Men! They can be so infuriating and thoughtless, that when they do something right it just takes the wind out of your sails. I could count the number of times I apologized to a man on one hand and most of them were to Tony.

Here he was offering myself and Jessica a place to stay for free and instead of talking about it like two sensible adults I insulted him and then made a very grudging apology.

I looked at him and went to apologize again, and mean it, when he put his finger to my lips and said, "apology accepted."

I grabbed his finger and said I needed to do it right. He went to push his finger back and I bent it back, maybe a bit harder than I planned as he yelped.

"I'm trying to make a proper apology here!"

He glared at me as he held his hand and went to speak when I put MY finger on his lips and said, "I'm sorry for what I said about your mother and hurting you. I seem to be real good at that right now."

Then the bastard grabbed my hand - and kissed it! He pulled me in by it and hugged me. I looked up at him.

"I'm supposed to be the one that kisses your finger and makes it better you stupid man!"

Then he pointed at his lips.

"You hurt them, you jabbed your finger on them."

Well, what else could I do, I kissed them better, several times, just to be sure! Damn hormones!

There was no way I could stay in the same house with this man, not until I had my surgery. Damn, why did this have to happen now?

"This isn't going to work. I can't be locked up like this with you."

"I promise to leave the doors unlocked."

"Very funny."

"I won't lay a finger on you unless you want."

"What do you think you just did?"

"Now who's being funny?"

This wasn't getting us anywhere. I needed to get this conversation back on track and make some sort of plan before Jessica called.

"I have a solution but you're probably not going to like it."

"Why do I think I won't like it?"

"Because I don't like it. But I think it's better and safer if I stay at my house."

"We already discussed this. You can't stay with Jessica."

"You're right, but I am going to take you up on part of your offer, if you are still offering, for Jessica to stay in your cottage."

I watched as his face fell for a moment and then he smiled and said, "of course my offer is still valid but why not stay here too?"

I was disappointed at her solution. She gave me several good reasons. She didn't want to leave the house empty. Only Jessica would have to move her things. The refrigerator was full of food that would go to waste if neither of them were there. Of course she didn't state the obvious, she didn't want to be alone with me.

I think I hid my disappointment well.

"At least stay for dinner. It will take Jessica a while to pack up and then I'll have her picked up and brought here."

"Ok, but I'll cook. Let me see what's in your fridge."

I wanted to tell her I loved to cook and did it all the time for my mom but she probably thought from my comment about the frozen dinners in the cottage freezer that I didn't cook. It was true that on my own I often didn't cook because I frequently had dinner with clients or potential clients. I'd stopped that when I moved in with mom. I kept my dinners out to a minimum, going out to lunch instead.

I let her have her head. It was important to her that she contribute and if it made her stay instead of leaving I wasn't going to stop her. I pointed her to the kitchen and took a seat at the kitchen counter so we could talk.

Jessica called and I let Christina break the news to her. Spring break was coming up for her so she figured she could use a ride-sharing service until then. I told Christina to tell her I'd set up an account so she didn't have to do anything except be ready to be picked up.

I asked Christina for the phone so I could give Jessica more details about the cottage and where to find the hidden key to get in. She sounded excited until I told her that her aunt was staying at their house and not here. She asked me to give the phone back to Christina.

Though I could only here one side of the conversation it was obvious they were arguing about why Christina wasn't staying here. I kind of hoped Jessica could convince her but it seemed that wasn't going to happen.

When it became apparent the discussion had turned to what she should pack I decided to take the opportunity to shave and clean up. I'd been in such a rush to get to the hospital this morning that I didn't care how I looked. I was just realizing what a picture I must be presenting to Christina. She must think I'm a slob!

When I looked up from my phone call with Jessica Tony was gone. I hadn't even noticed he had left. As long as he was gone I decided to check out the fridge. It was well stocked and I was bent over checking out the produce bin when I heard a wolf whistle behind me. I spun around and nearly fell to see Tony grinning at me.

He'd cleaned up and now I felt grubby facing him. I didn't know whether to slap him or kiss him. I was upset about him checking out my ass like some misogynistic construction worker but at the same time I was pleased. While it had filled out somewhat from the hormones I still thought I was like a stick with breasts. Tony must be seeing something I didn't when I stared at the full length mirror in my bedroom.

"Well, I suppose I should be thankful you didn't slap MY ass."

