“Oh, I thought it was because you used every pot and pan in the house.”


“I see you two talk about me when I’m not around.” Ronnie smiled inwardly at the thought. “I hope it’s good things.”


“Mostly good things,” Rose teased. An uncomfortable silence followed, broken only by the sizzling of the steaks as each woman withdrew into her own thoughts. For Ronnie, the conversation revealed far more than she had hoped for. She looked over at Rose.With that thought however, came fear.At that moment Tabitha came bouncing out into the kitchen and Rose moved her chair to allow the cat to jump up on her lap.Deep down Ronnie knew she was right to keep things the way they were, no matter what her heart said. She had hurt Rose enough.


At the table, Rose was going through her own mental turmoil. She hugged the purring feline and blinked back emotions flowing too close to the surface.She watched as Ronnie reached into the cupboard for the plates.Rose wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or disappointed. Her heart insisted on the latter.


Ronnie put the two plates on the table. “You need anything more to drink before I sit down?”


“No, this is fine, thank you.” The young woman never looked up from her plate, yet she knew those stunning blue eyes were staring at her. “It smells wonderful.” She picked up her knife and fork and went through the motions of cutting up her meat. Ronnie headed for the opposite side of the small round table, then stopped herself and sat down next to Rose.


“There’s more vegetables if you want them.”


“No, this is good.” The young woman continued to push her meat around her plate.


Ronnie could only sit by helplessly and watch as Rose withdrew into herself. She hated the tension hanging in the air but was not quite certain what to do or say to break it. “Um, if you have any questions about trucks, uh, maybe I can answer them for you.”she chastised herself. “I mean…” she stopped for a second when the blonde head lifted to meet her gaze. “I mean…I hate this awkwardness.” They shared a small smile before Rose lowered her head again.


“I’m not especially thrilled with it myself.”


“So talk.”


“I don’t know what to say,” the young woman said in a quiet voice. Ronnie’s heart ached for the pain she heard there. Without a thought she reached over and laid her hand on top of Rose’s. The gently returned squeeze let her know the touch was welcome.


“Just say what’s on your mind.”


Several bites of steak disappeared before Rose spoke. “Have you had a lot of trucks?”


“Um…” It was not the question Ronnie was expecting. “No, Christine was the only one.”


“Oh.” Rose withdrew her hand and began to cut up more meat.


“You can’t look at me and talk about this, can you?”


“No.” A slow blush crept up her neck. “I never was any good talking about that kind of stuff.”


“More into action than words, eh?” Ronnie’s joke did exactly what she hoped it would. Rose smiled at her and gave a playful swat.


“Actually, when it comes to that, I’m not really very good in either category.” She relaxed slightly, maintaining the eye contact for several seconds before looking down again. “I haven’t had the experience.”


“You mean….”“B-but when you got caught in the driveway?” She watched the cute blush return to Rose’s face.


“We weren’t doing ‘that’. We were working our way up to it when we got caught.” She pushed her plate away, giving up the pretense of eating. Ronnie did the same. “After that, well…it just never happened.”


Ronnie fought to keep the smirk off her face. “So you’ve um…never…” The smirk refused to be hidden and she had to look away. “…um, been taken for a test drive?”


“Stop laughing.” Rose feigned anger but the sparkle in her eyes gave her away. “No. No one’s taken me for a test drive.” She shot a devilish look at the dark-haired woman. “That’s not to say that no one’s looked under the hood.”


“We can’t start this again.” Ronnie drained her mug and stood up. “Since dinner obviously is over, let’s go into the living room and relax on the couch.”

“I’ll bring the eclairs.”


“Don’t bother for me.” Rose watched her friend reach into the refrigerator and remove a beer.

“Can I have one of those?”


Ronnie looked at her quizzically. “What about your Percocet? I thought you weren’t supposed to drink with that.”


“I haven’t had any today and I won’t take any tonight.” Rose was by no means a drinker but at that moment her mouth was so dry she was certain she could drain a six pack with no problem.


“All right,” the older woman replied hesitantly.She plucked two glasses from the rack and followed her friend into the living room.


She set the beers and glasses on the coffee table just as Rose was getting ready to transfer herself from the wheelchair to the couch. “Here, let me help.”


“I can do it.”


