The next morning, Rosemary sat at the kitchen table drinking her morning coffee along with the Coulter Sunday morning bagel breakfast. Lee always woke early and drove over to the bagel shop to pick up fresh bagels, cream cheese, and lox for his family to enjoy. Rosemary was grateful her upcoming Sunday matinees would be at 3pm so she should still be able to enjoy this Sunday tradition with Lee and Abby and perhaps Elizabeth and Jack too.

"Last night was fun, wasn't it?"

"Yes Mama!" said Abby.

Rosemary and Lee both laughed.

"Elizabeth and Nathan certainly seemed to hit it off well. I'm so glad that we didn't hover. Rosie, I'm really proud of you for letting them find their way to each other naturally. I didn't know what to expect when we invited Nathan to the barbeque and I am glad it worked out. I have not seen Elizabeth that at ease in ages."

"Me neither. And I think it was genius to also invite the Kinslows. I had been wanting to get to know them better anyhow and it gave Nathan a bit of a safety blanket in case Elizabeth wasn't so open with him."

"Let's hope it works out for them. Nathan is a great guy but his shyness can get the better of him so he hasn't had a good track record with women. They have a lot in common and seem to already have a connection. They both deserve a great love story so hopefully this is the start of one."

"I agree Lee. Now let's enjoy my last day of freedom for a while. Abby sweetheart, how about if we watch the movie Anastasia again today so that you know exactly what Mama will be doing at work tomorrow? Then we can listen to the cast recording from the original Broadway run and I can sing my songs for you."

Abby took a bite out of her bagel and smiled at Rosemary. It would be a fun Sunday indeed.

Next door at the Thornton home, Elizabeth and Little Jack were finishing up their oatmeal and fruit. Elizabeth thought back to the barbeque last night. She hadn't intended to spend so much time with Nathan and Allie but before she knew it, it was the end of the night and she had barely interacted with the Coulters or the Shepherds. She felt bad about that and made a mental note to call both Rosemary and Faith later in the day to apologize.

Elizabeth had enjoyed the time with Nathan and realized there was quite an ease talking to him. She was glad to have learned more about him yet still yearned for more. As she thought about him, Elizabeth also realized that she had butterflies in her stomach. First she had trouble catching her breath around him and now this. Last time she felt like this was right before Jack died. She had not expected to feel this way again so soon or ever again for that matter. And certainly not for another detective, one she didn't know that well yet. Nathan is very handsome, very kind, and obviously great with kids. She'd be a fool not to feel some attraction for him. Maybe it was just a passing crush, she thought.

When Little Jack went down for his early afternoon nap, Elizabeth called Rosemary.

"Elizabeth! Perfect timing! Abby just went down for her nap too. Should I come over?"

"Ok!"

Less than 5 minutes later, Rosemary knocked on the patio door and let herself into Elizabeth's kitchen. She had with her a plate of leftover desserts from the night before. Elizabeth was already heating the water for tea. Rosemary grabbed a couple of mugs and handed them to Elizabeth.

"So are you excited to start rehearsals tomorrow? How will you get there?"

"I am so excited! Part of me will miss seeing Abby all day but she will be in preschool soon so we would have been apart sooner or later. And being on Broadway is a big part of who I am just like being a wife and mother. I love this show so much. It has one of the best casts I've ever worked with and I get 3 showstoppers. What more could I ask for? I'm going to take the train into the city for rehearsals but once we start tech, I'll have the car service."

"Well I certainly remember those days but I'm not sure I miss them. Moving to academia was the perfect move for my career. Anyway, thank you so much for last night. Jack and I had a great time. I'm sorry we didn't have much of a chance to chat so I'm glad we have some time now."

"Nonsense Elizabeth! I'm glad you got to meet some new people. We had been wanting to spend some time with the Kinslows for a while now so we are glad the timing worked out." Rosemary took a breath. "I also noticed that you were spending quite a bit of time with Lee's friend Nathan."

"Rosemary"

"Elizabeth"

"Nathan is a very nice man who happens to have a child in my class. So, I think we could become friends."

Rosemary gave Elizabeth an exasperated look. "And?!"

"And nothing! I enjoyed talking with him and Allie last night, just as I've enjoyed talking to them before and after class. He's also really good with Little Jack. Nathan is one of the few people who Little Jack has taken to quickly."

"Elizabeth, do you think there could be something more between you 2? I've seen how you look at each other and it seems like a bit more than becoming friends." Rosemary bit her lip to keep from saying more.

"Rosie, how can you possibly say that after seeing us together one time?"

"Because Elizabeth, I am your best friend and I know you. And I have known you for years. As has Lee and he also saw a bit of a spark between you and Nathan in his office last week."

Elizabeth was silent for a few minutes. The ladies drank their tea and enjoyed the sweet treats before Rosemary felt it was safe to continue.

