Friday afternoon, on their way to their lunch date, Maddy and Haley navigated the sidewalks through hordes of bundled pedestrians. The streets were adorned with celebratory holiday decorations but Maddy was not in a festive mood.

"You picked this place?" Haley asked as they approached a run-down corner deli.

Maddy nodded. "Other than a public bathroom at Penn Station, this is the least romantic meeting venue I could think of."

Haley cocked her head.

"I wanted to make sure that I wasn't sending the wrong message," said Maddy. "He has a way of twisting things around."

Haley winced. "This looks like the kind of place that the Health Department is afraid to inspect."

"Just order the water. And don't drink it. And don't touch anything. I brought hand sanitizer."

"So we're really doing this, huh?"

"I have to. He's just not getting the message. So maybe if I tell him once again to his face, in front of a witness, maybe it'll finally sink in. We were a thing back in college but that was then and this is now. It didn't end well and now it's time to move past all that."

"Just don't be mean, okay?"

"Wait. What?"

"If this guy breaks down in tears, I just can't."

"Don't even say that."

"I mean, when I see a guy with tears in his eyes, a piece of my heart dies."

"I'm gonna be stern but I'm not gonna be mean. He doesn't deserve that."

"How stern?"

"I'm gonna tell him once and for all that it's over. I'm in a relationship. And it's going great. And then you can tell him you know the guy and he's unbelievably hot and super successful and he's totally into me and blah, blah, blah. You know. Improvise."

"I think I can handle that."

"No pressure."

When Maddy and Haley entered the dingy deli, Nathan waved them over to his booth. Sitting beside him, was a ruggedly handsome guy in a leather jacket.

Nathan got up wearing a huge grin on his face. "Hey, Maddy. Can I give you a hug?"

"No."

"Okay." His smile fell.

"Nathan, this is Haley," she said.

"Nice to meet you." Nathan shook her hand. "This is William Sullivan."

"Call me Sully." The guy smiled. "Everybody does."

Haley smiled back as she slid into the booth. "Hey, Sully."

Maddy unzipped her coat and sat beside Haley.

"So, here we are at lunch." Nathan sat across from Maddy. "I love lunch. It's one of my favorite meals."

"Yep," Maddy replied. "Right up there with breakfast and dinner."

The waitress set a gigantic sandwich in front of Nathan and a big salad before Sully.

Admiring the sandwich, Nathan said, "I was afraid you wouldn't show up, so we went ahead and ordered."

"I'm not the one who doesn't show up," said Maddy.

"Here we go." Nathan sighed. "This again."

"Are you ladies ready to order?" the waitress asked.

"His salad looks good," said Haley. "I'll have one of those."

Maddy nodded. "I'll have a salad, too."

The waitress exited.

Nathan lifted his sandwich. "Since when are you a salad eater, Maddy?"

"My boss said I'm starting to look a little chunky."

"Chunky? You should have punched him right in the mouth."

"It's a woman."

"That's even worse," Sully said.

"So." Maddy nervously folded her napkin. "How do you two know each other?"

Nathan replied, "The moving company. He owns the company."

"I own the truck." Sully grinned.

Nathan brought the sandwich to his mouth, but before taking a bite, he asked, "So, why won't you give me another chance?"

Maddy sighed. "The mature thing to do would be to discuss this some other time."

"I don't mind," said Sully.

Nathan continued. "What would be so wrong about going out with me? Without these two?"

"I'm kind of seeing someone."

Nathan grinned. "Kind of seeing someone?"

"I mean I am seeing someone."

"You said "kind of."

The waitress returned with the salads.

Maddy asked, "Can I get a glass of wine?"

"We don't serve alcohol," the waitress replied. "Sorry."

"You wanted a lunch place," said Nathan. "Ta-da!" He took a monstrous bite of his sandwich, then wiped the dressing from his chin. "This is really good."

Maddy winced. "Doesn't look that good."

