Laura sighed in resignation as she knocked on Jonathan's door. He had made it plain on the phone that all he wanted from her was friendship.
Since her divorce, all she wanted was someone to care. And obviously, that someone wasn't going to be Jonathan.
He opened the door with a smile, dressed in blue jeans and a T-shirt. "Come on in," he said, pulling the door open wider.
Laura stepped inside and forced herself to smile, as Jonathan's god children, Ashleigh and Dustan, came running to launch themselves at her. She hugged them and stepped back.
"So, are we going to the grocery store?" Laura asked. With a grimace, she dug her brush out of her purse and caught Ashleigh before she could escape and began brushing Ashleigh's hair.
"Yeah," said Jonathan. "Let's just grab a couple of frozen pizzas and come back. I don't really feel like cooking anything big."
Once they were back, Jonathan ordered each kid into the shower. Once they were out, Jonathan slid the pizza in the oven.
Laura was tossing a salad to go with the pizza. When she was done, she turned and said teasingly, "Jonathan, you haven't hugged me tonight!"
Jonathan laughed and pulled Laura gently into his arms, then dragged her halfway across the room playfully. Laura was laughing when Jonathan leaned in and pressed a fleeting kiss on her lips.
Laura backed up and immediately began rubbing the back of her neck with her right hand, a dead giveaway that she was nervous.
"Laura? You okay?" Jonathan asked, concern in his voice.