They spent all night talking and flirting, and every time Sharona got a strike or a spare, Randy made sure he was there for a high five. One time, when he had two strikes in a row, she patted him on the back. When she had three in a row, she threw her arms around his neck in excitement, and he lifted her off the ground, and would have spun her around, except for even just lifting her made him lose his balance a bit on the slippery alley floor, and it was all he could do to keep standing.

He popped a breath mint into his mouth while she was putting her ball away, then he talked out of the corner of his mouth on the drive back so she wouldn't know he had popped a breath mint. He didn't want to look over-eager. He waited for her to make the move, but when they drove up to her hotel she just said, "I had a great time, Randy. Thanks." And that was good, too.

But not "you'll be gone again by the end of the week" good.

He grabbed her hand. "Sharona. You have to know. I don't just like you." She didn't pull away, which was encouraging. "I don't want this to be just a fun evening to hold onto when you go back to Jersey. I don't want you to go. I mean, I know you have to, but…." He took a deep breath. "I don't want you to leave without me telling you, and I know it's going to sound weird because we haven't really spoken in five years but…I'm in love with you."

"Randy, I don't know if that's…."

"Please, Sharona, just this once, would you shut up and kiss me?"

Amazingly, she did. He clung to her like his life depended on it, doing his best to tell her without words everything he wasn't quite sure he could put into words anyway. Her response was hesitant, then surprised, and then…and then…he had to break away to look into her eyes to see if he was imagining things.

"Well, Lieutenant." She shook her head and smiled. "I think I'm gonna be shutting up and kissing you more than just once."

She didn't say it out loud, but when she kissed him again Randy was even more sure she was telling him she was more than halfway to loving him, too.

On the drive home from dropping her off, he found himself planning a second date—a third—a fourth—a marriage proposal. That night, his sleep was full of dreams with nothing but happy endings.

It wasn't until about lunchtime the next day when he saw Sharona's name on his phone display. "Hello, gorgeous," he answered quietly.

"You're crazy, you know that?" she said, but he could hear the edge of laughter in her voice.

"Crazy for you," he retorted, and then he heard it—that giggle he'd heard so many times when she was on the phone with other men.

"Stop it," she said, in the same "don't stop it" flirty voice he'd heard so often while watching her having those conversations with those other guys.

"Holy cow," he breathed. "This is really happening."

"In case you needed more proof you're not dreaming, guess where I am right now?"

"In the lobby?"

"In the hospital…okay, I'm okay," she hurried to add. "I fell on that loose step at the country club and broke my arm."

"What? That's awful!"

"No, no, no, it's the best thing that happened to me all week." She giggled again. "Well, almost."

He had to stop himself from saying "I love you." He didn't want to push that before she was ready for it.

"So this means I really do have a lawsuit to file, but I'm gonna wait a few weeks. I have to get back to Jersey."

He didn't answer. In his awe at the dream being real, he'd momentarily forgotten that the reality was that she lived all the way across the country.

"Randy? You still there?"

"Uh, yeah. When are you leaving?"

"The doctor says I'll be okay to travel as soon as he releases me, so I booked a flight back for tomorrow afternoon."

"That soon."

"With coming out again in a few weeks, I have to save my vacation time. Think you can drive me to the airport tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'll take the day off. Will I see you tonight?"

She paused. "Tonight I'm spending with Adrian."

"Oh."

"But tomorrow my flight doesn't leave until about two o'clock. Maybe we could go for brunch or something first?"

"Absolutely."

They arranged a meeting spot for ten o'clock the next morning, and then Sharona had to hang up to talk to the medical staff.

Randy leaned back in his chair and looked at the clock. It was five minutes to noon. In just over twenty-four hours, he would be saying good-bye to the woman he loved. He found himself smiling.

It didn't feel like an ending.