Page 9 of Sweet Temptation

“I figured as much. I don’t usually have more than a glass of wine. Two if it’s a really long dinner with a lot of food.”

“I see.” He nodded. “Want to tell me what happened?”

Fiddling with the paper napkin, she twirled it between her fingers.

“You don’t have to. We can just eat.”

“I was an idiot.”

Not what he was expecting to hear.

“I gave up everything—my apartment, my job, most of my belongings—to follow a man.”

Somehow, that didn’t surprise him. “He wasn’t happy to see you?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Now both hands worried the napkin. “His wife answered the door.”

“Ouch.” He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “Sorry.”

“No.” She nodded. “That about says it all. After I cried my eyes out in the parking lot, too embarrassed to call my friend, too mortified to go home, especially when I thought about not having anything to go home to, a glass of wine and a few dances sounded like a good idea. Something to get my mind off what a mess I’ve made of my life.”

“What’s that expression, it’s always darkest before the dawn? I’m sure you’ll work it all out.”

“Glad someone is.”

He didn’t like the frown that settled softly between her brows. “Don’t you have family you can turn to?”

She shook her head. “My parents divorced when I was a toddler. Mom raised me on her own for a while and then moved in with my grandparents. By the time I was ten, Mom left and we never heard from her again. My grandparents didn’t have much, but they took good care of me, gave me lots of love. I moved away after graduating college. My grandfather died shortly thereafter, but Gramma is a rock. She still sends me care packages of baked goods.” Her gaze softened and a smile teased her lips. “Just in case I’m not eating well.”

“That’s sweet.”

She nodded, her somber expression returning. “I can’t go back like this with my unemployed and brokenhearted tail between my legs.”

“I’m sorry.” What more could he say? His Grandma Davis died at least a decade ago and every once in a while, a wave of missing her would catch him by surprise, but he would have done anything to avoid disappointing that sweet old lady.

She sat back as the server set their meals on the table. Between bites, he told her about growing up with five siblings, how the twins, the babies of the family, had everyone wrapped around their finger. Reminiscing had kept him smiling through the meal.

“I really do—sorry,did—love my job, but I have to admit, I wasn’t fond of Houston. I grew up in Tyler, East Texas, and Houston is hot, and muggy, and humid, and rainy, and soggy, and crowded, and it feels like we live on the freeways, stuck in traffic.”

He laughed. “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

“Oh, I can be quite opinionated when I’m not feeling foolish, and a bit embarrassed.”

“There’s nothing wrong with following your heart. I know it seems awful now, but maybe this is for the best, getting you out of Houston.”

“Maybe.” Though she didn’t look convinced.

The server encouraged them to try the Boston cream pie special.

“Oh, my. This is good.” Jacqueline stabbed at the pie with unexpected gusto.

“You’d get along with my sister Rachel.”

Her gaze lifted to meet his. “I would?”

“Yeah, she has that same fervor for life…and pie… as you seem to.”

“Thank you.” Using her fork to poke at the pie on her plate, she didn’t look up. “Is there a lot of work in Honeyville?”

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