“Oh, Carlos.” She pulled her hand from his and stuck the spoon into the casserole. “She’s a lovely woman. The two of you get along very well, and she’s never been anything but nice to me. Why shouldn’t I care about her?”

“Because she’s my ex-wife.”

“And the way you’ve always talked about her, I’m not sure why that is.”

How many times had he heard that? The thought had him squirming in his seat. “Point is that’s what she is. She’s married to my ex-best friend, and they live in my ex-house.”

She laughed. “And she’s the luckiest woman to have you as a friend.”

“Thank you.”

“Now eat.” She spooned casserole onto his plate, and he caught her arm. “What?”

“Move in with me.” He felt her pulse rise under his fingertips.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“I want us to be together.”

She pulled her arm back. “We are together.”

“You know what I mean. I have never said, ‘I love you,’ to anyone but Madeline. I love you. Does that mean anything to you?”

Kathy sat back and studied him.

He cocked his eyebrow “You’d better answer me or I just might ask you to marry me.”

Her eyes widened. “Okay, okay! I’ll move in with you.”

“Good.” He tugged her arm until she slid out of her chair and onto his lap. “We’ll start with that,” he said as he pressed his lips to hers and they became pliant and warm.

Madeline walked from the doctor’s office. Her knees were weak and her breast was sore where they had taken the biopsy. There was no option to walk all the way to the car before she broke down. She found a chair in the waiting room at the hospital and sat. Tears streamed down her face, and she tried to brush them away as they fell.

She’d undergo a double mastectomy in three weeks. She’d check in two days after Christmas. She’d begin a rigorous treatment schedule of chemo. If she was lucky enough and the cancer was gone, she could have reconstructive surgery and have her breasts recreated. As it was, it was too much to think about.

The first thing she would do would be to ask Carlos to take the kids for a few extra weeks. Maybe she could tell him she’d be out of town. Until she knew if they could get the cancer, she didn’t want anyone worrying about her, especially her kids. She was doing that enough for everyone. Her boss had been through this stupid thing called cancer, twice. She knew she could lean on her for the support she’d need. Madeline thought of herself as a strong enough person to get through the surgery, and if the kids were with Carlos she’d have time to recover. Her parents could be there in case she needed them. But her plan was to keep it as far from her family as she could, until she absolutely had to tell them.

She waited until she was home and seated at the kitchen table with a glass of water and an icepack on her breast before she called Carlos. Breathing exercises she’d learned in yoga classes weren’t doing much to calm her as she dialed his phone number.

“Hello.” Kathy answered, and the discomfort in Madeline’s chest increased, though it might have been heartbreak that caused it.

“Kathy? It’s Madeline.”

“Madeline! How are you? Carlos said you weren’t feeling well before Thanksgiving. Are you feeling better?”

She swallowed hard and batted away more tears that tried to push their way through. She should have known he’d have been worried enough to say something to Kathy. Truth was, she was surprised she hadn’t had a visit from his brother, Doctor Curtis. “I’m doing much better. Must have been trying to catch something.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Madeline swallowed hard. “Is Carlos there?”

“He just went out to the truck to get a few more boxes.”

“Boxes?”

“He asked me to move in.” Kathy’s voice rose in a delighted pitch. “We’re unloading all my junk right now. I can’t believe how much stuff I have. And neither can Curtis. He must have commented on it a thousand times while he was loading it for me.”

Madeline forced a laugh. “Leave it to Curtis.”

“Can I have him call you back?”

“Oh, I can catch him later. Congratulations on your new living arrangements.” She choked on her own words.

“Thank you. I think he’s thinking about getting married.” Kathy’s voice had dropped to almost a whisper.

Madeline gripped the phone tighter and squeezed her eyes closed. “I’m sure he is. He’s a very lucky man.”

“That means the world coming from you,” she said, and Madeline heard the voices of men in the background. “Oh, wait. Here he is. Madeline is on the phone for you,” she heard Kathy say and then the obvious jumbling sound as the phone was passed off.

“Maddie?” he said, and she smiled. It had been a long time since he’d called her that, and she wasn’t comfortable with how it still melted her inside. “What’s up?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to bother you. I hear you’re getting a new roommate.”

“Yeah. About time, don’t you think?”

“Uh-huh.” A twist of nausea hit her stomach. “You know, I can talk to you later.”

“No. What did you need?”

“Well…” She tried to keep her voice light and happy. “I’m taking a trip out of town. I was wondering if the kids could stay with you for about three weeks.”

“Wow. That must be some trip.” His voice lifted, and she knew he was happy for her. It broke her heart that it was all a lie. “Early Christmas present from Matt?”

“Just a trip.” The weight of her deception was heavy in her chest. She’d never lied to Carlos in all the years she’d known him. It wasn’t easy to do.

“Sure. That won’t be any problem.”

“Great. I really appreciate it.”

“Sure. Oh, Maddie, don’t say anything to the kids yet about Kathy moving in. I want to surprise them.”

She cleared her throat. They were going to have a lot of surprises. “Okay. Thanks, Carlos.”

She disconnected the call and put her head between her knees. Kathy had moved in. She knew Carlos well enough. They’d be married in six months.