Very odd and tough situation for me, need some guidance for sure!

Glad to have found this site! Thank you for anyone reading.

I have a unique and precarious situation that I definitely need some help with.

My husband and I have been married for 5 years now and we have a wonderful relationship. No children and we are in deed best friends.
We threw a party at our place and had invited close friends and family, there was drinking involved of course.
My husband comes and finds me chatting with some friends and says quietly so no one will hear "We need to talk right now! We have a problem." So of course we head off to chat.
He tells me that my good friend(female) has just pulled him aside and confessed that she is madly in love with him and has been since she met us. I of course am shocked and speechless.
My husband and I talked about it for a bit, and she also told him that her friends all think he's just wonderful and would be perfect for her. (If I only wasn't in the way essentially)
Now my husband is a very suave and handsome man, he is a ladies man and always has been. He also treats woman right and likes to make them feel good and sexy. No matter the woman, he treats them all this way, but I think particularly tries to be that way even more so with the less than perfect woman. So the heavier or not so beautiful. He likes to make woman feel good about themselves. This friend is in that category, she is single and always has been, mid thirties and not your typical attractive lady.
Now a little back story.
This is not a long friendship, only about 1.5yrs old now, but it was a fast friendship between the two of us. I do not make female friends easily and of course I was thrilled to have a woman in my life I thought "got" me.
We met because I am in business with her mother, her Mother and I work closely together and the friend works for her Mother. So we see each other almost on a daily basis. This friend also has invested in our business monetarily.... We have debt to her.

So this presents a less than ideal situation and I am unsure on how to proceed.

Oh and this friend does not know that I know what she told my husband yet. This just happened and I am still trying to decide the best plan.

How much had she had to drink when she made her remarks?

Not a lot, enough to feel a little loose obviously, but certainly not slurring and falling everywhere

This is the only time she has made this type of confession, and your husband is not interested in her at all I trust?

Yes it is, and no he is not, I wouldn't think he would come find me right away and tell me if that was the case at least

Right. So I have been thinking this over. You have a lot of connections with her and her mother that are important to you. So I am wondering what your opinion would be of just forgetting about this unfortunate incident, which occurred, after all, under the influence of alcohol. I think that many of us have said things (true or false) under the influence that would have better been left unsaid. How readily could you and your husband just ignore this incident and proceed as if nothing had happened?

Well for him to say anything about it at all, it really rung true to him, enough to come get me ASAP. Which wouldn't happen over a drunk "I think I love you". He would've shined it and laughed it off, and continue on with the party, but she kept bringing it up over the course of the evening. Continuing not to tell me about it...
So this is more than just my friend has feelings for my husband, it compromises my whole idea of her morally...
Not to mention going to parties and such from here on out would be hard for me to deal with. With all her friends always telling her how wonderful he would be for her and such. I don't think I could deal with that.... My husband is happy to put on any face I ask him too, after all men seem to be better at that anyhow...;-)

I do understand what you are saying though and have thought about that too, and she may say just that when confronted, "I was just drunk, no worries" type thing, but I wouldn't believe her. Not with that way my husband approached me about it that night.

Well I think you would not totally forget, you would have it in the back of your mind and act accordingly...but you would not confront and you would continue the business relationships in a professional manner. What do you think of that?

Friends don't hit on their friends' husbands, drunk or not.

If I were in your shoes, I would pay her back as soon as possible and distance myself.

I would distance myself from this person as a friend. Her confession throws her entire friendship with you into question now that there is the question of her being friends with you just to be closer to your husband. As another poster said, friends don't hit on their friends husbands. DECENT women don't go after men who are taken! This shows a complete lack of class on her part.

Some women just don't understand that some guys out there will treat them well without wanting to get them into bed. They think that all kind behavior is an indication of deeper interest, even when it isn't. Sad, really.

As for the business end of things, keep things professional for the time being until you can separate from both this woman and her mother.

Yes I think distance is the best policy, I don't think my husband or I can go without confronting it. We shall see what that brings about this week

Yes!!! Right on the money. Everyone seems to assume that when I talk about how my husband is with woman that he must be unfaithful and I have the wool pulled over my eyes. That just simply isn't the case, he is flirty and charismatic man who loves women and woman love him, always have and always will. It does not mean he loves you or wants to sleep with you, in fact if they would open their eyes they would see they are not special at all and he treats all woman that way. It does not and has not ever bothered me, yet this problem seems to happen because of it. Also because of our relationship and the way we are together, it has caused similar issues in the past with friends....

How was this type of situation handled in the past, with the other friends you mentioned?

It was never with such a close friend previously. But my husband would always just," thank you I'm flattered but I am happily married as you know. " He isn't one to embarrass a woman anymore than needed.

If also happened before I was in the picture.

How well would "I'm happily married as you know," work here?

I don't think it would change her feelings. I think she may stop bringing it up out of embarrassment

Let's say that is what happens: She still has feelings but she keeps them to herself. How does that possible solution look to you?

Im all about just stating the facts .... hello friend _____ My husband and I love each other, Im sorry but all we both can offer you is friendship but nothing more. Wanna go grab a coffee now ?

There's no need to make a mountain out of a molehill

Just my opinion

How could I ever be normal friends with her now though? Everything she has ever done or said is in question. There seemingly has been a motive this whole time now.

And keeping her feelings to herself definitely needs to happen regardless. I won't tolerate anything less.
The friendship is compromised either way though. The business relationship can stay in tact. But when you "love" someone, that doesn't just go away. So why leave the temptation there and torture herself more?
Or put myself in a situation where I look like the idiot, considering all Her friends are in on this little lies she's been telling herself.

After what happened you even question whether she was truly your friend in the first place, and you cannot carry on at the friend level as if nothing has happened. And so your plan is to withdraw from the friendship but keep the husiness relationship in place, at least for now.

Yes that is what I am thinking. Is that reasonable?

It is completely understandable in my opinion. How will you withdraw from the friendship?