Page 14 of Wanting Happily Ever After

Of course I’ll be there for you.

When he hit Send, he looked up and smiled at his new friends. “Well, I guess it’s finally time.”

ChapterFive

Sarah pickedat the wilted lettuce in her salad. There was too much dressing on it. There was always too much dressing on the salads at the Knot. Which was why she always ordered dressing on the side. But she’d been distracted when the waitress came and she’d finally ordered her chicken Caesar salad. And it wasn’t Byron, her date, who was distracting her. No, it was the man she’d left standing in her living room with her daughter who occupied her thoughts.

She took another sip of her wine but it tasted bitter on her tongue. As she swallowed it down, she forced herself to focus on the man sitting across from her. It wasn’t Byron’s fault that when Brody had showed up to her house, freshly showered, he’d smelled of citrus and cedar, a combination that had made something low in her belly tighten. Or that he’d complimented her on her dress and the careful way she’d curled her hair into soft waves. His eyes had lingered a little too long on her as he’d paid her the compliment and Sarah had felt her face flush before she’d turned away. She never should have let him babysit. It wasn’t fair. For so many reasons.

She’d tried, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what Nicole had said to her. That it was Brody she should be going on a date with. Her sister-in-law had been genuinely confused that she was going out with Byron when she’d spent the last few months hanging out with Brody.

“But we’re just friends,” she’d tried to explain to Nicole. “He doesn’t think of me like that.” She’d carefully left out how she might think of him and the way her stomach flipped and her heart raced when she saw him. Not that it mattered. Brody didn’t feel the same way. And even if he did…she wouldn’t risk it. She couldn’t risk losing him the way she’d lost Josh. Josh had been so much more than her husband. He’d been her best friend. There’d been a lot missing from their relationship on the romantic side, but the one thing they’d shared for sure was their deep friendship. She couldn’t lose that again. Which was why she was out with Byron. He was safe in so many ways.

“Sarah?”

She shook her head to clear it as she realized her date had asked her a question.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded and tried to smile. “Sorry, my mind just drifted. I wasn’t thinking of…”

“I know how it is.” He nodded and smiled kindly.

“You do?”

“I do.” Byron reached across the table for her hand and Sarah watched, detached from herself, as she let him cradle it in his. “Dating again after so long can be hard,” he said confidently. “And as a single parent, we have so many demands on us, it can be hard to stay focused on the moment, even when it’s such a perfect one.” He squeezed her hand gently and it was that simple action that snapped her back into the moment.

She pulled her hand away and hoped it didn’t look too rude as she tucked it into her lap. “Yes,” she lied. “It’s all a little crazy.” She dropped her gaze to her half-eaten salad and sighed. She closed her eyes for a minute and made a decision. When she looked up, Sarah could see by the look in Byron’s eyes that he knew what she was going to say before she even said it. “Byron, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have agreed to come on a date with you tonight.” She tried to smile. He really was a nice guy. He just wasn’t the guy for her.

Brody is the guy for you.Her stupid internal voice was yelling at her, but it wasn’t the time or place for her to pay it any mind. Especially because it was wrong.

“I’m not going to lie,” Byron said. “I was surprised when you said yes.” He chuckled a little. “Please—don’t get me wrong. But I didn’t really think you were interested.”

She sighed. “You’re a really great guy.”

He shook his head and took a sip of his beer. “I sense a but coming.”

“I really am sorry.” Sarah shrugged. “This is all new to me.”

“Honestly, Sarah. Don’t be sorry.” He offered her a small smile. “Dating after divorce is hard enough. I can’t imagine your situation. I get it.”

And even though Byron couldn’t possibly reallygetit completely, the fact that he might, even just a little bit, made Sarah feel better.

“Besides that,” he continued. “I always thought there was something going on with you and Brody.”

She almost choked on the sip of wine she’d just taken and it took her a few moments to recover.

Did everyone think there was something between her and Brody?

“Brody and I are good friends.” She reached for her wine and tried another sip. This time, the pressure of the evening lifted, the crispness of the sauvignon blanc was cold and fruity on her tongue. “And he’s a great coach for our girls, isn’t he?” She transitioned into a safer subject. “What do you think of their little soccer season? It’s been pretty awesome. And the final game with Cedar Springs will be a good one.”

They spent the rest of the evening on safer subjects as they discussed their girls, their jobs, and life in Glacier Falls. By the time theirdatewrapped up, they were both on the same page. They’d discovered a new friend in the other, but that was as far as it would go.

More importantly for Sarah was the spark of a different realization that had only become clearer as the night went on. Her feelings for Brody were more than just friendly, no matter how much she tried to tell herself otherwise. And it scared the hell out of her.

Brody wiped the kitchen counters for the fourth time. All traces of the bedtime snack he’d prepared for Rory were long gone. Still, he wiped. Maybe it was his time in culinary school, or years working in restaurants, but Brody cleaned when he was restless. It was usually a surefire way for him to calm his nerves and still his thoughts.

Except tonight.

---