More Than Friends by Beverly Farr Page B

habit
of over-analyzing everything. Lisa was always telling her she
should loosen up and enjoy herself more. Carrie stepped forward.
Josh took her right hand and put his other hand at her waist. He
held her close, but not too close, and they started to dance,
moving slowly to the rhythm.
    He smelled great.
    She took a deep breath.
    It felt strange to be back in a man’s arms
again, even if it was just dancing.
    She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling.
She felt safe with Josh, comfortable. Maybe it was because he was a
naturally calm person. But eventually the song ended. As the music
faded away, they both smiled at each other and walked back to the
table.
    Josh said quietly, “Your Ex is approaching.
What do you want me to do?”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Do you want him back?”
    Carrie frowned. “No.”
    “Do you want to make him jealous?”
    “Yes. I mean, no.”
    Josh smiled and quickly slipped his hand
around her waist, drawing her closer to his side.
    Carrie startled and might have said
something or pulled away, but then Brent was standing in front of
her, and it was too late to retreat.
    “Carrie,” he said smoothly. “Nice to see you
again.”
    “Hello,” she said coolly. She had dreaded
seeing Brent face to face again, but with Josh as moral support by
her side, it wasn’t so terrifying.
    She realized with relief that he wasn’t half
as handsome as he used to be. When she looked at him now, all she
could remember was what a jerk he’d been, always putting her
down.
    With amusement she watched Josh and Brent
look at each other, sizing each other up like two moose getting
ready to butt heads.
    Josh put forth his hand. “I’m Josh,” he said
clearly.
    Brent glared at him, and introduced himself
as well.
    Carrie smiled. Brent no longer wanted her
himself, but she could tell it bothered him to see her happy with
someone else. She said, “How are you doing? Work going well?”
    “Yes. And you?”
    “Couldn’t be better.”
    “I’m glad.”
    Liar, liar, pants on fire . “Well, see
you around,” she said lightly, and turned to Josh. “Are we ready to
go?”
    He smiled broadly. “Sure.”
    Brent walked past their table, but he was
probably still watching them. Josh held her coat as she slipped her
arms inside her sleeves. “Thanks.”
    She reached to adjust her collar and he
leaned toward her. For a split second Carrie thought he might give
her a kiss. Her breath caught in her throat.
    His eyes widened with surprise and he pulled
back.
    Carrie’s heart gave a little flip. How much
was pretend for Brent’s benefit and how much was real? Did Josh
want to kiss her?
    She didn’t know what to think.
    Neither of them said anything as they paid
for dinner and went out to the parking lot. She was parked on one
side of the building; he was parked on the other. They stood for a
moment in the cool night air. Carrie put her hands in her coat
pockets. Part of her didn’t want the evening to end so soon. “That
was fun.”
    “Yes.”
    “And thanks for helping with Brent.”
    “Glad to.” He hesitated as if searching for
something to say.
    She waited, hopeful, but then he said, “Good
night. See you Monday.”
     
     
    All weekend Carrie felt foolish.
    She relived the evening and her
conversations with Josh. In many ways it had felt like a first
date, but technically it hadn’t been. They were nothing more than
co-workers, spending two hours together.
    Josh seemed to like her, but after Brent,
she didn’t trust her man decoding skills.
    Sometimes she wished she’d studied
Psychology rather than Accounting. Numbers were consistent, people
never were.
    She didn’t want to misjudge the situation
and make it worse.
    Did Josh think she was flirting with
him?
    Probably.
    She groaned. What was she going to do on
Monday? There was no way to avoid him completely – not when he
worked two cubicles down from hers.
     
     
    Monday morning, Carrie came to work early
and hid in her cubicle, busy with