When Holly heard the knock on her door, she assumed it was the delivery man. She grabbed her wallet and opened it without looking. She practically jumped back when she spotted Roger.

"What are you doing here?" She practically screamed.

"Chrissy called me. She said you left the station in a rush so I wanted to come check on you before I went home."

Holly leaned heavily on the door jam. "I left her a note. She didn't have to call you."

"Well, she did. So I will ask again, is everything alright?" Blake had told him the circumstances of Holly's retreat. His real reason for being there was to see if Ed was with her.

"Everything's fine Roger. Michelle Bauer needed someone to pick her up at camp. She wasn't feeling well." She looked at her watch. "Which reminds me, I need to get her clothes out of the dryer." She should have shut the door when she went to the basement, but she didn't which meant Roger took it upon himself to enter the house. When Holly returned, she glared at him as he casually sat on a chair in the living room.

"I don't recall inviting you in, Roger" She spat.

"You didn't, but I wasn't done with our conversation."

Holly rolled her eyes. She opened the door to Blake's old room and confirmed that Michelle was still sleeping. She laid the clothes on the end of the bed quietly, closing the door when she rejoined Roger.

"You can call me at the station tomorrow." She said bitterly.

"You look tense." He said, standing. "Come here" He motioned.

"No." She said

"I'm not going to hurt you" He moved in behind her since she wouldn't come to him. He laid both hands on her shoulders and began kneading them. "Your tense" He whispered into her ear.

His ministrations felt wonderful. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "That feels good" She purred.

Roger smiled. "I know. You used to love it when I did this to you." He continued to knead. "You used to like a lot of things I did to you." He whispered in her ear.

Neither had remember to close the door so anyone standing on the porch could look through the screen door and see what was going on inside.

"What the hell!" Ed bellowed.

Holly's eyes flew open. She pulled away from Roger who stood there with a grin plastered on his face.

"Ed, Roger was just leaving"

"Hello Ed." Roger said extending a hand which Ed ignored.

"Where is my daughter?" He spat.

"Just a minute Ed, please. Roger. You need to go. Do not come by unannounced again, and please tell Blake that if she is concerned about my comings and goings in the future to address them with me."

Roger saluted her. "No problem. Take care. Tell Michelle I said hello" It was calculated. He wanted Ed to believe there was a relationship there when there wasn't. Roger walked out allowing the screen door to slam behind him.

"Where is Michelle?"

"Shh, she's sleeping in the guest room."

"I will not. I told you I wanted Roger nowhere near my daughter, and I walk in on what, foreplay? Damn it Holly. I trust you with my daughter."

Holly closed the space between them, laying a hand on his chest. "Ed, honestly, I had no idea he was coming. In fact, I thought he was the delivery man with our dinner."

"Why where his hands on you then? You two looked awfully cozy there. Michelle is sleeping, what would have happened if I hadn't walked in? What was next? Real foreplay?"

"How dare you! I told you I thought he was the delivery man. He let himself in when I went down stairs"

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. This time it was the delivery man. "See!" Holly went to the door and tipped him. This time she remembered to close the front door as well as the screen. Holly placed the bag on the dining room table.

"Why don't we let Michelle sleep, and we can have dinner together."

"Are we eating out of the cartons or do we need plates?" Ed asked bitterly

Holly retrieved three plates, leaving one on the counter for Michelle.

"How is she?" Ed asked between bites. "She hasn't been herself this week. I thought maybe she was coming down with a summer cold or something."

Not wanting to break a confidence Holly just shook her head. "Ed, she will be fine. Give her a week and she'll be back to her sweet self."

"Did she have a fever? Sore throat? What were her symptoms?" Ed asked, missing Holly's work around.

"No, nothing like that. Just some tummy troubles"

Ed furrowed his brow. "We didn't eat anything odd last night. No wait, Nola cooked for us. That can do anyone in." He wagged his fork in Holly's direction.