He said to Haley, "I met Maddy when we were in college. At a party. She was totally wasted, so I pretty much had my way with her."

"Admittedly, alcohol was involved." Maddy drizzled some dressing over her salad.

"Did he have his way with you?" Haley asked.

Maddy turned to Nathan. "You were a bio major then, right?"

"Forestry. I switched to bio."

Maddy gave Haley a sideways glance.

"So, I'm a couple years older." Nathan shrugged. "Big deal. I compensate with my immaturity."

Haley cracked up. "I think Maddy likes older men." The remark earned her an elbow to the ribs.

"I messed up," said Nathan. "I can admit that. One night I forgot to pick up Maddy and her roommate from a bar."

"We walked back to the dorm. In the dark. In the cold. For six miles."

"Yeesh," Haley said.

Maddy leaned forward. "How about the time you forgot to drive me to the bus station and I didn't get home in time for my parents' anniversary party?"

Nathan winced. "I forgot about that." He took another bite of his sandwich.

"I didn't."

Sully shook his head. "That's bad, dude."

"Or the time I waited for you at your cousin's church. And you never showed up."

"I thought the wedding was the following Saturday."

"His own cousin. The people at the wedding had no idea who I was."

Nathan dabbed his lips with a napkin. "But the moral of the story..."

Maddy rolled her eyes. "Can't wait to hear this."

"The moral of the story is that people can change. I didn't realize how badly I screwed up until you left me. And it changed me."

Sully said, "He's never late."

"I swore that if I ever got a second chance I would prove it to you."

Maddy broke eye contact.

"And then one day out of the clear blue, who comes walking right up to me in Macy's toy department? But this beautiful young lady right here. And I thought, Nathan, this is your second chance."

"Well, like I said," Maddy replied. "I'm seeing someone."

"No, you said you're kind of seeing someone."

Sully nodded. "Yeah, you did."

Maddy narrowed her eyes at Haley.

"Right," Haley said. "It's true. She's been seeing a guy who's totally--"

"But he's nowhere near as cute as me," Nathan said. "Right?"

Maddy set her fork down with a loud clang. "We should be getting back to work."

"I didn't even get started on my salad," said Haley.

"For future reference," he said to Maddy. "Don't order salads. You never eat them."

"You have a way of making me lose my appetite." She slipped out of the booth.

Sully asked, "Haley, would you like to have a drink with me sometime?"

She smiled. "Uh, sure. Why not?"

As she pulled her coat on Nathan said, "Don't go, Maddy. Let's talk this over, okay?"

"See? That's the problem. You talk, talk, talk but you don't know how to listen."

He wiped his face with a napkin and burst out of the booth, standing only a few inches from her. "I can see it in your face, Maddy. You don't want to go. You're obviously crippled with indecision."

"Nope. You're standing on my shoe."

"Oh." He took a step backward. "Sorry."

She turned abruptly and headed for the exit. She fought a stiff gust of wind to open the door then, out on the sidewalk, the breeze took revenge whipping her hair into her face.

"OOooooooh," she heard Haley behind her as she shoved her hair beneath her pom hat. They accelerated their pace down the sidewalk.

"Was I right?" Maddy asked. "Is he not the strangest man you've ever met?"

"Strange, but strangely adorable."

"Those stories were only the tip of the iceberg. He was such a wreck."

"Too much partying?"

"No, he's naturally dysfunctional. Just could not. Get. It. Together."

"But he said he's changed. Because of you."

Maddy rolled her eyes.

A short time later, grateful to be out of the blustery weather, they entered the agency reception area where Maddy found a vase of long stem roses on Desiree's desk.

"Delivery for Madison Taylor." Desiree winked. "From guess who?"

Kendall approached, watching Maddy read the card.

Haley asked, "What's the occasion?"

"Nothing." Maddy rubbed her red nose. "George says he misses me."

Desiree swooned. "That is sooooooo sweet."

"Madison," Kendall said. "Don't you dare let this one get away."