All Over

Libby

Sitting alone at a corner table at Andy's, Libby tried to contain herself and keep from crying. She was facing the corner, away from everyone else in the restaurant and, occasionally, she wiped her eyes with her napkin.

It had been like this since last night. Since Dan had left her apartment, telling her that she wouldn't see him again. Libby hadn't slept at all, and she'd been a zombie at the Times office all day. She wouldn't have gone in at all, except that Abby was still out and she was needed.

Abby. That was another worry on Libby's mind. She didn't know where Abby was and why she hadn't either come back to work or called. If she hadn't heard anything by tomorrow morning, Libby planned to go nosing around on her own and see what she could find out about her friend and co-worker. That husband of hers, Dwayne, had to have something to do with it.

Right now, though, she had something even more pressing to do. She needed to talk to March. Dear, sweet March who'd told her he loved her and had been acting like it. He'd taken her out, cooked for her, been kind to her, been there when she needed him.

The complete opposite of Dan, who'd made one date with her and then broken it. Dan, with whom she'd had sex twice now--once in the middle of a field at the Wades' ranch and once in her own apartment. At the time, Libby had thought of it as making love, but after last night she knew better.

He'd used her and left her. That was all. She'd never had anything hurt her so much in her life. But maybe she owed him. After being unable to get her mind off the whole thing all night and day, she'd made up her mind. No one was ever going to get close enough to hurt her like that again.

That included March. He'd been nothing but sweet and wonderful up to now, but that was bound to change, she'd told herself. If nothing else, he had admitted to her that he was a married man, even though it was an arranged marriage and the woman was with someone else and even had children now. It was bound to cause nothing but hurt and pain down the road and Libby was through with that.

She'd been stupid enough to get involved with two men and now she could see the error of her ways. None was better. No hurt. No pain. Libby wiped her eyes again and took a sip of the coke she was drinking.

She had arranged to meet March after work, so that she could talk with him. He probably thought this was a date, but Libby had other plans. She was going to end it.