“What do you recommend?”
“The lobster and shrimp roll is spectacular. The grilled halibut is great too.”
I shut my menu. “The roll for me.”
She grinned. “Me too.”
We ordered, and I lifted my wineglass, clinking it with hers. I sipped the cold white wine in appreciation and looked at the expanse of water through the window, feeling a smile tug on my mouth.
“What?” she asked, tilting her head to the side, studying me.
I shrugged, leaning my elbows on the table. “If someone had told me a few months ago that I would be living in Nova Scotia by the water, drinking wine at two o’clock on a weekday, sitting across from a beautiful lady, instead of my usual work from sunup to sundown, I would have laughed.” I sat back, opening my hands. “Yet, here I am.”
She smiled. “Change is good.”
“It is.”
She picked up her wine, studying her glass. “You think I’m beautiful?”
“Incredibly so. I thought it the moment I saw you at Evan’s place. Even more so the last time.”
“I thought you were incredibly sexy,” she admitted.
I felt a glow of satisfaction. “Did you?” I murmured.
She lifted her eyes to mine, the blue almost silver in the sunlight. “You were laughing with Evan, and you looked so…virile and alive.”
The glow became a fire.
“I think I was starting to fall in love with this place. Cliff’s Edge is such an amazing little town. The people, the scenery, all of it. I hadn’t expected to feel the way I did about it, but it felt as if I had found something I was looking for, if that makes sense.”
She nodded. “I grew up in Halifax, but we often came out to Cliff’s Edge, and I loved the vibe. I was working in Halifax when I saw the post for the position here. I applied and was thrilled to get the job.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Five years.” She sipped her wine. “Holly told me you brought Mia here to meet Evan.”
I sat back, surprisingly relaxed, considering the subject. “I did. She wanted to meet her uncle. I never expected to find what we did. A family that opened their arms to us. A new life. But I’ve never seen Mia so happy or settled. I haven’t felt this positive in years.”
“Then it was meant to be.”
Our lunch arrived and I smiled. “I think it was.”
The sandwiches were spectacular—stuffed with lobster and shrimp in a light dressing. The fries and salad that came with them added to the satisfaction, and we both enjoyed the meal thoroughly. There was no pretense with her. She picked up her sandwich, licking her thumb when some mayo dripped on it. She ate with gusto, not hiding the fact that she liked what she ate. It was refreshing. She was droll and smart.
As she chewed and swallowed, she lifted her eyebrows in question.
“You’re settling in okay at the new house?”
“We love it. Mia is looking forward to school starting.”
“Yes, she told me that at the last barbecue. She is very cute.”
“I think so.” I winked. “I thought you were pretty damn cute too.”
“But you didn’t make any moves.”
“I wasn’t ready,” I admitted.
“But you are now?”
I studied her. “I think so. I would like to try, anyway.”
“I see.”
“As long as you’re on board with that.”
Her cheeks colored.
“Yes. Yes, I am.”
I grinned. “Excellent.”
We kept the conversation light, exchanging tidbits about each other.
“Favorite movie?” I asked.
“Oh. Tied. The Greatest Showman and The Last of the Mohicans.”
“Hmm. Never seen either.”
“We’ll have to rectify that.”
“I’m not much into musicals. People don’t really walk around bursting into song, you know,” I teased.
She paused before taking a bite. “You haven’t lived here long enough to know that.” Then she winked and took a huge bite of her sandwich, a smear of mayo on the corner of her lips. I had to fight the urge to lean forward and remove it with my finger, then lick it off since it had been close to her full lips.
“Your favorite movies?” she asked.
“Oh, probably 007 or the Bourne series. I love Marvel movies too.” I flashed a grin at her. “But usually, some Disney shit is blaring on the TV.”
She laughed. “I bet you love it.”
“Rapunzel is pretty badass. And I love Dory.”
She snorted, covering her mouth with her hand. It made me laugh, which made her laugh and snort again. It was endearing and I liked it.
“Maybe you’d like to come over and watch a movie with us,” I suggested hopefully.
She paused. “I don’t date parents of my kids. In fact, I rarely date.”
“Mia isn’t one of your students, and frankly, Ms. McNeil, we’re already on a date. So, too late.”
“I thought this was lunch.”
“We had wine. It’s a date.”
“Well then, I suppose a movie is acceptable. I can teach you some cooking tips at the same time.”
I pushed away my empty plate. “Awesome.”
CHAPTER THREE
SIMON
Over coffee, the subject came up. Amy stirred cream into her cup, quiet until the server placed the piece of cheesecake between us and left.
“So, Mia’s mother?” she asked quietly.
I sighed and sliced off a bite of cheesecake, chewing the dense richness slowly. I understood her question. She wasn’t going to get involved with someone who might still have an ex and feelings.
“We split when Mia was a baby. Kelsey has not seen her once since then. Mia has no memory of her.”
She gaped at me. “She has never seen her?”
I shook my head. “My ex wasn’t the person I thought she was when I married her. She admitted to me she got pregnant to keep me, but we weren’t compatible at all. She had zero maternal instincts and wanted nothing to do with Mia. She was, is, cold, cruel, and I’m grateful for the fact that she lives her own life. I don’t want my daughter subjected to that sort of influence.”
She reached across the table and covered my hand with hers. “I’m sorry.”
I flipped my hand over, closing my fingers around hers. “It’s fine. I built my life around Mia. I love her. I love being her dad. I regret my marriage but not my daughter.”
“Does Mia ask about her?”
“She did once. I showed her a picture of her mother. She looked at it as if she were looking at a magazine ad. All she said was that she thought she looked more like me. She was far more interested in her uncle.”
“Makes sense. The yearly gifts and all.”
I had told her the whole story about Evan.
“Mia comes first with me. Always,” I told her.
“As she should. I wish all parents were like you. I’ve seen a lot of people more like her mother than I can say.”
She took a bite of cheesecake. “So, you have no contact with your ex?”