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He kissed my palm again, then gazed at me with eyes so sincere my heart expanded twice over. Maybe a getaway would be the perfect remedy for us, a time to sort things out and heal our wounds.
    “I think the last weekend in January is open,” I told him.
    Marco smiled, his eyes glittering in the glow of the streetlights. “Done.”
    “I have only one request,” I said. “We can’t tell anyone we’re going.”
    “You got it, baby.”
    We kept our trip a secret for over a week, going about business as usual with no one the wiser. But then Nikki’s boyfriend, Scott, broke up with her unexpectedly, causing Nikki, as well as our clandestine plan, to unravel.
    The more Nikki pined for Scott, the more depressed she got and the more ice cream she ate, until I feared she’d make herself ill. I urged her to get back into the dating scene, but she was afraid of being rejected again, so she stayed home, feeling sorry for herself. And because I felt sorry for her, I tried to include her in our activities, but that didn’t go over well with Marco, especially coming at a time when we were trying to fix things between us.
    Then, late on a Sunday night, a mere five days before we were to leave for Key West, everything came to a head.
    “Your building super should be more on top of things,” Marco grumbled, scowling at a burned-out lightbulb overhead, as I rummaged through my purse for my key.
    “I know. I told Mr. Bodenhammer about it three days ago.”
    Marco ran his hands over my shoulders and down my arms, pressing his lips against my neck as he murmured, “We could go back to my apartment.”
    “It’s after one o’clock in the morning, and we’re already here.”
    “Are you sure Nikki will be asleep?”
    “She’s depressed and dateless. Trust me, she’ll be asleep. She sleeps a lot.”
    I found the key at last and opened the door. It had barely closed behind us when Marco braced his arms on either side of my body and leaned in for a deep, hot kiss. I dropped my purse on the floor and kissed him back, until our passions took over and we began fumbling at each other’s clothing.
    “Bedroom,” I managed between kisses.
    We stumbled past the kitchen and into the tiny living room, where the sound of sniffling caused us to freeze.
    I felt for the wall switch—and there sat Nikki on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, her big doe eyes red and watery, and her mouth in a rippling line that signaled sobs on the horizon. Simon lay beside her, paws twitching as he dreamed, oblivious to her misery.
    “Nikki, what happened?”
    “Nothing.” Sniffle.
    “Why are you about to cry?”
    “What makes you think I’m about to cry? Just because everyone in the world is out on a date tonight? Because only losers sit on the sofa watching other people make out?”
    With a muffled sob, she threw off the blanket and ran out of the room, followed by Simon, who clearly thought she had woken him to play tag. Down the hallway, I heard her bedroom door slam. A moment later, the door opened and I heard a thud. The door shut again and at once Simon came trotting toward Marco, the only male he’d ever bonded with. Obviously Nikki wasn’t up for feline company, either.
    Marco crouched down to rub Simon’s head, causing him to purr loudly and butt his head against Marco’s knee. “You’d better go talk to Nikki.”
    “It’s pointless, Marco. I’ve talked to her until I’m blue in the face, and blue doesn’t come easy with these freckles. Trust me—nothing I say seems to help.”
    Loud sobs could be heard coming from Nikki’s bedroom.
    “Would you like a glass of wine?” I asked, pretending not to hear her.
    Marco raised his head to gaze at me in disbelief.
    “Okay,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll go talk to her—again.”
    Giving Simon a final scratch behind the ear, Marco rose and came toward me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Wouldn’t you like to wait while I talk to her?” I entwined my hands behind his neck and leaned