Nancy shouldered open the apartment door, juggling her keys and three plastic bags all the way to the kitchen. The handle on one bag broke as soon as she reached the refrigerator, and she sighed.

"Is that Kent?"

George swung around the corner, then answered Bess's call with a sighed "No" before she crossed the kitchen to peer over Nancy's shoulder. "Whatcha got?"

"Reinforcements," Nancy explained, and pulled out a carton of triple chocolate ice cream. "She any better?"

George snorted. "Can't you tell?" She dug through the other bag, pumping her fist when she found a bag of cheese chips. "You were gone for a while."

"I just... needed a break."

George smiled. "Sure you did," she murmured, pulling open the bag of chips. "So is this gonna be a pattern? Not being able to stay away for Nickerson for more than twelve hours at a time?"

"He is addictive," Nancy said, hiding her flushed cheeks by ducking into the refrigerator. "Thanks for the glove."

"You were just lucky it was here and not at my parents' house."

Nancy stopped for a second, resting her elbows on the counter. She nodded in the direction of Bess's room. "You getting a little bit fed up with this?"

George swallowed a mouthful of chips. "A little bit? I think I've had three times as many daiquiris as her, and every time she even hears a creak in the living room, every time the phone rings, all she does is ask whether it's Kent."

"Well, tomorrow... I hope she's over it, because I don't have any sick days left..."

"I thought you told me that they don't even let you have sick days."

"They don't. So I'd just be taking more of the sick days I don't have."

George smiled. "It's okay. I can go in late tomorrow, get off early, something. Besides, this is Bess. He probably just didn't bring her the exact shade of roses she wanted."

"Yeah," Nancy murmured. "Okay. Maybe a triple chocolate sundae will cheer her up."

--

Ned had the tone in his voice that meant he'd just been with a major client, when she called him the next afternoon, while she was creeping through the traffic on the interstate on the way back to her apartment. "Hey."

"Hey," Nancy replied. "You doing anything tonight?"

He chuckled. "You have something in mind?"

"This isn't-- it's not like that. And George has already given me a hard time for seeing you so much."

"Maybe I should have a talk with her," Ned teased her. "You want to hang out tonight?"

"Actually, I had an idea."

"You okay?"

"I will be."

"What's your idea?"

"You'll see."

He was in a loose white t-shirt and sweatpants when she arrived, and he stood aside to let her in. She began to maneuver past him, when he suddenly looped an arm around her waist and lightly pulled her to him for a kiss.

"It's too early to say I miss you, isn't it."

She smiled up at him. "Does that mean you won't say it?"

He nodded firmly. "I won't say it. All I'll say is that I was five minutes away from you and about the suggest the same thing, when you called me." He backed into the door to close it, and deadbolted it behind him.

Nancy reached into her purse and pulled the shot glass out, slipped it onto the kitchen counter and found its twin. "You got anything we can put in these?"

Ned chuckled under his breath. "Oh, do I."

He tossed back his shot of vodka without any chaser, but Nancy took a long draft of her diet cola, tears standing in her eyes, before she smacked the shot glass down on the counter again.

"Okay," Ned said. "Not that I had a great day or anything, but why did we just take a shot?"

Nancy met his eyes, but shied away before his gaze could hold hers. "I need another one."

"That bad?" Ned tipped the vodka bottle toward her glass again.

"Yeah," Nancy coughed after she tossed it back. "Yeah. George called me at work today. She talked to Bess."

"Oh?" Ned linked his fingers through hers and tugged her toward the couch, away from the shot glasses, the vodka pooled in their curved bowls, the uncapped bottle.

"Yeah." She sat down beside him on the couch, slumping against his side. "Bess missed her period, and Kent..."

She could almost feel him, ever so slightly shrinking away from her, even though his arm was resting against her shoulders. "Seriously?"

Nancy nodded. "And he didn't take it well."

Ned ran his hand through his hair. "He was at work today... but he looked distracted."

Nancy gave him a wry smile. "I've heard that kind of news can distract a guy."

"Man... yeah. Yeah. I'm sorry."

Nancy rested her head on his shoulder. "I thought it was the usual stuff, I wasn't expecting this..."

"Neither was I."

"So Kent must not be bragging in the locker room about how he's nailed my best friend, then."

Ned patted her shoulder. "No. Although... I think contractually, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you if he was."

"Contractually?"

"Yeah. Part of being born with a Y chromosome."

"So even if I..." Nancy leaned forward and paused with her lips nearly touching his. "If I tried to persuade you..."

Ned closed his eyes and groaned. "If anyone asks, tell them I put up a fight, okay?"

"Deal," Nancy murmured, just before she kissed him.