“Well, you are the boss. Maybe she didn’t want to seem nosy.”
“That never bothered her before,” he said with a laugh.
“So, there’s been some drama, and I thought you’d want to hear about it,” she said.
“Absolutely, if it’s at all interesting, which most of the drama in this town is not. Whatcha got?”
“Justine is dating someone.”
“No kidding? Do you like him?”
“I guess,” she said with a shrug. “He seems perfectly nice. But it made me see that we never actually dated even if we went out on a few dates here and there, and now we’re not seeing each other at all.”
“Not true,” he argued. “I brought over a bottle of wine and some artichoke spinach dip from the deli. Bobby Jo is well-known for it, and I don’t really know your diet restrictions, but if you can have wine and ice cream, you can have a little of the dip sometimes.”
“That was a week ago and I haven’t seen you since.”
“Well, Addie, that’s because we had a little bit of a standoff about who we are to each other. Last thing I heard—you were thinking about it.”
“I’m thinking about it a lot. You are important to me. How about if I cook for you tonight at your place?”
He had a look of genuine disappointment on his face. “I’m sorry, Addie, I can’t. I offered to help a friend with some wiring. Simple job. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours, but I made a commitment and she’s feeding me dinner for it.”
“She?” Adele asked.
“Jeannie Spicer. You know her.”
“Oh, I know her all right. But really, dinner for a chore?” Jeannie was divorced with three kids, and while Jake had helped her out a few times before, this particular time it bothered her.
“It’s what she always does,” Jake said. “I don’t mind helping her if I can. That worthless ex of hers sure doesn’t help much.”
“Hmm,” Addie said.
“So, tell me about Justine’s new man. What’s he do?”
“He’s a private investigator,” she said. “I guess I better go so you can finish up and get over to Jeannie’s.”
“I’d take it as a good sign that you’re acting a little jealous, if I didn’t know you better. You’re never jealous.”
She got her groceries and went home. She was surprised to find that despite the evening before when Logan’s dinner had stirred up some emotions, Justine and the girls were in good spirits. They were going out for pizza and a movie, and she joined them. She could’ve called to invite Jake to dinner the next day, Sunday, but instead she waited to see if she’d hear from him.
She didn’t.
* * *
On Monday at work she made sure she had time to meet at least briefly with Ross. “I feel like I’m losing control of my life. My house is full of new furniture, not to mention people. Justine’s trying to be patient, but she wants to remodel the house immediately after the holidays and she keeps trying to get me to make decorating decisions. I’m afraid of losing my best friend, Jake, because he’s ready to move forward with our relationship. And I’m not ready for any of it!”
“You did have a lot of control before, didn’t you?” Ross said.
“Before when?” Addie asked.
“Before your mom passed away and you were expected to finally get on with your life.”
“And I did! I got this job and enrolled in school. But really, one thing at a time!”
“You came to this office for reentry help and were mistaken for a job applicant. I think you handled that very well, but Adele—that was a fluke,” Ross gently pointed out. “At some point you’ll have to take initiative.”
“I enrolled in school!”
“You did, indeed. You have some choices to make with the rest. You can tell your sister you’re just not ready to remodel. Pick a time—how much do you need? Two months? Three? Because