A/N: I know some of you have been anxious for an update. I was out of town last week and have had some big projects to deal with and not enough time to spend on this. I'm sorry for the delay. I'm hopeful that I won't have as much going on over the next few weeks and months. I appreciate the reviews and the love for the story. That's always good to hear.

There was never time at the table read, or privacy, to talk much, so she and Chip agreed to meet up afterwards to talk about the upcoming episode. They'd had a brief text exchange, asking about holidays, but little else and she was interested – and a little nervous – in hearing more. At the end of the table read, people hung around a little longer than normal, mostly to catch up after the break, so he leaned towards her. "Want to find someplace quieter?" he asked.

She nodded. "Sounds good." She slid her script into her purse and got up, following him out of the room. At first they walked in silence, down the halls and in the direction of the sets. She finally broke the silence. "So the holidays were good for you?"

He looked at her and smiled. "They were fine. We were at my mom's for Christmas."

"She lives in Alexandria, right?" He nodded. "I'm sure that was nice. A family celebration." He didn't respond and they kept walking until they got to Rayna's den set.

"Here okay?" he asked, pointing towards it.

"Yeah." They walked over and sat on the couch, with space between them. She pulled out her script and put it on the couch between them, but she could see he was somewhat distracted. "Is everything okay?"

He looked at her like he just realized where they were. "Oh, sorry. Yeah. It is." He cleared his throat. "I didn't say anything over the holidays, just so you know. But I need to do it. Before too much time goes on. The thing is though, I don't know exactly where your head's at on this."

She was a little surprised by that. "I don't understand."

"If I come to you one day and say I asked for a divorce, are you in?"

She wasn't exactly sure what to say. "Well, I'm here. I told you that. But don't decide because of me."

He frowned. "Why else would I do it, Connie, if not for you? I've already told you that you're the one. For me. I thought you understood that. I was fine with doing things your way and being friends and all, but I want more. I thought you did too. Nothing has changed for me about that. Has it changed for you?"

She sat for a minute, thinking about what to say, and then finally decided to just tell the truth. "No. It hasn't. But I can't be the reason, Chip."

He shook his head. "What does that even mean?"

"It means, you need to do this because you need to move on, not for someone else. I'm trying to think ahead. For your sake and for your kids." She looked around then, not wanting anyone to happen upon them. "I don't think this is a conversation for here. It's a conversation we can have, but not in our workplace."

He stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

She picked up the script and then put it back down. "You know, I don't think I'm in the right frame of mind to just switch gears and talk about this. We have a few days. Why don't we do it later, okay?"

He looked a little surprised, then sighed. "Okay. You're probably right. On both counts."

She smiled then. "Thanks. We will talk about both of those things. I promise." She reached for her purse and slid the script inside, then stood up. He stood up as well. She pointed towards the back exit. "I'm parked out there. I had a wardrobe appointment first thing."

He nodded. "Okay. I'm up front." He hesitated. "I'll text you."

"Okay." She lifted her hand and waggled her fingers and then headed for the back entrance.

She was in the studio on Friday, but all she could really think about was that she had a date that night. a set up, really. She was having dinner with friends who were also inviting a man they wanted her to meet. It had been so long since she'd had a real date that she found it hard to concentrate and so it took longer to put down her tracks than it usually would.

When she got home, she started thinking about what to wear. It was a casual dinner, but not jeans and sweatshirts casual, so she needed to consider what was the right thing to wear. Dress or pants? How dressy? How much cleavage to show? She didn't know a lot about him. She knew his name was Daniel and that he was in town to look at property for a restaurant venture he wanted to launch in Nashville. He was divorced and had 2 kids, which meant they'd have something to talk about. It would be nice to meet someone new, even if nothing came of it.

She put together several outfits and hung them in the closet so she could decide what looked best. It was January and cold, so a dressy sweater would work and not be too revealing. She chose a cream colored sweater that felt heavenly against her skin. The neckline was rounded but not too deep. The sleeves had a bit of fullness to them that gave it a cozy look. She could dress it up with a short necklace. She picked a pair of dark grey slacks that had a shimmer to them and a fit that accentuated her legs. She had some black ankle boots she thought would work with the outfit. She stepped back and looked at the outfit and smiled, satisfied with what she'd come up with.

