“… I don’t want to inconvenience you any more than I have to. You’ve done enough for me, Eve.” Catherine’s gaze was on Joe standing below them at the barbecue pit. “We’ve done nothing but talk about my problems. Let’s talk about you and Joe. Is everything all right between you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I just thought I caught some vibes from him today.” Her gaze was still on Joe. “You’re very lucky, you know. He’s pretty fantastic.”

“Yes, he is.” Eve added, “And I know you think he’s special. You’ve told me.”

“Yes, I’ve always been honest with you.” She paused. “I always will be.” She turned to face her. “I’m no threat to you, Eve.”

“You could be if you wanted to be. You’re an incredibly magnetic woman, Catherine.” She gazed steadily at her. “But in the end, the threat would come only from Joe. He’s the only one who can hurt me.”

“I’d never hurt you.” Catherine’s voice was passionate. “I’ve never had a friend like you before. At first, I was only concerned about what you could do for me, but that changed. You changed my life. I felt… close to you.”

“And I feel close to you.” Eve smiled. “So stop agonizing about it, Catherine.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Eve’s smile faded. “Are we still talking about Joe?”

“No. Yes. I guess in a way we are.”

“Speak up. It’s not like you to be inarticulate.”

Catherine turned back to look down at Joe. “Did you finish the reconstruction on Cindy?”

Cindy was the reconstruction that Eve had been working on weeks ago before she had gone to Russia at Catherine’s request. It had been very difficult, and Catherine had been a great help. “Of course, she was done a week after I came home from Russia. It wasn’t that difficult.” She smiled. “Not after I had a little help from my friends during the initial prep work.”

“Was she a pretty little girl?”

“Yes.”

“Like your Bonnie?”