I knew that she wasn’t grasping the gravity of the situation, so I attempted to continue. “He was only wearing a t-t-t.” The pent up tears were starting to overflow, making me stutter on the last word. “Towel,” I finally uttered the word.

Courtney sat back in her chair, stunned. “That changes things.” She sat there for a minute, processing. “You’re certain it couldn’t have been his mom or sister?” I shook my head somberly. She tapped a finger on her lip, deep in thought, before asking, “Did he see you?” When I shook my head again, she confirmed with me, “You’re sure he didn’t see you?”

“He didn’t see me,” I answered, wondering what she was getting at. She was quiet for a while, so I took a sip of my tea. It had the perfect amount of cream and sugar. She had made it just the way I like it, of course. I tried to smile at her, but the gesture came up pathetically short.

“Okay, here’s the deal,” Courtney started. “You and I are the only ones that know you chose Sam, right?” I nodded in confirmation, so she continued. “I will take that knowledge to my grave, Ab, I promise.” I gave her a bewildered look, uncertain why she would say this.

“You are going to choose Seth, Ab.”

As soon as her words sank in, I responded, “No, I can’t do that. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“You can, and you will. Just hear me out, Ab.” I frowned at her, but let her continue. “You care about Seth. In fact, you thought you loved him until Sam came along and muddied the water. If Sam didn’t exist, you would still be with Seth, and you would be perfectly happy.”

I interrupted her, “Yes, but Sam does exist.”

She held up her pointer finger at me. “Yes, Sam exists, but he’s a player and a cheater, just like that bastard ex-husband of yours. Sam is not the right man for you. Seth is sweet, caring, honest, fun, and sexy as hell. He will be in it for the long haul, and you can count on him to be faithful.” She emphasized the last word.

I nodded because she was right. “Yes, Seth is all of those amazing things, which is why I can’t be with him. He should be someone’s first choice, rather than playing second fiddle to his brother. He deserves so much more than I can give him.”

“He deserves to be with someone as wonderful as you are. You can have a fantastic life with him, Ab. He will never know he was your second choice.”