“No, no. There was that woman—what was her name? Monica, yes. That was last spring, so nearly a year. And a doctor? What in the world are we going to talk about? It’s going to be a disaster, I can already tell.”

“You’re trying to talk yourself out of it, aren’t you?”

She blew out her breath. “It’s…it’s because of Nic. I really liked her. And I miss her already.” She leaned closer. “And the sex was really good.”

“So tell her.”

“Tell her the sex was good? I’m pretty sure she already knows that.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I don’t want to get hurt. Or disappointed. And if I went to her and told her that I wanted to see her—to date—then I’d be crushed when she said no. And she would say no. She’s got some childhood issues.” Was that a good way to put it? “She made it clear she doesn’t want anyone in her life, but I think, deep down, she wants someone. She’s just afraid.”

“And you want to be that someone?”

She met Sharon’s gaze. “I think…I think I fell a little bit in love with her, yes. Crazy, isn’t it?”

“Oh my god! So tell her.”

“No. Like I said, I’m not going to set myself up. We talked a lot and I understand her reasoning. I respect that. I don’t want to place any sort of guilt on her. It is what it is.”

“But maybe she’s changed her mind.”

“No. There were ample opportunities for her to suggest we see each other again. She never did. I even hinted at it a time or two, but she didn’t.” She put her sandwich down, realizing she’d only taken a couple of bites. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t base a relationship on sex, and we did a lot of that. So yes, I’ll go to dinner with the doctor and see how it goes. I’m just saying, I don’t have high hopes.” Because she couldn’t seem to get Nic out of her mind. She picked up her sandwich again, wanting to change the subject. “So…tell me about your Christmas. What did Michael get you?”

Chapter Forty

Addison’s hug was hard and tight—well, as tight as a very pregnant woman can hug you.

“Wow. You’ve gotten bigger,” Nic exclaimed.

“I know. I swear, my boobs are like cantaloupes already. I can’t believe I have three more months of this.” Addison drew her inside. “Eric’s got the grill going. He decided to hook up the rotisserie and do a chicken. Grab a beer for y’all. Let’s go out. It’s so nice this evening.”

“Yeah, it was like spring today.” She went to the fridge and pulled out two beers. “What will you have?”