Page 148 of It's Not PMS, It's You

I pretended to be shocked, putting my hand on my chest. “Judy—you cradle robber!”

She laughed. “I know! Isn’t it wonderful? And he’ssucha gentleman. He’s always wiping my computer screen for me with a microfiber cloth he said he usesjustfor me. Isn’t that just the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard?”

“It doesn’t get much sweeter than that. He sounds like a wonderful man. And I’m glad to see you took my advice about getting a life. You’re such an inspiration.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” She patted the top of my hand. “What about you, dear? Do you have a life yet?”

I sighed and watched a fisherman cast his line into the ocean. “Well . . . not exactly. It wasn’t a good week for me, but we don’t need to talk about that.”

“Of course we do, dear. That’s what friends are for.” She gave me a knowing smile. “Give me the Reader’s Digest version since I’m going to need to take off soon for bingo.”

I turned to her. “I thought you said bingo was on Tuesday mornings.”

“Who said I only played once a week?” Judy laughed and squeezed my hand. “Now, tell me, what’s going on with you?”

Funny how the tables had turned.

Now it seemed as if Judy was ready to givemeadvice.

I shrugged. “My life imploded this week. I’m suddenly unemployedandI lost a very special man.”

“And what are you going to do about it? Sit around and mope?”

The question surprised me, but it wasn’t far off target. “Basically. Yes.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound like the RuthIknow.”

I laughed, fully aware that the history between me and Judy didn’t go that far back in time. “I thought grieving was part of the natural healing process.”

“How long have you been down in the dumps?”

“Three days.”

“Boy, you’rereallymilking it!”

I couldn’t believe Judy made me laugh again. “Yes, I’msucha drama queen. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been getting a lot of reading done. I hadn’t read a single book in over ten years, but I just finished my third novel in less than a week. I’m obsessed and can’t stop reading now.AndI also have a newfound appreciation for napping.”

“Oh, I just love my afternoon naps.” Judy squished the wrapper from her fish sandwich into a ball and stuck it in the bag. “What kind of books are you reading?”

“Romantic comedies.”

She lit up. “Iloveromantic comedies! There’s nothing better than a little laughter with a happy ending.”

“I agree.” I lost my smile, thinking of Nick. “Too bad I didn’t getmyhappy ending.”

“That just means the end of your story hasn’t been written yet. But youdoneed to make a little effort, you know? What’s his name?”

“Nick.” I smiled. “I liked to call him Nicky.”

She lit up. “I justadorethat name. And do you love him?”

I nodded.

“And does he love you?”

I sighed. “That, I don’t know. He told me that under ideal conditions, he could fall in love with me in a heartbeat.”

“What kind of ideal conditions are we talking about here?”