Her Sexiest Mistake

and they'd drawn her that first day.

They drew her now, too.

All this time she hadn't spoken to him because the popular girls didn't like him. A thought that brought more shame. It just kept following her, starting from that time back at home when she'd been accused of stealing the lipstick.

At the end of class, she walked alone to the teen center, trailing a group of girls so as to follow the rules. Halfway there, she heard running steps come up behind her and whipped around.

It was Cole.

'Hey,' he said, a little breathless but trying to be cool.

She didn't have it in her to come up with any smartass remark, so she just kept walking. He fell in besides her. She thought maybe he'd try to get her to talk, or even draw her into the woods like Adam, especially since everyone now thought she was that kind of girl, but they walked in companionable silence.

Out front of the teen center, he stopped and touched her arm. 'You're too good for Adam' was all he said, and then he went inside, leaving her standing there, wishing she really was too good for Adam, wishing also that she hadn't invited Kevin over for Mia's home cooking. She really, really wished that.

***

Mia's morning was long, made even longer by the worrisome, underlying tension in the firm and the rumor of more layoffs coming. Damn it. She was in a staff meeting in a conference room when she had to leave to take a call from a client. She ran down the hall to her office and found her plant mysteriously tipped over. Only problem: the water from the container had spilled out, soaking the desk-and her laptop.

Her fried laptop.

Rumors flew at that. Some said she had enemies, some said it was karma. Her favorite was the one that said she'd done it herself to get attention. Please. As if she needed that kind of attention.

She actually thought about going to Margot, just for another female opinion, but the truth was, though Margot did not possess a penis, she would enjoy Mia's troubles.

But the bottom line was she couldn't even properly obsess about any of it, because she just didn't care the way she used to. Suddenly there were other things crowding her brain. She was worried about Hope, worried about Kevin, worried about Tess… Hell, she even worried about Mike. A new phenomenon, all this worry outside of work, but the list kept growing.

In an afternoon staff meeting, Ted came right out and criticized her methods of getting accounts, which he claimed were too aggressive.

Bring it on, she thought grimly and sat back because surely someone would defend her.

The deafening silence around her spoke volumes.

Others felt the same way.

The joy in the job was fading, and that scared her because this job had always been everything to her. Everything. But the tension was too high to handle. Normally she solved that problem with a man. She looked around her and realized she didn't want just any man.

She wanted Kevin.

She checked her cell phone for the thousandth time, thinking maybe he left a message, something like Now that you're back in your house, be sure to come knocking tonight.

Or anything.

But nothing is what she got, and when she complained to Tess about it on the phone, Tess laughed at her.

'Let me get this straight,' her supposedly best friend said. 'You've told him you don't want a relationship, but you're mad because he doesn't call you?'

'Well, damn it, when you put it that way, I sound crazy.'

'Honey, you are crazy. That is one fine, hot, sexy man. And I should know-his brother was just as fine, hot, and sexy.'

Mia sighed. 'I knew he was going to break your heart.'

'He gave me my first man-made orgasm, you know.'

Ah, hell. Tess had been in plenty of relationships, but she'd always had a hard time achieving full glory until Mia had bought her a vibrator a couple of Christmases back.

'He really did it for me,' Tess said. 'Without even trying, bam.' She sighed dreamily. 'I'd have married him for that alone.' Her voice broke a little, and so did Mia's heart.

'I'm so sorry.'

'Yeah, me, too. Did you know he thought I was sexy? Me.'

'You are sexy.'

'You aren't going to keep me warm at night.'

'Damn it, I really want to kill him for screwing this up.'

'I just want to hug him.'

She sure as hell better not, Mia thought grimly. 'He couldn't have supported you.'

'Mia Appleby, queen of feminists everywhere, you did not just suggest I need a man to support me. I am woman, hear me roar.'

'I heard you got some more orders,' Mia said, executing a change of subject.

'Another thirty pounds a month. You were right, I need a bigger kitchen. I've applied for a business loan. Cross your fingers for me.'

'I told you, let me loan you the start-up money.'

'I can't take your money.'

'Who said anything about take? It's a loan.'

'No. But thank you.'

'Tess-'

'You've helped me in other ways. Speaking of which, we need to go over marketing plans. How about tonight? Or tomorrow night? Doesn't matter really, I suddenly have a lot of free nights.' Her voice got quiet and a whole lot less excited. 'I don't know how you do it,' she said softly, letting her pain be heard. 'I loved feeling committed again.'

'I'm perfectly happy alone.'

Liar, liar.

'With no hold on Kevin? Really? Even knowing another woman could come along and snag him at any time? I'm