Page 129 of An Indecent Longing

Risa headed for the kitchen, bag in hand, and started emptying it. “Hmm.”

“Hmm, what?”

“Well, I’ve never known you to be a liar.”

Dorrie stopped in her tracks. “I’m not lying. I don’t want to see them.”

Now Risa turned to her with one of those looks, eyebrows raised, mouth slightly curved, like she knew all of Dorrie’s secrets. “Yes, you do. But I understand why you might want to make them work to get back in your good graces.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.” Was it? “I just don’t want…”

“To be reminded that they broke your heart.”

Her nose wrinkled. “They didn’t break my heart. That’s absurd. I wasn’t in love with them.”

Risa turned back to the bag. “Uh-huh.”

“What does that mean?”

Risa sighed dramatically then turned back to her with a bottle of wine in each hand. “It means you’re a dumbass if you think ignoring them will make your feelings for them go away. Yes, I’m all for making them miserable for a few days or even a week because they hurt your feelings but don’t let it go on too long or they’ll think you really mean it.”

“But I do mean it. I don’t want to see them again.”

Risa rolled her eyes. “Oh Dorrie, you don’t really mean that.” A pause. “Do you?”

Yes. At least, some part of her did.

“Dorrie?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

No, she wasn’t. She felt kind of numb actually.

“I’m fine. Maybe I’m coming down with something.”

Smirking, Risa started twisting off the top of the champagne. “Yeah, you’re coming down with a serious case of man trouble. In your case, double trouble.”

Dorrie sighed. “I really know how to screw things up, don’t I?”

“Don’t worry.” Risa smiled. “We’ve still got each other. And after I tell you what your men did, maybe you’ll be ready to cut them some slack.”

“What are you talking about?”

Risa’s smile widened. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? Ben and Ian went with Dad to deal with Tosto.”

For a second, Dorrie just stood there with her mouth hanging open while Risa laughed at her.

Then took the glass her sister slid her way and said, “Tell me. All of it. Now.”

* * * * *

Friday morning, her receptionist walked through her office door with raised eyebrows and a vase with one white and two red roses in her hand.

Dorrie’s cheeks immediately flamed. And her receptionist’s eyes widened. “There was no card but I assume you don’t need one.”

Trish had been with her since she’d opened her practice and was fiercely loyal. But her receptionist was close to her mother’s age and treated Dorrie like another daughter. She didn’t want to discuss her love life with Trish.

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