"Before yesterday. I'd met him last week at a place called Sparks here in town."
"But you didn't seem like you –" Holly let this sink in. "Oh, honey. That must have just thrown you to see him again."
"To say the least, yes." Paul was gratified to hear how quickly Holly understood how awkward it had been for him.
"You know, I invited him here to our weenie roast," she said.
Paul sat up straighter in his chair. "Is he –"
"No. Said he had things to do." She tilted her head to look at him. "Are you disappointed? Or not?"
"Both," Paul admitted. "I don't know. Things are kind of a mess there. My mess, not his."
"Because you're not out?"
"In a nutshell."
"Well, you could always –"
"Not an option."
Holly opened her mouth to say more, but she spotted Steven returning with the drinks and
