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  Leah quirked her lips. “I think so. He does tend to get into things he shouldn’t, though, but I miss him when he’s with his other mother.”

  “You also have a daughter.”

  “Madison is twenty-four and married with two kids. Evelyn is three and Henry just turned two.”

  Her face lit up as she talked about them and Briley couldn’t help but be affected by the smile on Leah’s face. “I remember seeing them at Halloween.”

  “I wasn’t always there when Madison was growing up. I promised myself if I ever had any more kids or if I was ever blessed with grandkids, I would make the time to spend with them. I don’t get to see them as much as I would like because Evan is still in school, but we FaceTime quite a bit.”

  “That’s great. Kat and I don’t see our mother that much, but we talk, maybe once a month. We drifted apart after my dad died. She told us we both reminded her too much of him. It’s been three years, and she’s grieved, but how do you fill the hole left by your husband of forty years dying? Honestly, Kat and I both love our mother, but we were always closer to our dad. I think she resented us a bit growing up because of that, and the gulf just grew wider after his death. Don’t get me wrong, if she called and needed anything, I would be there, but I like our distance right now.” She took a sip of her wine. “Jesus. That makes me sound like an asshole.”

  Briley almost jumped out of her skin when Leah placed her hand over hers. “Everyone has a different relationship with their parents. Don’t beat yourself up and no, you don’t sound like an asshole.” She pulled her hand away and Briley missed the contact instantly. “You sound honest.”

  Things had taken a turn she hadn’t expected and she needed to get them back to safer ground. Talking about her mother should never be mentioned before the fifth date, if that. She swallowed and willed the butterflies in her stomach to settle. “Do you have a favorite article you’ve written?”

  Leah settled back in her chair with a wistful smile on her face. “My first one will always be special, but I don’t have a favorite. At the time, each one is my favorite. Each article represents a period in my life, and I wouldn’t change any of them. Freelancing has provided the opportunity for me to travel all over. The world is a beautiful place, Briley. Even with all the turmoil, there is always something to be thankful for or something that will put a smile on your face. You just have to know where to look.” She picked up her glass and saluted her before taking a drink.

  The contented look Leah directed at her didn’t help to ease her nerves. “So, you enjoy it?”

  “Yes, and I’ve done well enough to provide for my family. I can’t complain.”

  Briley laid her spoon in her bowl. “I’ve always believed you should go after your dreams. Living stagnate will only end in heartache. Life is too short to work a job you hate or to be with someone that doesn’t make you happy.”

  “No regrets?” Leah tilted her head.

  “No regrets, but there are a few things, looking back, I would have done differently. Everything that happens in our lives or the people we meet shapes us. Makes us who we are. What about you. Any regrets?”

  “A few, but the past is the past for a reason.”

  Leah picked up her wine glass and Briley watched her bring it to her lips and take a sip. When Leah’s tongue peeked out and licked the rim of her glass, Briley’s eyes shot up and latched onto Leah’s amused ones. Briley coughed. “Dinner was delicious.”

  Leah beamed. “Thank you. It happens to be Evan’s favorite and he told me I should make it when I informed him we would be having dinner together.”

  “That’s good.” So, Leah had told her son. Did that mean this was a date or just dinner? Briley nervously twiddled the stem of her wine glass. Leah reached out and stopped Briley’s fingers. Briley’s breath caught in her chest as she gazed into the most startling pair of green eyes she had ever seen.

  “Why don’t we go in the living room,” Leah said. “You head in and I’ll get our dessert.”

  “Okay.” On shaky legs, Briley got up, and walked into the living room. As soon as she sat on the plush tan leather sofa, she knew she could live there for the rest of her life. It was the most comfortable thing she’d ever sat on. So far, so good. All she had to do was make it through dessert, then she could go home. This was going better than she expected. Maybe she would bake a cake for Kat for setting this up.

  “Here you go.” Leah handed a bowl over. “One of your turnovers and some vanilla ice cream. Enjoy.” Their hands brushed and Briley shivered, but accepted the bowl without dropping it. Leah settled on the couch, far closer than Briley expected, but she wasn’t about to complain.

