Page 75 of When Morning Comes Around

“Yeah. So, so much better.” She looked serious as she continued, “I asked because I was thinking that I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed dinner with a man this much before. I hadn’t dated much before I met Dale, and even in the early days of our marriage, he preferred to go out with his friends to watch a game than to dinner with me. It occurred to me that you must have lots of wonderful memories with Polly.”

He nodded slowly. “I do. We had a good marriage; she was a wonderful woman.” He inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly before he continued. “But she’s been gone a long time. I think you know that I’ve clung to her memory, and it’s not that I want to let her go. It’s just…” He paused, searching for the right words. “I felt guilty at first – guilty for the way I feel about you. But I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it. I’ve made my peace with it. As I told you, I’m not the same person I was when she was here. And the thing is, sheisn’there anymore. I haven’t been clinging on to her – she’s gone. I was clinging to a memory. I consider myself lucky to have lots of wonderful memories with her. But now…” He squeezed her hand, hoping that he wasn’t putting her off by talking about his dead wife so much. “Now,I’m hoping that I’ll get the chance to make lots of wonderful new memories with you.”

She searched his face, and he nodded.

“There was a time when I thought that I only had room in my heart for her. It was true. It was absolutely true when she was alive; and for years after she died, it was true that I only had room for her memory. Now, her memory is something that’s just part of me, and my heart is hoping that…”

He stopped. He knew what he was hoping for – but he didn’t know if it would be too soon to share that with her.

She nodded. “I’m hoping, too.”

He smiled, relieved that he hadn’t had to put it into words, and even more relieved that she understood and felt the same way.

When he called the server over to bring the check, he was a little irritated when she told him that there would be no check. Taryn had insisted. He glanced over at the bar. There was no sign of Taryn, but Dalton was sitting in his usual spot and gave him a chin lift.

“Maybe we can take her and her husband out to dinner sometime,” said Sadie, who seemed to have read his mind. “I was concerned about the two of us squabbling over the bill. It hadn’t occurred to me that Taryn would pick up the tab.”

“There wasn’t going to be any squabbling.”

She chuckled. “Is that younotbeing bossy again?”

He laughed. “That’s exactly what it is. And that’s one area where I’m prepared to speak my mind, even if you might not likeit. I want to be able to pay for dinner, to pay for things that we do together. That might be old school of me, and if it is, I apologize. But even from a practical angle, you’ve admitted that you aren’t in a great situation at the moment. And…” He might as well just come out and say it. “And I am.”

“You are? You are … what?”

“I am in a great situation financially.”

She laughed. “Okay. I don’t know what to say… I’m happy for you?”

He laughed with her. “Thank you. I know that sounded strange, there’s a story behind it and…”

Following his gaze, she turned to look over her shoulder and waved back when she spotted Taryn waving at them. “I think she wants us to go over. Maybe she’ll at least let us buy them a drink.”

“Maybe.” He realized that his opportunity to tell her about the money – about the inheritance that he and Damon had received – had slipped away for now. “Are you ready? Shall we go and join them?”

Walking across the restaurant with his hand on the small of her back, he loved the way that she stuck so close to his side. He used to think of Polly as a butterfly – she flitted around everywhere, only coming back to him to check in every now and then. He’d loved that she was such a free spirit. With Sadie, he found himself loving her for completely different reasons. She was more stable, more responsible, less sure of herself. He enjoyed knowing that he made her feel safe, and he was looking forward to discovering all the ways he could do that for her.

Just before they reached the bar, his heart thudded to a stop. He found himself loving her for different reasons than he’d loved Polly?Loving her? His throat went dry. He didn’t know her well enough. He didn’t… He couldn’t… The tension that he used to carry in his chest seemed to dissolve in the face of the undeniable truth. It might be too soon, but he was definitely falling in love with her – if he hadn’t already fallen all the way.

Dalton gave him a puzzled look when they reached him. Taryn grinned at them. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hold you up, I just didn’t want you to forget about Harvey’s dessert.”

Sadie laughed. “I think you might be his new favorite person. I’m going to have to figure out a way to bring him in here so that the two of you can meet. You’re like his new toffee dealer.”

Dom laughed. “It’s true. Although, Jake might be giving you a run for your money. He brought a bag of English toffee when he came to hang out with him tonight.”

“Jake’s with Harvey?” Taryn asked.

“He is. I told you that I didn’t like to come out in the evenings and leave Dad home alone until he’s back on his feet. When we talked about coming out tonight, Jake suggested that he could hang out with him.”

“And of course, there’s the not so minor benefit for him that he’ll still be there when Savannah gets home from work,” added Dom.

Taryn grinned. “So, I’m sending two toffee desserts home with you.”

“There’s no need to do that,” said Dom. “Especially since you already paid for our dinner.”

Taryn shrugged. “Please don’t be mad at me, I wanted to do it.”

He nodded slowly, and Dalton laughed. “You know how rarely she uses the word please. Do me a favor and just accept it gracefully?”

---