Page 41 of When Love Is Lost and Found

"What about the Linder name?"

"Well, if I don't have any sons, Noah will have to carry on the family name."

"Ooh, the pressure," she says, looking at Noah, who's just now waking up from his nap. "Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this, too."

"I have," I say, "but I don't think I ever told anyone before."

"Not even your girlfriend?"

"Ex-girlfriend, and no, never." This revelation surprises me.

"Why did you break up?"

She wants to know. This also surprises me.

"She fell for someone else. She called it a friendship that grew into something deeper."

"What does that even mean?" she asks.

"Exactly!" I say. "That's exactly what I asked her."

"And?" Sharon's expressive gaze is mesmerizing.

"Um," I struggle to find my words because keeping eye contact with her takes my breath away.

"Um, the way Susan explained it was that they had a strong connection. A special friendship, but nothing more."

"Sounds to me like she was in love with her friend."

"Exactly!" I say again. "That's what I told her."

"I'm sorry," she says. "I've never been in that situation, but I imagine it'd be a hard pill to swallow. Learning that the person you love has a special, stronger friendship with someone else had to be hurtful."

"It's been almost a year. I'm not hurt by it anymore."

"So if she broke up with you, why is she calling you?"

"I broke up with her," I say, "and she's been relentlessly pursuing me ever since."

"Does she live in LA?"

"No," I say. "She lives here."

"Wow. New York is only an hour away."

"No. When I say here, I mean Cold Spring."

"Wait, isn't Cold Spring down the road from Garrison?"

"Yep. It's just a matter of time before I run into her."

"The plot thickens," she says, looking down at her engagement ring again.

"It's not like I've been avoiding her," I say. "That's not it at all. I just never expected her to pick up her life and move to a town a stone's throw away from mine. It kind of freaked me out."

"It is strange," she says, raising an eyebrow. A beautiful eyebrow, I might add.

"Why are you smiling?" she asks.

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