“I had no idea Rowan was such a talented artist,” Hugh admitted as he examined the paintings of his parent’s wedding and of Mom and the boys. There was so much to look at it would take hours to study each inch to find the hidden treasures.
“She could make a living off her art alone,” Mom agreed.
“Yes, she could,” Hugh agreed. “When will she get home?” He would like to see her. He’d like to do a lot more than that. He’d like to beg her forgiveness, apologize for being the world’s biggest idiot…ask for one more chance.
He would settle for being near her again.
“Hmm, I’m not sure. When I see her, though, I can tell her you’re in town and would like to see her. Maybe?”
Hugh knew when he was being put off. “When does she usually get home?”
“Well, that depends on if she has a date.”
This wasRowan and William’s third lunch date. She had to continually remind herself to not compare him to...another man—there were times when those negative thoughts slipped through the cracks—but otherwise, she was enjoying Will’s company.
Her sisters found it hilarious that she was seeing Diana Gaines’ nephew. Rowan kind of found it funny, too, but she and Will never ran out of things to talk about. He was very close to his family, which was important, and he was clearly a tech genius, totally impressing Rowan. River would love him for sure.
It didn’t matter that he wasn’t a giant. Most men weren’t, for heaven’s sake. And it didn’t matter that he didn’t have a luxurious beard. Rowan was able to see his smile even better. And it certainly didn’t matter that when Will held her hand or touched her lower back that her body didn’t sizzle like a livewire.
No, it didn’t matter at all.
Because it couldn’t matter.
Refocusing on her date, Rowan asked, “Tilly seems excited about dinner tomorrow night.” Owen Stanton had asked if Matilda and Rowan would like to join him and William for a charity cocktail party at the gorgeous Philbrook Museum.Rowan’s parents had gone to all the exhibits and shows at Philbrook. She was thrilled with the invitation and even more thrilled that Matilda blushed every time they discussed what to wear.
“Dad’s been a nervous wreck for days. Whether anything comes of it, I’m just pleased that my father has found something besides financial projections to pique his interest.”
“I think it’s great they discovered ththey enjoyed each other’s company when we met for dinner at the Club. I think they both would enjoy just having a friend to do things with. It’s not as though they didn’t know who the other was before that dinner, but I don’t think they ever looked at one another before that as anything other than a connection of Diana’s.”
“Seriously though, I never thought my father would ever try to move on from my mother, even for female friendship. She passed away so long ago, I’d given up hope that Dad might find a life after Mom.”
“Do you mind me asking how she died?” Rowan was always careful not to pry into another person’s loss. It was so personal, and everyone handled the death of a loved one in different ways.
“Breast cancer. She was sixty-five. The doctors believed it had been growing for quite a while before they caught it. She stopped getting mammograms at sixty. That choice killed her. I was so angry for years that if my mother had made different choices, she’d still be here—with my father and with me.”
Rowan reached across the table and took William’s hand, squeezing in comfort and support. “I get it, Will. My sisters and I lost both our parents to a car accident when we were in college. There’s always a hole left in a child’s heart, but I don’t know…If your father loved your mother like my parents loved one another—sometimes I don’t mind that they went together. To not be the one left behind. I can think of them as always standing side by side in my thoughts and dreams.
“Your father is very brave to step out of his widowed comfort zone, as is Matilda. I’m proud of them both.” Thank goodness she and Will were tucked away in a corner at the sandwich shop where they were dining that day. They were discussing some weighty topics over soups and salads.
Rowan let go of Will’s hand and sat back in her seat again. He looked pensive, and when he spoke, she understood why.
“I do not want to come across as presumptuous, assuming things...” he trailed off with a slight wave between them. “If you were to ever agree to date me, seriously date me, would our age gap be an issue for you?”
Rowan tried to control her eyes from rounding. If he only knew how little of a problem that was. She shuddered as Hugh’s face popped between her and Will. Damn that interfering man, even when Hugh wasn’t present, he could ruin a mood. Another reminder of why she was in Oklahoma.
Will was still waiting for an answer. He really did have a model’s looks and build. If she were only concerned about a man’s appearance, he would certainly tick every box, but more than that, William Stanton was a genuinely nice man.
Rowan didn’t want to rush anything, but there was no viable reason not to see if there could be something between the two of them. “Age has never been an issue for me. I have…my last...” Rowan cut herself off. Lord have mercy. Why bring that up? “What I meant to say, Will, is that our age difference is not an issue.”
Will looked at her, his scientific mind probably trying to fill in the missing strings of data from her foolish past relationship blunder. To make matters worse, the ‘relationship’ had only ever been one-sided.
“I have wanted to ask you about your ex-wife. I don’t need to know why you aren’t together anymore, but I would like to know if you two have managed to keep a friendship.” At his lookof surprise, she added, “It’s just that family is obviously very important to you, as it is to me, and it would be lovely if you guys had been able to maintain...something. For your children’s and grandchildren’s sake at the very least.” From their first lunch, she knew he’d been divorced for a couple of years, but he’d offered no other information.
Will cleared his throat, clearly not comfortable with the subject matter. Rowan didn’t regret asking. A lot could be learned by how a person handled divorce.
“Katy is always invited to family functions, and we attend my granddaughter’s school functions as a family.”
He did not like speaking of his ex. Perhaps there were still feelings on one or both of their parts. It would be understandable and certainly something to address if she and William continued to see each other for long.