She heard her phone buzz and walked out of the closet. She picked up the phone from her bed and saw that it was a text from Chip. Sunday afternoon okay? She sat down and looked at the text. She didn't answer immediately, just held the phone and sighed. The truth of the matter was that she was torn. She and Chip hadn't been together since the end of their first season, but it didn't mean the feelings had gone away. It didn't matter that they'd spent most of the first half of filming the second season not having a lot of scenes together. When they did, the chemistry was still there. The feelings they still had for each other personally easily bled over into what came across on camera.

She sighed. It was all so complicated and, if she were honest, it made her sad. She lifted her phone and tapped out a response. Yes. When? After a moment he responded. 4? Your house? She felt her heart beat a little faster. Sounds good. She put her phone down and then headed back to the closet to start getting ready. She felt a little less excited about the dinner party.

As she drove home, she thought about the night. It had turned out to be fun after all. She enjoyed the company and the conversation and Daniel had been quite charming and interesting. He was attractive, young but not too young, and dressed well. He had a nice smile and was very polite. He was exactly the kind of man she was normally attracted to.

She had enjoyed hearing about his journey as a chef and restaurateur and about the place he was developing for Nashville. He was an excellent conversationalist and they had discovered a number of common interests. They talked about their kids and shared photos. She'd given him her number, but since he didn't live in Nashville, she wasn't sure she'd hear from him regularly.

As ambivalent as she'd been beforehand, when she reflected on it, she'd had a really good time. He was someone she wouldn't mind getting to know better, although she didn't know if she saw a future in it. That was the problem. Pre-Nashville, she would have wanted to take more time to get to know him better. At a minimum, she could see him being part of her circle of friends. The problem was that her heart belonged to someone else and, as much as she tried to tell herself she should move on, she was having a hard time doing that.

After she got home and sent the babysitter on her way, she changed into comfortable clothes and poured herself a glass of wine. It was late, but she wasn't ready to go to sleep. She sat on the couch and stared into the flames in the gas fireplace. It was soothing and she started to feel more relaxed. She thought about the scenes she and Chip would be shooting that week, all around Rayna and Deacon writing a song together. The buildup, the reality of actually doing it and the powerful memories it evoked, and the realization that they were flying too close to the flames, all were critical scenes in their journey to wherever they were destined to end up. But Rayna still wasn't ready and Scarlett had made her realize it. It made her wonder if there were parallels to her relationship with Chip. They had a history now and it was easy to fall back into it. The question was whether they should or would it be better for her to go down a different path.

She finished her wine and debated getting another glass, but she'd had 2 glasses at dinner so she decided not to. She put her glass in the sink and then turned out the lights, heading down the hall to her bedroom.

It was a little after 4 when she heard the knock on the door. She had dropped Yoby off with a neighbor who would sometimes keep him for her, so that there wouldn't be any interruptions. She opened the door and smiled. "Hey," she said. "Come on in." She stood back and let him pass, then closed the door.

He headed for her den and she followed. He turned. "Hey. Thanks for letting me come by."

"Sure. Uh, where are you supposed to be?"

He looked confused for a second, then understood what she meant. "Everybody else is out, so I just left a note saying I was running some errands."

"Oh. Okay." She gestured towards the couch. "You want to sit?"

He nodded. He took off his jacket, laying it across the arm of the couch and then sat. She sat at the other end of the couch. "So, I know we wanna talk about the scenes, but I've been thinking about where we left things the other day. I, uh, I thought about what you said. About how to approach this...break. Or whatever you want to call it." He breathed in. "And it made me think about whether you really understood where I am on this."

She frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, this isn't just a 'I slept with someone else' kind of thing. This is an 'I met someone who I believe I'm meant to be with' thing. And I don't know if it's that I haven't made that clear or you don't feel the same way or what. So I need to understand what you meant."

"Meant by what?"

He looked a little frustrated. "You said you didn't want this to be about you. Like I was gonna break up over you. Because we slept together. Because that was all it was...to you."

"That's not true. You know it's not."

"Then I don't get it."

"This shouldn't be an easy decision, Chip. At least from the standpoint of making a decision because of someone else. If that's what it is, then who's to say you won't have regrets someday?"

He moved closer to her. "I won't. And it's not just that."

"Then what else is it?"

He looked at her intently. "Do you ever think about the fact that life changes and what seemed right at first might not be where you need to be? And it's not even that what you thought was right was wrong, it just shifted."

She considered that. "Yeah, I can see where that could be true."

