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tonight as it is. If you get lucky, will you come back and tell me about it?”
    “Sorry,” Jessica said, laughing. “I’m an outrageous flirt, but very discreet about what I do in the bedroom. You’ll have to get your vicarious thrill elsewhere tonight.”
    “But you are planning to do something interesting with Will?” Melanie asked teasingly. It was still hard not to call him Mr. Larson, but she was not going to blow his cover.
    “If that second stop of his turns out to be to buy condoms, I am absolutely planning to ride more than his bike today,” Jessica said. “That look in his eye was very promising.”
    Melanie’s body shook with laughter, but she was afraid to ask any more questions, no matter how tempted she was. She knew full well Jessica would tell her the truth and she was missing her husband enough as it was.
    “Well, laundry calls,” Jessica said, going back to the booth she had left and gathering up her things. “Next time I come by, we’re going to talk about some art for the outside of this place. Your food is great, honey. We need to draw in some customers. One lonely biker and a spinster do not a clientele make.”
    “ Spinster? That so does not describe you. Come back and tell me about what happens. If it works out, we’ll put out the word that we’re a hook-up place for mature singles,” Melanie joked. Then she pointed a finger at the woman smiling at her. “But this is the last guy I fix you up with. If you don’t keep this one, I’m taking down my match-making shingle.”
    “I don’t think love works like that,” Jessica said, leaning over the counter. “Come here and let me hug you.”
    Melanie stood on her toes and accepted the hug Jessica offered. “Love is going to find you, Ms. Daniels. You’re too much fun not to have a guy in your life.”
    “You’re the sweetest thing—always were. I’m glad Brent Madison III talked you into marrying him. That boy was nuts about you since you were in that freshman art class together. Oh God, that really was more than ten years ago, wasn’t it?”
    Melanie laughed and nodded. “It was thirteen. I was being kind saying ten.”
    Jessica sighed. “Well, I’m going home now to soak my old head. How did I get to be forty-seven? Life goes by really fast.” She headed to the door. “Bye, sweetie,” Jessica said.
    “Good luck on your date,” Melanie said, sincerely hoping two of the nicest people she knew would find out they actually liked each other.

Chapter 3
     
    Jessica walked to the living room window of her second story rental home and stuck her head out when she heard a bike roar up on the street and stop outside. The man looked just as good from up here, she thought, watching Everett Williams park the black monster, step off, and unzip the jacket to reveal his impressive chest. When the helmet came off, she laughed a little at the top of his shiny head reflecting in the sun. It was only a reminder of how real he was and didn’t dim her enthusiasm for him a bit.
    “Hang on,” she yelled, “I’ll be down in a minute.”
    Will looked up to see a mass of red hair spilling over the laughing face smiling down on him. He hoped like hell they could be friends even if nothing else. Jessica Daniels’ sunny disposition turned on a light inside him, illuminating places that had been dark for a very long time. Her cheerful attitude was as appealing as the way she looked.
    “Take your time, gorgeous,” Will yelled up at her, making her laugh at his attempt at charm. “But don’t keep me waiting too long.”
    Jessica laughed again and disappeared from the opening, leaving Will to wonder what he was going to do while she made him wait. The thought had barely found its way into his consciousness when Jessica bounded out of the house, all but running down the front sidewalk to him.
    He didn’t know yet how old the woman was chronologically, but he put her mental age at seventeen as she all but ran to him. She wasn’t even