Page 43 of No More Hiding

“Yeah. It was a blast. I drank too much, then crashed in her spare room.”

She wasn’t going to make a comment about Cat drinking too much. Cat was a big girl and knew what she was doing. She wasn’t an alcoholic. She could and did go weeks without drinking. But when she got in a setting with others, she could put it away with the best of them.

Then she regretted it after and stayed away for more weeks the next time.

“So Sunday was spent hungover?” she asked, wincing.

“Not really. I know all the old remedies for that. I didn’t fall asleep until close to four yesterday morning. By the time I got up and showered, we had some food and talked, then I left. There were several people there I hadn’t seen in a while. I met up with two others for dinner before driving home. No, I didn’t have a drink with dinner.”

She grinned. “I wasn’t going to ask.”

“Back to you and your date. You aren’t walking funny or floating enough for me to think you both stripped down to your skivvies.”

“No,” she said. “It’s too soon for that.”

“It’s never too soon for that if you want it bad enough.”

“Oh, I want it.” And she knew Brent did too. But it wasn’t right. She knew that.

“Then what was stopping you?”

“He had to get home to his dog.”

“I’m not sure if that is adorable or sad,” Cat said.

“Adorable. The responsible thing to do too,” she said.

“I suppose so. That’s why I don’t have any pets.”

“Well, he does. And Sammie wasn’t so excited to be left alone for as long as she was.” She pulled her phone out and showed the picture to Cat that Brent had sent her.

“Aw...he commented on how much fun you two had. How sweet is that?”

She knew Cat was being sarcastic. “It was sweet,” she said. “He’s a nice guy and I like him.”

“Then I’m happy for you. I get the feeling you don’t get close to too many people. Why is that?”

She got busy getting her station ready for the day. Camile would be her first customer in again.

“It hasn’t felt right.”

“Or you are worried you’ll be left?” Cat asked.

“What? Why do you say that?”

“You don’t talk much about yourself. Your mother committed suicide and you ended up with her parents. You’ve never said much about your father. I’m going to assume he’s out of your life or is gone. Your grandparents passed too. I think it’s a logical conclusion that someone might make. That you’re afraid of getting close to someone and having them leave you.”

She’d never thought of it that way before. “I don’t know. You could be right. Or it could be it wasn’t the right time or place.”

“Or the right guy. Do you think Brent is?” Cat asked.

“We’ve been on two dates. That’s if you include the one where I cooked him dinner last minute. My mind isn’t going much faster than that.”

Cat smirked. “Did you talk to him on Saturday or Sunday?”

She let out a sigh. “Yes. We talked briefly on Saturday night and then Sunday he walked over with Sammie again.”

“Did you cook him another meal?” Cat asked.