Katherine was just coming into the kitchen with bags of groceries in preparation for Frieda’s and Clara’s visits, when the phone rang.  Putting the bags down, she snatched the receiver off the wall and tried to keep Noodle from sticking his nose in the bags, so when she heard Rick’s voice saying her name she was completely surprised.
     “How are you doing?” he went on.
     Stunned, she could only say “Fine.”  What else should I say?  Sitting here crying over you?
     “That’s good.”  He paused and Katherine felt her pulse beat at the base of her throat.  “I’ve been thinking about you.”
     “Oh yeah?” Katherine tried to sound casual.
     “Been thinking about me at all?”
     “Yeah,” she said cautiously.  “Now and then.”
     “Good,” he said.  The awkwardness was agonizing, but Katherine didn’t know how to ease it.  “I miss you, you know.”  He gave an embarrassed chuckle.
     “You do?”  Was he trying to make up?  “I miss you sometimes, too.”
     “Well that’s great.”  When Katherine didn’t reply, Rick added “How’s my buddy Noodle?”
     Katherine grew annoyed at this, remembering how Rick had ignored Noodle in the days before their break up.  “He’s just great.  Listen, why did you call?  I have a few people coming over soon, and I need to get ready,” she fibbed.
     “Who’s coming over?  Douglas and Frieda?”
     The nerve of him! flared through Katherine. My friends, not his! Better not try anything with my friends. “I really don’t think that’s any of your business at the moment.”
      “I was just making conversation.  I called because I was wondering if you wanted to get together sometime.”
     “Maybe.”  Katherine was torn.  She longed to restore their relationship, but he wasn’t saying that anything had changed.  “What did you have in mind?”
     “I don’t know.  Dinner, lunch, coffee…doesn’t matter.”
     “Well, I’m sort of busy at the station these days,” she stalled.
     “Right.  Fundraising.  Funny how you always play the best music when it’s fundraising.  It’s like all-hits radio.  So that’s still keeping you busy?”
     “No.  Fundraising’s been over for three weeks,” she said coldly.  He hasn’t been listening.
     “Oh.  Well, when could we get together and talk?”
     Katherine was tiring of his vagueness and wanted to hear him say that he had changed his mind and wanted to make things right between them.  “Talk about what exactly?”
     “Have you looked at the materials I left you?  Have you given any more thought to the deal?”
     “Which offer is that exactly? The offer to develop my land or move in together?”
     “At this point I’m talking about the development.  We can see about the rest when we work things out.”
     “Is that why you called?” Katherine was growing angry. “Are you following up on your development scheme?”
     “I’m prepared to give you another chance.  The offer’s still good.”
     “You know Rick, I believe you said before that you didn’t want to hear from me until I signed your letter of agreement.  Let’s keep it that way, huh?  Don’t call me about your development.  I’ll call you if I’m ready to sign, how’s that?”
     Rick sighed.  “You’re really being stupid about this.  Time’s running out for you.  We’ve got deadlines to meet on this project.  It’ll happen with or without you, but if you want in on it, you’re going to have to get sharp.”
     “It’s sure as hell not going to happen with me, and don’t be so sure that it’ll happen without me.  We’re  not going to make it easy for you to destroy our countryside.”
     “Who’s we? Are you seeing somebody else?”  Then he gave a sharp laugh.  “Course not. Don’t tell me you’re going to try and stop this with some half-assed environmental community group.  That’s pathetic.”  His voice raised.  “You know what?  Go ahead.  Waste your time and money, you dumb broad.  I can’t believe you’d turn down the best opportunity of your whole life –“
      Shaking, Katherine pulled the phone away from her ear and slowly hung it up, Rick’s voice still barking rudely out of the receiver.  No more.  She didn’t want to hear any more.  She looked down at Noodle, his back leg thumping on the floor as he twisted himself for scratching.  Sinking to the floor beside the groceries, she gathered Noodle in her arms and hid her face in his fur.

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