"I have extra chicken fried steak," I said. "Want to comeover?"
Helen paused. "Why do you haveextra?"
I debated before telling her but finally said, "Martin had otherplans."
"Ooooh. Yeah. Let me finish this up, and I'll be over right after Ichange."
"Deal!" I clicked off and rushed back into the kitchen to get everythingready.
The doorbell rangabout half an hour later, just as I was heating up the oil for the steaks. I called for Helen to come in and she did, bringing with her a bottle of wine and a bakery bag ofbread.
"I love chicken fried steak, and I love having a friend who makes it for me!" She breezed in like a blond hurricane and rummaged through my drawers looking for the wine opener. I pointed to the right one and she had it open within seconds. Maybe she was a wine pro too. She poured us each a glass and stared medown.
"So..." she drawled. "Martin?" Helen eyeballed my dress. "He left with you wearing thatdress?"
I groaned. "I know! I even belly danced this morning." Her eyessparkled.
"Did you now? I might need you to teach me that. Hank would lose his mind." She frowned. "Or all of his gardening knick knacks if Itripped."
I snorted. "I can teach you. You have to be one with yourhips."
"Very zen," she said and hopped up on the counter. She was tiny enough that her legs swung to and fro like a little kid. "It smells wonderful inhere."
"I have potatoes boiling and some broccoli in theoven."
"Dang. Why don't I break up with Hank and we begin a lesbian relationship? You're cute, I'm cute. You cook, I bring wine. I think we could besoulmates."
I burst out laughing. "I'd heard you were anintrovert."
Helen shrugged. "It's true, but no one liked me for the longest time. It was hard for me to make friends, but sometimes I meet someone and I just like them, you know?" She snagged a cookie from the plate on top of my counter. "It makes me seem extroverted, but I guarantee if this was a party, you'd find me hiding in the bathroom reading a book or making friends with the dog. If you owned one." She looked around my place. "You should really get a dog. I lovemine."
I chuckled at her babble. She was keeping my mind offMartin.
Once I finished making dinner, Helen quickly set the table and helped herself to the food. She heaped on a giant breaded steak and an obscene amount of mashed potatoes and I marveled at her ability to stay sopetite.
"So, tell me about Martin and why you're dressed forseduction."
I choked on mywine.
"Seriously. Normal chicks don't dress like that alone in theirhouse."
"Martin was here when someone came into my house last night, pushed me up against the wall and kissedme."
Helen's eyebrows rose high on her forehead. "Wow. You do live an interesting life, don't you?" She cut into her steak, took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. "So since you're dressed like this and ended up calling me for dinner, I can only assume the kiss wasn't anything to write homeabout?"
"Nope. It made me realize how I felt aboutMartin."
Her fork paused. "And how do you feel abouthim?"
"Like I wish he was the one who had me pressed against the wall instead ofKristoff."
Helen snort laughed. "I was in your position not too long ago, myfriend."
I groaned. "So how did you fixit?"
"Sheer doggedpersistence."
"Great. So the dress won'thelp?"
