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He slipped off the glasses "Felicia and I"

I could not for the life of ? Did she and Jackson break up? Hoould it affect my relationship with Abby if they broke up?

"Yes?" I said

"It was like nothing I’ve ever done I mean, we just talked, you know? Talked Then alked and we talked some more" He shook his head, like he couldn’t believe it either "She’s unbelievable Like no one I’ve ever met ’Course she’s smokin’ hot as well"

I nodded I supposed she was hot If you liked redheads I thought back to Abby--her lush brown hair, the graceful curves of her body Felicia Kelly had nothing on Abby King

"I greatching Mom and Dad," Jackson said "Watched Todd and Elaina fall in love I ht I’d find what they had"

I knew exactly what he meant

"But now," he continued, "whenever I’m with her, I feel like it’s there Like I can reach out and touch it" He shook his head "I don’t know Maybe I should talk to Todd But I thought if you understood, if you thought it was possible to find"

Why would he think I knew anything? Me? I was in no position to offer any sort of advice Especially on that subject Surely he knew as e, no expertise whatsoever on relationships Which is why the next words out of my mouth surprised us both

"Of course I think it’s real," I said "That you can find it And if you’ve found it with Felicia, I couldn’t be happier for you"

Todd beat ame, but in the end, as I told him, everyone knew doctors didn’t really work They just played golf all day Of course he won

After the gao find a drink I wasn’t sure why I’d decided to talk to hih after the previous night

Or maybe it was because Todd knew about my lifestyle and I finally felt like I could talk about it with someone close to me I didn’t know I think I just wanted someone to talk to

Abby and I were to have dinner with Todd and Elaina later, but dinner was hours away and I didn’t want to spend those hours alone in the hotel roo back, that drink with Todd would be both the best and the worst decision I ever ht for a few minutes about how to approach the subject of my lifestyle with Todd I finally decided to be direct

"Abby told me you know about our lifestyle," I said after the server took our order

Todd’s eyes bulged out Obviously, he hadn’t planned on ed et it out there I don’t want it to become the elephant in the room"

He sat back in the booth "That’s some elephant, Nathaniel Are you sure you want to talk about this?"

"Why not? I have nothing to hide But let me ask you--how did you find out?"

"Melanie visited a few o" He paused briefly and I nodded "I think it was hard on her, the breakup with you She wanted to see some familiar faces and, once she saw us, she broke down"

"I knew dating her was a bad idea"

"Why did you do it?"

I raised an eyebrow "You aren’t going to psychoanalyze hed "You’re my best friend It would be unethical for me to psychoanalyze you" The corner of his h it would be fun"

"Shut up"

"Sorry I couldn’t help it" He grew serious "Why did you do it?"

"I wanted to see if I could do a ‘nor?" He glanced around the nearly e you don’t want to I get too close, you tell raduate school at Dart too exciting I wasn’t a girl net like Jackson I didn’t meet the love of , but I knew she didn’t likeanyone ho home I had this friend, Paul, as a do out soht back to the early years "I never looked back I enjoyed the lifestyle--grehere I needed it I’ve wondered, over the years, ifto do with it"

"Probably not"

"I thought you weren’t going to psychoanalyze hts"

"You have a lot of experience in this?"

"No, but I don’t think your parents’ deaths have anything to do with it I don’t think it’s just one thing I reen and others blue? It’s just the way your brain works"

"You don’t think it co?"

"Do you?"

I thought about the question Thought back to e and Beth And Abby "No," I said honestly

"Okay then There’s your answer"

I let out a sigh of relief "I always thoughtwith me"

"You know better than that"

"I know I know" I picked through the peanuts the server had brought "It’s just hard sometimes"

"Doesn’t look too hard lately" He ses of the night before running through my mind "She’snot like anyone I’ve ever been with"

"And that’s a good thing?"

"A really good thing" After last night, our relationship would only grow better

"A really good perether for only a little over a ht" He popped some peanuts in his mouth "But the potential’s there?"

"I don’t know I don’t know if I’ht there? I think that’s due to your childhood"

"And this--" I pointed at hiht here? I think this is when I tell you to shut the fk up" I smiled so he would know I hadn’t taken offense, but that I meant every word

"Sorry It’s the job Hard to quit, you know?"

"I don’t need a head shrink"

He wasn’t paying me any attention "It’s just that when s a neo in his step, and smiles all the time"

"Knock it off, Todd"