"Elizabeth, next month it will be 2 years since Jack died. It's ok to want to open your heart again. It's what Jack would have wanted for you and his son. You've had a rough few years and you deserve to be happy again. Nathan is an excellent man who has had his own share of heartbreak. Knowing you both as well as we do, Lee and I thought this would be a good match."

Both women had tears in their eyes.

"I just don't know if I'm ready." said Elizabeth quietly.

"And it's ok if you're not but what I will tell you is that from what I saw last night, you didn't seem to have any hesitation around Nathan at all. So, maybe your heart is ready but your head hasn't quite caught up yet. Something to think about. We love you and we love Nathan too and only want what's best for both of you."

With that, Rosemary stood up and put her arms around a still seated Elizabeth. She then took the dishes to the sink and washed them while Elizabeth sat silently. She knew that her friend needed time to think and/or write about her feelings.

"Well I'm going to head back so I can be home when Abby wakes up. I've been teaching her all about my new show!" Rosemary said enthusiastically.

"Thank you Rosemary. I do appreciate you more than you know. Good luck tomorrow. Text me when you get home and I'll come by so you can tell me about it."

Rosemary nodded and slipped out through the sliding doors. Elizabeth moved over to the living room couch with her journal and started to write about her feelings and whether she could ever fall for another detective again.

I know I talked about facing my fears in yesterday's entry but I didn't think that would come to par so quickly! Last night, Lee and Rosie hosted a wonderful end of Summer barbeque and low and behold, they invited Nathan Grant. I was surprised yet also very happy to see Nathan and Allie. We spent quite a bit of time getting to know one another better and Little Jack is already enamored with Nathan. The feeling seems mutual. Since I haven't dated since Jack died, I take it this is a good thing.

But I remain hesitant about whether I am ready for someone new. And if I am ready, is Nathan that person? I am not sure that I can deal with being with another member of law enforcement. I am still so traumatized by Jack constantly going off on dangerous missions without means of communication to me. That was such a stressful part of our relationship and I'm not sure I can go through that again with someone else. On the flip side, there was such an ease at being in Nathan's company last night. Allie is a wonderful girl and it's clear that she and Nathan have a very close bond, likely fostered by their shared heartbreak. I would never want to give either of them any false hope. At the end of the evening, I even let him walk me to my front door. I could have easily taken my usual route to the patio door but I let him think I needed to go through the front door just so I could spend a few extra minutes with him and Allie.

I now know that Lee and Rosie are trying to set us up. And I'm actually not even upset about it. I'm just really confused about where to go from here. Nathan seems like a wonderful man and any woman would be lucky to have him. I just don't know if I am that woman. Hopefully things will become a bit clearer for me over the next few weeks. I think I need some type of sign...

Nearby at the Grant home, Allie and Nathan were finishing up watching the movie Enchanted. Since it was so hot and humid outside, sometimes it was easier to stay in and enjoy the air conditioning. Both Allie and Nathan also spent enough time outdoors during the week so a lazy Sunday was just what the doctor ordered. As the movie ended, Allie stopped the playback and noticed that her uncle was drifting off.

"Uncle Nathan, maybe you should take a nap. It's been a long week for you."

"Who is parenting who here?"

They looked at one another and laughed.

The truth is Nathan had had a very long week. Between the car robbery case and a cold murder case, Nathan and Gabe had been putting in extra hours at work. On top of that, Allie always seemed to have something going on, even now during Summer break. And they were busy getting ready for Allie to go back to school as well. So he was always driving her to one place or another. Last night's barbeque had been the first time he'd been able to relax all week. And relax he had. Nathan had been hoping that Elizabeth would be there and he wasn't disappointed at all. He'd enjoyed the opportunity to get to know her better and Little Jack was an absolute joy. He was glad the little boy had taken to both him and Allie so quickly. Surely, that had made Elizabeth happy.

Nathan thought back to how easy it had been to chat with Elizabeth. He wasn't the type to easily open up but something about Elizabeth made it easy for him to do so. He also could no longer ignore that rapid heartbeat and butterflies in his stomach whenever he was around her. When it first happened in the classroom, he thought it might simply be exhaustion but as he kept running into Elizabeth this past week, the sensation continued each time. Elizabeth was smart and beautiful and clearly very talented too. He'd like to get to know her better but wasn't sure if the timing was right. She had moved on slowly after her late husband died and appeared to still be going through that process. Was she ready for someone new? Nathan knew that he was ready and watching these romantic movies with Allie only made him yearn even more for someone like Elizabeth in his life. Maybe there was still hope after all.

Nathan stood up and yawned. "You know what Al, I think I'm going to take you up on your suggestion and try to take a short nap. I don't want to sleep all day so please wake me in an hour if I'm not up already. Maybe we will go out to dinner later since I'm not working today."

"Ok Uncle Nathan. I love you."

"I love you too Allie."