Sylvia straightened her shoulders, obviously upset. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black, missy! You knew I had a thing for him and you lured him into your web anyway. Can you blame me for taking what was rightfully mine?” Sylvia asked, her face flushing, her voice rising.

Charlotte cocked an eyebrow. “Hell, yes, I can blame you, you shameless hussy! He was interested in me first!”

“Ladies, is there a problem?” A uniformed police officer asked, interjecting his authoritative voice.

“No, sir.” Unless he counted her best friend being a lying, cheating snake in the grass. “We were just discussing something that happened in the distant past,” Charlotte said, sweetly.

“Apparently, we remember the situation differently,” Sylvia added. Behind her glasses, Charlotte caught the frosty glare.

“You know how it is when time plays games with a person’s memory. Especially with age,” Charlotte explained.

Sylvia nodded. “And she would know, as she’s a full year older than me, in case you missed the extra lines and wrinkles.”

The officer shook his head hard. “All right now. I suggest you kiss and make up before this degenerates into a brawl,” he said, laughing at his own joke.

“I can best her anytime,” Charlotte said. “I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.”

“As I recall, I had a hunk of your already thinning hair in my hands!” Sylvia retorted.

The officer sputtered, unable to formulate a coherent sentence.

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Finally, he propped both hands on his waist, one on a baton, the other on his weapon. “Leave the past where it belongs and find something else to do.” With a curt nod, he took off down the street.

Charlotte exhaled hard. “Well, that was close. Imagine if not one day after I landed in the hospital, poor Lexie had to bail me out of the hoosegow!”

“On that I agree with you,” Sylvia said.

Both women knew Lexie was the reason Charlotte was in such a panic now. True, she wanted her ring back, but she’d lived without it for years. If given a choice, Charlotte would prefer that the whole thing stay buried and Lexie continue to look at her with stars in her eyes. Charlotte rarely felt guilty for her past anymore, but at the thought of her granddaughter finding out, Charlotte’s heart nearly beat its way out of her chest. She’d lived a clean life ever since. She adored Lexie and Lexie idolized her. If she found out, would she ever look at Charlotte the same way again?

In an effort to avoid finding out, any time Lexie mentioned the ring, Charlotte distracted her, usually with well-timed words. She also gave the Bachelor Blogger whatever tidbits she could, both in an effort to encourage Lexie and Coop to stay together, and to distract them from the ring. But other than the photograph of them kissing, those two seemed oblivious of the Blog. And Charlotte couldn’t focus on Lexie and Coop until she wrapped up her own troubles.

Last night, she would have resorted to faking a heart attack to avoid discussing the necklace, but she hadn’t had to go that far. At the time, she hadn’t known the difference between acid pain, pure panic and real heart trouble.

Charlotte glanced at her friend. “Instead of us arguing over the past, we need to figure out how to keep ancient history where it belongs!”

Sylvia slowly nodded. “You’re right,” she muttered. “Just promise me that you won’t fall for Ricky’s charm again. We have a good, solid friendship going and his reappearance can only mess it up.”

Charlotte glanced at her wristwatch. “I don’t want anything to do with him! I haven’t since my beloved Henry!”

Sylvia paused, then tipped her head to one side. “Fine.”

“And you? Promise you won’t throw yourself in his arms at the first chance,” Charlotte said, her own arms folded across her chest.

“Like there’s room with that huge stomach?” Sylvia shuddered. “We have friendship, someone to talk to in the evening, have dinner with or see a movie. Why would I give that up for the likes of him?” She waved a dismissive hand toward the store.

“Then we understand each other,” Charlotte said. “It’s getting too hot out here. Let’s return around closing time and if we’re not lucky, again tomorrow morning.”

“Deal,” Sylvia agreed.

But as they slowly made their way back home, Charlotte couldn’t help wondering if Sylvia would be as immune to Ricky now as she claimed. She hoped so, because she really didn’t want to spend her last few years without her best friend by her side.

AFTER FINISHING the concept she had in mind for Coop’s home page—going under the assumption he’d soon have more than one novel to offer the world—Lexie did something she rarely did. She went shopping.

“If tonight was her last night with Coop, she wanted it to be a memorable one for them both.

She normally slept in any old T-shirt, so she wasn’t familiar with frilly lingerie or the best place to buy it. The first store that came to mind was Bloomingdale’s, a huge department store in midtown Manhattan. She left a note for her grandmother who still hadn’t returned and headed for the store.

STEPPING THROUGH the doors, Lexie was immediately assaulted by the overhead lights and assorted scents of cosmetics and perfumes. Overwhelmed was more like it. She began to walk around, feeling out of her element, and decided to ask someone where she could find the lingerie department. The faster she found and purchased what she wanted, the quicker she’d be out of there.

Catching sight of a salesgirl, Lexie stepped toward her.

“Excuse me, where is the lingerie department?” she asked.

“Intimate apparel is on four,” the heavily made-up woman said, directing her to the nearest escalator with perfectly manicured fingernails.

“Thank you.” Lexie turned in that direction, when she heard her name being called.

She spun around, surprised to find Coop’s neighbor, Sara Rios, walking toward her. “I thought that was you!” Sara greeted her with a smile.

“Hi!” Lexie couldn’t tear her gaze from the woman who once again, exhibited an entirely different persona from the hard-edged cop or the casually dressed woman she’d met before. Wearing a miniskirt, a ruffled tank, delicate sandals, a full face of makeup and her long hair flowing around her shoulders, Lexie probably wouldn’t have recognized her even if she’d spotted her first.

“Small world,” Lexie couldn’t help saying.




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