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“It was fear. And fear narrows your choices and your life experience. I don’t want that for you. We need you to have a nice rebound relationship as soon as possible to get your confidence back.”
Martha hit the brakes, relieved there were no cars in front or behind. “A rebound relationship?” Changing the subject was one thing, but this went beyond her comfort zone. Maybe she did have a few boundaries after all.
“Yes. How would you put it? Get back on the horse.”
“Get back on—Kathleen! I can’t believe you said that.”
“We’ve already established that I say what I think, although maybe it is presumptuous of me to make such a personal observation given the length of our acquaintance.”
Martha smiled. “It’s probably because we’ve bonded so quickly.”
“Bonded?”
“I like you. I think you like me a little too, although I get that you probably won’t say so because you don’t like to talk about your emotions. And that’s fine. Probably a generation thing. But it’s not always about words, is it? Sometimes it’s how a person behaves. You want me to be happy. And that’s nice.”
Kathleen cleared her throat. “It’s true that I may have developed a certain fondness for you, Martha.”
Martha felt a pressure in her throat. “I’ve developed a fondness for you too. Weird, isn’t it? After only a few days?”
“I’ve never believed that the quality of a relationship is dependent on its length.”
Was she thinking about her friend?
“I’m the same. I’ve known my mother all my life and I don’t feel as close to her as I do to you.”
“Concentrate on the road, Martha, or the next person we meet might well be pulling us out of the ditch. We’re going to find you someone. I’ve always been very good at spotting a partner for other people. Not so good with myself.”
“That’s not true. You said yes to Brian. And honestly Kathleen, I’m very touched that you’re thinking of me, but the last thing I need now is a man. I’m still getting over the last one.”
“Let’s use an analogy. I know you like those.” Kathleen tapped her fingers on her bag. “If you eat a meal you don’t like, do you stop eating? No. You select something different from the menu. If you visit a place you don’t like, do you stop traveling? No. You choose a different destination.”
“That’s all logical but doesn’t make me inclined to throw myself back into the dating pool.”
“Not all men are like Steven.”
“But how do you find out what they’re like? I don’t trust my judgment.”
“You keep things casual until you know them better.”
“It’s easy for you to say.”
“No, it isn’t. The road, Martha! You’re driving in the middle.”
“Fox!” Martha turned the wheel and adjusted her position. “Sorry.”
“You saw a fox?”
“No, fox is an exclamation. The F word.”
Kathleen blinked. “I may be approaching fossilization, but even I know the F word doesn’t refer to an animal.”
“It does when I say it.” Martha grinned. “When I was nine I asked Nanna what the F word was. She couldn’t bear bad language, so she told me it stood for fox. I’ve been saying it ever since. It’s a habit.”
“I suppose no harm will come of it providing you’re not transporting a carload of chickens with a nervous disposition.”
“It was your fault for distracting me with all that talk about casual relationships. I hope you’re not about to grab some unsuspecting, innocent man from the next diner.”
“You don’t need someone innocent. You need someone experienced who can show you a good time.”
