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“You’re going out…on a date…with Tiffany?” Cole repeated loudly.
The incredulous tone in Cole’s voice irritated Ivan. “Yes, we’re going out,” he snapped. “And before you ask, yes, I finally told her about Debra.”
“And she still wants to go out with you?”
Ivan ignored that remark.
“So where are you taking her?”
He frowned. “I’m not sure yet. I was working on it when you called.”
“Wherever it is better be good. This woman wants to be with you, despite your nonsense with Debra. That says a lot.”
“It’s not nonsense.”
“Yeah, whatever. How many people do you know who fund a friend’s widow for as long as you have? I’ll tell you. Zilch, that’s how many.”
“It hasn’t been that long, Cole, and it’s not permanent.”
“Most disasters aren’t. You’ve done a noble thing. Now it’s time for Debra to stand on her own two feet.”
After Cole hung up, Ivan dismissed his concerns. He’d sort all that out later. Right now, he wanted to focus on Tiffany. The last time he was on a date was over a year ago. A client call had cut it short. There had not been a second one. At times, Ivan’s schedule was unpredictable, and that tended to be hard on his love life.
He thought back to the conversation with his grandmother. She was right. He was stuck in a rut. A large part of him enjoyed his regimented life. There was a comfort in the predictability of it. Adjusting to civilian life hadn’t been without its difficulties, but his line of work afforded the same rigid conditioning and procedural aspects that he was used to. Being his own boss enabled him to hire retired veterans and honorably discharged servicemen and women, and it also gave him the means to lend his time, money and support to causes and charities he felt passionate about. There was no better feeling.
Looking for a meaningful relationship took time, and that was a commodity Ivan had little of. But business was going well, and his company was stable. Other than the occasional fire to put out, for the immediate future, he had nothing but time. Ivan went back to searching for a suitable restaurant. Should he go for something hip and trendy, or more laid-back with ambience?
Ivan thought about Tiffany for a moment and what little he knew about her. His brow furrowed with concentration as he scanned websites and reviews. One particular place caught his eye. He glanced over the pictures, and then read each evaluation.
“Perfect.”
He wanted his first date with Tiffany to be extraordinary. Based on what he had gleaned so far, too many of her dates fell short of the mark. Ivan did not intend to be one of those.
*
“So, how was your evening with Ivan?”
If Milán could see her face right now, she would not have to ask. “Why do you think I was with Ivan?”
“Let’s see, you leave the barbecue minutes after your secret meeting in the kitchen, claiming you have to get into work early today, and he spent the remainder of his time after you left checking his watch—then hightails it out of there a short time later. Real subtle, Tiffy.”
“First of all, it wasn’t secret…” she began.
Milán broke into a litany of Spanish so fast, it made Tiffany dizzy.
“Okay, okay,” she cried out to stop the tirade. “Yes, I was with Ivan last night, and the night before. He asked me out on a date, Lani!”
After letting out a whoop, Milán congratulated her friend. “So what happened?”
“A great deal.” She sighed. “He’s taking me out tonight.”
“I’m so happy for you, but you’re in trouble for not telling me sooner.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just been so crazy.”
“I can’t believe you even made it in to work today. Do you have any idea what you’re wearing tonight?”
“No clue. But I’m excited to figure it out.”
