Rrrrring!!! The phone rang, startling them both. Evangeline backed away and John ran his hand through his hair. They were instantly brought back to reality.

“What did I do with my phone?” Evangeline asked looking around and leaving her kitchen.

“I think you left it in the living room.”

“Oh, here it is!” Evangeline said excitedly.

“Hello?” she answered in her living room. John remained in the kitchen. He could hear Evangeline’s excitement. “Hey Lucky! How are you?”

John’s heart sank. Just when he thought he and Evangeline were getting closer, Lucky was back in the picture. He knew Lucky. Lucky was part of the Llanview Police Department for about a year. He and Evangeline were dating and both came to Llanview together. John and Lucky had a decent working relationship. They weren’t friends but they harbored no bad feelings toward each other.

John immediately noticed Evangeline though. He thought she was beautiful the first time laid eyes upon her. When he found out that she was seriously involved with a fellow officer, he knew it was a done deal. He was cordial to Lucky and that certainly played a part in John’s decision of not getting to know him better.

John and Evangeline often saw each other down at the station. She was there a lot working on her cases. They quickly became work buddies. John had always assumed that they’d be just that. They found out that they both knew Greenlee Smythe and Ryan Lavery. John even asked Ryan about Evangeline a few times. He never told Ryan how much he really wanted Evangeline, or how he thought they’d be great together. However, John was sure Ryan had some idea about his true feelings since they were so close.

After a year in Llanview, Lucky was transferred to Port Charles. He and Evangeline decided to end their relationship due to distance. Evangeline was hoping to start her private practice and she’d really come to like Llanview. She and Lucky remained great friends. John wondered if that’s all they were. The excitement in Evangeline’s voice as she spoke to Lucky seriously made him wonder. Since she and Lucky broke up, John had always planned on asking her out. He just wasn’t sure how to go about it, plus he didn’t know if she was interested in him. So he just always played it cool by being an excellent co-worker.

John, deep in his own thoughts about Evangeline, hadn’t even noticed her standing in the kitchen doorway.

“So, how’s that salad coming?” she asked walking over to him.

He immediately looked at her. “Oh, it’s coming together just fine,” he said with a smile.

He wondered if she would offer up any information about her conversation with Lucky. He overheard her say that she was looking forward to seeing him when he got to town. John wondered if that meant they were going to get back together. He also wondered if Lucky would be staying there with Evangeline, and if they’d be sharing the same bed.

“Well, I do believe dinner is ready,” Evangeline commented, looking at John with a smile.

John smiled back. “So I finally get to try your spaghetti?”

“Yeah, I hope it lives up to your expectations.”

“I’m sure it will,” John replied with thoughts of Evangeline and him making love on his mind. “I have no doubts,” he said easily.

“Good,” Evangeline replied as if she completely understood all that was being said.

They enjoyed their dinner consisting of spaghetti, salad, and wine. They had great conversation. Evangeline didn’t bring up her call from Lucky and John didn’t pry. They did talk about their plans for the Christmas holidays though. John planned on going to Atlantic City for a few days to visit his mother, Eve McBain. Eve was an accomplished jazz singer. She performed nightly at some of Atlantic City’s hottest night clubs. Evangeline planned on going to Pine Valley to visit her family, and then she’d bring her younger sister, Danielle, back to Llanview for a few days. Danielle was a senior at PVU. She admired her older sister and often liked spending time with her in Llanview.

Finally, John couldn’t take it anymore. He had to know for his own sanity. “So, how is Lucky?” he asked bravely, pouring them both another glass of wine.

Evangeline smiled, “He’s fine. Crazy as ever, but that’s Lucky,” she finished with a laugh.

“So what’s the deal with you two?” John asked, taking a sip of wine. “You guys gonna give it another try?”

“Uhh, no,” Evangeline quickly replied. “Lucky and I are great friends. Yeah, we dated seriously for about a year. I loved him. I still do love him. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Lucky, but we’re better off as friends.”

“Oh, just friends. I see,” John said nodding his head slowly. He was hoping she was really telling the truth and not still in love with Lucky.

“Oh no you don’t Lieutenant!” Evangeline quickly spoke up. “Turnabout is fair play. What’s up with you and Natalie Buchanan?” she asked, hoping he’d be honest with her and hoping the answer was what she wanted to hear.

“That’s a long story,” he began, rubbing his hands through his hair. “But the short version is that we only dated for three months. Things got way too serious, way too fast. We are certainly better off as friends,” he said taking another drink of wine.

Curious, Evangeline asked, “You two still talk often?”

John answered simply with a shrug of his shoulders, “From time to time.”

John and Evangeline had talked the night away. They’d managed to talk about work, recreation, family, and whatever else they could think of. Interestingly enough, they’d both managed to overlook bringing up anything about their personal lives again. Neither had forgotten about their almost kiss in the kitchen, yet it wasn’t mentioned.

John looked at his watch. It was 11:30p. “It’s getting pretty late. I’d better get going,” he said, getting up from the comfortable chair he’d been occupying in the den.

“Well, I had fun this evening. Thanks for saving my dinner. At least I had one person to enjoy it,” Evangeline said, smiling.

“Hey, I never turn down a free meal!” John began, walking to the closet. “And now I know to never miss out on Evangeline Williamson’s spaghetti.”

“Gosh, I’m gonna have so much left over. Do you want any to take with you?”

“Nah, I’d better not,” John began as he put on his coat. “I can’t make eating real food a regular habit,” he said with a grin.

“That’s right. If it isn’t instant coffee, it’s of no use to you,” she said nodding her head.

Evangeline opened up her front door. She and John both noticed all the snow covering the ground, cars, and trees. The snow was still coming down steady, but at a heavier pace.

“I guess the storm finally hit Llanview,” John said, putting on his black gloves.

“John, you can’t go out in this. It’s way too dangerous.”

“Actually, I think I’ll be okay. I’ve got four-wheel drive, plus I don’t live too far from here,” John said bundling up.

Instantly, Evangeline grabbed John’s arm. “Don’t go,” she said with urgency. The weather was bad and that should’ve been reason enough, but she wanted him there with her. She really didn’t want him to leave. In that simple request of ‘don’t go,’ she was saying so much more.

“Are you sure you don’t mind if I stay?” John asked her, trying to see if she meant anything more by the ‘don’t go’ statement. He certainly didn’t want to leave, and if she wanted him there, he wasn’t going to fight her.

“I don’t mind at all. You can stay in the guest room.”

And with that, Evangeline closed her front door and locked it for the night. She showed John to her guest room.

“Let me know if you need anything,” she said as she left him in the guest room. That had to be the understatement of the century John thought as he watched Evangeline walk out.