“That’s a long time ago,” said Tina with a smile, having been trying to gauge how old Jo was since she’d met her.  When Jo’d mention her daughter again during the negotiations, she’d said she was fifteen.  Tina did the math, that meant that Jo was at least 35, but the woman didn’t look a day over 25.

            “I’m not that old, thank you very much,” snapped Jo with a smile.  “It was one of those…” a deep sigh from the tomboy, “soulful relationships.”

            “I can understand that, what was her name?” asked Tina, digging into her memory banks about Jo, but coming up rather empty.  Feeling as if she could talk to Jo for hours and not be bored and tell the woman anything and not be judged for what she said. 

            “Um…,” hesitated Jo.  “Amy Astin.”

            Tina choked on her wine, coughing as Jo laughed softly, “ The vice presidential candidate?  Are you serious?  The senator from California?”

            “That would be her,” nodded Jo.  “Like I said, it was a long time ago, another life time, another dimension, another world.”  Jo looked down at her hands, thinking of Spencer for a moment, the woman that she’d already become.  Jo certainly hoped that her daughter’s romantic history and luck was better than her own.

            “You sound like one of your books,” smiled Tina. 

            Jo’s eyes were serious, “I often think I am a character from one of my books, I wish I were, I could change things as easily as I can on paper.”

            Tina decided to change the subject, “So you mentioned you had a daughter?”

            Jo nodded, “Spencer.  She was going back to school after winter break, I…um, picked her up at the airport.  She spent it in Hawaii, we’re not all that close.  Mostly my doing, and circumstances played a part also.”

            Tina heard the regret in her voice, “Kids are hard, did she spend the break with her father?”  Thinking of Angelica, who was going to split her life time between her and Bette. 

            A chuckled from the tomboy, who tussled her hair with a quick hand, “Her father… isn’t in the picture.  No, she spent it with one of my friends, Emma Young.  Spencer is going to school with Emma’s daughter, Riley.  I was gone for a few years, and Spencer’s having a difficult time allowing me back into her life.  I’m giving her the space and the time to assimilate everything.  Not something I am good at, but I’m trying to be patient.”

            “You’ve led an interesting life,” said Tina, sipping her wine, a sly smile on Jo’s lips told Tina that she wasn’t even scratching the surface of Jo Wheaton.

            “I plan on this version of my life being much more quiet than ever.”

            “Then, to keeping life calm, and to smooth sailing,” smiled Tina raising her glass to Jo’s.

            “To new friendships,” grinned the tomboy.

            “To that too,” answered Tina sexily.

            Alex rolled to her door, slipping the card into the slot and opening the door.  Rolling her shoulders as she pushed the chair into the room.  Tired, achy and knowing she’d had to much wine for her own good.  It was time to get into the bathroom, she’d be content with a long bath, and an even longer sleep.

            Seeing the light on her phone blinking, she moved to the table.  Picking it up, and asking for her messages.  She had three, one from Helena, promising a late morning breakfast.  The second was from her editor, wondering how the meeting had gone.  The last one was from someone she hadn’t expected, Harlequin Peabody, asking her to meet her the next morning, without Helena at her side. 

            Alex smiled, thinking that Harlequin was going to have to get up very early to outwit her sister.  Then again, she had nothing to lose by taking the meeting, the contracts were signed, and even if Harlequin didn’t want Helena involved, she most certainly was.