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guess that means yes.” Jess laughed, pushing the stroller uphill and listening to her friend crack peanuts between her teeth. “This is a nice day, Marilyn. Why haven’t we done this more often?”
    “I don’t know. First it was lousy weather; then you working double shifts. I guess we both got too busy. But this summer we’ll make a point of—oh, boy.”
    “What?” Scowling, Jess stopped and examined Marilyn’s whitish face. “What? I bet you broke a tooth on one of those stupid peanuts.”
    “Um. . .not exactly.” Marilyn stared down at the spent shells in her cupped hand. “Maybe we’ve had enough of the zoo today.”
    “What? We haven’t seen the monkeys yet.” Jess tried to catch Nathan’s attention to assist in her protest, but he was totally absorbed in his red lollipop. Planting her fist on her hip, she shot Marilyn a look. “Okay, what’s going on?”
    “Let’s rest for awhile.” Marilyn meandered toward the park bench and lowered herself to the seat.
    Jess followed, her heart speeding up. “You’re not having pains or anything, are you?”
    “Of course not. I’m only a few months’ pregnant.” Marilyn snorted a laugh. “Like I’m going to give birth in the middle of Central Park.”
    Dropping down beside her, Jess felt her stomach pitch. “Something is wrong though. Tell me.”
    Marilyn glanced around, then shook her head. “I’d rather not say.”
    A brisk wind rustled through the maples. Jess shivered. She scanned the winding trail, now clogged with noisy park-goers. Her gaze settled on a twosome standing in front of a cage, their backs to her. As her brain registered the sight, her breath stopped. It dawned suddenly that her jaw was hanging open.
    Closing her mouth, she swallowed past the dryness in her throat, then looked at Marilyn. “It’s—it’s Tom and. . .” Heather Webster.
    “Yeah, I know.” Marilyn cleared her throat. “I think we should go in the other direction. Take the high road, so to speak.”
    “Don’t be silly!” Jess stood, adjusting her beige chinos, which, she was thankful, concealed her shaky legs. “I have to at least say hello.”
    Tom was a friend—a free agent. And if she had harbored any suspicion that he ever saw her as a real female, she could safely put the thought to rest right this second. For all their jaunts in the park, they’d never been wrapped in such an intimate embrace. Before her eyes stood the difference between love and in love.
    A shiver snaked up her spine, and a teary feeling washed over her. Heather didn’t suit Tom at all. Toying with the hem of her sweatshirt, Jess bit her lip. If she said anything to warn Tom away from Heather, she’d sound like a catty, jealous, thirty-two-year-old woman whose chances for marriage and children were fast slipping away. She crossed her arms and looked at Marilyn.
    “ You can go over and say hello.” Marilyn wiggled her foot, a habit clearly indicating her distress. “But I’m staying right here.”
    Straightening her shoulders, Jess assessed the lovebirds again. Heather’s tentacles were wrapped around Tom, her adoring gaze glued to his face. Like a fast-deflating balloon, bravado seeped from her limbs. If body language were a barometer, she’d be intruding by acknowledging the two. Opting to remain invisible, Jess swallowed hard and tilted her chin.
    Tom had always had a hands-off approach with her. She should be celebrating—instead of standing around pining that she wasn’t his type. His brotherly love toward her made for a perfect friendship.
    But today she would give anything to know she was somebody’s type.
    Jess loosened her white-knuckled grip on the stroller handle. Enough of wanting to feed her needy ego. “You know—you’re right. Maybe it’s best if we leave right now.”
    Marilyn sprang to her feet. “You don’t have to ask twice.”
    Jess steered the stroller eastward toward the exit. “I would’ve said hello.” To her dismay, her voice quivered.