“You have a lovely home, Kelly.” Speaking up as I crossed the threshold, I took in the cool colors and impeccable décor with wide eyes. The house was two stories, and it was abundantly clear she’d spent a lot of money suiting her domestic taste. A massive sectional sofa sat ten feet in front of me, covered in coffee-colored leather and overstuffed. In front of the couch was a wall mounted television that was easily 70 inches, if not bigger. There was even a buffet table behind the couch, and I stared at the display under furrowed brows as I slipped out of my heels.

“Thanks. I’m sorry about the living room- I switched out furniture for the Olympics. My family comes up for two and a half weeks. Do you want some wine? I’m just going to go start cooking. I had the steaks marinating all day, so I just need to slap them on the grill top.” Blinking slowly, I nodded dumbly as I tried to wrap my head around the fact that Kelly had two sets of furniture. Following her into the kitchen, surprise rocketed through me at how beautiful the room was.

This was a house meant for a lot of people, not a single, lonely woman.

“Uh- so, the Olympics… it’s a big deal for your family?” Awkwardly speaking up, I leaned on the island as Kelly rifled through the refrigerator. The marble countertops were clean and uncluttered, but she was quick to make an organized mess.

“Yeah. My cousin was in it twenty years ago or something- she won bronze for ice skating. That was the first time I remember watching the Olympics, and we’ve done it ever since. It’s actually a lot of fun.” My brows shot up, and Kelly searched a lower cabinet to hoist a grill-pan onto her eight-burner stove with a smile. “We alternate houses- this is the first time I’m hosting. I wanted to splurge a little.”

“I don’t think I could fit that couch in my apartment at all…” Giggling lightly, I closed my eyes to imagine my bare, one room living space. My apartment wasn’t much more than four walls, a bed, and a kitchenette, but it was more than enough for me. “But I like living small. It makes it easier to save money.”

“Ain’t that the truth. You know, Ally- I don’t actually pay that much. This town isn’t that expensive despite the Academy. This whole state is doing great economically, so smaller towns like this one are doing better.” Nodding quietly, I spent the quiet few seconds still looking around the kitchen while Kelly prepared to cook. Until I went to college, I’d never been in a kitchen with tile on the walls and floors. Everything had been cheap laminate, and just being in this room was a little uncomfortable.

“… You said your husband was a cop? What department was he in?” Broaching the subject carefully, I still couldn’t figure out if Kelly would be triggered. To have her significant other just up and leave must’ve been hard. Across the island she didn’t miss a beat as she grabbed a bag of potatoes, and my brows came together before she spoke over her shoulder.

“Undercover. He’d been transferred from homicide about six months before just for a particular job, and he’d been really excited for it. Owen was always great at impersonations. We were married for five years before he went on his first mission. His old partner comes by every once and a while to tell me there’s no news.” Kelly’s voice was chipper, and her shoulders were relaxed; I could imagine the small smile on her face even though she was turned away from me. My heart stuttered in my chest, and I propped my chin in my hand before speaking up past my dry tongue.

“And you divorced him even though you love him and believe he’ll come back? Why?” I wasn’t sure I could get married; there were too many expectations and stress. People would be perfect together, but the prospect of marriage was heavy enough to break them up.

At least, that was what happened to me, and I frowned deeply at the thought.

“Well- yeah. This way, he’ll have to marry me all over again.” Kelly giggled at her own words, banishing my frown before she turned around to grin. “That’s why I took this job and moved here. Trust me- I used to be like you, Ally. I wanted to work for crap pay at an inner-city school where I could do the most good. But- you know- sometimes you just gotta do what’s best for you. And as long as Owen is out there, I’ll plan our future. I pay pennies for what this property is worth, and it’ll be worth it in the end.”

“I mean, I can’t imagine loving someone so much I’d go through what you are, Kelly. I’d probably think he left me for another woman or something and make a total wreck of myself.” Sputtering a laugh at my confession, Kelly set down her peeler and potato to grab a forgotten bottle of wine on the counter near the refrigerator. Heat suffused my cheeks, but she was quick to shake her head and free hand wildly.

