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Or could I convince her that giving me a real opportunity was worth waiting for?

Finding out how far I could take my feelings for Andi while we were on a jury together circled constantly in my thoughts, making it difficult to focus. I wanted more with her. But the question of what she wanted, what the rules would allow, kept me anxious about what the future held.

I pulled Ramon aside during lunch, hoping he didn’t catch my nervous swallow. “Hey, question. Are jurors allowed to date during a trial?”

The other man blanched.

“You’re not allowed to talk to other jurors about the case,” he cautioned. “We’ve already had to replace Ted because of his medical condition. I wouldn’t risk it.”

“What about the other alternate jurors?”

His frown didn’t abate. “I’ve seen whole swathes of juries taken down by food poisoning. We need every alternate we have, just in case.”

I glanced at my empty sandwich wrapper. Should I be bringing my own lunch?

He caught the direction of my gaze and rushed to reassure me. “We don’t order from that restaurant anymore. But still, dating your fellow jurors, at least during the trial, is frowned upon.”

Andi’s light laugh called to me from the other end of the room, and he gave me a knowing look.

“Just wait. This will be all over soon, and you can romance whomever you want.”

Patience had never been one of my virtues. I looked at my knitting, the scarf in sunny yellow nearly finished. Learning to knit had taught me about taking things step-by-step, starting slow to avoid mistakes. But going after what I wanted without giving up was more my style. Sometimes I had to sneak up on a goal, but in the end, I always took my shot.

Jury duty wouldn’t last forever. But given a chance? Andi and I might.

***

Staying focused on Friday’s court testimony with Andi close enough to touch was a losing proposition. But I tried. It was hard to listen to the defense drone on and on about Mr. Shepherd’s so-called youthful indiscretions when the soft scent of her lotion tickled my nostrils. I wanted to nuzzle the nape of her neck exposed by her hair pulled up and back in a messy knot.

I put my restless energy into my latest knitting project, a baby blanket I was planning to donate to the women’s shelter. Busy fingers couldn’t lead me astray. But, damn, I wanted them to.

Still, my cautious first steps with Andi might be doomed to failure. It all depended on how things went when she met Rosie. My heart, and my niece. Biologically my daughter, but in every other sense, Kirsten and Julie’s. Other women had shied away when they realized I’d helped my sister’s wife conceive. We’d used IVF, but still, it wigged some women out, knowing I had a child.

To Rosie, I was Uncle Ty, but we didn’t hide the truth from her. She knew she was loved. By her moms and me. I’d always be there for her.

Maybe it was weak to test Andi with Rosie too soon. But I needed to know how she’d feel before I grew too attached. And then, there was Jimmy. My gut still rumbled at thoughts of losing another friend. Been there, done that. Breakups sucked. But anticipating the end before the beginning was a sure way to erode my confidence.

Moving on from Jess after my soccer career ended had looked a lot like sleeping with anyone who would have me for a while. But I’d moved past the bitter phase, and I didn’t think the monk-like existence I’d been living since Rosie arrived on the scene was healthy either.

Letting myself be vulnerable to another woman scared the shit out of me.

But if it had to be anyone, Andi was it.

She probably had no idea I’d noticed her in high school. Not romantically, she’d been too young, and I’d been bewitched by Jess. But Jimmy’s little sister showed no restraint when it came to roasting her older brother and watching them banter always made me smile. Her quick wit and competitive spirit shone even in then. In retrospect, Jess had been a little jealous of my other friendships, always around, especially if any other girls were present. Highly ironic that she’d been the one to cheat. Maybe it was an early sign, if she couldn’t trust me, that I shouldn’t have trusted her either. But I’d been oblivious. And it cost me. Not everything, but enough. Friends I’d built over years. Loneliness, combined with the loss of my soccer career had contributed to my himbo phase. I was grateful to Kirsten and Julie for pulling me out of it, giving me something else to focus on in Rosie.

As court wrapped up on Friday, I packed up my knitting, glancing down the juror table in our break room to where Andi was saying goodbye to her new friends.

I shuffled her way, nodding to the others, softly cursing when she slipped out of the juror room before I could catch her.

Chapter 7 – Andi

“Andi!”

The masculine call sent shivers down my spine. The husky timbre reminded me of those fleeting moments in the hall at Haven. Kisses I needed to forget, for my own pride and sanity.

I believed I’d escaped from the courthouse free and clear, managing to avoid Ty all day. Rushing to close my car door and ignoring his call remained an option, but I didn’t have it in me to be rude.

Reluctantly, I turned from my car and Ty jogged up, stopping scant inches away.