over the arms shielding her from view. "Hey? It's not a big deal."
"Kinda is." She sat up, but her hands went with her, now pressed over her face. "Just shoot me now?"
"Not gonna happen, and it's really not a big deal. I mean, if you aren't offended, that is?" Silently, I was begging for her to be ok with this.
Finally, Elena lowered her hands, but she still looked mortified. "I've only been here two weeks!"
"So?"
She just blinked a few times. "Huh?"
"What difference does it make how long you've been here?" I asked, rephrasing so she couldn't pretend she didn't understand. "Is there a set time on how long you need to know someone before you can fix a washer?"
"I wasn't talking about the washer," she huffed. "I was referring to making out with not just one, but two men the moment my daughter was out of the house!"
I smiled. I couldn't have stopped it, so I didn't try. After a moment, a chuckle actually slipped out as I tried to figure out how to respond to that. I'd honestly expected her to deny anything had happened. Granted, I knew she was feeling guilty, but the last thing this woman needed was for me to let her play that card as an excuse. I had a feeling it was her favorite go-to, and that needed to change.
"If I remember right," I told her, ducking my head to see her better, "you're a single woman. Remind me again why you act like any of this is anything but completely and totally normal?"
"You wouldn't understand," she mumbled.
And that answer was not going to work. "I've got time. Why don't you explain it? I already told you I'm pretty good at listening. It's part of my job, after all."
"I don't even know you," she said instead.
Which was easy enough to fix. "I like long walks in the woods, prefer my steak rare, and am still trying to figure out how to relax in the evenings. My favorite color is green. My favorite beer is Miller Genuine Draft. My favorite flowers are tiger lilies. How about you?"
"Really?" she asked. "Isn't that like a speed dating thing?"
"Wouldn't know, never tried. C'mon, Elena. Play along."
"Ok." She shook her head like this was the dumbest thing ever. "I like doing things for my daughter, um, steak medium-well, I hate doing laundry, and I don't think I have a favorite color. What else?"
"Beer or adult beverage, and flower," I reminded her, mainly because I had personal reasons to learn those.
"White wine and poppies. Not really a fan of beer."
And she was already starting to relax. That gave me a little hope because I really did like this woman. Everything about her was amazing, and she didn't even know it. She was this beautiful mix of so very grown-up, perfectly responsible, but not too stiff. From what I heard when I walked in, she had an amazing sense of humor that I couldn't wait to see turned on me. I just had to carefully navigate the next hurdle.
"So, now that you know all the good stuff about me, let's go back to the original question. How long are you supposed to wait after getting separated before you're allowed to notice someone else again?" I gave her a little smile. "You know, just in case I ever need this information for myself, because my mother waited three days."
"And your Dad?" she asked.
I groaned. "Seventeen years. So you can see where I'd be confused."
Elena finally gave in, and she did it with the sweetest little laugh I'd ever heard. Then she sighed and let her hands drop onto the table. "I honestly don't know. Mostly, it's just that I've put Gabby through so much, and yesterday, her father told her he moved his girlfriend into our old home."
"Ouch," I sympathized.
She nodded. "Yeah. So I keep thinking I need to be the stable one for her. I mean, she's never had any delusions of us getting back together, but I think a little part of her hopes. She also has enough friends her age with divorced parents that it's a little easier. Still, with her starting to be interested in dating herself? It just feels like too much."
"And she's a smart, resilient girl," I pointed out. "Plus, your sex life is none of her business. Oh, dating? Sure, I can see that." And I held up my hands before she could break in. "Just hear me out. The guys and I? We get