on the decorations for their son’s first birthday party. Neither of them even looked her way. From the huge diamond on the woman’s finger, Mitzi would guess that the woman had worn a designer dress. The wedding had been huge, and then she found out that the man had spent all his money on the ring. The woman thought she was getting the lifestyle of the rich and famous, and then she realized that they were living on a shoestring and he still owed four years of payments on the ring.
The perfect dress, she thought. We’re in business to provide the perfect dress. Too bad it doesn’t always mean that we can guarantee that dress will bring them a wonderful life full of rainbows and unicorns.
She had no idea what Graham would be driving, but when she looked up and saw him getting out of an older-model pickup truck, she wasn’t surprised. It fit him more than a fancy new Caddy. He waved with one hand and lifted a four-cup holder in her direction. She couldn’t see anyone around him and wondered why he’d have four cups and not just two. Would someone else be joining them? If so, why?
“Good afternoon.” Graham sat down on the other end of the bench and put the drinks between him and Mitzi. “I got two iced teas for you. One for now and one for you to have on the trip back to Celeste. It’s good to see you, Mitzi.”
“Good to see you, too, and thank you for the teas.” She picked one up and took a long sip through the straw, relief washing over her because they would be alone. “You look tired. How’s your day been going?”
“Good in some ways. Had a meeting with the CPA about quarterly taxes, and everything about the business is stable and growing. But not so wonderful in others.” He took a coffee from the holder and sipped it. “Rita came to the office again. She’s like a wart. Just when I think I’m finished with her, she shows up again. What do you suggest I do?”
“Go to the doctor and have it surgically removed.” Mitzi wasn’t sure at that moment whether she was his girlfriend, his friend, or his therapist.
“How do you do that?”
“Shoot her, I guess,” Mitzi said. “I don’t think wart remover comes in a big enough bottle.”
His eyes widened and he set his coffee down, stood up, and extended a hand to her. She wasn’t surprised at the vibes between them as he pulled her to her feet and hugged her tightly. “You are a genius.”
“I didn’t mean it,” she gasped. “If you really try to kill Rita, then she’ll get the girls and . . .”
“Honey, I’m not going to shoot her with a gun. I’m going to give her enough rope to hang herself. I’m going to make her sign a whole raft of documents laying out the plans if she wants to get back together with me.” Graham kissed Mitzi on the forehead.
“You mean like a pre-prenup?” she asked.
“And in the documents, it’s going to say that should we ever get serious, she agrees to the actual prenup,” he said. “That’ll surgically remove the wart forever.”
But what if it doesn’t?
“What if she’s finally figured out that she wants to be a part of a family, and she wants to try to love the girls and you?” she asked.
“Trust me, darlin’,” Graham said. “I know her, and she hasn’t changed a bit. She’s got dollar signs, not love, in her eyes.”
“I hope you’re right,” Mitzi said.
“I don’t have a single doubt in the world. Thank you so much for waiting for me and for being such a good friend. Can I help you carry anything out to the van before I get back to work?” Graham asked.
“There’s nothing heavy.” The way things were going, Mitzi thought they were more than friends. “Are we still on for Sunday?”
“Of course. Nothing has changed between us, and Mitzi, I appreciate being able to talk to you about all this more than you’ll ever know,” he said.
“That’s what friends are for,” she told him.
“I’m hoping for more than that.” He kissed her on the cheek and whistled all the way back to his truck.
A roller coaster of emotions spun through her mind: Happiness that they could possibly be more than friends. Fear that her heart would break if it didn’t work out. Worry that either or both of them were transferring the feelings they