"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Is this the part where you'll never lie to me?"

"Must you remember everything I say?"

"Must you always ask me to give you a reason?"

With a sigh, Laura leaned into the cushions and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Duane and I had a bit of an argument tonight."

"A bit?"

"A row."

"Can I ask why?"

With a snort, Laura leaned over, picked up the painkillers and shook the bottle.

Toni's brow wrinkled as she tried to decipher the clue. "He got mad because you have cramps?"

"Not exactly, but you're close."

"I'm lost."

"When he saw me take the pills he asked me what was wrong, and I told him, and then his whole attitude changed. He said if he had known, he would have skipped tonight and gone out with his mates."

"Why?"

"Because having sex during my cycle is a major turn-off for him, and he realized he wasn't going to be getting any tonight."

Toni's mouth dropped open, staring back at Laura as if she was in a daze. "You've got to be joking."

"Am I laughing?"

"That's bollocks!"

"I know!"

"Well, so much for him being a nice bloke."

"That's the problem, Toni, normally he is. These past few weeks have been great. I mean, really great and we've been having a blast, but then something stupid comes along and turns it all upside down."

"So what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You going to see him again?"

"I don't know."

"You deserve better," Toni said under her breath as she took a sip of wine.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Yes, you did."

"Fine. I said you deserve better."

"You think?"

"You don't?"

"Sometimes I wonder."

"A bit down on yourself tonight, aren't you?"

"Must be the company I'm keeping." As soon as the words slipped from her lips, Laura frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, Toni."

"It's okay. I'm not exactly what most would call an exuberant housemate."

Thinking for a moment, Laura asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"It depends."

"Don't you miss it?"

"What?"

"Sex."

"Oh."

"Sorry, that's probably under the heading of crossing the line, huh?"

"Not yet, but you're close," Toni said, quickly following it with another taste of wine.

She was enjoying Laura's company, and she didn't want it to end, but Toni's heart rate was increasing by the second. She knew where the conversation was going, and Toni hoped Laura would pick up on her nervousness without having to point it out. Unfortunately, Laura didn't.

"So, do you? Miss it, I mean?"

"I don't really think about it anymore," Toni answered, her voice now barely a whisper.

"Why not?"

Unable to handle any more questions, Toni gritted her teeth and sprang to her feet, glaring down at Laura as she tried to control her anger. "It's none of your fucking business!" After downing what was left of her wine, Toni stomped to her room and slammed the door.

"Shit," Laura said. Shaking her head at her own stupidity, she picked up a nearby pillow and promptly threw it across the room. "Shit. Shit. Shit!"

The next morning, Laura awoke to two surprises. The first she discovered when she shuffled into the kitchen for coffee only to find Toni hard at work making them a scrumptious breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. Apologies were quickly exchanged and accepted, and by the time the meal had ended, the argument had all but been forgotten.

The second surprise came an hour later, when a dozen red roses were delivered with a lengthy apology from Duane attached. After a dozen texts and two phone calls, Laura agreed to meet him for drinks Monday night, and by the time Tuesday rolled around, Duane and Laura were, once again, an item.

Laura swung the Jeep into the driveway, slipped it into park and shut off the engine. "Thanks for letting me drive," she said, handing Toni back her keys.

"That's fine, since I never went to the Le Mans School of Driving."

"I wasn't driving that fast."

"You weren't driving that slow either," Toni said, climbing out of the car.

"Duane told me I can't be late," Laura said, trotting up the stairs.

"I still can't believe you're giving him another chance."

"Well, he did apologize and I wasn't in the greatest of moods that night anyway, so it was as much my fault as it was his."

Unlocking the front door, Toni pushed it open. "How the hell do you figure that? Where is it written that a woman has to tell her date when she's on before accepting an invitation?"

"All I'm saying is that I could have handled it better."

"So could he."

Dropping her things on a chair, Laura ran up the stairs, stopping when she reached the top. "You okay with dinner?"

Looking at the bag of Chinese take-away in her hand, Toni said, "I'm fine. Go, you've only got three hours to primp."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Wouldn't think of it," Toni said with a small grin. "Of course, it would be a hell of a surprise if you were actually on time for once."

"Oh, that reminds me. There's a surprise in your room."

"What?"

"Charlie had an early day today, so I gave him your keys, and he packed up the rest of your books. They're in your room."

"Really?"

"Yep, and I thought maybe this weekend we could go out and try to find a bookcase so you have some place to put them."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not. Besides, you'll be paying. Consider it rent," Laura said, giving Toni a quick smile before she disappeared into her room.

"So, how do I look?"

Toni glanced up from her book, and her mouth dropped open. "Wow. You look amazing."

Laura felt herself blush, and surprised by it, it took a moment to find her voice. "Um...thanks."

It was your basic little black dress, but the color was the only basic thing about it. A mixture of jersey and silk, the chiffon overlay added an air of sophistication to the simple frock, and the knotted detail gathering the fabric at the base of the plunging neckline left little doubt that Laura was all woman. Sleeveless and stopping just short of her knee, the dress was beautiful, but it paled in comparison to the woman who wore it.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Laura asked.

It took a few seconds for Toni to realize that Laura had spoken, and raising her eyes to meet Laura's, she said, "A...A favor? Sure, if I can."

Holding out a thin gold chain, Laura said, "I can never work the clasp. Do you mind?"

"No, of course not," Toni said, taking the necklace from Laura. "Turn around."

Laura did as asked and a few seconds passed before Toni said, "This is a bugger."

"And here I thought it was just me."

"I've got it," Toni said. "You'll have to lift your hair."

Laura held up her hair without giving it a second thought and Toni reached around, draping the necklace so she could fasten it. It seemed so innocent and normal to Laura, one friend helping another, but when Toni rested her fingers on Laura's neck for leverage, the sensation Laura felt didn't quite fall under the heading of friendship.

"Are you cold?" Toni asked, noticing goose bumps on Laura's skin.

"Um...maybe a bit. Have you got it yet?"

"Just did."

About to step away, Laura drew in a quick breath when she felt Toni's fingers on the zipper of her dress.

"You missed the hook," Toni said, patting Laura on the shoulder. "All better now."

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Watching as Toni returned to the table to finish her meal, Laura asked, "Have you started unpacking your books yet?"

"No, I thought I'd do that after dinner. Maybe try to organize them by author or title."

"Sounds like a plan."

A car horn beeped and Laura immediately grinned at the sight of Toni's scowl. "Toni, relax. I told you, it's just a joke."

"Right."