Page 363 of The Sinner: James

“Yes.”

“How come? She said she’d never do relationships again.”

“Well... People change. And seemingly, one of her friends turned out to be more persistent than she'd anticipated. I met him the last time I visited her. Nice man. A few years younger than my dad, good looking, retired executive. Divorced, no kids. He has a house in California and a vacation home in Hawaii.”

“Hmm... Not bad,” she says, looking at me.

“Yup, not bad at all.”

A shadow slides over her face.

“Good to know it can still happen...” she says mellowly, tipping her gaze down briefly.

“That’s what I said.”

“Where did they meet?” she asks, shifting her eyes back to me.

“A friend of Stephanie brought him to one of their gatherings. He wasn’t looking for a relationship either, and that made him click with my mother. I don’t know if he was looking for sex. If he was, I’m sure he didn’t get it. My mother wasn’t interested in one of those arrangements.”

Eve grins.

“I wouldn’t mind one of those arrangements,” she comments.

“She said it wasn’t worth the headache, so I’m sure she kept him as a friend.”

“Before their friendship turned into something else.”

“Mm-hmm.”

She sighs.

“Isn’t that how things should be?”

“I guess... Anyway, she is happy with him. He showers her with attention, brings her flowers, and takes her out. They go on trips together and spend time in Hawaii.”

“No kidding.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… I would love something like that. I spent my weekend catching up on my reading and going down a list of chores before my date stood me up.”

“I’m sorry.”

She gestures at me.

“No need to be. A friend from work tried to fix me up with this guy.”

We lock eyes for a moment.

“You said you’d never go on a blind date again.”

She chuckles.

“Yeah, I did. And then, I did it again because this woman asked me to consider it. She insisted on introducing him to me. Then the evening came, and he called her to cancel me. He didn’t even bother to call me.”

“I’m sorry.”

She makes a soft gesture again.

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