"You'd fall for him."
Cynthia caught her breath. "I haven't fallen for him. I was simply stating that I agree with the man."
"Sure, and you haven't entertained a single romantic thought about him?" Mary watched her intently.
Cynthia knew her face was getting red. She could feel the warmth of the blush as it crawled up her neck. She rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. He's a good eight years older than I am."
"Six, but who's counting? Oh, I forgot. You were the one who thought about it long enough to calculate it out." Mary smiled; a devilish twinkle in her eye.
The blush was developing into a burning flame. "Nothing is going on, if that's what you're getting at."
Mary shrugged. "Not yet, anyway."
Cynthia winced. "Don't you have any faith in me at all?"
Mary gnawed on her lower lip and it was her turn to blush. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm judging you by what I'd be doing in your shoes. I had an awful crush on him when we were in high school. He was the one that kept me honest. I sure didn't have that much will power."
Cynthia sighed. "I thought you were mighty interested in him. I should have known. Well, he isn't interested in me, so the door is still open for you."
Mary studied her reflectively and finally spoke in a hushed tone, as if she didn't actually want to know the answer to her question.
"You say he's not interested in you. Are you interested in him?"
The blood bounded back into her neck. "Only as a friend."
Mary smiled and the twinkle came back into her eyes. "Now he's a friend. Before that he was a boss. What will it be a month from now? Don't try to fool an old fool. I can tell by the color in your cheeks. You're falling for him."
"I am not," she snapped and then shrugged. "Let's not argue about it."
Mary raised her brows and then nodded. "All right, let's talk about something else. How is it going with Scruffy?"
Thankful for the change of subject, Cynthia launched into a description of her latest conquests with the cat, again tucking that nagging doubt to the back of her mind. Thinking about Cade in that way could lead to no good. She was simply lonely out there and he was good company - the only company.