  After a couple of bites, Leah broke the silence. “I’m not sure if you are aware, but some of our neighbors have a bet on how long it will take for us to talk to each other.” She grinned, a sparkle of mischief in her eyes, then took another spoonful of her ice cream.

  “Yes, I’m aware.” Briley licked her spoon. “You have to watch these people; they’ll bet on anyone or anything. Last year Mr. Dekers, three houses down from mine, bet on whether Ted, Mrs. Conway’s dog, would get Brown, the Macaroys’ dog, pregnant.”

  “That must have been before I moved in. Go on. Don’t leave me in suspense.”

  Briley chuckled. “By the time the Macaroys fenced in their backyard, Mr. Dekers had thirty-one people down for different bets. Brown gave birth to four puppies two months later. Puppies that looked just like Ted.” After a second’s pause, Briley added, “That was the quickest two hundred dollars I’ve ever won.” Briley refused to look in Leah’s direction.

  “There’s something you’re not telling me.” Leah was so close their legs were touching.

  “I might have. Might have seen Ted and Brown in a private moment in my backyard. But, that’s pure speculation at this point. I’m sure it could have been any two dogs running around.” Briley was surprised how comfortable she felt with Leah. All pistons were firing. Knock on wood.

  Leah laughed. “What did you do with the money?”

  “I bought baking supplies. So,” Briley pointed her spoon at her. “The money went to a good place and in a way, everyone got a bit of their bet money back.”

  Leah shifted on the couch and placed her hand on Briley’s knee. “Speaking of baking.”

  After her mind cleared from the sensations rushing through her body at Leah’s touch, it finally dawned on her what Leah had said. Briley wiped her mouth, then set her empty bowl on the coffee table and sighed. She knew this would come up at some point, but she hoped it wouldn’t. She turned and faced Leah, lifting her hand off her knee and settling it on the couch between them and adjusting her body so she faced Leah. Thinking was hard enough without Leah touching her. “I really am sorry about everything. I should have given you a Christmas basket to take with you. I know I was an ass and I’m sorry it’s taken this long to talk to you.”

  Leah frowned, then placed her bowl on the coffee table beside Briley’s before speaking. “You think this is about Christmas? I think we need to rewind a few months before that.”

  With a nervous motion, Briley ran her hands down her shorts. If it wasn’t Christmas or Thanksgiving, Incident Two, which she had purposely not told Kat about, what was she talking about? She thought back, but couldn’t come up with anything that was even remotely on par with Christmas. “I don’t understand.”

  Leah placed her elbow on the back of the couch and rested her head in her hand. “Do you not remember our first meeting?” Briley blushed. “From the look on your face, I would say you do. I have had a lovely evening, but the air does need to be cleared between us. Don’t you think so?”

  “Yes.” Briley groaned. She really didn’t want to talk about this, not with Leah sitting close, looking kissable, and smelling like sunshine, happiness, and laughter. She made a move to get up when Leah stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  “Please stay and talk to me. I don’t understand why you ran from me and never came back
. I searched my mind and haven’t come up with anything. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, but I would like to know, if we’re going to have any type of friendship, that is.”

  Friendship. The word sunk deep into the pit of Briley’s stomach. Friendship. How would she get out of this without looking like an idiot? Could she get out of this? She shook her head to focus and knew from the look on Leah’s face she wouldn’t be getting out of this one without the truth. Not if they were to be friends. Friendship first, then, maybe, something else. “Do you want the truth?”

  “Yes. I would really like that.” Leah squeezed her arm.

  “Fine.” Sucking in a deep breath, Briley tried to steady her nerves, but plowed ahead. Consequences be damned. Go big or go home. “The first time I saw you…just looking at you got me so flustered that I couldn’t think straight. So instead of staying and talking, I ran back home and felt embarrassed with the way I behaved. I couldn’t work up the nerve to come back. As for the other things, well, it wasn’t my fault your inflatable turkey ended up on top of the Jenkins’ garage.” Briley got to her feet and started pacing. Her worry started to spike with each second of silence.

