Why on earth had she just offered to have lunch with that woman? Ali berated herself all the way down in the elevator. She had a strong suspicion she didn't want to spend any time with Victoria Gabbidon.

Getting into a cab, Ali gave the driver the address in Soho that Evelyn had recommended. Maybe she could ask Sam's mother about Victoria. Ali quickly dismissed the idea. If she had questions, Ali would just ask Sam. It would be the mature thing to do. She smiled at herself, reveling in the fact she was in a relationship where communication and honesty were staples.

They had discussed Sam's ex-girlfriend briefly last night but had soon found better things to concentrate on. Still, something had been off with Sam since Ali had knocked on his hotel room door. This woman from his past had a strange effect on the man she loved, setting him off-kilter. When Sam heard Victoria was waiting in the lobby for him, Ali thought she saw panic in Sam's eyes. When he introduced her to Victoria, Ali could feel the tension in him. She didn't understand it.

The woman irked Ali. She had only known Victoria for a few minutes, but the hair on the back of her neck had risen when they were introduced. And then there was the way Victoria looked at Sam. Since being with him, Ali was no stranger to the looks her boyfriend received from other women. Who wouldn't salivate over her handsome hunk? Sam was perfect after all, at least in her eyes.

But Victoria looked at him differently. Ali could not quite put her finger on it but it was more than just ogling a good looking male. It made Ali feel uncomfortable. It also spurred Ali to brand Sam as hers, telling this woman to back off.

Ali shook her head. She was being unreasonable. Sam and Victoria had a history, of course, it was awkward. She was the first of Sam's exes Ali had to confront. That was all.

Focus on something else, she told herself. Ali looked out the window at the city street slowly slipping by her. An eclectic mix of statuesque old buildings of stone dispersed between modern glass structures presented themselves, all surrounded by people. There were so many people on the streets of New York City. Quite the difference from where she used to live.

Ali hadn't really had much of a chance to explore her new home town since arriving. Sam had taken her to a few of his favourite spots in between apartment hunting. But Ali was looking forward to living in the city, immersing herself in the sights, sounds and tastes. Of course, nothing was going to stop her from taking in the tourist sights. She wanted to stroll through the Metropolitan Museum looking for hidden treasures, take in the views atop the Empire State building and skate in Central Park. It was a city waiting for her to discover it.

Fortunately, New York City was one place Ali's ex-husband Jack had never taken her. It was the first of many reasons why Ali had quickly agreed to move across the country - this was a place with no connection to Jack. Having successfully escaped Jack Blackhorne's slimy clutches, Ali longed to start new, somewhere with no memories or reminders of her old life. Aside from a few friends and her charity work, there was nothing Ali missed from her past.

Thinking about charities reminded Ali she wanted to look up one. She had it on Sam's list of potential charities the Harrington Foundation was researching to consider support and she was curious to find out more. She typed in loveisrespect.org on her phone as the cab barreled through the maze of traffic.

Ali had only just started reviewing the site, admiring their concern for the user's safety, when the car lurched to a stop. "That'll be $24.50," barked the driver. Okay, there was one other thing Ali missed from her old life – her car. It hadn't made sense to bring her car into the city but she couldn't get used to depending on others to get around town. She was used to the freedom that a car represented.

After paying the driver, Ali found herself stepping out on to a cobblestone street in front of a block of turn-of-the-century cast-iron buildings decorated with large arched windows. It looked a little like a movie set. Too perfect to be true. The store she was looking for was painted a bright blue, standing out amongst the greys and whites of the other buildings.

Ali stepped inside the spacious store and took in the sparsely stocked racks of clothing. No one seemed to be around, so Ali began her search for a warmer coat on her own. As she perused, Ali noticed the clothing was beautifully made, with obvious attention to detail. Everything was the epitome of classic, just Evelyn's style.

But Ali wasn't shopping for Sam's mother. She wanted something with a little more flare. Or at least a dash of colour. A flash of red caught her eye in the back corner and Ali ventured over to investigate. What she found was a ruby red treat that might do the trick. It was still in the conservative zone but had a few things going for it. The colour, of course, was perfect. Shiny black buttons were askew off-center, giving the coat nice clean lines and the high neckline was sure to help keep the cold out.

Discarding her trench coat, Ali undid the jacket and tried it on.