"I didn't think you'd want me to, but if I was wrong. . . . "

I couldn't help it, I giggled. There was just something about this man. It's why I had to keep my distance. I didn't want to spoil the illusion, not until I was complete, but Tony was making it damned difficult.

We needed to get back on track. I needed to call Ms Lukes and explain what happened. I knew her husband wasn't going to be happy with me for just disappearing this morning. I hadn't even thought to call. If I wasn't careful both of us would be unemployed.

"Have you thought about talking with Ms Lukes? She seemed really anxious to have you come back to work for her."

"For her maybe but not for Dan."

"What do you expect her to do? Fire her husband?"

"No. In fact that would be a bad idea. You and I both know he's smart and makes the business a lot of money. Let's face it, most our clients are short-term investors, always looking for the fast buck. He and guys like Rick cater to that group. I just can't work that way."

"Then what do you suggest? Should you even bother calling her?"

This wasn't going at all the way I expected. Tony was actually defending the guy who fired him!

I could see the disbelief in her eyes. I could feel her pulling away from me. I wasn't surprised she reacted this way given the way she was treated. I needed to explain.

"Dan and his ilk need to change. I want to be part of the change but you have to do your part too. You can't just hide away in your corner office and expect things to change.

Did you know Ms Lukes had cameras installed in the parking lot right after she found out what happened to your car? And Dan didn't say a word about what happened in my office between us.

I even understood why he was sending my clients to Rick, instead of you. You think it was because you're transgender. Well, you're wrong. He doesn't think you can sell. He just didn't realize my clients didn't need to be sold. Not everything is about who you are, sometimes it's about what you can do.

It's my fault for not making that clear to Dan. It doesn't excuse Rick's behavior and he didn't help himself when he badmouthed me. You need to help me out here. I'm happy to fight against men like Rick and Dan but I expect you to fight with me not hide behind me."

I thought she was going to slap me again. I could see the rage in her eyes. She turned away and started looking through the kitchen cabinets. I saw her shoulders begin to shake and I realized she was crying.

I went up behind her to hold her. She shrugged off my hands and ran out of the kitchen. I heard the bathroom door slam and the lock turn. Once again a locked door stood between us but this time I wasn't walking away!

How dare he accuse me of being a coward! He has no idea. I looked in the mirror and realized I'd been crying. My mascara had run and I looked like some scary goth chick. I turned the water on and grabbed a washcloth to scrub my face. I was just delaying the inevitable. This wasn't going to work. The sooner Tony realized it the better it would be for both of us.

I wish I could call a cab but, thanks to Tony, that wasn't possible. I opened the door and walked right past Tony without a word. Suddenly I could hear Jessica's voice. She wasn't supposed to be in here! I screamed at him for screwing things up and resisted the urge to run to her when Tony spoke.

"She's not in the house Christina, that's the intercom."

I expelled the breath I'd been holding, as if by doing so I could avoid infecting Jessica. I just said one word, "where?"

He pointed to the kitchen and the wall. I saw her on the flat screen TV. As soon as I entered the kitchen a camera must have picked me up because she grinned and shouted, "hi auntie! This is so cool!"

Tony must have walked in behind me.

"Hi, you must be Mr. Falzone. What a rockin' place you have here."

"Glad, you like it. Make yourself at home. Have you eaten yet?"

My niece held up a bag from her favorite fast food joint.

"The driver you sent stopped by there for me. He also helped bring in all my stuff and said to call him next time I needed a ride. He wouldn't even take a tip. He said it was all taken care of. Thanks auntie."

"Don't thank me, thank Mr. Falzone."

"Thanks Mr. Falzone and I'm real sorry about your mom."

"Thank you Jessica. Why don't you eat before your food gets cold and we'll talk later."

"Kay, bye auntie, bye Mr. Falzone."

The screen went blank.

I turned to Tony and told him he could drive me back to the hospital to get my car. I didn't say another word. I just grabbed my purse and walked toward the front door. Tony was strangely silent as he followed me out. He opened my car door for me. I thanked him and just waited as he closed the door and went around and got in.

We drove in silence back to the hospital where he pulled up by my car. I told him he didn't need to get out and to tell Jessica I would call her later. I handed him Ms Lukes' card and went to my car. He watched me drive away.

When I got home I grabbed a pint of ice cream out of the freezer and sat on the couch and cried. How I wished my sister were here to talk to about Tony and my feelings. It was too late to call my therapist. I had no-one but Jessica and I didn't want to burden her with my problems.