Jonas used a tortilla chip to gesture, like it was a baton or something. “And that’s it? You just, had a nice lunch? You can’t give us more details?”

Leticia had come straight from lunch with Carter and Molly to Melanie and Debbie’s apartment. They’d moved in only a month ago but unlike normal people who moved in by degrees, Melanie had made sure that the walls were painted, the lamps were installed, the furniture was bought, and every decoration was in place. It was definitely smaller than Sharon’s place, but they all agreed that Sharon couldn’t be expected to host everything all the time. Even if she was the best at it.

“What do you want me to say?” Leticia asked. They were all crowded around the kitchen table, eating the takeout that Debbie had ordered because she’d gotten buried in case files and forgotten she was supposed to cook.

“Um, how about something more about the kid?” Ross suggested.

“Molly,” Leticia reminded him.

“Right, Molly.” Ross absentmindedly passed Sharon the guacamole, doing that weird couple thing where he knew that she needed a refill without even looking at her. “I thought you weren’t good with kids.”

“I’m not, but she’s not too bad,” Leticia acknowledged. “But this isn’t… I don’t want you guys thinking that some switch was flipped, and I was suddenly really good with her or anything, or that all of a sudden, I was like ‘Hey, I want to be a mom after all!’ I just—she was okay. We got along okay. I didn’t say anything inappropriate, I didn’t make her cry, and I didn’t get pissed at her. That’s a success in my book.”

“Does this mean that you two are dating again?” Melanie asked.

“I don’t know,” Leticia admitted. “I mean, we had sex in my office yesterday evening—”

“You what?” Sharon shrieked. “And you didn’t think this was relevant information to share before telling us this whole lunch story?”

“Was that why you went out last night?” Tom asked. “I did wonder.”

“Why would you wonder?” Leticia replied. “I always go out.”

Everyone around the table shook their heads. “Not since you started this whole thing with Carter, you haven’t,” Sharon pointed out.

“And maybe I missed it,” Leticia said. “Maybe I just wanted to go out. I can want a serious relationship and also want to go out dancing at a club. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“No, they’re not,” Debbie agreed, “But when you stop doing one thing while you’re with someone and then start it up again the moment that things go sour, that’s usually a sign.”

Leticia rolled her yes. “Look, all right, so maybe I was…” She struggled for words. “Maybe I was pining. Just the tiniest bit. But honestly—can you blame me?”

“And you really don’t think that you two have a chance?” Melanie asked. “I mean, the guy still seems interested in you, from what you’re telling me.”

“I can’t be with him,” Leticia protested. “Not when I’m not what he needs.”

“You are totally what he needs,” Sharon replied. “Stop putting yourself down.”

“He needs someone who will be a good mom to his daughter, and we all know that I can’t be that.”

“You don’t know for certain until you give it a go.”

“Who says I even want to be the mom to his daughter?”

“Fair question. Do you?”

Everyone else at the table was silent, their eyes going back and forth like a tennis match as Leticia and Sharon took over the conversation, their comments flung rapid fire at one another.

“I don’t know.”

“Well are you willing to try it out and see?”

“But what if it doesn’t work out?”

“Then you at least know that you gave it your best shot.”

“I don’t want to ruin anything! I mean this kid’s already lost her mom, I’m not going to be the bitch who waltzes out of her life and gives her more abandonment issues. Christ.”

“And I’m just saying that I think you’re better with kids, or at least with this kid, then you think you are. Besides, honestly, we’re all just winging it, aren’t we? I mean, God knows I have no clue what I’m doing and I’m about to have a kid, too. God help the poor thing with me as its mom. Are your intentions good and do you want to? That’s the question. Because who can say if you’ll do a good job or not? Not even Carter can say if he’s doing a good job or not. So do you want to.”

“I don’t know.”

“This is better than television,” Jonas whispered to Tom.

Leticia sent him the middle finger.

“Well, why do you think you might? What’s stopping you from saying no and walking away?”

“I don’t know!”

“Oh c’mon, Letty,” Sharon said, rolling her eyes. You’re better than this. C’mon. What is stopping you from walking away. What’s keeping you coming back, why did you go out to the club to work off steam.”

“I don’t know.”

“I think you’re—”

“You know your rapid-fire thing that you do with people to get them to donate money isn’t going to work on me, right chica? I know you—”

“—and you need to just admit—”

“—because I do not need you psychoanalyzing me after you took one psychology class for your Gen Ed requirement sophomore year—”

“—why is it so hard for you to—”

“Order in the court!” Debbie demanded.

“All right, fine!” Leticia yelled. “I love him, okay!?”

Everyone fell silent.

Leticia quickly stared down at her plate, trying to control her breathing.

“I’m sorry,” Sharon said quietly. “I shouldn’t have pushed.”

“No, it’s fine,” Leticia mumbled. “I needed to say it out loud.”

Tom reached over and squeezed her hand.

“I love him,” Leticia said slowly. “I just still don’t know—with Molly—I don’t know if I can be what she needs, or if I even want to try. And until I know that… I can’t yank Carter around. That would be unfair to him and I won’t do that.”

“So what’s your course of action?” Melanie asked.

“I don’t know,” Leticia admitted. “We can’t date, that’s for certain. I’m not—I won’t—” She took a deep breath. “I mean, obviously we need to talk.”

Debbie snorted. “Yeah, you think?”

Melanie lightly elbowed her.

“And I need to tell him—crap, I need to tell him that I’m not sure and that I don’t think I can be what he needs. He needs a mom for his kid and I can’t be that. So we’ll have to just be coworkers.”

“But you love him,” Sharon said, her voice small.

Leticia quickly wiped at her eyes. “Not everyone gets their fairy tale ending, Shar. Just because you lucked out doesn’t mean that everyone else does.”

“If you’re supposed to be together, then it’ll work out and it’ll become clear that’s what you’re meant for,” Tom said. “If you’re not meant to be, then you’re not meant to be, and that’s okay, too. You’ll find the person you’re supposed to spend your life with, and you’ll know because the pieces will fall into place for it to happen.”

“I agree.” Melanie nodded. “You’re supposed to fight for what you love but it shouldn’t be something that tears you up with indecision. You have to be ‘hell yes’ about it.”

Leticia laughed a little in spite of herself. “I’m sorry. I’m being a total downer here. You’re all saints for putting up with me.”

“You’re our friend,” Jonas said. “It’s what we’re here for, at the end of the day. To support you and remind you that it’s going to work out. After all, you would and have done the same for us!”

“And this from the pessimist,” Leticia said. She gestured at Jonas, who gave a half-bow.

“We’ll be there for you, however the chips fall,” Sharon said. “Just keep us updated, okay? When you talk to him, and I agree that you do need to talk to him, let us know how it goes, all right? Keep us in the loop.”

“Yeah, you kind of sucked at that through this whole thing,” Debbie pointed out.

“All right, all right.” Leticia quickly blew her nose on her napkin. “Now let’s talk about something less depressing, ugh.”

Come Monday, she would talk to Carter. She’d look in the eyes of the man she loved, and tell him they couldn’t be together.

God, Monday was going to suck.