Jane nodded enthusiastically. “That’s certainly one way you can do it. Just be completely direct and upfront with him,” her friend suggested, as she drank her tea.

“It’s not as if I’ve had the best luck being totally direct with men,” Casey said. She’d caught Jane up to speed with the Nate situation, from how it had started, to how it had changed, and to what she wanted now with him. The answer to that was starkly clear. She wanted him all to herself for a long, long time. She had never expected this to happen, but she’d fallen for him something fierce. He was tender and protective, funny and smart, and so damn passionate. Her intensity for him knew no bounds, and she was sure he was crazy for her too, even though he hadn’t said as much in words. The connection between them, though, was so strong that neither one could stay away from each other. The last few nights had been nothing short of amazing.

They hadn’t tried to put a label on what was happening, but Casey knew herself, and she couldn’t do casual. She needed to define what they were and where they were going. She needed to know if there was a real future, like she longed for. The best way to do that was to be straightforward and put it all on the table, even though the thought of that terrified her, given her track record of speaking her mind with men.

“From what you told me, Nate doesn’t seem to be like those other guys you dated. Those assholes who had a problem with you saying what you wanted.”

“He’s definitely in a class by himself,” she said.

Jane slapped the table with her palm. “Then go for it. Tell him how you feel.”

“How is it that you’ve never had this problem with men? You’re a rock star. I can’t imagine anybody more intimidating than you,” Casey asked.

Jane laughed. “Oh, maybe it had a little something to do with the fact that my first husband turned out to be gay and I fell madly in love with the next guy I was involved with,” Jane said with a laugh. At least she was able to joke about that heartbreak now.

Casey laughed. “Good point. Fine, you win.”

Jane raised her arms in victory, then turned serious. “But for what it’s worth, I do think you should just be up front with him. At the least the two of you can know what you’re dealing with.”

“What if I lose him as a friend though? I hate the thought of that happening.”

“I think the more direct you are now, the better off you’ll be at staying in each other’s lives in whatever capacity that is,” Jane said.

Casey nodded several times as if this conversation was giving her the courage to show her cards to the man she was falling for. He was on his way back from Vegas and she was looking forward to seeing him tonight after he returned Joanna’s sculpture. He’d insisted on doing it himself, and she had to admit she was proud of him for facing up to what scared him the most—Joanna and all the pain she’d caused him.