Chapter 7

A short time later Kate and Beth arrived at her house. Their looks of concern were unmistakable. Alex didn't want them to worry about her. They had enough on their plates already with their busy families, so she greeted them with a smile. And despite how the arrangements had been made, she was happy to see them and spend time with them.

The women waited as Alex put on the finishing touches to her makeup, and then they scampered off to Samones, their favorite steak place.

The hostess immediately seated them, and when the waitress arrived at their table, they placed their usual orders.

As they made their way through the meal, they talked and laughed like old times. Much of their conversation consisted of Kate and Jeff's seven-year-old twins, Andrew and Anthony. Between the boys and her full-time job as a receptionist at the local radio station, Kate's hands were full. Every spare moment outside of work was consumed with running the boys to soccer games and swimming lessons.

Beth talked about her and Ken's six-year-old daughter Emma, Alex's godchild, and their four-year-old son Conner. And outside of working full-time as a dental hygienist, Beth's time was taken up with running Emma to dance lessons and Conner to soccer practice.

Alex listened to her friends as they talked about their families. She envied them and wished for a life filled with anything at this point. She shifted her gaze between the two as they spoke, thoroughly enjoying the conversation, and having more fun than she'd had in months. They finished eating and decided to have one more drink at the bar.

Alex ordered a beer and stared out over the bar, her mind focused on the break-in.

"Alex, are you okay?" Beth asked in her concerned, motherly tone.

She shifted her gaze to her friend.

"Yeah, I guess. It's just this whole break-in thing kind of has me worried."

"What do you mean, exactly?"

"Well, they didn't take anything. It makes me wonder what they were looking for, if they found it, or if they'll be back. And Peter seems worried, which scares me even more. He was so adamant about installing a security system at my house." Alex paused and bounced her gaze between her friends.

Dare I go on?

"Is there something else?" Beth asked.

Alex nodded. "Peter thought maybe it would be best if I stayed at his place for a while. Just until he figures out what's going on."

Beth shrugged. "Maybe that's not such a bad idea. If you're really worried about it, just stay with him for a bit."

The last syllable was hardly out of Beth's mouth when she let out a screech.

Alex flinched. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just got a cramp in my leg," Beth replied as she bent over and rubbed her leg.

Perhaps Beth's right. Maybe I should stay at Peter's place for a while. I'd feel a lot safer.

Alex's pulse pounded with unease.

What am I thinking? I can't do that. What would people think?

Her internal debates always exhausted her and put her on edge. This was all so overwhelming. That was probably why she'd snapped at Peter earlier.

Needing a minute to collect herself she excused herself and headed for the ladies room.

***

"Why did you kick me?" Beth asked Kate.

"You know darn well why, suggesting she stay with Peter. What's wrong with you? You know what a ladies' man he is," Kate snapped.

"You're wrong about him."

"Oh, please. The last thing Alex needs at this point is a ladies' man hanging around. Especially one that's been hounding after her for years."

"You're wrong, Kate. You don't know Peter as well as you think you do. For weeks, he's been confiding in me about his love for Alex. And no matter what you believe, I believe his love for her is genuine," Beth fired back.

"He's been what? What are you talking about?"

"I talk to Peter. We talk about Sam and Alex. He's not the man you think he is. That tough front he puts on is just that, a front. He took Sam's death hard, and he's in love with Alex. Always has been."

***

As they finished their drinks, Alex purposely averted any further conversation regarding staying at Peter's place. Beth's gallant attempts made it difficult, but Alex succeeded.

They paid their bill and headed for home.

Beth and Kate insisted on walking her to the door. Though she told them there was no need, they ignored her and did so anyway. They probably had no idea the level of comfort their presence brought to her.

Alex showed them the new security system. Her friends watched as she ran her fingers over the keypad next to the door. When she finished, the lock disengaged and she pushed the door open. They all stepped inside and shifted their nervous gazes around the room. The house seemed quiet. After a few minutes, Alex wished her friends good night, saw them to the door, and wasted no time resetting the system.

Though the security system seemed to work as Peter said it would, she still milled about her house with caution, flipping on every light switch she could find before she grabbed hold of Lili and gave him a kiss and hug. She released his squirming body then checked her phone messages. She listened to one from Peter, wanting her to call him when she got home so he knew she was okay. Though she'd had fun going out with Kate and Beth, Peter's meddling was ultimately responsible, and she still felt angry with him for outing her insecurities. She deleted his message.

She slid into her pajamas and climbed into bed with Lili at her side. Remorse, associated with not returning Peter's call, prevented her from falling asleep. She knew she needed to call him back if she wanted any shut-eye. She reached over and picked up her cell just as it rang.

"Hello."

"Everything okay?" Peter asked, "I was worried when I didn't hear from you."

"I'm fine. I was just about to call you."

A slight pause passed through the air.

"Alex, I'm sorry I made you angry. It's just...you've been so sad, and then with the break-in and all, I thought you could use a night out with the girls."

Alex sighed. Peter was simply too good to be true. "It's me who should be apologizing. I know you were only trying to help, but I feel so...like I'm a burden to everyone all the time. I know how busy everyone is and I just - "

"You're not a burden to us," Peter interrupted. "We're your friends. It's okay to lean on us when you need to. And it's not..."

"It's not what?"

He cleared his throat. "It's not healthy for you to keep everything inside like you tend to do."

A lump clogged her throat. Her eyes watered. He knew her all too well. And how was it that he could communicate so genuinely about such sensitive matters, yet she couldn't?

He was right. She needed to find a better way to deal with her grief and feelings. If she didn't soon, she'd implode.