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thoroughly a few minutes earlier. He was by nature a nurturer, a self-proclaimed knight in shining armor. The idea of tough-as-nails Helen needing nurturing was laughable.
    Then again, maybe the kiss had been inevitable. She was a gorgeous woman, a little too uptight for him, a lot too opinionated. But sometimes just such a mix guaranteed an explosion sooner or later. Now that the kiss was behind him, the steam was released, and odds were it would never happen again.
    He was just congratulating himself for making it all seem reasonable when Dana Sue came into the kitchen and joined him at the sink, where he was scrubbing pans. Picking up another pan from the sudsy water, she nudged him with her hip.
    “So, what was that kiss all about?” she asked, keeping her gaze on the greasy pan in her hands.
    “Pure impulse,” he said, dismissing it.
    “Something tells me the impulse has been coming on for some time. There’s something in the air every time you two are in the same room.”
    “Tension,” he suggested.
    “ Sexual tension, I think,” she retorted, a glint in her eye. “Why haven’t you done anything about it before?”
    He rolled his eyes. “Helen and me? Are you crazy?”
    “I don’t think so. You’re an incredible man. She’s an incredible woman. Both of you deserve someone special in your lives.”
    “I don’t know about Helen, but I’m not looking for a relationship,” he said.
    “You used to say you wanted me,” she reminded him.
    He grinned. “Because I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell you’d say yes.”
    “So you claimed to want me only because I was unattainable?”
    “Exactly.”
    “Not buying it. If you like the challenge of the unattainable, then Helen’s an even better bet. Think of the fun you could have trying to change her mind.”
    “And then what? Tell her it was all just a game?”
    “No, you idiot. Then you fall madly in love and marry her.”
    Erik laughed. “I don’t see that happening. Somehow I just can’t picture Helen’s designer duds hanging next to my Levi’s in the closet.”
    “After that kiss tonight, I can see it,” Dana Sue told him. “And judging from the way Helen ran out of here, I think she can see it, too.”
    “Stop meddling, Dana Sue. She’s your friend and that alone is reason enough for me to stay away from her.”
    “Why? I’m giving you my permission to pursue this. In fact, I’m encouraging it.”
    “And what happens when one of us gets our heart broken? Whose side do you take?”
    She looked vaguely disconcerted by the question. “It would never come to that,” she declared.
    “Really? You can see into the future?”
    “No, but I have faith in both of you, and I saw something tonight, a spark, that hasn’t been there before in either one of you. Passion—the real deal that leads to love—is a rarity.I’m here to tell you that a spark like that shouldn’t be ignored.”
    “Well, I’m ignoring it,” he said flatly.
    “We’ll see,” she taunted. “I’m sure I can think of some way to change your mind.” She shrugged. “Or Helen’s. It’ll only take convincing one of you to get this ball rolling.”
    “It’s not up to you,” he said, even though he could see he was wasting his breath. He was just going to have to be on high alert from now on.
    Damn. That meeting tomorrow. He’d have to be in the same room as Helen and Dana Sue when the memory of that searing kiss was just a little too fresh in his mind.

3
    K aren’s heart was in her throat all during the first part of her shift prior to the meeting Helen had scheduled for two in the afternoon. Erik kept shooting daggers at her, as if he was really ticked off about something. She got the impression he’d been against the meeting. Dana Sue was trying to overcompensate by being extra nice, but the tension in the kitchen was really beginning to take a toll on Karen.
    Added to that, they’d had one customer from hell, who’d sent her meal back three times. Erik