Addison stood on her neighbor’s porch with cookies in her hands. The neighbor she’d hardly ever spoken to, except the one time she’d had he and his wife over for dinner two years ago. He played football for the Denver Storm and it wasn’t like they hung out in the same social circles.

But, Addison felt bad for him. It’d been all over the press; his wife had cheated on him. Even though she didn’t know him well, she wanted to help in some way. They hadn’t been close as neighbors, but she had witnessed several different men come and go from their home during the day when he wasn’t home. Addison had seen his wife, Stacy, walk them to their cars and kiss them. Somehow, it made her feel like an accomplice to the affairs, which, Tim, her husband, thought was ridiculous. He’d told her to mind her own business.

Stoically, she knocked on the door. Everybody needed some kindness, she reasoned. Cookies were kindness.

After a couple of seconds, Jace Harding flung back the door, looking confused. “Hello.”

She pushed the chocolate chip cookies forward, feeling like an idiot, wondering if he even remembered coming to their home. “I just thought you might need cookies.”

Jace seemed to jerk awake and focus on her. “Oh, thanks.” He took the cookies with both hands. His eyes looked bloodshot in the sunlight. “I’m sorry. Do you want to come in?” He stepped back.

It was in Addison’s nature to empathize with others, feeling their pain as if it were her own. It could be overwhelming, but over the course of her twenty-five years, she’d learned techniques to manage it. Right now, though, all techniques had flown from her mind. “No, thank you,” she said lamely, as she stumbled down the steps and started across the road back to her home. When she got there, she turned back.

Jace was still standing in the middle of the open door, holding the cookies in both hands. His eyes were locked with hers as he waved.

“Don’t be a stranger.” She called out, instantly regretting how cliché the words sounded. She opened her front door and gave him a little parting wave. When she was safely inside, she pushed the door closed and leaned against it, feeling even worse then before. He didn’t look good at all. The strain he must be experiencing was etched on his face. Unfortunately, he was also having a bad football season. She thought of the last catch he’d dropped and the clip of Cameron Cruz and Hyde Metcalfe chewing him out on the sidelines. There were rumors he might be traded at the end of the season. She sighed and went to her home office.

Picking up the teddy bear Tim had given her for Valentine’s a couple of months ago, she sat at her desk, her mind flitting to marriage problems, in general. When Tim had given her the bear, they’d been talking about having kids and he’d told her she could cuddle the bear instead of a baby. He’d made it clear he didn’t want babies yet, saying he was on the verge of making his computer company the next Apple and didn’t have time for a family. She wondered how Tim would look if she were to leave him? Would he have the shell shock thing going on that Jace did? Or would he just keep working? She threw the bear to the floor. She didn’t want to cuddle bears instead of babies.

Addison went back to thinking about Jace because it was much easier to think about someone else’s problems. She wondered if he had even suspected Stacy was cheating. Her own father had cheated on her mother when she was young, making her a bit distrustful of men in general. When she’d met Tim, on the campus of CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado, it’d been his gentle way that had attracted her to him. He was shy, introverted, and devilishly handsome. Granted, he was a total computer geek—tall, lanky, and only paid attention to having his hair combed when Addison reminded him. His clothes never matched, and he biked to work with his computer bag slung over his shoulder. He was the picture of a yuppie millennial. Even with all his odd quirks, he was still a good guy inside. She knew that. It had just been the past year of feeling neglected and playing second best to his business adventures that was upsetting her.

That had to be it. Things would get better. They would.

She picked up the bear and refocused, placing it next to her computer and trying to think of all the reasons she was grateful for Tim. It was a game she played with herself when she was fixated on something that caused her discomfort. She sucked in a breath. He worked hard. He was tidy. He … she broke off, beginning to feel even worse.

She picked up her telephone and called Laura, her closest friend and her boss at the nonprofit company she worked for.

Laura answered on the first ring. “So you ended up taking the cookies over, didn’t you?”

Letting out a light laugh, Addison leaned back in her chair. Of course she’d told her friend what she’d planned on doing. “Yep.”

“So, what happened?”

“He looked like crap.” She reported trying not to sound like she was justifying taking him the cookies. “It breaks my heart for him.” It did.

Laura sighed. “That’s too bad. That boy needs help if the Storm are going to pull it out the rest of the season.”

“True. He looked … broken.”

“Hmm.” Laura sympathized. “Poor guy.”

Addison thought of his super model wife. “Do you think he had an inkling she was cheating?”

“How could he not know?” Laura asked. “You said there were a bunch of different men at their house at different times.”

Addison felt guilty for even noticing all the cars in front of their home. One of the side effects of working at home in her front office was she noticed the neighbors probably too much. She opted to change the subject. “How are you and Sam doing?”

Laura let out a light giggle. “Good.”

They had only been married six months and were still in newlywed bliss. Addison could picture the smile on her face. It made Addison happy for her.

Laura cleared her throat. “Hey, have you told Tim the other thing we were talking about yesterday?” She kept her words cryptic and Addison knew she was trying to talk softly in case someone was listening in.

Addison sighed, angst washing over her. “No.”

“Hmm.” She replied again in that disapproving way.

“I will.” Addison assured her. “Soon.”

The voices in the background sounded louder. “I gotta go,” Laura said.

“Okay. Bye.”

Addison pressed end on the call and stared at her computer screen. Without meaning to, she glanced out the window, which gave her a clear view of the front door. He’d gone back inside, so there was nothing interesting to see anymore.

Turning back to her computer, she picked up the bear and strategically placed it onto her couch, out of her line of sight. She had to focus on a business presentation she had to give in two days to CSU’s department of Business. They’d asked her to possibly help teach a social media seminar. Inhaling a breath, she opened the document on her computer and forced all thoughts of marriage problems and babies out of her mind.