"That's where I am. And I guess what I'm asking is if you find the right place, are you stuck in the wrong place, just because you made a commitment?"

She shook her head. "You still have to be sure though. That it's not just because you want something new and shiny."

He made a frustrated noise. "I feel like you're pushing me away. Like you don't want this – us – anymore."

"That's not what I'm saying. And I don't mean it to sound that way. But look at it from my perspective, Chip. It could damage your relationship with your kids and you could resent me for that. I know you say that won't happen, but you don't know that for sure."

"Then what do we do?"

"I think you need to be really sure that you can't stay before you make a move. Think about what you'd give up and decide if that's okay. And then be kind. To them and to yourself." She took his hands. "I'm not going to give you an ultimatum, Chip. I don't think that's fair. You need to decide what's best for you. I'll understand no matter what you decide." She saw the hint of tears in his eyes then. She suspected it was, and would be, more of a struggle than he thought. She couldn't bear the thought that she might make him do something he would ultimately regret.

He squeezed her hands and then leaned in and kissed her. At first the kiss was gentle, but it quickly became more insistent. She thought she should resist, but it was intoxicating and she found herself returning it. They moved closer together. She wound her arms around his neck and he put his hands on her back, letting one glide down, cupping her ass. As much as she wanted the kiss to continue, she was afraid things could get out of hand and she pulled away, pushing at him gently with her hands.

"Chip," she whispered, breathing hard. She got up and walked into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around her waist. He came up behind her, putting his hands on her arms.

"I've missed you," he murmured in her ear. "I need you, baby." His voice had a pleading tone to it and she felt herself letting her guard down. She tried to regain her control, but she couldn't.

"I miss you too," she said softly.

He groaned and then she felt him push her up against the kitchen island, sliding his hands into her lounge pants. She felt helpless to do anything as he pushed them and her panties down past her thighs. They spilled down around her feet as he reached around and touched her. He groaned again and she made a little noise as she felt his fingers graze over her. She knew she was wet and she also knew her body had taken over her mind, not letting her resist. He was pressed against her back and she could feel how aroused he was. It had been months since they'd done this and it was clear they were both hungry for it. She wanted him and she knew it.

He stepped back and she heard him unzip his jeans. She could stop it right then, but she was already too far gone. She needed this, had to have it. Had to have him. He grabbed her hips and pulled her against him, entering her swiftly. She moaned his name, savoring the feel of him inside her. She grabbed the edge of the counter as he began moving, pushing her hips back against him as his movements quickened. She was panting hard and she could feel his breath against her neck. And then he drove into her one last time, hard and deep, and she felt her own orgasm, spiraling through her body. They both cried out with their release and then he collapsed against her. She could feel his heart beating against her back, knowing hers was beating just as hard. They both were breathing heavily. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against her shoulder.

She thought she should regret it, but she didn't. It made things harder, but even though it had been frantic and fueled by a primal need, but she found herself wanting to stay like that forever. She'd never believed things would be easy, but in many ways they were even more complicated than she'd expected. She loved him though. That made it hard – to let go, to stay away, to respect his situation. When her defenses were low, she acknowledged to herself that she wanted them to find a way to be together, but it was tricky. And sex, while it felt good and affirming, was just going to complicate it all more.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I'm not sorry." She pulled herself back together and turned around to face him. She looked into his eyes. "I love you. No matter what, know that."

"I love you too."

"I know you do." She put her hand on his chest. "Listen to your heart. That'll tell you the right thing to do." She sighed. "And we probably shouldn't do this again. At least for now."

He nodded. "I know you're right." He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He put his hand on the back of her head as she leaned against his shoulder. "We didn't talk about the episode," he said. "Again."

She smiled to herself. "No, we didn't." She ran her hands up and down his back. He moved his hand and she looked up at him. "Here's what I think. It was a big deal for her to ask Deacon to write with her. And I bet she really considered what that meant before she did. I also think that if Deacon's latest trollop didn't bust in on them, they would have let things go too far."

He laughed. "Trollop? She's a lawyer."

She shrugged and smiled. "Lawyers can be trollops."

He laughed again. "Well, I think you're right that it would have been too easy to fall back into those old patterns she talks about. Like she said back in the beginning, there's something about writing a song together that leads to...things."

