“Shall we?”
And they were off. They made easy conversation in his car on the way to the restaurant, veering from whether or not it would rain, to a funny story about Jane’s adventure trying to wrangle a pet ferret, to a discussion about the pros and cons of personalized license plates. By the time they reached their destination, Tom was thoroughly relaxed and entertained.
He’d thought Jane was having a good time too, but when she got out of the car in the parking lot, she got strangely quiet.
“You okay?” he asked when she stopped and stared across the street. “If you don’t like the food here, we can go someplace else.”
She shook her head. Even though it was dark, he spotted tears in her eyes.
Stepping in front of her, he used two fingers to tilt her chin up so that he could get a better look at her.
Her expression of misery socked him in the gut.
“What’s wrong?”
She raised a hand and pointed a shaky finger toward the shop across the street. “That was my dream.”
“Donuts? You want donuts instead of dinner? I can do that. Donuts are great,” he said hurriedly, eager to make her happy.
She laughed, which caused two fat tears to run down her cheeks. Releasing her chin, he brushed them away.
“Sorry,” she hung her head, embarrassed. “Not exactly perfect date material, am I?”
Without thinking he pulled her to him in a tight hug to comfort her. She held herself away at first, but then seemed to melt against him, wrapping her hands around his waist and resting her head against his chest.
“Now tell me about this donut fixation,” he suggested, trying to ignore how perfectly she molded to his body, how good she smelled, how soft she felt.
“It’s not the donuts,” she sniffled. “It’s the shop. I was supposed to buy that storefront, but then Gerald, my ex-boyfriend, stole all my savings. Thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven dollars.”
Tom tensed, overwhelmed with the urge to beat the crap out of the unnamed man who’d hurt her. “How?”
“He was my accountant,” she revealed bitterly. “And I was so happy to land someone solid that I never had a clue what a jerk he was until it was too late.”
The self-recrimination in her voice made him want to tell her that everyone made mistakes and that everyone gets suckered some time, but the words got caught in his throat.
“I was going to open my business there,” she continued. “You can’t see it from here, but there’s a giant fenced-in lot behind that place.”
“What were you going to do?”
“Doggie daycare.” She laughed self-consciously. “I know to most people that doesn’t sound like much of an entrepreneurial dream, but to me, it meant the world.”
“You love dogs that much?”
“I enjoy the company of dogs that much. My parents…” She took a deep breath as though to fortify herself for whatever she was about to reveal. “My parents loved each other passionately and they chased their dreams with abandon. They were professional dancers, bouncing from gig to gig.”
Tom stroked her hair, waiting for the giant “but” he sensed was coming.
“But it meant I was lonely a lot of the time, but you can’t be too lonely in the company of a dog. So yeah, I guess I love dogs.”
Tom didn’t know what to say. He’d grown up in a home with parents who had doted on him and three brothers who’d ensured he never had a moment alone. When Meghan had broken his heart, he’d retreated from the world, saying he needed his privacy. It wasn’t until this moment that he’d realized how lonely his self-imposed exile had left him.
“Do you want to see them?”
“Your parents? I thought you said they died.”
She fiddled with the antique locket she wore. The one he’d wondered if she’d stolen.
“Here they are.” She snapped it open.
He peered at the two tiny photographs, trying not to focus on the swell of her chest, even though the necklace lay between the lace-cupped
And they were off. They made easy conversation in his car on the way to the restaurant, veering from whether or not it would rain, to a funny story about Jane’s adventure trying to wrangle a pet ferret, to a discussion about the pros and cons of personalized license plates. By the time they reached their destination, Tom was thoroughly relaxed and entertained.
He’d thought Jane was having a good time too, but when she got out of the car in the parking lot, she got strangely quiet.
“You okay?” he asked when she stopped and stared across the street. “If you don’t like the food here, we can go someplace else.”
She shook her head. Even though it was dark, he spotted tears in her eyes.
Stepping in front of her, he used two fingers to tilt her chin up so that he could get a better look at her.
Her expression of misery socked him in the gut.
“What’s wrong?”
She raised a hand and pointed a shaky finger toward the shop across the street. “That was my dream.”
“Donuts? You want donuts instead of dinner? I can do that. Donuts are great,” he said hurriedly, eager to make her happy.
She laughed, which caused two fat tears to run down her cheeks. Releasing her chin, he brushed them away.
“Sorry,” she hung her head, embarrassed. “Not exactly perfect date material, am I?”
Without thinking he pulled her to him in a tight hug to comfort her. She held herself away at first, but then seemed to melt against him, wrapping her hands around his waist and resting her head against his chest.
“Now tell me about this donut fixation,” he suggested, trying to ignore how perfectly she molded to his body, how good she smelled, how soft she felt.
“It’s not the donuts,” she sniffled. “It’s the shop. I was supposed to buy that storefront, but then Gerald, my ex-boyfriend, stole all my savings. Thirty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven dollars.”
Tom tensed, overwhelmed with the urge to beat the crap out of the unnamed man who’d hurt her. “How?”
“He was my accountant,” she revealed bitterly. “And I was so happy to land someone solid that I never had a clue what a jerk he was until it was too late.”
The self-recrimination in her voice made him want to tell her that everyone made mistakes and that everyone gets suckered some time, but the words got caught in his throat.
“I was going to open my business there,” she continued. “You can’t see it from here, but there’s a giant fenced-in lot behind that place.”
“What were you going to do?”
“Doggie daycare.” She laughed self-consciously. “I know to most people that doesn’t sound like much of an entrepreneurial dream, but to me, it meant the world.”
“You love dogs that much?”
“I enjoy the company of dogs that much. My parents…” She took a deep breath as though to fortify herself for whatever she was about to reveal. “My parents loved each other passionately and they chased their dreams with abandon. They were professional dancers, bouncing from gig to gig.”
Tom stroked her hair, waiting for the giant “but” he sensed was coming.
“But it meant I was lonely a lot of the time, but you can’t be too lonely in the company of a dog. So yeah, I guess I love dogs.”
Tom didn’t know what to say. He’d grown up in a home with parents who had doted on him and three brothers who’d ensured he never had a moment alone. When Meghan had broken his heart, he’d retreated from the world, saying he needed his privacy. It wasn’t until this moment that he’d realized how lonely his self-imposed exile had left him.
“Do you want to see them?”
“Your parents? I thought you said they died.”
She fiddled with the antique locket she wore. The one he’d wondered if she’d stolen.
“Here they are.” She snapped it open.
He peered at the two tiny photographs, trying not to focus on the swell of her chest, even though the necklace lay between the lace-cupped
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