Page 9 of A Man for Mia

What had it been about him? They’d barely spoken for five minutes. But out of nowhere, there’d been this guy with dark, curly hair who needed to shave, looming in front of her. And tackling step five suddenly didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. No one had ever, ever, made her feel that cured before.

But now he was gone, the moment passed, and she was still miserable Mia Stallone, stuck on the last step of bereavement and forever guilty over killing her infant daughter.

As she picked up her fallen water can, a red convertible zipped into the drive and parked behind Mia’s grey Nissan. Tucking the water pot against her ribs, she smiled softly as the dark-headed five-foot-nine goddess sprang from the driver’s seat

"Hey, chickie," her roommate called, grinning as she bound toward the entrance. "You’re home early."

"I took the afternoon off," Mia answered, jealousy nibbling at her. But how could she help it? Piper was so vivacious, happy. Alive. "I had a meeting with Dr. Higgins today."

Piper’s smile faltered, but she didn’t let it waver long. Eyes flickering with curiosity, she asked, "How’d that go?"

Mia nodded. "Good." After giving her usual answer, her roommate didn’t ask anymore about it.

Instead, Piper paused and took in Mia’s face, frowning thoughtfully. "Hmm," she murmured.

"What?" Mia said, growing uncomfortable under her friend’s intense inspection.

"You’re …" Piper scowled harder as she scratched at her scalp. "Well, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were glowing."

Mia swallowed, and her face heated as a vision of Drew Harper flared through her.

Piper’s jaw dropped. "Oh, wow," she murmured in astonishment. "What happened? Did your appointment with the therapist go that good?"

Blushing even harder, Mia shook her head. "No, I …" She had to glance away as she mumbled, "I just met a guy."

Piper froze. Her eyes widened fractionally. Shaking her head she said, "I’m sorry. You what?"

Mia grinned, suddenly very light and animated.

"Oh …" Piper whispered. "Oh! That’s wonderful." Leaping into action, she pulled Mia into a hearty hug, holding her tight. She smelled of the beauty salon where she worked.

As the aroma of hair dye and perming solutions enveloped her, Mia stood absolutely still, trying not to let the contact bother her. She hadn’t enjoyed hugs since the tragedy. People who slept on while their child suffocated to death didn’t deserve to be hugged. Though she couldn’t take it any longer, she bit her lip and refused to squirm, hoping she didn’t insult her friend by pulling away.

Thank God Piper sensed her tension. Quickly stepping back, she gasped, "Sorry." She apologetically patted Mia’s arm and retreated even more, giving Mia space.

"No, I’m sorry," Mia started. "I—"

"Stop apologizing. Just … " Piper waved her hands, exuding impatience. "Tell me about this guy."

Mia blew out a breath. "His name’s Drew."

"Drew." Her roommate grinned. "I like it. What’s he look like? Where’d you meet him? Did he ask you out?"

Swept into Piper’s excitement, Mia laughed and pressed a hand to her racing heart. "No, he didn’t ask me out. I barely said hi to him. Actually, I think I scared him off with my … my behavior. But talking to him felt so …"

She sighed as energy burst inside her. Something that had lain dormant in her for over three years bloomed into fulfillment and sparked her skin with blissful tingles. It’d been so long, she was almost scared of the sensation.

"You don’t need to say any more," Piper murmured, reaching out to grip her hand. "You felt. That’s something right there."

"Yeah," Mia agreed. She tried not to be conspicuous as she pulled her fingers free. "That’s something." Dr. Higgins would be proud, anyway.

Vibrating with enthusiasm, Piper laughed and asked, "So … does this mean you might want to go out with me to the club tonight?"

"Oh!" Mia laughed. "No. No, I don’t think so. If I try too much progress in one day, I might short circuit and digress."

Piper continued to smile, but Mia could see the disappointment in her eyes. She bit the inside of her lip, wanting to apologize. But Dr. Higgins’ words glimmered through her head. Don’t apologize. You have every right to be exactly as you are.

"I’m really proud of you, you know." Piper flashed her a grin. "This was an improvement … no matter how small."

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