"I think they still might have thrown caution to the wind had Scarlett not said what she did to Rayna, reminding her that Deacon is still waiting for her. And I don't think she's really ready yet for that. The truth about Maddie, the crash, and everything that followed that – she's still not past that. In a sense, it was a good reminder for her. Kept her on that alternate path."

He nodded. "I think he understood that. Didn't want it to be that way but understood." He put his hands on either side of her face then reached for his jacket and pulled in on. "I've gotta go. Before it turns into a thing." She nodded, then took his hand as they walked to the foyer. He turned to her. "I love you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. But I don't want to hurt you. I just need you to know that I can't let it go to the point of no return. If I do that, I'm stuck for another year, at least."

She reached up and tugged at his jacket. "I love you too. And I understand. But you need to take the time to really think through what you want, not putting me into the equation. If it's still what you want, then do it. And we'll need to figure out how to navigate what comes next. Don't put a deadline on yourself. I know you want to, but you've got to be really sure about your next steps."

He breathed in. "I am sure, Connie. That's the thing. But, as we both know, it's complicated. I get that. And I know I have a lot to think about." He kissed her, his lips brushing hers. "You're the one though. Please know that."

She just smiled. She meant what she'd said when she'd told him to be sure. But he was under her skin already. He was in her blood. She wanted so badly to say 'pick me, choose me', but she didn't want him to live with regrets. She wanted him to come to her fully ready for the future and whatever it would bring for them. She wanted to wake up in his arms every morning, live their lives together, face the future together. She'd wait.

She took his hand and pulled him to her, kissing him once more. "I'll see you at work," she said. Then she watched as he walked out of the door.

A few weeks later, Daniel called her, letting her know he'd be in Nashville in a few weeks. He wanted to see her again. With no real reason to say no, she agreed. When he asked for a restaurant recommendation, she suggested Merchants and offered to make the reservation. They settled on a time and she gave him her address. With things in limbo with Chip, she didn't see the harm in having dinner with someone whose company she enjoyed. She didn't have romantic feelings about Daniel – it was too soon for that anyway – but she wanted to step outside her comfort zone a little more.

She decided not to tell Chip, just as she hadn't told him about the dinner party. If he was to truly make a decision about his future without basing it solely on her, she didn't need to make it seem like he had to make a choice because he thought she was moving on. But she also didn't want to shut the door on her own future should nothing come of Chip's decision.

She called Hillary, the friend who'd set her up with Daniel initially, that night to let her know the news. "Hey there. I wanted to let you know that Daniel called." She unexpectedly felt a little giddy.

"I wondered if he would. I knew he was planning a trip back to Nashville soon. Are y'all going out?"

She smiled. "We are. I made reservations for us at Merchants. I thought he might enjoy it."

"I am so happy for you. He was absolutely smitten with you, just so you know. When he comes he usually stays a little while, so he might try to monopolize your time when he's here."

She hesitated before responding. It sounded like he might be more serious about this than she was, at this point. And the possibility of monopolizing her – well, she was not ready for that. "Well, I hope he'll understand that I might want to take things a little slower than that," she said finally. She laughed, trying to make it seem less heavy. "I mean, this is new for me and I like to take time to get to know someone I'm seeing before things get really serious."

"I'm sure he'll understand that. And it makes sense. You've got a son. And a crazy busy job."

"Exactly. I'm looking forward to seeing him though. He was such a nice man and I enjoyed his company a lot." She paused. "Can I tell you that I got asked out by someone else recently?"

"Well, look who's popular now. All you had to do is put it out into the universe and it happens. Who is it?"

"Well, he's in the radio business and he had a little cameo role on our show earlier in the season. I ran into him at an industry event I was invited to last week and had a fun little chat with him and he suggested we meet for dinner sometime."

Hillary squealed a little. "Do it, Connie. I have to admit I'm partial to Daniel because I know him, but put it out there. You deserve to have a little fun after all this time in Nashville."

If only you knew. She thought Hillary would probably be no more excited about her relationship with Chip than any of the very small group of her friends who did know about it. "Well, we'll see how things go. And I'll let you know how things go with Daniel."

She'd had a busy work week. They were wrapping up an episode with a lot of heavy scenes for Rayna. She'd been working a lot with Judith that episode, which she was happy about, but it was the second episode in a row where she and Chip had no scenes together, so they didn't see each other at all. In some respects, she thought it was probably a good thing. He had a lot to sort out in his personal life and she was trying not to get in his way while he did that. Having sex that afternoon at her house had probably not been the best idea. The suddenness and the roughness of it had just been a consequence of the realities of their situation, she believed. They wanted each other – wanted to be together – but she'd drawn a line in the sand, despite saying she wasn't giving him an ultimatum. In reality, she kind of had, and going several weeks with no contact and no reason to have contact seemed like it was a good thing.

