Free DAC_II_GenVers_Sept2013 by Donna McDonald

Lydia. TWENTY-SIX. It would be like sleeping with a friend’s son. I just don’t think I can do that.”
    “He’s young, but not a kid,” Lydia said, shrugging. “And I’m not suggesting anything specific, other than you take some steps to get your needs met. It just seems like common sense to get them met by a man so obviously willing to meet them.”
    “Is that you or your therapist talking?” Jane asked, laughing now as she picked up her fork and attacked her pasta salad.
    “Regina Logan is a very smart woman. I only wish I had half her nerve,” Lydia said.
    Jane nodded. The few times she’d been in the woman’s company, she had admired her too. “Dad keeps telling me I need to go to Princeton sometime when Dr. Logan gives a talk. He said I would be amazed.”
    “Your father is right. You would be amazed,” Lydia agreed, nodding.
    “How do you know my ex is my problem?” Jane asked.
    Lydia turned in her chair to look Jane up and down. “You’re way too smart for most men to keep up with, filthy rich despite your reluctance to reveal it, and beautiful though you don’t see it. If you aren’t sleeping with any man you want any time you want, it’s because you’ve let a bad one do a number on your head. Get over him, Jane. He’s not worth the sacrifice you are making.”
    Jane nodded. “This anxiety doesn’t feel like it’s about Nathan.”
    “No? Then why are you holding Walter at arm’s length when all the boy wants to do is put a smile on your face?” Lydia demanded.
    “See? Even you called him a boy ,” Jane declared, but she smiled as she finally let herself feel flattered about Walter’s interest.
    “Yes, I called Walter a boy. And I think of you as a girl ,” Lydia pointed out, poking Jane’s arm with a finger as the woman giggled. “At my age, everyone seems young and immature unless they’re old and stodgy.”
    “ Stodgy? Who uses that word anymore? Now you sound like Harrison,” Jane teased.
    Lydia reached over to snatch Jane’s plate away, relenting when the woman laughed and wrestled it back into place.
    “I’m only trying to help in a woman-to-woman kind of way,” Lydia insisted.
    Jane laughed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Feel free to use all the archaic speech terms you want in any conversation with me. I’ll save them in quotes and post them to my social media later.”
    Lydia shook her head and went back to her food. “Fine. Make jokes. If you don’t jump that boy soon, you’re going to lose your chance anyway. He’s going to be seduced away from you. That will be a disappointing situation for both you and Walter.”
    “From what I saw the other night, he’s not having much better luck at dating than I am,” Jane admitted, wincing when she realized she had voiced her thoughts aloud. Even to her ears, it had sounded like she was looking for reassurance that it was true. “Forget it. It’s none of my business. Walter should be dating. I should be dating. The idea of us getting involved makes no sense whatsoever.”
    “Walter dating occasionally is one thing. Having a harem waiting to attend to him is another matter. Walter is pretty honorable for a man his age, but he doesn’t look like he’s that good. A lot of temptation is about to come his way,” Lydia said.
    Jane stopped eating. “Why do you say it like that?”
    Lydia blinked. “The calendar, of course.”
    Jane blinked back. “What calendar?”
    Shaking her head and blaming the depression for Jane being so out of the loop, Lydia slid off the bar stool for the second time that evening. She padded to the living room, returning shortly with the calendar. Sliding it onto the bar, the calendar didn’t rest for two seconds before Jane snatched it up.
    “Look at this. Walter is on the cover,” Jane said, laughing with joy at the cute picture he made. “He looks great, but his shirt is dirty. Wait. Did he mean to do this?”
    Lydia shook her head. “I don’t think so. I believe