Had this been any other night, Alice no doubt would have had the time of her life. From the tasteful, and beige decor to the comfortable, high-backed leather chairs and sparkling chandelier that dangled just inches away from their second floor table; Giovanni’s on the Hill was simply an exquisite place to be. Bursting at the seams with activity, the restaurant popped and fizzed around them, not wholly unlike the full-bodied champagne in her hand. The sound of silverware on expensive China, the endless chatter of happy couples and the robust scent of mingling spices created a perfect bouquet that danced on her senses and would have made her giddy had she been with anyone else. Had she not been dragged out of her apartment by an overzealous, frivolous, doctor and her husband. Again. She sat nursing her glass, downing flute after flute of expensive Armand de Brignac Brut while attempting to drown out her babbling companions. When, in reality, all she wanted to do was flip the table and leave. Was it anger issues, she mused? Or could she blame it on the alcohol?

    “Brilliant choice, dear. When was the last time we got to sit down like this? It must have been months,” Bill, Georgia’s husband of eighteen years said, drawing a forced laugh out of her date. William Ackerman was a great guy. Tall, blond, and broad-shouldered; the man was pushing forty-five and still had the muscular build of a high school running back. He was a wonderful husband, competent business lawyer and no doubt would have been an awesome father had Georgia not been such a prude. In fact, he was the exact opposite of his evil, conniving wife who leaned drunkenly against her arm, winking and nodding in his direction. Him being Grayson White, a thirty-five year old accountant from New Jersey. He wasn’t bad looking–the typical brown-haired, blue-eyed, New York City boy she was used to–and at the very least he was smart enough to wear a suit and tie on their date. Even if everything about him screamed tacky. There was just something about him that she found…uninviting and soulless. Alice glanced up at him then, only to find him already smiling back. And it just made her think about Henri. 

    The boy had practically called her a man-hating she- during lunch, going so far as to psychoanalyze her at the freaking table. Just who did he think he was? What gave him the right to even speculate on anything that happened in her life? Anger still swirled in the pit of her stomach, but a foreign, rational, part of her couldn’t help but wonder if he was right? If Georgia was right? That, if she ever wanted to truly be happy again, she’d have to stop knowingly pushing people away? There was nothing wrong with Grayson. He was well groomed and neat, handsome and hardworking. But so was just about every other man in her life. Because they were all the same. Every last one of them.

    “I agree. This place is a gem. We’ll have to come here again sometime,” Grayson said, reaching for his own glass. The way he looked at her made her ill, that sly glint in his eyes telling her exactly where his mind was. He considered her easy. Prey. “What do you say, Alice? Can we meet up again?” he asked and she turned her head, downing the remainder of her champagne before returning the glass to the table with more force than she’d meant to. Georgia laughed nervously on her behalf. 

    “I think our Alice has had just a tad too much to drink. An entire bottle of champagne will do that to you. I’m sure she’d love to go out with you again, Grayson,” she said but Alice was already scooting her way out of the booth.

    “Yeah. No. I said no such thing. If you’ll excuse me, I suddenly feel like vomiting,” she grumbled. The world shifted as she found her way to the nearest bathroom. Like the rest of Giovanni’s, it was immaculate, marred only by the spilled contents of her purse as she flung it onto the marble counter. Where the hell did Georgia and Bill get off? It wasn’t like she asked them to set her up with those boorish s. Just the opposite! When she wasn’t begging them to leave her and her nonexistent love life alone she was actively trying to avoid them! All she wanted in life was peace. To excel at her job and avoid the messiness of people, relationships, and all the bull in between. “Is that too much to freaking ask?” she mumbled, wincing as her phone buzzed loudly, the vibrations strong enough to send it cascading into the sink. It was almost as if the world slowed to a stop around her; even the alcohol stopped marching through her veins. She didn’t have to pick it up to know who was calling, and the very thought of it sent chills down her spine. Had the brisk clip of high heels not accompanied the sound of the bathroom door opening she probably would have jumped out of her skin. 

    “What on earth is your problem?” Georgia’s harsh whisper filled the room and she felt herself relax, releasing the breath that caught in . “That man has been nothing but cordial to your snotty all night and this is all the courtesy you show him?! If he were half the man he is he would have walked out of here already!”

    “Then maybe he should have? It’s not like I asked him to be here.” She was so sick of having this conversation. Georgia looked contrite as she met her eyes, watching her reflection closely. The woman was concerned, she understood that, but her efforts were wasted.

    “I’m just trying to look out for you.”

    “But, don’t you think I have enough problems? Not to mention that you have horrible taste in men. Did you see what he was wearing?”

    “What? A suit? And excuse me? I have terrible taste in men?”

    “Don’t start.”

    “No, I so did not just hear that come out of your mouth. It’s been three years, Alice. You’re free in case you haven’t noticed, and you’re still living your life like you’re in . It’s time to actually breathe again, honey.”

    “I don’t have time to breathe.”

    “Bull.”

    “He called me again,” she interrupted her tirade. The bathroom fell silent, nothing but the muted sounds of the restaurant and the dripping of a leaky faucet buffering the stifling quiet that blanketed them. Alice gripped the edge of the counter until her knuckles were almost white. She could see the range of emotions flitting across Georgia’s face. Anger. Sadness. Fear. Rage. All the things she’d tried to forget how to feel.

    “How? When?” she stumbled over her questions. “How did he get your number again?” Alice sighed.

    “Hell if I know.”

    “How long as this been going on?” she asked, her voice growing shrill as panic set in.

    “Honestly?” she asked, meeting her gaze through the mirror. “Since the last time I changed my phone number. He calls constantly. Leaves voicemails and what not. He even got a hold of my eMail address last week. All of my inboxes are full.”

    “Does he know where you live? What about the hospital?”

    “I don’t know. He knows that I’m in New York, that’s about all I could get out of him the last few times I’ve hung up in his face,” she said. Georgia exhaled deeply, clutching at her heart as the blood drained from her face. 

    “Oh, dear God. Alice, I’m so sorry. Had I known—Why didn’t you tell me?”

    “What difference would it have made? You thought you were helping and I didn’t have to talk about his again. It was a win-win situation,” she chuckled.

    “This isn’t funny, Alice.” Georgia crossed the room to grab her shoulder. “Had you told me I would have backed off. I wouldn’t have been so forceful.”

    “Really? I somehow doubt that. And don’t worry, I don’t blame you for any of this. Like you said, you thought you were helping. But, please, can we drop all of this now? I’m running out of ways to insult these guys. Which is truly saying something because I’m totally good at that,” she said. Georgia laughed before heaving a tired sigh.

    “Okay, look, I understand how pushy I am and I’m sorry. I’ll give you a break about moving on until you’re ready. Until then, just what are you going to do about this…new situation?” Her tone softened again as she spoke. And the pity in her eyes made her heart ache. Alice gripped her in a tight hug, patting her back comfortingly as she chuckled.

    “The same thing I always do. Deal with it.”

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