“No- no… you don’t understand, Ally. Owen can’t talk to girls to save his life. He’s too dense and sweet to pick up any hidden meaning or innuendo. I remember this one time- Oh God- this one time… Owen got cornered by this girl that was barely legal. She was one of those types where just looking her way meant she thought you were in love with her. He called his partner to come save him, and when he got home he nearly cried explaining how much he didn’t want anyone but me.” My eyes widened from the shock of Kelly’s story, and she laughed more forcefully as she reached under the island to produce two wine glasses. “Owen can pretend to be a lot of people, and he’s really a great cop, but he’s a big softy. Being undercover will probably change that, but he would never cheat on me.”

“It must be great to have such faith in someone, K…” Stiffening at the sourness in my tone, I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth absently. Kelly shot me a raised brow, and the curiousness in her blue eyes couldn’t be mistaken. “Ah- well, I had a boyfriend throughout high school and into college. We were going to get engaged, but after we decided, we just… kind of fell out, I guess. One day, I got home from school, and he gives me the breakup speech. It didn’t come out of nowhere, but it still sucked.”

“I see. Have you dated anyone since?” Shrugging half-heartedly, I reached for the glass of red wine Kelly offered me to take a big gulp. Discomfort and irritation over the whole situation swirled in my gut, and I took a deep, calming breath before answering.

“I went on a couple first dates before taking this job. There was this one guy I was hopeful about, but it just didn’t seem to work out at the time. He told me he was about to get ridiculously busy with work, and it wasn’t fair to keep me on the wings if he couldn’t make time. That was a year and a half ago, and I haven’t done anything since.” Thinking back on those three or four dates I’d gone on, I couldn’t help but frown again. “As thoughtful and telling as that gesture was, I’m still disappointed about it. I feel like we connected, sort of… if that makes any sense.”

“I get it. Was he like your ex, though?” Instantly shaking my head, I took another sip of my wine as my ex-boyfriend flashed behind one eyelid and my date behind the other.

“Oh God- no. Tommy was a mechanic that’d never worn a suit before in his life- even to prom. I loved him because he was so chill… I didn’t have to worry about him thinking I was going to destroy my life by becoming a teacher. Most people that knew I wanted to go this way told me it was a terrible decision, but not him.” Pausing as I reflected on that staple of my relationship, I shrugged small a second time before continuing. “Roark was the guy’s name that I went on a few dates with- three or four. We went out that, and I felt like I’d known him a lot longer than a few hours. I even offered him to come back to my apartment, but he turned me down. He said, and I quote, ‘I’m not going because I like you, and I don’t want to mess up by sleeping with you on the first date’.”

“Oh- wow. He’s as chivalrous as he sounds, huh, Ally?”

“Mhm…” Humming with a nod, I smiled slightly as I recalled that night. I’d had a bit too much to drink, but I wasn’t inebriated by any means. Even so, Roark said ‘no’, and I couldn’t even express how much I appreciated that the next morning. “Yeah. I’m lucky a guy like him took me out, even if it didn’t amount to much. I felt like he held it high, too. I don’t know what happened after our last text, but I figured- if he wanted to go out again, he would contact me.”

Flickering behind Kelly, I took in her half-prepped dinner before she whirled back around to grab her peeler. Waving it around, she downed half her wine glass to sigh heavily. She must’ve liked bitter wine, but I wasn’t complaining as I took another, stabilizing gulp from my own glass.

“You should text him! Stick yourself out there! Let me tell you- if your ex hasn’t come back yet, he’s not going to. And what if you don’t want to deal with what he brings, Ally? You should take a chance if you think it’ll pay off.” Swiping her hand over the pan on the stove, Kelly squeaked softly and rushed to turn down the heat before snatching a potato from the pile. “You can’t just ignore the male gender because your high school sweetheart didn’t work out. Maybe I can set you up with my cousin’s friend? Even if it’s just one date…”

“I- I mean, probably not? I don’t know. Maybe you’re right.” But there’s no way in Hell I’m going to text Roark. It’s been over a year- he probably forgot about me. The thought caused my throat to tighten slightly, and I took another hard sip of my wine. Watching Kelly through narrowed eyes, I almost wished I hadn’t asked about her husband. We weren’t friends in this way; this was the first time I’ve been to her house. So much for not screwing up a potential friendship.