Janet looked up and under her wide wicker gardening hat I saw her mouthopen. "Jim? Wow, you have lost weight! You look great!"My mind studied Janet. S...he still looked awesome, maybe a few gray hairsfrom the top of her head but she had a body that would not quit."I was just driving in the old neighborhood and thought I would see howit looked after all these years." It was then that I noticed the weddingband was gone on her fnger. I asked her about it."We split up a few years ago. He was married. The worries I’d had with Barbara vanished, replaced by the realization that all I truly needed was a new set of mental frameworks to replace the ones I’d been using for years.My stepdaughter’s mouth was still only inches from mine as she pulled back long enough to whisper, “Don’t worry about her, Daddy. I know you’ll remind her who’s the master of the house. Just like you reminded me...”Then, I took control.McKenzie gasped into my lips as I pushed back from the table and stood, my hands. "Where did you learn to talk like that? I have never seen you act this way." I have always been this way, 'inside'. I just feel like letting it all out now. I'm not ashamed of the way I feel either," she remarked."Do you want me to fix you up with Donna? I know she is willing," she asked, thinking she could help me overcome my fear."No! I don't need you to fix me up. I'm capable of taking care of that on my own. I just need a little time," I said firmly."If you need some practice, I'm always. Phone calls and text messages with Amanda were a nice change but it’s not the same as waking up next to someone you love every morning. I knew that would be nice and that possibility had seemed very real with Elsa but then, poof, it was gone. Janice had invited me to Thanksgiving dinner and I’d turned her down, like I turned down every other invitation. Was she just being nice or was there something more? All of our previous conversations made it seem like she had an interest and that it was.