do I. I close the door and cross my arms over my chest, one hand holding the robe closed at my neck, not that it does much to hide my body.