"Wow, you didn't have to do that!" Jo couldn't believe her eyes.

"I know. I just thought you might be a bit hungry after...such a big day." He winked at her, and she giggled.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "God, I think I'm gonna barf..."

Both adults burst out laughing.

"You've been pretty happy up until now," Jo remarked, glancing at the remnants of Jamie's pancake breakfast.

Jamie grimaced. "Grown-ups!" she moaned.

"Teenagers!" Jo replied, mimicking her daughter's tone.

The pancakes were quickly consumed, and Jo and Doug cleaned up afterward. "Well, as much as I've enjoyed the company of you two lovely ladies, I think I'd better head home and see how Clay's faring," Doug said when they were finished.

"I loved having you here as well..." Jo paused, afraid of sounding too enthusiastic, perhaps even desperate.

Doug lightly touched her cheek. "Are you sure you're OK, Jo?"

"I'm fine." Jo smiled lightly. He embraced her and lightly kissed her lips, then was gone.

"He's a keeper," Jamie commented after he'd left.

"Aw, you're just thinking with your stomach," Jo teased.

"Those were some good pancakes," Jamie replied.

"Yes, they were," Jo agreed. She spent the rest of the day ruminating about what had transpired between herself and Doug the previous day and night. She certainly hadn't planned for the two of them to end up in bed together, but after her close brush with death and Doug's revelation about Earl's involvement in the incident, she couldn't deny that she'd felt a special bond with Doug, one much closer than the more casual connection they'd shared previously, and what had proceeded from that had seemed only natural, only right.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd given in to passion too soon in their relationship. Did Doug feel the same bond with her that she felt with him? Did that old rule about having to wonder whether or not he'd call her the following day still apply at their ages, in their circumstances?

As it turned out, she needn't have worried, as the following day, she returned from work to find that a single red rose with an accompanying card had been delivered to her address. "Dear Jo, I'm so glad you're all right! What happened to you gave me such a scare. I still feel bad about it, since it was my idea to go hiking that day. I enjoyed every minute I spent with you and hope to do it again really soon. Love, Doug.'

Along with the dizzying relief came a tiny pinprick of concern. Did Doug mean that he wanted to become her lover on a regular basis? If so, should she start thinking about birth control? Was forty-three really too old to get pregnant? She'd assumed it was, but was it really? She still menstruated every month. Did that mean that she was still fertile, even at her age?

"Told you he was a keeper," Jamie said when she saw the rose.

After dinner, Jo called Doug.

"Hey! How are you?" he exclaimed enthusiastically when he heard her voice.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the rose. That was really sweet of you."

"Aw, it's no problem at all! Glad you like it!"

An awkward silence followed. "So, how was your day?" Doug finally asked.

"It was all right. Busy. How was yours?"

"Same as usual. Missing you."

"Are you really? Aw, that's sweet!" He really does like me!

"Yeah, well, the weekend will be here, eventually."

"Hey, what did Clay say about your spending the night here?" The thought had suddenly occurred to her.

"Nothing." He sounded surprised. "He answers to me. I don't answer to him."

"Yes, of course, but..."

"But nothing!" Doug laughed and changed the subject.

He called her every night that week, and they made plans to go out to dinner Friday night. Jo prepared dinner for Jamie beforehand. When he arrived to pick her up, he looked more handsome and desirable than ever to her. Was that because they'd spent the night together the previous weekend, or would she have felt that way, anyway?

"Hey! Great to see you again!" he said as he embraced her and kissed her lips.

"I'm not sure when I'll be back," Jo told her daughter, almost apologetically. "I've got my cell phone with me in case you need anything."

"I'll be fine, Mom," Jamie assured her. "Have fun!"

Dinner and the movie that followed were only an excuse to see one another again, and they both knew it. When the movie ended, there was no question that they'd leave together afterwards.

"It'll have to be my place again," Jo told Doug. "I can't leave Jamie home alone all night. She's only twelve."

"Of course," said Doug. "Clay's fifteen. He'll be fine. And..." He took a small object from his pocket. "I'm prepared this time."

Jo saw that he was holding a condom.