Dana followed Charlie’s stare and felt a pang of nervousness as she came face to face with Alice.

“Hi Dana, you and your family really must stop running into me like this.”  She quickly glossed over her rising panic with a witty smile.  “Alice? I’m so sorry.  This one’s a handful, he just loves running around.  I need a million hands.”

“It’s fine, really, no harm done” Alice felt dejected, she’s got a kid, a really cute kid, but still… a kid!  I’ve been fantasizing about a straight girl for days now… Typical! 

“What are you doing here today?”  Dana asked curiously.  Alice was lifted abruptly from her thoughts, “Research…” she blurted it out before she’d even thought it through.  “Research?” Dana asked a little confused.  “Yea, research, I write… articles… for a magazine and so I’m researching the best health clubs around LA” she said sounding more convincing than it felt.

“What about you two?” Alice asked quickly trying to change the subject before she fell too far into her lies.  “Oh, I had some things I needed to pick up, thought it’d be pretty easy to just bring this little fella along.  Boy was I wrong”.  Both women laughed. 

Charlie began getting restless in Dana’s arms, “Let’s goooo, I wana gooo”, “Ok, little man, we’re going now.  Sorry I promised to take him to Silly Snakes and I thiiink he’s bored waiting.”  Dana said setting Charlie down and taking his hand.  Alice smiled, “Ok, have a good day”

Charlie looked up at her, “You comin’?”

Alice didn’t know what to say, shocked that he’d asked her, “Uummm…”

Dana broke in, “No Charlie, Alice can’t come she’s busy.”

“Why?”  Charlie reached out, grabbing for Alice’s hand.

Alice’s resolve faded, Dana’s son was just as cute as she was if that was possible.  So what if she was straight, they could be friends, even if Alice had already done a little stalking and lying, they seemed to be chatting pretty freely.  “I’m not that busy, I could come, but only if you wanted obviously”.

“Yyayyyy” Charlie shouted pulling at both women’s hands, heading towards the car.

Dana smiled, “Really, don’t feel like you have to, I feel like you’ve been forced into this.”