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I shrugged my shoulders. "We're best friends."
"And?" she probed.
"And exploring our relationship."
She nodded and took another sip of coffee.
"What about you? Meet anyone interesting at speed dating?"
She blushed slightly. "Maybe. Definitely in the exploration phase, too."
"It's going around," I said with a laugh. We chatted about her move to New Hampshire, the friends she left behind, and the hiccups she'd encountered moving from a mid-sized city to the remote mountain town. Before long, I'd lost track of time and stopped listening for another car coming down the road.
Only when the door opened and Thea barged into the cabin did I remember we were both expecting company.
"Oh," Thea said, eyes wide, sliding from Dana to me. "Hey. Are you ready to go?"
I nodded, setting my empty mug in the sink. "Thea, do you remember—"
"Dana," she finished, setting her bag down by the door and crossing into the kitchen with her hand extended. "Nice to see you again. Benny mentioned that you'd be taking over for Whitney."
"Whitney's supposed to meet me here, but I guess she got caught up in traffic. I'm just going to go outside and call her quickly." Dana took her mug and slipped out the door.
Thea leaned over the counter while I washed my mug. "What was going on here?"
I shrugged. "What do you think was happening? You and Whitney are running late and the people on time had to fend for themselves."
Thea sighed, her brow furrowing slightly. "I'm just a little surprised, is all. She's cute. Dana."
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you jealous, Thea?"
"Of course not. But if you were interested, you would have said so at speed dating, right?"
I set the clean mugs on the drying rack, and grabbed a dish towel to dry my hands. I leaned forward and invaded her space. "I thought I made myself clear. I'm only interested in one person: you."
She rolled her eyes.. I brushed my lips over her cheek and she closed her eyes, her body leaning toward mine.
I pulled away. "But, right now, we've got to get on the road since you're dragging me to another singles event."
She tilted her head back with a groan.
"I hope that means you want to cancel."
She shook her head, opening her eyes with a smile. "It'll be fun."
I didn't believe her. I'd much rather keep Thea in the hotel room we'd booked for the night and spend the entire overnight trip there. Or hell, even take her bar hopping through downtown until the early hours of the morning. But I'd resigned myself to seeing this through. Thea would come around to the idea of dating me in time and we had all the time in the world.
* * *
I sighed, sloshing the glass of gin and tonic in my hand. I pulled my gaze from the dance floor, where Thea and a guy ten years her senior, but with the dance moves of a professional, gathered a crowd, and back to the man across from me.
Mark, fifty-two and recently divorced.
While Thea had attracted a swarm of men interested in her, I'd found the one other person at this event not remotely interested in meeting someone new.
"Then she said it was over. Thirty years down the drain."
"Except for the kids," I offered helpfully.
