And her own life was full, too, if only in other ways. Honestly, she rarely thought about being alone in her day-to-day life. She had challenging, fulfilling work, a great apartment in one of the best cities in the world, and she traveled widely and often. She was a very busy, successful person. Really, she wouldn’t change much of anything about her life, given the choice. Being single rarely bothered her.

So, yes, she could understand Maddie’s reluctance—she had the same misgivings, maybe more than Maddie. In fact, it had been pretty stupid to kiss her yesterday. But she didn’t blame that on the booze at all. No, she’d wanted to, then and now, if she was being honest with herself. Maddie was an attractive, compelling woman. But her own misgivings and Maddie’s reluctance were telling them both something. The fact that Maddie hadn’t tried to contact her all day was also revealing—she probably felt the same way. They really shouldn’t do anything more, even if part of her, more than part, wanted to indulge. They should remember that kiss and leave it at that.

Her phone buzzed next to her, and she jumped, reading Stuart’s name before answering.

“Yes?”

“You snowed in over there?” he asked.

“Uh…” She stood up and looked out the window. When she’d glanced out this morning, she’d seen maybe three or four inches on the ground, and the roads had already been cleared. At least another foot of new snow had fallen over the course of the day, and it was snowing again in huge, fast-falling flakes. “Yes. I guess I am.”

“Wanna come over to my place? Have that dinner I promised? I’ve got the groceries already. I’ve been waiting to cook it for you. I’m not that far away, so we could walk.”

“How far is not far?”

“About four blocks.”

“Really? You’re that close?”

“Yep. I can come meet you and show you the way. It’ll take me five minutes to walk over.”

“Can you give me half an hour? I’ve been sitting here in my pjs all day.”

“What? The fabulous Ms. Ryann Sands owns pajamas? The horror!”

She laughed. “Give me a bit, okay?”

“Sure. But remember—it’s just us. No need to impress anyone.”

She managed to tame her hair into a loose braid and put some clothes and makeup on before he showed up, his boots and jacket damp from the snow. He shivered dramatically when she opened the door.

“That bad?” she asked.

“It’s pretty chilly. And harder to walk out there than I thought it’d be. A couple of places have been keeping up with the shoveling, but not everyone—less now that it’s getting dark. But I blazed a path here, so it should be easier going to mine.”