She was eating when I approached, but I didn’t order anything.  I was leaving as soon as my pride would allow.

She set down the fork she’d been using to eat her salad, opened her mouth to speak, but we were interrupted by a couple that had seen her in the show the night before and wanted her autograph.

She smiled sheepishly after they’d left.  “That almost never happens.  Bizarre timing.”

I just nodded.  “What did you want to talk about?”

She looked vaguely uncomfortable for a moment.

Finally, some understandable reaction to something.  Everything else about her was just so off to me.

“It’s about Tristan.”

Of course, it is, I thought.

“I’m sure you know he and I are very close.  I a.s.sume he’s told you about our longstanding friendship.”

I smiled thinly.  “Strangely enough, no.  You haven’t come up.  Though I do recall you telling me that you two were the best of friends, last time we met.”

She blinked.  “Yes, I remember that.  That same meeting where you told me there was nothing rekindled between you and him.  Let me ask you something, is that still the case?”

I gave her a level stare.  “I really don’t like to talk about my personal life with people I barely know.  If you have a question about this, perhaps you should ask your very close friend, Tristan.”

She was unfazed, as friendly as ever, not even a hint of temper evident in response to my words.  “He’s been very close-lipped lately.  He’s been different, edgy, less happy, for the last few weeks.  This worries me very much, you see, because I’ve been there for him for so many years, and I know he counts on our friendship to help him through rough spots.  Tell me, did you and he have a similar relationship?  Did you help him through rough spots, Danika?”

I was shaking, but my voice was firm.  “If that’s all, I’ll be going.”  My composure was hanging on by a very thin thread.

“Wait!  I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come across so pushy, but something happened yesterday that worried me.  You see, Tristan is trying to get me hired on for a different act, for a different magician, when my contract is up in two months.  I don’t understand this.  Do you have any clue where this might be coming from?  Did you tell him that you didn’t want me working with him?”

The scarred, raw, burned organ in my chest got just a tiny bit less sore.  He was getting Mona out of his life.  I wanted to celebrate, then smash my own head into the wall for being so happy about it.

“I’ve come to you, woman to woman, because I think that us women handle things like this better than men do.”  She smiled.

I prayed for the strength not to throw something at her.  “Well, that’s an interesting way to look at it, but I don’t share the view.  Here’s what I think: You should be taking this issue to the person who it involves, the man you say is your very close friend, instead of a woman you barely know who has nothing to do with your friendship with this man.”

She was still unfazed.  “That’s fair.  I don’t blame you there.  So are you two back together, or is this a casual type of situation?

I stood.  “We’re talking in circles.  Take this to Tristan, please.”

I left, feeling like an uncivil b.i.t.c.h, because even as I’d left rudely, I hadn’t rattled her pleasant air.

I called Tristan when I got to my car.  It was the first time I’d actually called him since this crazy train had started up again.  We’d been communicating mostly through messages, but if we did talk on the phone, it had always been him calling me.

He answered on the first ring, his low voice sounding delighted and surprised.  “Danika, sweetheart.  I was just thinking of you.”

I paused.  I hadn’t been prepared to start like that.  I had to get my bearings for a long moment.  “I just spoke to Mona,” I began.

Long pause.  “Was she bothering you?  What happened?”

“I think she wants to be buddies.  I think she’d like us to hang out and talk about you, because we’re all such very good friends.”

Another long pause.  “I’ll talk to her.  I’m very sorry about that.”

I tried to leave it at that, but… ”How would you like it if Andrew went out of his way to corner you, to talk to you about me?”

He cursed, long and low.  “I’m very sorry.  I’ll handle her.  Are you okay?”

I shut my eyes, letting his concerned voice wash over me.  “I have a weird question for you.  Last time I met her, she told me something…was she…is she your best friend?”

This thought, more than anything, was getting the best of me.

Longest pause of all.  “In my whole life, there are only two people that I’ve ever called my best friend.”

My eyes filled from his raw tone as much as his words.

“You and Jared.”

I sucked in air.  “I’d like to see you tonight,” I managed to get out.

“Yes,” he said quietly, vehemently.  “I’ll be at your house, right after my show, okay?”

I opened the door for him the second he got to it.  I’d been waiting, watching out my front window like a lovesick puppy.  I wore nothing but the T-shirt I’d pilfered from his house a few days prior.

He took one hot look at me and took me to bed.

There I was, topless, and him, the most gorgeous creature to ever lay his hands on me, nuzzling between my br**sts, cupping them, kneading them, paying each one very special attention.

And all I could picture was Mona, nearly tipping over with those giant b.o.o.bs of hers.

I had the sudden and overwhelming urge to bolt.  That would have been the wise choice.

Instead, I opened my big mouth.  “They’re pretty tiny, huh?  Compared to what you’re used to, I mean.”

He froze, then pushed up on his elbows, giving me a puzzled look.  Puzzled and a bit glazed over.  He’d definitely been into what he was doing.

I held my hands out a good foot in front of my chest, to ill.u.s.trate just what I meant.

His expression stiffened, and he started shaking his head, still looming over me, one of his legs wedged high between mine.

I needed to get away and take a breather.  I was embarra.s.sed that I’d even brought it up, no matter that it’d been bothering me.