Sara's Promise by Deanna Lynn Sletten

house, and met both of my children already. There's nothing more to say about me. It's your turn."
    The smile faded from Annie's face. "There's really not much to tell," she said softly.
    William cocked his head and studied her a moment. Her eyes were bright blue tonight and her face was sun kissed from being outside in the spring sun. He liked looking at her, her features so petite and womanly, yet her personality so vibrant and strong. She was a wonderful mixture of contrasts, and for the first time since Sara died, he found himself attracted to another woman. The thought startled him, yet he couldn't help his feelings. Just as he couldn't help wanting to learn more about her.
    "You must have grown up somewhere," he said, teasingly. "Must have had parents and gone to school, all those normal things. You didn't just drop out of the sky one day like a fallen angel, did you?"
    He was teasing her, she knew. There was no trace of sarcasm in his voice. She couldn't help but smile, in spite of herself.
    "I grew up in St. Paul," she began softly.
    "Minnesota?" he asked, surprise in his voice. He leaned over the table closer to her, interested in what she had to say.
    "Yes, Minnesota," she replied with a chuckle. "I went to the University of Minnesota and graduated with an art degree. Then, a few years later, I moved here."
    She stopped speaking.
     He cocked his head and stared at her. "That's it? End of story?"
    "Pretty much."
    "Hmm," he mused, watching her face. There was more, much more, he thought. But he'd have to ease it out of her. "Do your parents still live there?" he asked gently.
    Annie sighed. "My mother died when I was three. I don't remember much about her. My father died a few years later, when I was ten. I lived with aunts, uncles, and their families until I went out on my own."
    William's brown eyes softened. "I'm sorry," he said, giving the moment a measure of appropriate silence. Then, still curious, he asked, "What made you move here?" He couldn't help asking questions. He was intrigued by her. She was independent, strong-willed, feminine, and sweet all rolled up into one person. And now that this little window of information had opened up to him, giving him insight into her past, he wanted to open it wider and explore it all.
    Annie's face lit up, thinking about her reasons for moving here. As far as she was concerned, moving to Seaside was the beginning of her life. "I came to Portland on an assignment for the magazine I worked for in St. Paul. When I saw Seaside for the very first time, I fell in love with it. It was almost like I was drawn to Seaside. I felt I belonged here." She sighed, remembering the move. It happened after a particularly bad year for her. "Most of the people I knew thought I was running away when I moved here. But to me, it felt like coming home."
    She looked up at William, a bit shyly, her eyes bright, happy. She’d never spoken so frankly about herself to anyone else except her good friend, Cherise. No one else in her past had ever cared to ask her questions about her life.
    He smiled back at her, enjoying the happy look on her face, the sparkle in her eyes. She so reminded him of Sara, but for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why. She was the opposite of Sara in every way, and yet, something stood out, something that warmed his heart, making him feel he was sharing his time with a lifelong friend, not a woman he’d only just met yesterday.
    Their food arrived, and they ate heartily as their conversation flowed easily. He asked about her work, and she asked about his. He told her about the current design he was working on, and she told him about the Victorian house shoot she’d just completed. They grew full from the food they ate but could not seem to get their fill of each other.
    As they sat over coffee, Annie asked, “Why do you only design houses? Your firm is known for its expert work in shopping malls, condominiums, and business complexes. Most people would want to