Then she shrugged ruefully. “Though he fell in love with someone else and moved away.”
“But he only fell in love with Avi after you broke up with him,” Patricia reminded her. She happened to be the mother of the man in question, a mother who’d been estranged from her children for twenty years. Those relationships had healed only in the five months since her second husband’s death. Bennie knew it had been hard for Patricia, but she understood the children’s position better. Her mother had abandoned her, too. She had no idea where Lilly Pickering was, if she was even alive, and if fate somehow brought her back to Bennie, she didn’t know whether there was forgiveness for her in Bennie’s heart.
“And why aren’t you dating, Bennie?” Fia asked, then slyly added, “Don’t tell me you haven’t been asked.”
She had been asked. Just a month ago, a doctor at the hospital had asked, but she thought workplace romances were a bad idea. She’d been asked by a couple of guys she’d gone to high school with, but she remembered too clearly what hound dogs they’d been then to imagine herself with either of them now. The youth pastor at the church had asked her out when he’d first arrived in town, but…truth be told, she wanted a man she could be a little naughty with. How could she be naughty with a pastor?
“I’m just waiting for the right guy,” she said airily. Maybe. She’d had a lot of loss in her life: father, mother, husband, best friend. Obviously, some people were strong enough to take the risk of second chances—Carly, Jessy, and Therese had. But she wasn’t sure, no matter how lonely she got, that she was one of them.
“Aren’t we all?” Ilena said with a sigh.
“Speak for yourselves.” That was Marti, dipping a tortilla chip into salsa, shaking off the excess, then liberally sprinkling it with salt. “I loved Joshua dearly, and I loved being married to him, but I’m not looking to repeat the experience. I’m fine on my own.”
“I’m fine on my own, too.” Though Bennie wasn’t really on her own. At least she had Mama to go home to every night. “But if Mr. Right came waltzing through that door right now,” she teased, “you can bet I’d be waltzing out with him five minutes later. And somebody take that salt shaker away from her. She’s gonna swell up like a sponge.”
“But I’ll be a happy sponge,” Marti replied as Fia laughingly moved the salt shaker out of reach.
When it came time to go, it was the same as usual: Bennie truly hated to leave them. There were hugs all around, then Jessy and Carly headed to the bar area while the rest of them left the warmth of the restaurant for the cold night.
“It’s times like these that make me miss Florida,” Fia said with a shiver.
“Nah, honey, it’ll pass. That warm sun’s gonna come back.” Bennie hugged her close as they stepped off the curb. “You got a ride, doll?”
“Therese is taking me home. Her van is easy to get in and out of.” Fia smiled thinly. “My doctor’s sending me for some special kind of MRI that they can’t do here. I don’t know when or where, but maybe it’ll give us an answer.”
“Oh, I hope so!” Bennie said fervently. For the better part of the year, Fia had suffered mysterious symptoms that every doctor had lazily written off as normal strains and overuse for a twenty-something personal trainer. Last month, though, Jessy and Patricia had gotten involved. Neither had any medical knowledge, but they were both experts at standing their ground and intimidating lesser mortals. They’d demanded answers for Fia, and this doctor was doing his best to find those answers.
“You know, Mama and I pray for you every day, and so does her church group. Doctors are good, but sometimes they need the Lord’s guidance to see the big picture.”
“I appreciate all the prayers I can get.” Fia grimaced. “I have a new respect for what Dane and everyone like him has been through.
“But he only fell in love with Avi after you broke up with him,” Patricia reminded her. She happened to be the mother of the man in question, a mother who’d been estranged from her children for twenty years. Those relationships had healed only in the five months since her second husband’s death. Bennie knew it had been hard for Patricia, but she understood the children’s position better. Her mother had abandoned her, too. She had no idea where Lilly Pickering was, if she was even alive, and if fate somehow brought her back to Bennie, she didn’t know whether there was forgiveness for her in Bennie’s heart.
“And why aren’t you dating, Bennie?” Fia asked, then slyly added, “Don’t tell me you haven’t been asked.”
She had been asked. Just a month ago, a doctor at the hospital had asked, but she thought workplace romances were a bad idea. She’d been asked by a couple of guys she’d gone to high school with, but she remembered too clearly what hound dogs they’d been then to imagine herself with either of them now. The youth pastor at the church had asked her out when he’d first arrived in town, but…truth be told, she wanted a man she could be a little naughty with. How could she be naughty with a pastor?
“I’m just waiting for the right guy,” she said airily. Maybe. She’d had a lot of loss in her life: father, mother, husband, best friend. Obviously, some people were strong enough to take the risk of second chances—Carly, Jessy, and Therese had. But she wasn’t sure, no matter how lonely she got, that she was one of them.
“Aren’t we all?” Ilena said with a sigh.
“Speak for yourselves.” That was Marti, dipping a tortilla chip into salsa, shaking off the excess, then liberally sprinkling it with salt. “I loved Joshua dearly, and I loved being married to him, but I’m not looking to repeat the experience. I’m fine on my own.”
“I’m fine on my own, too.” Though Bennie wasn’t really on her own. At least she had Mama to go home to every night. “But if Mr. Right came waltzing through that door right now,” she teased, “you can bet I’d be waltzing out with him five minutes later. And somebody take that salt shaker away from her. She’s gonna swell up like a sponge.”
“But I’ll be a happy sponge,” Marti replied as Fia laughingly moved the salt shaker out of reach.
When it came time to go, it was the same as usual: Bennie truly hated to leave them. There were hugs all around, then Jessy and Carly headed to the bar area while the rest of them left the warmth of the restaurant for the cold night.
“It’s times like these that make me miss Florida,” Fia said with a shiver.
“Nah, honey, it’ll pass. That warm sun’s gonna come back.” Bennie hugged her close as they stepped off the curb. “You got a ride, doll?”
“Therese is taking me home. Her van is easy to get in and out of.” Fia smiled thinly. “My doctor’s sending me for some special kind of MRI that they can’t do here. I don’t know when or where, but maybe it’ll give us an answer.”
“Oh, I hope so!” Bennie said fervently. For the better part of the year, Fia had suffered mysterious symptoms that every doctor had lazily written off as normal strains and overuse for a twenty-something personal trainer. Last month, though, Jessy and Patricia had gotten involved. Neither had any medical knowledge, but they were both experts at standing their ground and intimidating lesser mortals. They’d demanded answers for Fia, and this doctor was doing his best to find those answers.
“You know, Mama and I pray for you every day, and so does her church group. Doctors are good, but sometimes they need the Lord’s guidance to see the big picture.”
“I appreciate all the prayers I can get.” Fia grimaced. “I have a new respect for what Dane and everyone like him has been through.
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