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way Kevin’s been treating you.”
    Some of her good mood evaporated. “I don’t want anyone to think that I’m trying to break up Kevin’s marriage.”
    “Hey, Paula broke you and Kevin up first. Anyway, it’s Kevin who’s been making himself look bad, not you. And I’m sure all of them will shut up now that they see you have a boyfriend.”
    “Here comes Anthea,” Erin said under her breath as she spotted one of the biggest busybodies at work making her way towards them.
    “Hello, girls,” Anthea said, dragging a chair to sit in front of them.
    “Hi,” Erin answered.
    “It’s so nice of your boyfriend to buy us drinks, Erin. And by the way, I think he’s really hot.”
    “Thanks. I think so too,” she said lightly.
    “He’s not a cover-up, is he?” Anthea whispered.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, I can understand why you’d want certain people to think that you’re involved with someone else,” Anthea said conspiratorially.
    “I don’t follow,” she said in a low voice.
    Anthea put a hand on her arm. “I’m on your side, Erin. You and Kevin were in love first before Paula got into the picture. So when I noticed that Kevin’s now ringless, I can guess what’s going on.”
    She faced Anthea fully. “What are you trying to say?”
    “I’m just saying that if you and Kevin are working things out, I don’t see anything wrong with that. Other people might have a different opinion—like Dee, who seems to be Paula’s eyes and ears in the office. But as far as I’m concerned, Paula shouldn’t have stolen a man who wasn’t free to be stolen. It’s just right if you get Kevin back.”
    “Thank you, Anthea. But Kevin and I are most definitely not getting back together,” she said, frowning. “Are you saying that Dee suspects something and is reporting to Paula?”
    Anthea shrugged. “I could be wrong, but I’ve noticed how Dee has been keenly watching the two of you. She met up with Paula twice last week after work, you know. And she also called Paula straight after seeing you and Kevin have lunch yesterday. I know ’cos I heard her say ‘hi, Paula’ before she walked away so I wouldn’t overhear.”
    Erin let out a heavy breath. Why, oh why, did some people feel the need to poke their noses in someone else’s business? This made her more determined to make them believe another lie—a less damaging one that she wouldn’t mind them spreading.
    “Paula can put her mind at ease, because I’m not after her husband,” she said to Anthea, smiling at Brad, who was walking back to her, followed by a barman carrying a tray of drinks.
    “What was that?” Brad asked.
    “Oh, nothing,” Anthea answered with a giggle. “Some people just thought that there was something going on between Erin and Kevin again.”
    “Of course there’s nothing going on between them,” Brad said, sitting next to Erin on the couch and putting an arm around her shoulder. “Or I’ll be very, very mad... and sad,” he said, looking into her eyes.
    Erin gawked right back, marvelling at the sincerity in his tone and expression.
    Eh, Brad was just being a caring friend who didn’t want her falling again for the moron . But, hey, she didn’t mind this rather intimate stare. They did have an audience, including Kevin, who was still sulking in the corner.
    “You don’t have anything to worry about, honey,” she said, running a hand on his thigh.
    “Good,” Brad answered, tightening his arm around her and putting his mouth against her ear. “This is so much fun,” he whispered.
    A delicious shiver ran through her. Yes. This sure was thrilling. And right now, she was so tempted to burrow herself in Brad’s embrace and kiss him on the lips.
    And why not?
    She already knew how to get over him. She’d done it before and, if need be, she was confident she could do it again. All she had to do if she found herself falling for him was to imagine being alone at fifty, never having married and having no kids,