His Best Friend's Wife (Bachelor Best Friends 2)

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He kissed her again. Feeling her knees start to weaken, she gave him a light push, putting distance between them before she was tempted to stay awhile longer. “Good night, Evan.”

She was out the door before he had a chance to respond. Standing in the hallway outside his apartment, she rested her hand on the wall, needing a moment to collect herself before heading for her car. She didn’t hear Evan moving inside. Either the door muffled sounds, or he was still standing where she had left him.

They were separated by only a few feet and a couple inches of wood, but the distance between them seemed so much farther. Whatever drew them together—attraction, chemistry, whatever it could be called—it was not enough to overcome all the issues that kept them apart. The attraction had been there nine years ago, too, but all it had brought her was heartache, guilt and confusion.

As she walked to the car, she assured herself she wouldn’t risk everything she had accomplished during the past seven years just because sexy Evan Daugherty had strolled back into her life.

* * *

The blessing Lucy gave over their bountiful Thanksgiving dinner expressed gratitude for the food, for their home and their health, for the two dear friends who had joined them that day, and for all their happy memories of loved ones no longer with them. By the time she said “amen,” the adults gathered around the dining room table were all damp-eyed.

Fortunately, the children brightened the moment with their holiday delight.

“I want lots of sweet potatoes,” Leslie said, bouncing in her chair. “With extra marshmallow topping.”

“You’ll have plenty of sweet potatoes,” Renae assured her daughter with a smile. “But you need to eat some of the other dishes, too. Mrs. Whelan’s green beans smell delicious, and I’m sure you’ll like the dressing Mrs. Sinclair made to go with Grammy’s beautiful turkey.”

Daisy and Maxine beamed in response to Renae’s compliments about the dishes they had contributed. Daisy’s son would be home for Christmas, but couldn’t make both holidays, leaving the widowed sisters at loose ends for Thanksgiving. Renae was sure they’d had other invitations, and she was pleased that they’d chosen to celebrate with her family. The twins loved having guests.

“Be sure and save room for dessert,” Daisy urged the children. “I made chocolate pie and Maxine brought pumpkin pie. And I think I saw that your grandma made a coconut pie and sugar cookies.”

The twins squirmed eagerly in their chairs. Renae swallowed a sigh, thinking of the sugar highs ahead.

The adults lingered at the table with cups of tea after dessert as the children dashed outside to work off some of their excess energy. The weather was cool but pleasant, requiring only jackets to keep them comfortable as they ripped around the fenced backyard with the growing pup who’d been banished outside for the day.

“Your children are so well behaved, Renae,” Daisy said approvingly, glancing through the glass door that led out to the backyard. “You’ve taught them excellent table manners for such a young age.”

“Thank you,” Renae replied, pleased. “But I have to give a lot of the credit to Lucy. She is such a help to me with the twins.”

Lucy beamed.

Maxine glanced from Lucy to Renae. “It’s so nice that you two get along so well. I never could have lived with my mother-in-law. There’d have been all-out war in the household if we’d tried. Mean old biddy,” she added in a wry undertone. “Rest her soul.”

Renae swallowed a laugh. “I lucked out when it came to my mother-in-law. I couldn’t have asked for a better one.”

Lucy blinked rapidly. “I feel the same way about my daughter-in-law.”

“So nice,” Daisy said. “You two have made a lovely home here for the children.”

Lucy’s smile faded. She glanced at one of the empty chairs at the table. “We’ve done our best.”

Having suffered losses of their own, the other women nodded understandingly. When a spate of happy barking followed by a chorus of giggles drifted in through the glass door, they all smiled.

Lucy shook her head. “That dog is a handful. I thought Renae had lost her mind when she agreed to let them bring him home. But I have to admit, the twins love him dearly and they do take good care of him.”

A ball flew past the door, followed by the dog and then the kids racing him toward the prize.

Maxine chuckled. “Must be nice to be so young and have that much energy after such a big meal while the older folk sit here getting sleepy.”

Once again her senior citizen neighbor was treating Renae as a chronological peer. It didn’t shake her as badly today as it had on Halloween. Maybe because she was more accustomed to hearing it now. Or maybe because she’d been feeling younger and more desirable lately—and she knew exactly who to thank for that.

Even if she and Evan were never alone together again, she would be grateful to him for making her feel attractive again, she thought somewhat wistfully. She was hardly going to hit up the singles bars or sign up for a matchmaking service after she and Evan went their own ways again, but still, it was nice to feel this way, if only for a little while.

* * *

“So, Evan. Are you seeing anyone?”