“I took the day off.”
“You took a day off? Are you feeling all right?”
“Haha, very funny.”
“I’m serious. You’ve barely taken a day off since you went back to work.”
“My friend, who’s also a widow, is having a bit of a crisis.”
“What kind of crisis?”
“The kind where the NTSB blames her late husband for the plane crash that killed him and others, and the kind where, on the same day that bombshell lands, she finds out he had a fourth kid with another woman who may want to sue her for child support.”
“Damn…”
“Yeah, so I didn’t think it was a good idea to leave her alone with that.”
“Good call. Are you, you know… involved with her?”
“Kinda?”
“What does that mean, Gage?”
“We spend time together. She’s got a lot on her plate with three little kids. The oldest is seven.”
“That’s a lot on her own, the poor thing. Does she have help?”
“Her parents are nearby and are a great source of support.”
“Oh, that’s good. And she has you, too.”
“We’re friends through the Wild Widows.”
“Iris, right? You’ve told me about her before.”
“Yes. What have I told you?”
“How much you admire the way she’s raising three kids as a single mom while dealing with her grief and theirs.”
I don’t recall talking to her about Iris. “It’s rather impressive.”
“Do you like her?”
“Of course I do. I told you. She’s my friend.”
“Do you like her as more than a friend?”
“No.”
“Are you lying?”
“Maybe,” I confess with a laugh.
“I had a feeling…”
“I never have been able to lie to you.”
“So don’t start trying now. What’re you going to do about this woman you like as more than a friend?”