Holly cocked her head "Ed, you can be so daft. She isn't sick you idiot! She's twelve, she is a young woman, I went through it, Blake went through it, and now it's her turn."

Ed's face turned white. "Oh no. Not my baby girl. Oh, I'm an idiot"

Holly couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, you are, but now you know so try not to make it worse, ok?"

"What do I do?" Ed asked.

"Just tell her you love her, and leave it at that. She'll talk to you when she is ready."

Ed reached out and took Holly's hand in his. "Thank you" He whispered. "I'm ill equipped for this."

"You'll be fine" She smiled.

When he reached around and pulled her head close to him for a kiss, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the tidal wave that followed. He prodded her mouth with his tongue, pulling away only for a moment.

"I'm sorry I assumed the worst." He whispered. "But seeing his hands on you made my blood boil"

"I really don't want to talk about Roger, do you?" He pulled her back into him and began to explore her mouth again. They would have gone even further had they not heard the door to Blake's old room open. Quickly they pulled away from each other and tried to act natural.

"Hi honey, how are you feeling?" Ed asked, his voice raspy.

"I'm better now. Thank you for letting me rest, Holly."

"My pleasure. Would you like some dinner?"

Michelle, barefooted, but dressed in her own clothes shook her head no. "Thank you, but I think I'd like to go home and get my pajamas on." She wrapped an arm around Ed's. "Dad, do you think I could skip camp tomorrow?"

Holly winked at her knowingly. Ed looked at Holly who shook her head ever so slightly.

"I don't see why not. I'm not working. we can sleep late, and maybe go see a movie. Anything you want"

Michelle went back into the bedroom to get her shoes.

"Don't overdo it" Holly winked at him again.

Once again work consumed Holly and before she knew it July was upon them. One afternoon she was sitting at her desk when the phone rang. Having gotten used to Blake rarely being at her desk she answered.

"Holly Lindsey"

"Hi Holly it's Ed."

Holly immediately broke into a wide smile.

"To what do I owe this surprise?" She asked.

"It's almost the fourth of July…"

"Oh, the barbeque. I suppose your calling everyone on the guest list to pitch in. I'll bring the water melon like I do every year" She started scribbling a note on the calendar.

"Actually no. I was calling for the exact opposite. I'm not having the party this year."

"Oh. Well, I understand, but you didn't have to call me to tell me that. I wouldn't have just shown up without calling first."

"I'm actually calling to see if you'd like to go away for the weekend with Michelle and me."

Holly sat up a little straighter. "Well, this is a surprise. What kind of trip are we talking about?"

"A romantic one" he said bluntly. "I think it's time that we stop dancing around what we want. Michelle lights up when you're around, and so do I. I'd also like to sleep with you in a bed instead of taking you on top of the washing machine during the rinse cycle"

Holly blushed. "I didn't mind. In fact, I quite enjoyed it"

It was Ed's turn to blush. "So, what do you say? Will you join us? The fourth is on Saturday so you could take the 3rd off, and we could go for a three-day weekend."

Holly couldn't find any reason why she should refuse. "Alright. It's a date. Or should I say a weekend."

Ed pumped his fist in the air. "I have one other request."

"Don't worry, I won't forget the water melon" She teased.

"Stop worrying about the fruit. I was thinking we should prepare Michelle for this. If we're going to become official, I don't want it to be a surprise to her."

Holly pumped imaginary brakes. "Woah, I didn't say anything about official, Ed. We can tell her we will be sharing a bed, but over and above that, I don't think we need to get her hopes up for anything more."

Ed let out a breath. "Ok, fine, have it your way, but Holly, I want us to be official. I'll be in touch"

Holly hung up the phone, and debated calling him back to cancel. She didn't want a boyfriend, she had that in Ross and it ended miserably. She liked the idea of a lover however, and as long as Ed was willing and able, she saw no need to change that situation any time soon.