"Dinner tonight?" Chloe asked, as she threw her bag over her shoulder.

"Sure, I have nothing else to do," Lia said with a sigh.

"Still no word from Ben?" Faye asked gently, her concern evident.

"I had a text last night, they added a few more dates to the tour," Lia answered, glad that she could at least honestly say that he had contacted her.

"It won't last forever." Chloe patted her on the shoulder as she passed. "Same time, same place?" She looked at Faye and Lia who both nodded.

As Chloe left Silas entered, saying something to her in, what Lia guessed, was Dutch, and he laughed and shook her head, answering him in the same language. Lia sneaked a look at Faye, but she was looking the other way as she gathered her things together.

"Are you coming to dinner with us tonight, Silas?" Lia asked, turning her attention to him

"Am I invited?" he shot a look at Faye, who still had her back turned.

"I would love it. I haven't had the company of a charming man in a long while."

Silas looked at Faye until she turned around. She smiled at them both. "Please come, Dr. DeGraff."

He nodded then turned to Lia, asking her about Ben, and she had to explain all about the added dates once again. She was starting to get sick and tired of it, and wished he would come home already.

Lia eventually made her getaway, leaving Silas and Faye behind, as she thought about Ben, hoping for the millionth time that he hadn't extended his tour because he was trying to avoid coming home to her.

What was to have been a four-week tour turned into six weeks. His book was a hit and the tour had grown because his manager wanted to take advantage of the book's success while they could. Lia had even turned on one of the late-night talk shows because she hadn't been able to sleep, and Ben had been on it. He hadn't mentioned it in his few and far between phone calls and texts, so she had been surprised. It brought home the reality that he was indeed a famous writer. She was glad she had seen it though because if she hadn't, she wouldn't have known what everyone was talking about at the hospital the next day.

Many of the women she worked with gave her envious looks when Ben came up in the discussion, and now that he was on the best seller list once again, his name was mentioned a lot. Lia wanted to cover her ears and scream at everyone to shut-up; that the Ben they were talking about was not the Ben that she knew.

October turned into November and now it was December. The city had put up their holiday decorations and there was a festive air. This was her second Christmas alone, but this one was harder than the one before. Every romantic Christmas song and movie reminded her of Ben. She wanted him to come home, even if they were not together, she wanted him across the street where she could yell at him when she wanted to. It wasn't an ache in her pride or heart like Chance's betrayal had been, it was an ache in her soul. Even Huck had sunk into a depressed state, he had lost weight and he never chased a good scent anymore.

Ben's parents missed him too, and they had taken Lia under their wing. Trinity was staying indefinitely with an uncle in north Georgia and Mrs. Emerson was lonely for her children, so she looked for Lia to fill the empty space their absence created. Lia was glad to do it, spending Thanksgiving with them and even helping to decorate their house for the holidays.

There had been more dreams about the couple in Ben's house. Lia had taken the music box and put it in her bedroom, she didn't know why, but it made her feel closer to Ben and the house somehow. At first, she had been afraid of the dreams because they had been so vivid, and for a while, she had removed the music box from her room to make them stop, but after a few days she moved it back. She had missed seeing her new friends. The man was so much like Ben, and he loved the woman so much that it made her wish he was Ben and she was the woman. Lia wanted Ben to look at her like the man looked at his love, to hold her close, to dance with her, tell her she was his everything. Now, the dreams were like a drug and she needed her nightly fix. If she couldn't have Ben, she could have the next best thing, an image of him in love.

The house was moving along at a fast pace. When Ben came home, he wouldn't have to stay with her. The plumbing and electrical had all been upgraded. The kitchen was still rough, but he could make it work if he wanted to.

Lia had started to look for things to distract her, so she had started watching the Chloe, Faye, and Silas situation closely. She had been over at Faye's house one night for dinner and as Faye was seeing her off, Silas was seeing Chloe off at the same time.

She had asked Faye what it was all about, but Faye had shrugged and said that Chloe visited Silas a lot and that it wasn't at all unusual. Lia knew her friend well and could recognize a forced smile when she saw one. The only problem was that Lia wasn't sure if Faye was jealous or concerned for Chloe. Lia had noticed an awkwardness had developed between Silas and Faye, and she wondered if they had had words about Chloe. When she had hinted and poked around for an answer, Faye had laughed and said she hardly knew the man, and whatever was going on with him was none of her business, she only rented him an apartment.

Sometimes though, when the other wasn't looking, she would catch Faye and Silas looking at each other. Silas's looks were full of concern and Faye's were filled with hurt.

Lia had even tried to corner Chloe but had little luck. Chloe was even more closed mouth than Faye. All she would say was that Silas was an old friend, she was enjoying spending time with him, and now that he was on the staff of the hospital as a trauma surgeon, he was planning to be around for a while.

Lia had teased him about falling hard for Savannah or someone in Savannah, but he had given nothing away, simply saying that it was as good a place as any to settle for a time. There was even a rumor going around that he was a Baron or Duke or something like that.

Lia didn't have the guts to ask him about it, she knew if she did, she would be politely snubbed and left none the wiser. She was lucky to have made it onto his friend's list, there weren't very many on it. He treated most people with a polite friendliness, breaking out the charm when needed, but half of the nurses were in love with him despite his aloofness.

No matter what was going on with him personally, he was one of the best doctors she had ever worked with, and nothing seemed to upset him. She had never seen him angry or anxious about anything, and his massive size had helped to quell a few of the more boisterous patients.

As Lia exited the hospital, she took a deep breath of cold air. She hoped that Ben would be back soon, and she hoped that he had worked through whatever it was he needed to work though because it was becoming apparent that she needed him in her life, if only to keep her from becoming a meddling old woman.

Of one thing she was sure, she was only living half a life without him.