  Leah jumped up. “Wait a minute.” She stood in front of Briley and stopped her pacing. “You’re attracted to me? That’s the reason you ran and never came back?”

  After a hard swallow, Briley nodded. She eyed Leah from the opposite side of the coffee table. When Leah started laughing, Briley’s stomach dropped and her heart started racing. Well, she hadn’t expected that reaction. She wasn’t an anxious person by nature, but she also didn’t like being laughed at. “What the hell?” she blurted out.

  The laughing suddenly stopped, and the smile fell from Leah’s face. She took a step in Briley’s direction, and reached for her, but Briley took a step back. Leah held both of her hands out. “It’s not what you think. I wasn’t laughing at you or your confession.”

  Briley couldn’t remember the last time she was this embarrassed and just wanted to go home and drown her sorrows in some donut holes. That is, if Kat hadn’t eaten them all already. The best thing to do would be to bow out gracefully. “Thank you for dinner, but it’s late and I should be getting home.” She made a move past Leah when Leah stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  “No, you don’t understand. Please. I wasn’t laughing at you. I promise. This entire situation is messed up. I thought I had done something horrible to have, by our neighbor’s standards, the nicest woman on the block shun me. I truly wasn’t laughing at you.”

  The look on Leah’s face held sincerity. Briley nodded once. “Okay.” She rocked back on her heels. The tension in the air became almost stifling. “So.”

  “So.” Leah squeezed her arm. “Let’s sit back down.” Briley agreed, but this time there was a couple of feet between them. Leah wrung her hands together. “I’ve lived here for ten months and you ran away from me that first week we moved in.”

  “Yes.” Briley wasn’t sure where she was headed with this.

  “So, I know the first reason you ran, but why in all these months haven’t you ever said anything? You talk to Evan and give him weekly treats, but you never speak to me.”

  Now it was Briley’s turn to frown. What was she playing at? “I told you the reason I haven’t talked to you.”

  “You told me why you didn’t the first time you approached me. What are your reasons for staying away?”

  The butterflies were back in full force now. Leah thought Briley was only attracted to her the first time she saw her. Oh, boy. This did not seem like the appropriate time to tell her ninety percent of the time Leah occupied her thoughts. She took a few calming breaths then looked up and into Leah’s eyes. Leah’s face was open and fully invested in this conversation. “I’m attracted to you,” Briley said quietly.

  Leah’s eyes widened. “Oh.” She ran her hand along the back of the couch. “I thought that was only the first time.”

  “No, not just the first time. It doesn’t have to mean anything. Well, it doesn’t mean anything. Of course not. We don’t even know each other. We haven’t spent any time together. I could do friends.” She fingered her glasses. “Be friends. Friendship works for me.” She clasped her hands in her lap.

  Leah took a deep breath. “Briley, it would have to be friendship. If you haven’t noticed, there is quite a bit of an age difference between us. I’m old enough to be your mother.”

  “A teenage mother. Do you know how old I am?”

  “No, but you look to be in your mid-twenties.”

  Briley puffed up. “I’m actually thirty-four.”

  “That’s not what I expected, but the same applies. I’m sixteen years older than you are. I’m flattered, but I’m not sure a relationship between us would work. Briley, I’m sorry.”

  Briley hadn’t expected any less from her. “I know.” She rubbed her palms down her thighs. “I know.”

  Leah placed her fingers on Briley’s chin and tilted her face up and toward her. She ran her finger along Briley’s jaw then took her hand back. “Briley, I have two kids, and two grandkids. I’m fifty.”

  “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. You don’t owe me anything.” She picked up Leah’s hand and kissed it before standing. “It’s getting late. I’ve had a lovely time and I promise the next time I see you out I won’t ignore you and maybe I can get some gardening tips.” This wasn’t how she pictured the night ending and it sucked, but at least they had cleared the air and there was a chance at friendship.

  “Okay.” Leah walked her to the door. “I would really like to be your friend, Briley.”

