When she put my slice of Red Velvet down with trembling hands, I whispered her name.“Jenny?”She jolted, nearly flipping the cake over and jerked b...ack staring at me cowed, like a dog that’d been kicked.She didn’t answer at all.I dropped my eyes and pretended I hadn’t seen her reaction, even though we both knew I had.“It’s nice to see you Jenny. Been a long time since school.”She shivered like someone had crossed her grave. She seemed to steel herself a little, watching me warily.“J-john? It .... ‘I don’t want make love to you on the floor. Let’s get up.’ He rose off the floor and pulled me up with him. In the seconds it took me to get to my feet, the reality of what we were about to do hit me. I sat at the edge of the bed and patted the space next to me. ‘Nick?’ I questioned. ‘What are we doing?’ ‘I don’t know, Olivia. But it feels good. Better than anything I’ve experienced in a long time. And I understand you’re confused,’ he began, looking directly at me. ‘Because I guarantee I’m. And since we’re going out on the town together for the first time in years tomorrow night, you’d better get yourself looking good too. There’s no way us girls are going to be seen in public without a handsome man on our arms!’ ***** It was a slow day at the animal hospital, slow enough that Samantha had time to think and reflect. Just why was Ginger being so … secretive? It was her nature, of course, that playfulness was part of what kept her young and vibrant, even well into her 60s. But this. She paused and then she was in my arms, a sob escaping her lips.Her lips found mine in a desperate kiss, “Ohh God, Michael, you don’t know how I missed you.”“Sally, Oh Sally,” I swallowed the surge of emotion that threatened to overwhelm me.We felt two more pairs of arms as Zoe and Mila joined us, and we morphed into a four-way hug. All of us had tears of joy streaming down our faces.I pulled back and asked, “What are you doing here. I thought it was going to be weeks before you could.