Page 107 of Embracing the Change

“I love that for him,” Mika murmured.

“She’s a mite young,” I noted.

“No she isn’t,” Mika returned. “Yes, she’s, what, ten, fifteen years younger than Ned?”

“I don’t know her exact age, but I’d put it around there.”

“But she isn’t twenty-two,” Mika pointed out.

“I don’t carry judgment about this, my dear. That’s not why I mentioned it. I want him to be happy and have someone to share his life with. I don’t think Alex would mind either. But…” I tipped my head to the side. “Blake.”

Understanding dawned on my friend’s face.

Even so, Mika declared, “Marlo might not be old enough to be Blake’s mother, but she isn’t old enough to be her sister either.”

“Again, this is not my issue,” I asserted. “Though, as you know, even if he’s going out in public with her, he’s not introduced her to our group. If we’re at an event together, he’ll ask Blake to be his plus one, like Jamie did with Dru before me.”

“Tom says Ned is dedicated to the effort of building the family he neglected when they were growing up,” Mika mused.

“Well, that’s an honorable pursuit. But they’re both grown women now, who should be pleased their father has someone he enjoys spending time with. So perhaps I should talk to Chloe.”

Mika burst out laughing, before saying, “Please God, no. At least give us a few weeks to get over what we all had to do to you and Jamie before we’re dragged into another one.”

I could give her a few weeks.

Short ones.

So I promised I would, and she went with me to the hearth room, where Jamie was on the sofa with his laptop.

They said their farewells, we all shared how we couldn’t wait to meet for dinner before the store opening in a few days, and Mika assured us she could find her way out, before she left us.

I fell to the couch and lifted a knee so I could get to the side of my ankle to take off my sandals.

“Allow me,” Jamie said, holding out a cupped hand.

Watching him with loving (and grateful) eyes, I put my foot in his hand.

He tugged at straps and pulled off the shoe, we switched, away went the other shoe, and I could curl up comfortably at his side when he lounged beside me.

This, I did.

“You don’t have a drink,” he noted.

“I’ll run and make one in a second,” I said. “But first, the G-Force outed Marlo and Ned to Mika.”

He winced.

Oh yes, he’d been a part of dragging our loved ones along in our prolonged finally-getting-it-together love story.

“Perhaps you should talk to Ned,” I suggested.

“I will,” he agreed.

“We have other things to talk about,” I noted.

He leaned forward to nab his bourbon and tipped it in offering to me.

I scrunched my nose since bourbon wasn’t a favorite.

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