Scattered Ashes by Maria Rachel Hooley Page A

another stone and skipping it across the placid pond.
    “Everything--especially the hotel room.  Sarah said she'd made reservations, but I don’t think she did.”
    He shrugged.  “You’re welcome.  Glad I could help.”
    As they walked around the pond, they conversed quietly about future plans and the lack of significant others in both their lives.  Although Nicole thought about Jordan, she also remembered he was married.  Besides, even though she’d begun to accept that Jordan would always have a place in her memories, she knew she had to move on. Michael was offering her that.
    It was late when Michael drove her back to her apartment.  Always the gentleman, he walked her to the door.  For a moment, both stood there awkwardly, looking at each other before he gently took both her hands in his and stepped closer.
    “I had a great time tonight, Nicole,” he said softly.  “And I’d really like to go out again.”
    “Me, too.”  Their eyes met, and she felt the burning in his as he leaned close and brushed his lips across hers, driving away all thoughts she might have had, as well as any form of reason.
    “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he whispered, giving her cheek a slow kiss before he walked away and she slipped inside, where her best friend waited, sitting on the couch and eating popcorn while watching a movie.
    “Well,” Sarah said.  “How was it?”
    Nicole leaned against the closed door, wanting for just a moment or two to replay how the evening had gone and how much she'd enjoyed Michael kissing her.  It didn’t seem possible.
    “Nic?” Sarah set the bowl aside and stood.  “You are blushing, woman!  What happened?”
    Nicole started laughing, and it came out in such a rush she could hardly breathe.  Sarah grew frustrated and started shaking her, which  didn’t help much.
    “Nic, come on!  Tell me what happened?  Do you like him?”
    Nicole nodded, and when she'd finally caught her breath, she said, “He is so awesome!  Really amazing--and he lives here, close by!”
    “Yes!” Sarah said.  “I knew it was meant to be.”
    Nicole nodded and pointed to her bedroom.  “I’m going to go get ready for bed.”
    “Okay.  I’m finishing this movie.” 
    The two women parted company as Nicole headed to her bedroom.  She reached into her purse to look at her cell phone, still grateful that it hadn’t been stolen with her other purse.  By some miracle, she’d put it in her jeans pocket. 
    She scrolled through the display options and saw she’d missed a call.  “Crap,” she muttered and saw it had been Jordan who'd called, leaving a message.
    Gritting her teeth, Nicole played it and waited, holding her breath.
    “Hey, Nicole, It’s me, Jordan.  I just wanted to see how you were doing.  Things are great here.  I just miss having someone to talk to.  Have a great evening.”
    For a moment, she just sat there with the phone resting in her open palm.  She wanted to talk to him, and she knew she probably shouldn’t call, but she couldn’t seem to help it. She pushed the contact button and selected his number.  For the first couple of rings, she tried not to wonder where he was and if he were happy.  For whatever reason, there was an attachment between them.  It would have been nice to have discovered that under different circumstances, but there was nothing to do about that now.
    On the third ring, a woman answered, taking Nicole aback. She almost dropped the phone before she could close it, and long after the call had been disconnected, she stared at it in horror.  It was one thing to know he was married but another to hear his wife’s voice.
    She must have listened to the message ten times before she set the phone aside and tried not to dwell on it.  What else could she do?  She wasn’t sure.  All she knew was that even with all the happiness she’d felt as a result of her date, her last thought before drifting to sleep was of that suspended bridge and