“You look...stunning,” I barely get out as I memorize every little detail about the moment.
Tanya blushes and looks down at her outfit. “I was thinking I should dress up for our date.”
“I love the dress.”
“Thank you.”
I could stand here the entire night admiring her, but we have a reservation. “We better get going.”
“Let me grab my purse.”
Tanya walks to the foyer and grabs her bag from the side table. We check that we have the keys and leave the house.
Like every time we get into the truck, I open the door for her. I don’t put her seatbelt on this time because I know I won’t be able to keep my hands off her if I get too close. My palms itch to touch Tanya everywhere. But I promised her a dinner date tonight.
It doesn’t take me long to drive us to the popular local restaurant with a fish on its logo. The place is relatively new, so I haven’t been there yet, but the raving reviews online are promising.
We’re seated at a corner table in the spacious room and look over their menu. Their seafood chowder sounds delicious, and I decide to try that. Tanya orders a Southwestern salad with a side of French fries.
After the waiter brings our food, we dive into our meal.
“Have you enjoyed the Outer Banks so far?” I ask Tanya and take another spoonful of the soup. It truly is as tasty as promised online.
“I have! The horses today were my favorite part…and the house. I still can’t believe we’re here.”
“And we have four more nights to enjoy it all.”
Tanya smiles. “I can’t wait to try the pool tomorrow.”
“Same. It should be sunny, so you can help me with my sunscreen since I can’t reach my back.”
“I’ll gladly help you lather up your skin,” she offers with a wink.
”I might have to take you up on that offer. So, I’ve been wondering about something…”
Tanya’s eyes narrow. “Should I be worried?”
“No, nothing like that,” I assure her. “But I want to know what’s your five year plan.”
She laughs, and the sound vibrates around us. I love this playful side of her. It makes me feel all warm inside seeing her relaxing and not worrying about the things in her life.
“Is this a job interview or a date?” she jokes before answering. “I’m hoping to have a degree in the next five years. You see, I started working at the restaurant the summer after I graduated high school. It was supposed to be a summer job before I moved to Nashville for nursing school—” She trails off, her voice changing from bubbly to more subdued.
“What happened?”
Tanya stops eating and lifts her glassy eyes to mine. “Life had other plans. My parents were celebrating their twentieth anniversary on a camping trip that summer. There was a mudslide, and well, they—they died. It took rescuers three days to find their bodies.”
It breaks my heart that she had to go through that. I want to hold her right now, but I know she needs to get it all out before I do, so I stay in my seat. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“Thank you. I think this trip has brought up many feelings I hid for years. Like yesterday…I was thinking about my parents just before I started crying. We never had a beach vacation together because my dad was busy with the church. All our family trips were near Gatlinburg, helping people in need. My parent’s camping trip was their first week off in a few years.”
I offer my hand over the table, and she intertwines our fingers. I squeeze her hand, offering my support without words.
“I was left caring for my little brother, Will—he was only a little kid who needed me to be there for him. Our parents didn’t have any siblings or cousins they were close to. My mom’s parents also died when she was a young adult, and my dad never mentioned his. Anyway, it’s been just Will and me for the past ten years.”
“And Sally.”
Tanya smiles. “She’s been my biggest cheerleader after everything that happened. I don’t know what I would have done without her.”
