Page 57 of When Love Is Lost and Found

"You should've seen your face!"

He's laughing so hard I think I see tears in his eyes.

"Oh, you think you're funny!"

"What if I was serious about collecting on the bet?"

"I would have paid up," I say, with all the bravado I can muster. "A bet is a bet."

"Really?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah. Really."

"The next time we kiss, it'll be because you asked."

"Don't hold your breath."

"I bet I can have you asking me for a kiss before the doors to this elevator open."

"Oh, no," I say. "I'm not falling for that trick again. No more betting!"

We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes before curiosity gets the best of me.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"What?" he asks.

"What is Susan like?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm curious, and we have time to kill."

"As you know, Susan's father and my dad are business partners. She was having problems maintaining her grade point average, so Dad asked me if I would tutor her. We started spending time together, then going out, and finally, we were seeing each other exclusively."

"Is she beautiful?"

"Yes. She's the quintessential California girl. Blond hair, blue eyes, sun-kissed skin."

I make note of the fact that she's the exact opposite of me.

"Any chance the two of you will get back together? Especially now that she lives here?"

"No," he says. "Absolutely not."

"Did you love her?"

"I did. I loved her, but I wasn't in love with her."

"Is there a difference?"

"After that relationship, I'm convinced there's a difference."

"How?"

"I never once thought about what our children would look like."

I recall our conversation about having children and him wanting daughters. He thinks about being a father; he just never thought of it with her.

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