Fresh as a daisy, he perched on the arm of Kelly’s chair. “You look troubled. What’s up?”

Not wanting to rehash their conversation, Kelly downplayed her worries. “I was just telling Nicole Paula’s flatmate is currently doing an audit at work.”

“And Kelly’s hot for her.” Nicole threw her two cents worth in. “Lucy’s the woman I told you about after we went to Paula’s potluck dinner.”

Steve chuckled, making the armchair rock. “The one who said her dad was an undertaker?”

The memory of Lucy’s gallant attempt to diffuse a volatile situation made Kelly feel all warm and fuzzy. Picturing her gorgeous face, jet black hair, and piercing green eyes, had something to do with that as well.

Steve poked Kelly in the ribs. “You’re just about purring.”

Feeling like a smitten teenager, Kelly broke out in a jaw-busting grin. “She’s pretty awesome.” Reality crept in and the knot in her tummy tightened. “But, I’m terrified she’s the one from Paula’s party.”

Unable to look Steve in the eye, Kelly dropped her hands in her lap and fiddled with the hem of her cut-off shorts.

“The one I had sex with. Lucy’s been dropping little hints that make me think it was her, she knows it was me, and she wants me to know she knows.”

Until Kelly could prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that was what Lucy was hinting at, she wasn’t going to admit to anything. In an essence, she was caught between a rock and a hard place.

“Hey.” Steve put a finger under her chin. “Don’t look so glum, mate. She’s talking to you, right?”

“Yep.”

“Being nasty?”

“God, no.” Kelly jumped to her defence. “She’s been nothing but friendly.” A little too friendly if anything, but Kelly kept that information to herself. “She actually asked me to join her and a friend for a drink tonight.

As if joined at the hip, Nicole and Steve gasped in unison.

“What the hell are you doing home?” Nicole asked.

“It’s a long story.” Kelly shot her friend a sad smile.

“I have a proposal.”

If Steve’s expression hadn’t been so serious, Kelly would’ve joked he was proposing to the wrong woman.

Nicole watched intently from the sofa, leaning against the armrest, sipping her wine.

“Rather than focus on what we don’t know, and perhaps never will, Kel,” He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Let’s focus on what we do know. You like her, she hasn’t accused you of anything or run away screaming.”

An image of Lucy running for the hills made Kelly chuckle. When Steve wasn’t goofing around he was the rational one of all three.

“Forget about what happened. You can’t change the past, but you do have a say in your future. Get to know her, see where it goes.”