She and Daniel were going out on Saturday night and she was looking forward to it. She hoped Hillary had overstated his intentions, because she wasn't ready for anything serious. She had gone out with the radio guy to Mas Tacos and she was already kind of downplaying it. He struck her as the typical nerdy guy who was too awkward and rough around the edges for anything but a career behind a microphone. But he made her laugh and there wasn't anything wrong with that. She definitely needed to have some fun.

She was rushing around putting in earrings, checking to be sure Olivia had everything she needed for Yoby, and changing out of 2 different blouses. Then she decided she needed to use a different purse and so she brought one out and stood at the kitchen island switching everything from one purse to the next.

"I hope you have fun tonight, Connie."

She turned towards Olivia and smiled. "Thanks. So do I." She wrinkled up her nose. "I'm kind of nervous and I don't know why. He's a very sweet man."

Olivia smiled. "It's always kind of a mix of excitement and anxiety on the first couple dates, I've found. You still don't know each other well and it's not that kind of date. Usually, anyway. But you're still trying to feel each other out, see how you fit together."

"Well, it is definitely not that kind of date," she said with a laugh. "But it'll be a nice dinner, maybe drinks afterwards, or something. And then I have a kid." She laughed again. "So there's that."

Olivia pointed upstairs. "I know he'll be here in a few minutes, so I'm going to take Mr. Man here and we're going upstairs. It's not the 'meet the child' date either."

"No, it's not. And thanks, Olivia. I really appreciate you doing this and on short notice. And when it's not really part of your job."

"I love Yoby and I don't mind at all." Just then the doorbell rang. "And that's my cue to disappear." She picked up Yoby and then hurried up the stairs.

She smiled as she watched them head up the stairs. Olivia really was a godsend and Yoby did really love her. She walked over to the door then and opened it to see Daniel standing on the front porch. "Hey, there," she said with a smile. "I'm ready." She held up her purse and then walked out, closing and locking the door behind her. "I really hope you like Merchants."

He placed his hand lightly on her back as they went down the steps and headed for his car. "I've heard good things about it. I'm looking forward to it."

She tapped his arm. "I made dinner reservations on the second floor. It's a little more upscale, but I thought after dinner we could go down to the bar on the first floor. Or even find someplace else for a drink. Oh!" She rested her hand on his arm briefly. "I should take you to Patterson's. it's like an old speakeasy. Very hidden away in plain sight."

He smiled. "Sounds intriguing." He was a gentleman, opening her door for her, and then making sure everything was comfortable, including the music and the temperature. It was a fairly mild night, but there was still a bit of a chill in the breeze and she appreciated that he had the right amount of warmth in the car.

She directed him where to go to get out of the neighborhood. "Did you drive up today from Chattanooga?" she asked.

"I did. I thought I'd stay into next week so I can meet with an architect and a designer and it's actually a really nice drive." She gave more directions to get to downtown and he headed in that direction. "So, how has your work been?"

She smiled. "Busy. I have a lot of scenes in this episode, most of them really heavy, emotional stuff, which can take a lot out of you. And I had to sing too." She made a face.

He looked surprised. "You don't like to sing? I think you sound fantastic."

She laughed. "Well, thank you for that. Actually I do like to sing, but it's normally to my son or in the car when no one else is listening. This was a big challenge for me, to do my own singing. But I play a country music superstar and you can't exactly do that and not sing."

"So you sing live in the episode?"

"Sort of. We record our songs in a studio and that's what they use in the episode, but it helps to do a little actual singing so that it looks more natural. But you'll never hear that in the actual episode. At least this time I was singing with my character's daughters, so not carrying the song. And only a portion of it ends up on screen."

"Do you record the whole song?"

"Most of the time. Most of the songs go on iTunes so fans can download them. There really is some good music on the show. And most of the other characters who perform are really, really good."

He glanced over and smiled. "You sell yourself short if you don't include yourself as really, really good." He paused for a second. "I think it's brave that you do this, something you wouldn't ordinarily do."