“It’s easier if I help.” She stepped forward and lowered her head. It had been too long since Rose let her help and she missed the feeling of holding the young woman in her arms. One arm slipped behind the back and she felt smaller arms wrapping around her neck.As she put her other arm under Rose’s legs and lifted she nudged the wheelchair out of the way with her knee. Instead of putting her precious bundle down right away, Ronnie held Rose safely in her arms and gazed down at the face she loved.she thought as her eyes fell upon the soft pink lips so close to her own. In the back of her mind she knew that a kiss would not be protested. As fate sometimes found the need to be cruel, Rose had to shift, causing the hard plaster of her cast to rub against Ronnie’s forearm. It was an instant reminder to the executive of all the reasons not to act on her feelings. She set her friend down quickly but gently, turning away before she changed her mind. She walked around to the other side of the couch and sat sideways on the far cushion. A quick twist of her wrist and the beer was open. Ronnie didn’t bother with the glass, taking several deep swallows straight from the bottle. “Do you want some background music?”


“Sure.” To Rose, anything was better than the deafening silence. Ronnie fiddled with the different remotes until she found the right one. She adjusted the volume to a point where they could barely hear it, then set the remote on the table. She opened the other beer and poured it into a glass without comment, then passed it to Rose. “Thanks.”


“You’re welcome.” Ronnie settled back against the arm of the couch and took another tug on her beer. They looked at each other, silently hoping the other would begin. A song started and ended without a sound from either woman. “Well, this is productive,” the executive finally said.


“Maybe we should just drop it for tonight,” Rose said.


“No. We need to get this out in the open.” She gave a deep sigh and reached for her beer. To her surprise it was already empty. “Wow. I haven’t downed one like that in a long time.”“Rose, you mean a great deal to me, you know that.” She forced herself to meet the young woman’s gaze, hoping her words did not sound as fake to Rose as they did to her own ears. “But I made a decision long ago that the business comes first.”“I can’t go back on that.”


“Chris hurt you that badly?”


“Yes she did.” Ronnie had been looking down at her lap and picked her head up in surprise at the gentle touch on her outstretched ankle. “It’s more complicated than that, but…”


“Your truck is parked in the garage and it isn’t going anywhere,” Rose offered. Her words earning her a heart-warming smile.


“Something like that. I need another beer. How about you?”


“I’m doing fine with this one.” She took another sip and watched Ronnie leave the room.


Now alone, Rose felt the nervousness she was trying to hold in check burst forth. Her sips became swallows and her glass was nearly empty by the time Ronnie returned. She watched the tall, lean body fold up onto the cushion and look expectantly at her.She took another swallow, the alcohol bolstering her courage. She looked up at gentle blue eyes. “I don’t know what I want,” she whispered. ” I’ve never felt this way about anyone else, Ronnie.” She looked away and finished her glass, her heart pounding painfully within her chest. Rose had no idea how they had started on this conversation but she knew they could not turn back from it now.


“So where do we go from here?” Ronnie’s voice wavered, betraying the strong emotions fighting inside her. “I don’t want to lose what we have.”


“I don’t know.” She looked longingly at her friend’s beer. Ronnie smiled and handed it over.

“Thanks.” Rose took several sips from the bottle before returning it. “I guess things can just stay the same. I mean, we’re still friends, right?”


“Best friends,” Ronnie corrected, passing the beer.


“Best friends.” The blonde woman smiled. “And best friends can sleep next to each other and it doesn’t have to mean anything.”


“Right, and best friends can still hug.”


“Absolutely.” Rose was encouraged by the direction of the conversation. “And sometimes…” The pink blush began to rise on her cheeks. “…if it’s a special occasion…they might even kiss.” Her ears burned bright red and she didn’t dare look up. If she had she would have seen the arched eyebrow and smirk directed at her.


“Yes, if there’s a special occasion I see no reason why best friends can’t kiss.” Ronnie’s mind went back to the blissful kiss under the mistletoe. She cursed herself for taking it down after the holidays.


“I’ll tell you a secret,” Rose still could not look at her. “Earlier, when you picked me up? I um…I thought…I mean I hoped….you would kiss me.” She said the last words so low Ronnie almost missed them. She upended the beer and handed the empty bottle back. “Sorry, I didn’t realize I was that thirsty.”


“Don’t worry about it. There’s plenty of beer. You want another one?”


“No…yes. Please.”


Ronnie rose from the couch and knelt down next to Rose. With one hand she reached out and turned the young woman’s face to her. “I’ll be right back.” Her thumb brushed against a far too soft lip. ” I wanted to kiss you too.” She stood up and pressed her lips to the crown of golden hair. “You want that eclair now?”


With her fear dissipating, Rose found that her hunger had returned. She nodded and watched Ronnie leave the room.She reached up and touched the spot where her friend’s lips had touched her hair. When Ronnie returned, Rose rewarded her with a beaming smile and fingers trailing over each other as the bottle was exchanged. “Thank you.”