  “I would like that, too.”

  “Good.” Leah kissed her on the cheek.

  Briley stepped onto the porch, down the steps and toward her house, ignoring her tingling cheek. Kat opened the kitchen door, ushered Briley into a kitchen chair, and placed a steaming cup of tea in front of her.

  “Why do you look like someone kicked your puppy? What happened? Tell me.”

  “It’s stupid.” She shook her head. “She just wants to be friends. Not sure a relationship would work.”

  “You have to start somewhere. Friendship is a good first step.”

  “I know you’re right. I know.” She closed her eyes as the hot tea warmed her belly. “On another note, I believe I’ve managed to fill that hole I dug for myself. I know I didn’t lose anything, but it feels that way. You know?”

  “I do.” Kat scooted her chair by Briley’s and drew her into a hug. “You’ve semi-stalked her for a long time. It will take time but I’ve got to tell you I think she’s interested in you.”

  Briley pulled back. “What? Why?”

  “Briley, she asked tons of questions about you and showed interest. We can work with that. Just give her time and don’t give up. Not yet. We’re only in the first inning.”

  “I don’t even think we’ve made it to the first inning. I’m sure we’re still in the locker room before the game.”

  “Still game day.”

  “I love you.” She punched Kat in the arm.

  Kat mocked glared and grabbed her arm. “What was that for?”

  “You didn’t tell me how awesome her kitchen was.”

  Kat smiled. “If you play your cards right, you could be making her breakfast from that kitchen one morning.” She winked at her.

  “Friends make breakfast for each other.”

  “Not naked friends after a wild night of sex with each other. At least not my friends.”

  Briley laughed. “Maybe you should get different friends.”

  “Maybe I should.” She picked both their empty cups up and put them in the sink. “Tomorrow is another day.”

  Briley took a step back from her. “What’s that look on your face for?”

  “What look?” Kat held her hands up.

  “Your up to something look. Please, don’t do anything else. You’ve already got the teams to the field.”

  “And as your coach it’s my job to m
ake sure you have the right playbook. Don’t worry, Briley. We’ve got this. Leah won’t know what hit her. Trust me.”

  “I think we’ve used too many sports analogies for one night.”

  As Briley lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, she replayed the entire non-date in her head. There was something there. Leah wouldn’t be able to deny that. Whether she changed her mind on them dating remained another matter. She’d make her cupcakes tomorrow. No one could say no to her cupcakes. She rolled over and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Four

  “I don’t know why we have to go to the grocery store this early,” Kat grumbled, and fastened her seat belt.

  Briley ignored Kat’s bitching and pulled out of the driveway. Besides her house, the black Silverado 2500HD WT Double Cab was her only major purchase. She’d bought it last year and hadn’t regretted the purchase once.

  She’d woken at a quarter to six and decided today would be a good day to do her weekly shopping. If it kept her mind off a certain someone, all the better.

  “Quit being such a baby. It’s not that early.” Sleep had eluded her the night before because she couldn’t stop thinking about the dinner at Leah’s. Briley wasn’t going to push Leah into anything she didn’t want or wasn’t ready for, and after she avoided her for a week or two, she would start initiating conversation with her. Maybe that would allow her the time she needed not to combust in Leah’s presence.

  “What are you making for dinner?” Kat asked as she focused on her phone.

  “What do you want?” She eyed her sister as she flipped the turn signal.

  “Beef tips, broccoli, and rice.”

  “Fine.” It did sound good and the beef wouldn’t take that long to cook in the pressure cooker.

  “Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

  Briley drummed her hands on the steering wheel and bobbed her head to the radio. “About what?”

  “Leah. What else?”

  “I’m going to give it time, then and only then, if I can manage, I’m going to try a friendship with her. But, before I start avoiding her, I’ve decided to make cupcakes for her because of the way I’ve acted. No one can resist them.” Briley hummed along with the radio, lost in her own world until Kat snickered beside her, then she flipped the radio off. “Why’d you do that?” Briley reached to turn the radio back on, but Kat swatted her hand away.