"Well, what do we have here?" A rich baritone asked. Ali turned toward the sound. Standing tall and lean before her was a very handsome man. The kind of chiselled handsome some women might call movie star level. Deep, dark eyes one could easily get lost in, regarded Ali, under dense, wavy black closely cropped hair.

"Oh, I was just admiring this piece," Ali replied as she buttoned the coat up.

"It does have something special about it, doesn't it?" cooed the man as he orbited Ali like a wolf circling its prey. Ali wondered if he was the artist himself, admiring her or just his work. The man was exquisitely, yet casually dressed in a baby blue cashmere sweater highlighting his light brown skin and dark blue dress pants that hugged his slim legs. "But it needs one thing."

The man surveyed the store and spying what he was looking for, returned with a matching beret. He tucked it onto Ali's head, adjusting it to the right position and then stepped back to admire his work. "Mmmm yes, beautiful."

Turning to regard herself in a nearby mirror, Ali agreed with the man's addition. It did complete the look. Catching his dark eyes staring at her in the reflection of the mirror, Ali felt like she might blush. His stare was so intense.

"I'm Noah."

"Ali." She took his extended hand intending a quick, polite shake. But the man held it tightly, bringing her hand to his full lips for a light kiss. This time Ali felt the colour rise on her cheeks. Really, why was she blushing? Many a man had pulled this move on her to try and impress. It rarely worked. But there was an intensity in this man's look as he focused on her. It took Ali a minute, but it hit her that Noah had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the room. It was a great quality for a salesman.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you, Ali." Finally, he dropped her hand and crossed his arms over his chest.  Leaning back Noah raked his eyes over Ali again. Sure, it was the coat making her feel hot. Ali moved to start unbuttoning it.

"No!" exclaimed Noah, causing Ali to freeze. "Deborah has to see this." Raising his voice a little, "Deborah darling, you have a customer," Noah called.

A door popped open from the back of the store and out walked a tall, gorgeous woman with legs even Ali would envy. Deborah could have been a model by the way the tight black dress that barely skimmed her thighs clung to her body. Walking towards them, she was adjusting said dress and then her long dark hair.

Ali had the sneaking suspicion she had maybe interrupted something between Noah and Deborah as the woman had a slightly mussed look about her. It was confirmed when Deborah sidled up to Noah and draped an arm over his shoulder.

"Isn't Ali here just a vision of perfection in this coat?" Noah purred.

Deborah maintained an air of nonchalance as she drolled out, "Why yes, it suits her." Turning to Noah, she continued. "You do have such an eye for these things." Deborah proceeded to remove an invisible thread from Noah's sweater, caressing his arm in the process.

Noah drew his eyes from Ali and regarded his previous companion. "I'm simply drawn to beautiful things." Deborah flashed a bright smile in response. Ali tried not to smirk. This man was quite the player.

"Are you the designer?" Asked Ali.

Noah chuckled. "Oh no, lovely Ali. I am afraid I have no talent for design, only spotting the designer. I own the art gallery across the street. I just popped in here to ..." Noah grinned at Deborah, "to keep my friend here company." Deborah had been hanging of Noah's every expression but at the mention of the word friend her smile faded.

Ali felt a little sorry for the girl. Deborah was way more invested in what was probably just a little dalliance for Noah. It reminded Ali of the meaningless interludes and hearts she might have broken when she herself was jumping from one bed to another. In her case, it was a way to avoid what was damaged in her life. She said a silent prayer of thanks to Sam for saving her from that vapid existence.

"Oh, an art gallery. How interesting." Deborah shot Ali a glance that was not very favourable. "My boyfriend and I are in the midst of renovating our new apartment. We might need something special." Deborah visibly relaxed as Ali mentioned Sam.

An hour and a half later, Ali left the store with a new coat and an appointment next week for a showing of a new artist Noah had just discovered.

Hi all! The charity Ali researches loveisrespect.org really exists. It is based in the United States and its purpose is to engage, educate and empower young people to prevent and end abusive relationships.  They also provide information and support to concerned friends and family members, teachers, counselors, service providers and members of law enforcement. 

Free and confidential phone, live chat and texting services are available 24/7/365. If you or anyone you know is in need of some help, this might be a good place to start.

I am sure there are many international resources as well. If you know of one, please comment with it here.  Knowledge is power.

Remember: You are loved and worthy of respect. Always.