Free Love By Accident by Michelle Beattie

a friendship again with him, would you?"
    Like a tape on rewind, her mind backtracked to college and the times Matt had come to her dorm room, sometimes with Gil, sometimes alone. It hadn't mattered. She'd enjoyed the company either way and sometimes, when the school work had been heavy and she'd felt overwhelmed and Gil was submerged in studying, it was Matt's goofiness, his love of life and playfulness that had saved her from herself.
    He'd made her set her books aside when she got overwhelmed. They'd gone for walks, or bike rides. Because they were always so competitive, it usually ended in a race, but the outcome never really mattered. What had mattered was she'd come back on better footing, better able to cope. And always smiling. Heartsick, Lauren hung her head. How much did she want that again? More than life itself.
    "In a heartbeat," she finally admitted.
    "It doesn't have to happen overnight. Take it one step at a time. Matt's there 'cause this is what he wanted. And if all he wanted was to be a park ranger, he could have stayed in Waterton."
    "Did he know I was here?" Lauren gasped.
    Through the phone she heard Ted's low curse.
    "Ted?"
    "Yeah, he said he did."
    How? She didn't know anyone in Jasper and Ted hadn't known Matt before he'd been transferred.
    "Look, Lauren, it doesn't matter how he knew," Ted said, reading her thoughts. "The point is he knew and he came anyway. If he only wanted to curse at you and lay the blame, he didn't need to relocate to do that."
    No, he could have driven up on a weekend and done what he'd done last night. Instead he'd moved. She pressed her hand to her aching heart. Was it possible? Could they really get their friendship back?
    ***
    "You want me to wait for you, Lauren?" Carlos asked, throwing the day's dirty white apron into a green Rubbermaid bin Betty took home once a week to wash and bleach. "It's no problem, I just gotta call my Maria so she don't worry."
    Lauren shook her head. "No, it's fine. Betty said I didn't have to do a deposit tonight; she has some banking to do tomorrow anyway. You can go."
    He glanced at the big grease spattered industrial clock hanging over his grills. Ten o'clock.
    "It's no problem, Lauren. And it's dark. It's the gentlemanly thing to do, to walk home a pretty lady."
    Lauren smiled. Carlos was fifty five, bald as a cue ball and looked like the Pillsbury dough boy with a deep tan. Though she appreciated the sentiment, she doubted his presence would prevent any attack, although Jasper was one of the safest towns she knew. She never hesitated to walk alone, no matter the time of day or night.
    "I'm good, Carlos. Go spend some time with Maria. Tell her I said hello."
    His face creased into a smile and his chocolate eyes warmed. "If you're sure, then." He took his coat from the rack behind the office door. "Thank you, Lauren. My Maria, she thanks you, too."
    She locked the back door behind him and leaned against it, sighing deeply. The silence was bliss. Well, until his old truck choked and sputtered to life. But at least there was nobody who needed to be waited on. No tables to clean.
    Lauren double-checked the coffee makers were ready for the morning, swept the floor and tidied the bathrooms. She dug the keys out of her purse as she navigated the dim diner.
    Outside, the wind had died down and the sky had cleared. After locking the door, she tilted her head back and looked up at the inky darkness dotted with stars, feeling as though she was a little kid again visiting a planetarium. No cars idled by. The street was dark and quiet. It felt peaceful.
    "It's nice, isn't it?"
    Lauren squealed. Her hand slammed to her chest, and her purse thunked on the sidewalk.
    "Oh my God," she gasped. "You scared me!"
    Matt moved from the darkness into the halo of a streetlight.
    "Sorry. I didn't want to interrupt you at work, so I was waiting for you to come out."
    He leaned down before she had the presence of mind to lift her purse off the cement. He held it out for