“Yes,” Finley answered. “Derek did ask me out, and I told him that sounded great. But since then, I’ve been stalling. I haven’t let him pin me down on a day and time.”

Meadow swallowed her bite. “Keep stalling. Nothing good can come out of dating him.”

“That’s not true,” Bridget said mildly. “Something good might come out of it. She won’t know until she tries.”

“Trying with men is exhausting.” Meadow flicked a hand. “It’s freeing to give up on the trying.”

Meadow had a point. Finley’s life had been less stressful when she’d been closed to the possibility of men.

Bridget picked up a crumb with a fingertip and deposited it in the napkin in her lap. “How come you’re stalling with Derek?”

“Because I like the idea of dating him more than the actuality of dating him.”

“Why?” Bridget asked. “Because of Luke?”

“Luke’s part of my hesitation. I’m doing a good job of keeping a barrier up between us. Even so, to be completely honest, I really, really like him.”

“Don’t you dare pine for Luke,” Meadow said.

“Since things aren’t moving forward with Luke,” Bridget said diplomatically, “I don’t see any harm in going out with Derek. He’s handsome and outgoing. You’ll have fun with him. Derek’s a good gateway back into the world of dating.”

“No way am I handing over my passport at that gateway.” Meadow plunged a veggie spring roll into peanut dipping sauce.

For years, Finley and Meadow had both been off the market. No doubt part of Meadow’s grumpiness regarding Finley’s decision to open herself to romance sprang from the fact that Meadow was losing an ally.

“Do you view me as a defector to the dating side?” Finley asked her.

“Of course I do.”

“Does that make you feel lonely?” Bridget asked, thoughtful as always.

“I couldn’t care less if I’m the only woman in America left on the non-dating side. I’ll still wave that flag proudly.”

“We love you,” Bridget said.

“We really do,” Finley agreed.

“And I love you two, which is why I don’t like seeing you set yourselves up for disappointment. But you’re grown-ups. So do what you gotta do. I’ll be here to pick up the pieces, even though I wouldn’t make the same decisions in a million years.”

“Was that Meadow’s version of encouragement?” Finley asked Bridget.

“I think so.”

“Men are trouble,” Meadow declared.

“Well,” Bridget said with a straight face, “thanks for letting us do what we gotta do.”

Luke certainly did spell trouble for Finley. It’s just that he was the most tempting brand of trouble. Delicious, irresistible, intriguing trouble.

“If you decide not to go out with Derek,” Bridget said to Finley, “do you think he’d be interested in dating me?”

CHAPTER TWENTY