"Well, it definitely is a challenge. And one that I wanted. I like to get outside my comfort zone." At that point they were nearing downtown and she navigated him through the streets to their destination.

The server stopped at their table and set down their plates. They paused in their conversation while he did. She had felt very relaxed. Daniel was fun to talk to and they had shared a lot about their very different careers, while deciding that the common denominator for both was being creative and putting out a pleasing product. They stopped talking to start eating and Daniel had just given her a taste description of his meal, when she looked towards the entrance to the dining room and saw Chip and his wife enter.

Shit shit shit shit shit. He saw her the moment she saw him and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Patty saw her too and she watched as she said something to Chip. He nodded rather stiffly and she watched as they headed straight for where she and Daniel were sitting. She put a smile on her face, although inside she was dying. As Chip got closer, she noticed that, instead of the anger she'd expected, what she saw in his eyes was just sadness.

Patty seemed to lead the conversation. "What a surprise to run into you here, Connie," she said with a smile. She didn't detect any artifice on Patty's part and thought she either was being genuine or she was a very good actress.

She kept smiling, even though she wanted to be swallowed up by the floor. "Yes, it is." She and Daniel both stood up and then Patty reached in for a hug. Over her shoulder, Chip just looked at her sadly. When Patty let her go, she put the smile back on. "So this is Daniel Lindley" – she gestured towards Daniel – "and he's in Nashville looking at opening up a restaurant." She looked at Daniel. "Daniel, this is my coworker, Charles Esten, and his wife Patty." She noticed that Chip didn't say much, just gave Daniel a tight smile and a handshake. Patty asked him a few questions and she could see that Daniel seemed confused.

"Well, we should get to our table," Patty said and she moved in the direction of the host, who was waiting for them, Chip trailing behind her. As they walked away, she realized Chip had not said a word to her and her heart sank.

She sat back down, no longer hungry. Daniel looked at her. "I'm guessing you and Charles aren't super friendly?"

She frowned. "That's not really true. What made you think that?"

"You just didn't interact with each other at all. But maybe he's just not super chatty. That's all I meant." She didn't say anything, just smiled a little. He's the exact opposite of that. He was just terribly hurt and maybe a touch angry that he caught me on a date. She would never say that out loud.

Luckily, they weren't there much longer and once they got to the Patterson House, she had recovered some of her equilibrium. Of course that could have been partly due to the 2 shots of bourbon she downed quickly, followed by a strong Manhattan. When Daniel dropped her off, he gave her a brief kiss at the door and didn't try for anything more. She watched as he walked out to his car and she waved as he got in. She watched him pull out and then watched as he drove down the street. When she could no longer see his tail lights, she went into the house.

She had a headache the next morning. Some of it was the alcohol and some of it was the aftermath of seeing Chip. If she was honest, it was more the latter than the former. As she got breakfast for herself and Yoby and then got him dressed, she felt like she was on autopilot. She couldn't stop seeing the look on Chip's face in her head. Should I have told him before that I was going to date? She had not wanted it to complicate his decision making, but she also realized that he was probably hurt. She had told him she loved him and that she would be there when he decided what to do and she knew it would look like she had not meant that at all.

When Yoby went down for his afternoon nap, she decided to take one as well. Before she did, she checked her phone and had 2 texts. One was from Daniel, telling her he'd had a great time and wondering if she was available for dinner before he went back to Chattanooga on Wednesday. The other was from Chip, just asking if they could meet. She sat on the couch, wondering what to do. She finally texted Daniel and told him she'd had fun as well and that she was sorry, but she couldn't get together because she had long shooting days. Not a hundred percent correct, but she didn't think she could do it before she had a chance to talk to Chip.

She debated how to respond to Chip. They wouldn't be working together at all during the upcoming week and she didn't think it would be a good idea to delay a conversation. Any chance you can do late afternoon today? She waited. I'll make it work. 5 at same place okay? She responded with a yes and then she went to lay down. She didn't think she'd get any sleep but was surprised that when she woke up to Yoby shouting 'Mom' that it was almost 3:30.

The weather had turned chilly again, so she had wrapped a scarf around her neck and worn a warm jacket. She walked down the trail with Yoby on her hip. Chip was already there. He watched as she approached and gave her a sad smile. "Hey."

