His response came back like he’d been sitting on his phone just waiting to hear from me. I didn’t really think that but was flattered nonetheless. After a flurry of back-and-forth messages, we agreed he’d come to my place that evening and I’d cook dinner. He said he’d missed my fettuccine Alfredo. See? It really is my signature dish.

I took a shower, scrubbed all thoughts of Nick, or at least I tried to, from my mind. It was clear he was still angry about Lexi, and as much as I hated it, I had to respect his boundaries and give him time.

The gala was in two weeks, and I’d been hoping that I could convince him to go. I wanted him to be there for his sister on her big night. Heck, I wanted him to be there for me as it was my night, too, in a lesser but still really important way.

For the thousandth time, I stared up at his house. The curtains were drawn again. Had I actually managed to get him to let in the light? At the moment, I felt as if I had just moved in and was befuddled by the old codger in the big house. I thought about the moment I realized Nick was my landlord and then remembered how it felt to have him make love to me and hold me all night long. I wanted to cry with frustration but I didn’t.

Instead, I dried my hair and put on some makeup. I didn’t want the BD to think I’d gone completely to seed. Then I assessed my wardrobe. What was a woman supposed to wear when entertaining an ex-husband she hadn’t seen in a couple of years? I needed to look good but not too good. I didn’t want to give out any mixed signals here. Despite the good times between me and Greg, I had no wish to rekindle anything. I had learned my lesson with Jeremy.

Besides, despite my cavalier attitude with Soph, I was crazy in love with Nick. And even though I was the only one who’d said it, I really thought he might love me, too. Otherwise why would he get so mad when I was trying to help? The man had built a fortress around his heart if ever I’d seen one.

The evenings were getting warmer so I opted for my favorite snap front denim dress with my leopard print ankle boots. Nothing says sassy like a leopard print boot. I kept my hair loose, my makeup light, and my jewelry minimum.