I’ve been working with this very beautiful co-worker for two months, attracted to her from the start. We clicked immediately.

I didn't know if she liked me, so I kept my feelings superficial to avoid any pain.

Recently, we were texting and she mentioned a weird dream about me. She hesitated to repeat it.

I finally got her comfortable to tell me the whole thing. In the dream she sits next to me on a bench. She says she's cold so I put my arm around her. We go to my car to get her warmer. We end up having sex in the driver's seat.

Reality: She has a boyfriend. She admitted that if she weren’t with him, she’d go out with me. She also said she doesn't trust him because he’s cheated a couple of times, but she loves him and is giving him "one more chance."

Since telling me this, she's been a little weird. She's a loud charismatic girl but recently she's been saying very little, just gives this subtle smile all the time.

I've played it right so far, but I'm lost now. Should I put myself out there and say she should be with me instead of her boyfriend, or sit back and wait until they break up? Or not even waste my time?

My Next Move?

She’s waiting for her boyfriend to mess up again, or not. You shouldn’t also be waiting for him to decide your next move… so make one.

Tell her you’re very attracted to her and would like to date her when/if she’s free.

Then step back. You don’t want to be the guy she uses to make her boyfriend jealous, to keep him committed.

And you don’t want to start something as her transition guy from the last one.

Stay friendly at work, but do NOT encourage the sexting about dreams. They give you false hope.

Tell her you think that if you two date it could be special. But till then, you’ll consider her attached and you’ll date others.

I’m the mom, now 28, that you'd advised one year ago (January 30) about my slow-paced relationship.

You confirmed that I was making the right decisions in my daughter's best interests.

I’m still happily in this relationship, love him more than I've loved any man, and am anticipating a very solid future as a family unit.

We've not yet moved in together, but it’s given us the opportunity to get to know each other in depth, and given my daughter a greater sense of security than if we'd rushed in.

I feel confidence in the man I've chosen. I know we’re fully committed to each other, that he's fully committed to my daughter, and that we're both embraced by each other's friends and family.

Proof that single parents can rise above their situation, provide for themselves and their child, be selective in their next relationship, and lead a far more fulfilling life than they ever thought possible!

It would’ve financially been much easier to jump right in a year ago. But you cannot put a price on patience and support such as he’s demonstrated.

I urge other single parents to hold out for a true partner - for yourself and for your child(ren). It's worth it!

Ellie – Thanks for sharing your romantic yet practical story. You bring hope to single parents about future relationships, while firmly encouraging a focus on improving their lives and making their children secure.

Until age ten, I spent summers and holidays with my aunt and her husband. They were childless, and I became a surrogate son and loved them deeply. My now-widowed aunt, 87, lives in a farmhouse worth $1.5 million (Canadian).

I’m married, affluent, and lack for nothing.

I’d given them some estate planning advice, saving my aunt untold grief. I visited and phoned often.

A year ago, she confided that her will leaves equal shares to distant nephews and one who’d helped her more recently. I said nothing but was shell-shocked! Don't I count in your feelings? I thought.

If I tell her, I risk being no better than many sniffing around hoping to inherit. Should I just lick my emotional wounds and forget it?

She’s noted I since haven’t visited or phoned, but is oblivious to the reason.

HURT AND DISAPPOINTED

Renew contact because you care about her. The bequests are for nephews more in need.