"Hey." Yoby demanded to see Chip and she put him down. Chip squatted down and hugged her son, giving him a genuinely happy smile. He looked up at her. "I know it's kind of cold. We could sit in my car." She thought about that. It was a Sunday and it was late in the afternoon on a chilly day, but she worried that people might see them.

"I'm okay." She watched as he stood up, holding on to Yoby as he did. They continued to walk down the path.

Nothing was said at first. Then he looked over at her. "So was Daniel a date?" he asked. He didn't sound mad or challenging, but he did sound...sad. She couldn't think of another way to describe it.

She didn't look at him, just stared down the path. She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess. Sort of." She looked at him then. "I really just met him. He's a nice man."

"But he's interested in you." It was a statement, not a question.

"Um, I don't know. I don't think we're at that point. At least I'm not." They kept walking silently. She put her hands in her pockets. "Are you upset?"

He didn't say anything at first. "I don't know," he said, finally. "I mean, I feel a lot of things. And I'm not really sure what I should be feeling or what I have a right to be feeling." He sighed. "I was surprised. For sure. And apparently I seemed incredibly bothered by it."

She frowned. "What?"

He gave her a tight smile. "Patty said I seemed incredibly bothered by it."

"Because...?"

"Because I was curt, she said. I was out of character." He breathed in. "And she thinks that's because of you."

That hit her hard. "I don't think you were curt." He actually had been, a little. He'd not been his usual self, that was undeniably true.

He gave her a sad smile. "Well, I didn't know what to say, so I really said nothing at all. I was just so surprised. And then, I apparently was sullen and quiet during dinner. She, uh, wondered if something was going on."

"Are you serious?"

He shrugged. "What she actually said was that it seemed like I was really bothered by the fact that you were out on a date and she didn't understand why it mattered to me." He stopped and turned towards her. "And then she reminded me that in our faith, marriage is for life. That the only two choices were lifelong marriage and abstinence."

She wasn't sure what to say. "So once you're married, you either stay or you forgo another relationship?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Of course, I've already broken that. With you."

She looked away for a second, then back. "So, I'm guessing a divorce would be out of the question?" She felt incredibly sad thinking about that.

He shook his head. "No, it's not out of the question, although I guess it would be difficult. I had never given that a lot of thought in the past. It's not like I was assuming I'd meet someone else and know that's where I should be. And I'll admit, when I saw you on your 'date', it made me think you really wanted something else. Someone else."

She wrapped her arms around her waist. "I don't. But this makes me feel like I should, because it would go against what you believe in."

"What I believe is that life sometimes changes and someone comes into that life and you realize what you thought was right isn't necessarily wrong but it's not where you really should have been. I can't believe that you have to give up the place you need to go just because you made a different decision years ago." He'd said that to her before, but he hadn't tied it to his faith then.

"So what do you want?"

He looked almost haunted. "You." He gave her a sad smile. "What I feel for you is different. It feels life changing." He raised his eyebrows. "But now I wonder if you feel the same. And does what I just told you scare you."

"It does scare me a little. Faith is big. And if you have certain beliefs, truths you've accepted, I think it would be hard to decide to take a different path. I would understand if this wasn't a path you wanted to take."

"But that's just it. It is. I still want that." He smiled again, this time not so sad. "And at the risk of borrowing words from Deacon Claybourne, I don't want you to date Teddy Conrad. Or Daniel. Or anyone else."

She couldn't help but smile. "Well, I can promise you I won't date Teddy Conrad." She felt tears in her eyes but wasn't sure if it was from the emotions of the afternoon or the breeze. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He paused. "I'm going to ask her for a divorce. It won't be an easy thing, I know, but I have to go another way. That much I know for sure. I feel like if I don't, I'd be cheating myself. I know it will affect my kids, but I also think they're old enough to understand."

She breathed in. Her heart was doing little pitter pats and she felt like she just wanted to kiss him, but she wanted him to do this his way. "Okay."

"I won't say anything about you, although I feel sure she'll assume that. I'd like for it to be clean and then we can make whatever decisions we want about...the future." He looked at her hopefully. "Are you in?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it. And then she smiled. "Yes. I'm in." He smiled back at her and, for the first time, he looked genuinely happy. Like he'd been holding his breath and could let it out. She stepped a little closer to him and put her hand on his arm. Then she took another step and, as Yoby watched them, she kissed him and he kissed her back.

Footnote: the part about his faith is actually true and I thought it would be interesting to add it, because it will probably resurface, undoubtably more than once.