LITMIR.BIZ

      Chapter Two

      Two hours later, the birthday boy finally ran out of steam. The guests, watching Jamie fall asleep as he ate his birthday cake and ice cream, took this as their cue to leave. Lindsey was exhausted by the time the last of Jamie’s guests had said their goodbyes. Alex, Rick, and Sandy Martin, Lindsey’s good friend and next door neighbor, lingered behind.

      Sandy glanced around the messy kitchen and said, “Thank goodness my husband’s already taken my kids home. I’ll help you clean up before I leave.”

      “You don’t have to,” Lindsey said, stifling a yawn. “I can handle it myself.”

      “Right.” Sandy chuckled. “And I’ll be tucking you into bed right next to Jamie, if I don’t. Goodness, Lindsey. I’ve never seen you looking so tired. You’ve got enough bags under your eyes for an entire set of luggage.”

      Lindsey rolled her eyes. “Really. Sandy—”

      “Have you lost more weight?” Sandy narrowed a shrewd glance. “You look so thin.”

      Lindsey blushed. “Sandy, I’m fine.”

      “Fine, ha!” her friend snorted. “I bet dollars to doughnuts you’ve been spending more hours in your workroom making tassels than you have in your bed sleeping at night.”

      “Not you, too,” Lindsey moaned.

      Sandy frowned. “Me, too, what?”

      “First, Alex. Now, you.” She sighed. “Why’s everyone so worried about my beauty sleep?”

      “Maybe we wouldn’t be so concerned if you weren’t sleeping alone,” Sandy said.

      Trouble was brewing; Lindsey could see it as clearly as the devilish glint in her friend’s eye. “Sandy—”

      “Come on, Lindsey. You know I’ve been dying to ask you all night long ... did you say yes?”

      “Yes to what?” Alex asked as he walked into the kitchen carrying an armload of soiled napkins and paper plates.

      “It—it’s nothing,” Lindsey said quickly, glaring at her friend.

      “Nothing, ha! Lindsey’s got a beau,” Sandy announced. “He’s asked her out on a date.”

      The paper plates clattered to the floor.

      Rick stepped into the kitchen. “Jeez, Alex. You’re making more of a mess than the kids did.”

      Alex shot him a prohibitive glance as he squatted to clean up the clutter.

      “I think she should go for it,” Sandy continued, oblivious to the dirty looks Lindsey was sending her way.

      “Go for what?” Rick asked.

      “A date, silly,” Sandy said. “Don’t you think it’s time Lindsey got back into the real world and started seeing men again?”

      Rick shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

      “Why not?” Lindsey gaped at her brother. He was the last person she expected to encourage her to start dating again. “I can think of a million reasons ... Danny, being just one.”

      “Lindsey, you’re a widow, not a nun. No one expects you to live like one,” Rick said, slinging himself into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “Danny’s been gone for two years. If you’re ready to start dating again, then do it.”

      Lindsey shut out the words of encouragement. They believed her to be a lonely widow, loyal to her husband’s memory. They didn’t know the truth. That it was guilt, not just loneliness that kept her awake at night.

      “I don’t know,” Alex said slowly, breaking into her troubled thoughts. “Maybe it’s not such a good idea for her to rush into any hasty decisions.”

      Heads turned, focusing curious gazes upon him.

      He shifted uncomfortably beneath the attention. “Well? Does anybody know anything about this guy? For all we know he’s a gigolo, preying on a vulnerable widow.”

      “He’s not a gigolo, Alex,” Sandy said with an amused smile. “He’s an antique dealer. He owns two highly successful stores, one in Clayton and the other in Chesterfield. And he’s a real dish to boot.”

      Lindsey closed her eyes and counted to ten, struggling to hold on to her temper. She couldn’t believe that her brother and her friends were discussing her private life as though she weren’t even in the room.

      “Yeah, well, I still don’t think she should rush things,” Alex groused.

      Eyebrows were raised in speculation.

      Alex glanced around the room, scowling. “Hey, all I’m saying is, I know how it feels to be railroaded into a date by well-intentioned relatives.”

      Rick chuckled. “Sounds to me like Mama Trent’s been putting a little pressure on the last of her unmarried children to settle down.”

      “A little pressure?” Alex shook his head. “The woman has the determination of a bulldog. She’s been calling me every day with an updated list of single female guests who’ll be attending my sister’s wedding.”

      “So bring a date,” Rick said.

      “To a wedding? No, thank you. Do you have any idea how sentimental women get at weddings? They get all mushy and starry-eyed.” Alex gave an exaggerated shudder. “The last thing I need to worry about is a matchmaking mother and a date who’s under the influence of love, romance and a rose-colored view of marriage.”

      “Alex, really. You’re incorrigible,” Sandy said, her tone disgusted.

      Lindsey watched the exchange in bemused silence, feeling an unsettling sense of disappointment. Alex’s aversion to marriage shouldn’t surprise her, she chided herself. For as long as she’d known him, he’d never shown any sign of being ready to settle down.

      Why would she expect him to change now?

      “Do you think we could change the subject?” Alex asked, drawing her out of her troubled thoughts. “It’s Lindsey’s personal life we were talking about, not mine. Maybe Lindsey isn’t ready to start dating. Did anyone think to ask her?”

      Heads turned again, this time focusing on Lindsey.

      “Well?” Sandy demanded. “Are you ready to start dating, or not?”

      Lindsey’s cheeks warmed with embarrassment. “I think...” she stammered. “I think that I’d rather not have this conversation.”

      “Why not? Too afraid to admit you need more in life than coming home to an empty bed?” Sandy asked, smiling sweetly. “What’s wrong with admitting you’re a healthy adult, with normal, healthy needs and fantasies?”

      “Fantasies?” Lindsey laughed out loud. “Who has the time? The closest thing I’ve come to having a fantasy is imagining myself alone on a tropical beach, with absolutely nothing to do except soak up some sun and drink an entire pitcher of margaritas.”

      “Sounds good to me,” Rick quipped.

      “You’re missing the point, Rick,” Lindsey growled.

      Her brother frowned. “Which is?”

      “The point is, that while I appreciate all of your concerns, I just don’t have the time or the desire to pursue a relationship with a man.” She gave a ragged sigh. “I’m just too darned tired to even consider it.”

      A thoughtful silence

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