Can you develop a passionate, long-lasting relationship with a man you knew as a boy? I’m not talking about a "booty call" or a "friends with benefits" scenario. I’m talking about a full-on, can’t-think-about-anything-else-because-I’m-so-unbelievably-in-love-with-you relationship. The kind where you share bank accounts, deodorant, and cell-phone plans. Heart-stopping, breathless love.
But, the friend-to-lover scenario doesn’t always work. Diane and Sam’s love never really made it out of the Cheers' bar. They were on-again, off-again, on-again, and then she was permanently off the show, and that pretty much finished that relationship.
Buffy and Angel? Here’s what: when a guy turns evil—I mean from Hell evil—after you’ve had sex, I’m thinking that’s not a relationship with legs.
Rachel and Ross? Okay, seriously, don’t you think the producers of Friends had that one planned for a ratings bonanza? Kind of forced the issue, don’t you think?
And then there’s Lauren and Del in Nora Roberts’ latest bride quartet, Savor the Moment. Now that one kinda gives me a warm feeling down to my toes. Lauren is co-owner of Vows a wedding/event planning company with her best friends, Parker, Emma, and Mac. She’s spent her adult life perfecting her art as a pastry chef and helping to build their business. She’s pretty; she’s smart; and she’s had a mad love thing for Parker’s brother Del since she was a girl. Del fits all the requirements of a contemporary romance hero. He’s a lawyer; he’s rich; he’s dead gorgeous, and he’s most definitely enjoying his bachelor status. Why would he even think of Lauren, a woman he grew up with, as anything but his sister’s best friend? And that’s the core issue; can their friendship withstand a romance?
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his is classic Nora, because it’s all about relationships and family. She weaves the characters and their interactions with each other in such a way that you almost wish you were part of the family. Yes, there are ups and downs, but that’s what family and relationships are all about. They’re real; they’re messy and filled with lots of love. If you enjoy contemporary romance, I recommend fluffing up the cushion of your favorite reading chair, and starting at the beginning with the first book, Vision in White.
But back to my question. Can best friends have sex? If you can remember when a boy threw frogs down your back, would it disqualify him from romancing you?
Maria Lokken is an avid romance reader and an award winning television producer.
