"Kathleen!"

Tony waved from his table when he saw her walk into the diner. It had taken a few days to work up the courage to call and grovel. She agreed to see him with relatively little argument. Her eyes showed recognition when he caught her eye but nothing else. Arms crossed, she bit the inside of her cheek impatiently as she sat across from him.

"Ready to explain yourself?"

Tony looked down, still embarrassed by the whole Christopher fiasco. Christopher! He mocked silently. The name still infuriated him.

If anything good came from his brief stint in Angela's life, it was knowing that he'd built her relationship with Peter up to something more than it was. He was only just getting her back as a friend, shaky as it still was at times. He wasn't ready to let go of her completely yet.

What had Angela been thinking? He'd never known her to play the field, as it were. She'd basically forgotten all about Peter in that fraud's presence. The mere thought of him had her walking in a daze like a middle schooler after her first kiss. This wasn't Angela. Yet, he seemed to enchant men and women alike. Not him, though. He spotted his BS from the start. That was it. It had nothing to do with Angela being attracted to another man. He didn't go following her and Peter on their dates, and until Christopher came along, he had reason to believe they were more serious.

Now if he could only get Kathleen to believe that.

"I'm sorry, Kathleen. I was an idiot the other night."

"What came over you? It was like you became a different person."

"It's hard to explain," he said sheepishly.

"I think I deserve an explanation."

Tony was grateful when the waitress came over to take their orders, buying some time to work out what he was going to say. How could he be honest without explaining his relationship with Angela?

"I'm listening," she said coldly once the waitress walked away. Her arms were still crossed, but now resting on the table in front of her.

With a sigh, he started. "It was just… that guy. He had Angela memorized. Samantha, too. She plays the flute now, apparently, all thanks to him. He got to everyone. He was bad news. And before you say I'm crazy, I was right! He was arrested in Europe. If Angela had gone with him, who knows what might have happened."

"I understand getting a bad feeling from someone, but you were downright obsessive. And it seemed to bother you more that he was with Angela than anything else."

"It was him," he insisted.

Kathleen shook her head. "I wish you'd be honest with me, Tony. I thought we had a good thing going here. What's going on between you and Angela?"

"Nothing."

"It's not just you humiliating yourself in a classy restaurant that's got me wondering. I've wondered since I met her. She was perfectly pleasant that day and now she can barely look at me. You're always talking about her, you act weird whenever I'm over the house… what gives?"

He stared at her, searching and searching for the vague answer that didn't exist. Surrendering to this fate, he told her the truth. "All right… You're not entirely wrong about Angela."

"I knew it," she said, leaning back and sounding equally vindicated and disappointed.

"But it's not what you think," he quickly added. "We were never an item. You know, we're terrific friends. We're raising our kids together. There's been an attraction, yes, but it's complicated. She's my boss. I have never been able to wrap my mind around dating my boss. So, she's dating people, I'm with you… and yeah, I'll admit I got a little jealous—"

"A little?"

He rolled his eyes. "—a lot jealous of that Christopher guy, but with good reason. He had her and everyone else hypnotized. I don't feel I was wrong in my dislike for him, but I do regret embarrassing you and pushing you aside when I tried to get a glimpse of him."

Kathleen let out a long breath as she contemplated his words. She didn't like the idea that he was living with someone he had feelings for, but she could also assume that after so many years, they would have gotten together by now if there was a real threat. Maybe he was being genuine. She certainly couldn't imagine getting involved with her boss.

"I forgive you," she said with another breath. "Thank you for being honest."

Tony smiled. "Can we sorta just forget any of this happened?"

"I'd like to. But can you promise me one thing?"

"Of course."

"Going forward, please, just be honest with me. I'm not one of the overly possessive girlfriends. I just want to know if I'm wasting my time with someone who's in love with someone else. I'd rather know now than later."

He swallowed, hoping the lump that was forming in his throat wouldn't be noticeable when he spoke. "Nothing to worry about. I promise I won't make a scene like that again."

She raised an eyebrow at him but accepted his answer.