During the brief silence that fell, Lou’s phone started ringing again. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She fished the phone out of her pocket. “It’s her again,” she said on a sigh.

“She did say she would call back.” Mia held out her hand. “Do you want me to have another go?”

“No. I’ll just turn it off.” Lou pressed the off button hard, as if the pressure she applied could be felt by Angie in Brisbane. “I don’t want to think about Angie for the rest of the day. It’s been such a nice one.” She smiled at Mia. “What was your last relationship like?”

Mia huffed out a chuckle. “Brief.”

“That’s not very descriptive.”

“Yet it says all there is to say about it.” Mia leaned back and brought the bottle of lemonade to her mouth. She even looked sexy when she drank. Lou wondered if the effects of a vicious hangover included increasing sexual thoughts about the woman she had drunkenly asked out the night before.

“I don’t mean to be coy.” Mia said after she finished swallowing. “I’m just not much of a relationship person. I’ve tried, but, I don’t know. I think I’m just not really made for them. I’m happy on my own. When I meet someone I like, I tend to ask them out. We have a good time for a while. Then it organically comes to a halt. That seems to be the pattern.”

“And you’ve never asked yourself why?” Lou sat up. She didn’t want to miss a breath of Mia’s answer.

“I have, but I stopped doing that after the umpteenth time things ground to a halt. I’m thirty-three. I figure this is how I am, how I’m wired.”

“But what happens? Do you lose interest?”

Mia filled her cheeks with air and shook her head as she slowly let the air puff out. “No, I think it’s safe to say it’s usually the other party who loses interest in me.”

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”

Mia just shrugged.

“I’m not going to push you, but I just want it noted that I’m absolutely convinced you’re not telling me something. You’re holding something back.”

Mia slanted her head. “Maybe that’s the whole problem.” She gave an unconvincing smile. “It’s not the first time I’ve heard someone say that to me. If you hold back long enough, people will eventually lose interest.”