It’s Donna, thanking me for working so hard.
“Is that all, Donna? I’m grateful for the work. You know that.”
“So tell me again about your hot neighbor,” she says.
“Donna! We’re far too old for this kind of conversation.”
“Nonsense, girlfriend. I read ‘later in life’ romance and you’re never too old. We’re human, aren’t we? Anything is possible.”
“But not probable.”
“The bait is not stale, Lucy. You’re beautiful and smart and generous and attractive. Bart was an idiot.”
“I agree with you there.”
“You won’t stay single for long. Go on. Tell me about that hottie neighbor? I can’t believe what you told me about you meeting way back in the old days, when you were in your twenties. How good is that! What’s his name?"
I check the stairwell, check no neighbors’ doors are open, then whisper my response.
“Dr Dirk O’Connell MD.” I blush. Just saying his whole name out loud gives me little flutters in my stomach. Do I have a crush on Dirk?
“A hot doc, huh? What’s he look like?”
“Mature. Salt and pepper hair. He’s considerate. Smart. Educated. A bit old-fashioned. Great body; tall and strong. Nicely groomed. Well, his hair’s on the long side, but I can fix that. Lovely manners.”
“And single.”
“Yes. Widower. Couple of children; even a couple of grandchildren who adore him. I’ve seen them together here once. Coming in to visit. They’re cuties.”
“Children know.”
“How would you know, Donna? You live with a pet.”
“There’s always family in seasoned romances. You don’t get to that age without a grown-up child here or there.”
“I love the way you want to fix me up with a new partner so quickly and you don’t even have one yourself.”
“Rex and I have been going steady for ten years.”
“He’s a dog.”
“Uhuh. Loyal as they come.”
“You’re ridiculous, Donna.”
“That’s why you love me.”
It’s only as I’m inserting my key into my lock, that I see him. Dirk O’Connell passes me with a strange smile. Did he hear every word?
I rush inside, slam my door and lean against it, trying to hide my smile. Donna’s right. I have a crush on my neighbor, and it gives me more of a thrill than I want to admit.
“What happened?” she says.
“I think he heard us,” I say, and we laugh so hard my stomach aches.
