"Where?"Cadie said.
"I'm taking you to dinner at the Peninsula Grill."
Cadie's eyes widened, then she laughed."I don't think we could have afforded that on our high school allowances."
Barrett realized how much he enjoyed being with her and seeing her laugh.
"I'm sure we wouldn't have been able to," he said."But I can now."
*****
Peninsula Grill was on the ground floor of Planter's Inn on Market Street.The entrance was understated, marked by a small awning and a pair of gas lanterns that cast a warm glow on the brick façade.Inside, the dining room was elegant and intimate.Velvet curtains framed the windows, and the tables were draped in white linen and lit by candlelight.The atmosphere was the kind that encouraged conversation and made the rest of the world feel very far away.
The host led them to a corner table that offered privacy without feeling isolated.Barrett pulled out Cadie's chair, then took his seat across from her and opened the wine list.He chose a bottle of Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley.The sommelier brought it to the table, presented the label, and poured a small taste.Barrett nodded, and the man filled their glasses.
After a while, orders were taken.Cadie chose the pan-roasted sea bass, and Barrett selected the filet.The waiter left them alone, and the candlelight settled between them in a warm glow.
Barrett lifted his glass and held it across the table.Cadie touched hers to his, and the crystal rang softly in the quiet dining room.
Cadie told him about the first time she'd played a blues club in New Orleans, how her hands had been shaking so badly that she nearly missed the opening chord.Barrett told her about the first time he jumped out of a plane during SEAL training, how the instructor had said fear never goes away, but you learn to jump anyway.
"That sounds like a philosophy for more than just parachutes," Cadie said.
"It is," Barrett said.
The meals arrived.The sea bass was arranged over a bed of risotto, and Barrett's filet was seared with a side of roasted vegetables.He ate slowly, watching Cadie savor her food.
As the evening deepened, he poured the last of the wine into their glasses, then looked across the table.Cadie watched him, the candlelight reflected in her eyes.Her expression was tender and cut through the last shred of his defenses.
The dining room was quiet around them, as the other guests were absorbed in their own conversations.The moment felt suspended, as though the room and the evening and the years that had brought them here had all converged into one single point.
Barrett tried to breathe."I love you…with all my heart."He held her gaze without flinching."I know I've done a poor job of showing you how I feel, but I intend to mend my ways."
Cadie's eyes filled with tears.She didn't try to hide them or look away.
"I love you too," she said, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand."I just can't believe that after all this time we found each other again."
Barrett reached across the table and took her hand."Believe it, my love."His heart swelled with emotion."And I don't intend to lose you again."
As the hour grew late, the dining room emptied.The sommelier cleared the wine bottle, and the waiter brought the check.Barrett signed it without looking at the total.He helped Cadie with her chair, then led her through the restaurant.
He stopped in the lobby and turned to take both of her hands."I want to spend the night with you…on this special day," he said."I want to share the depth of what I feel for you."
Cadie gave him a coy smile."Plus…no one knows we're here."
"There is that, too."Barrett kissed her.The look in her eyes held the promise of so much more.It would be a night to remember, a new beginning.And he planned to spend the rest of his life loving her, showing how much she meant to him.He couldn't believe his fortune that Cadie loved him back.
Chapter 15
On the drive back to the hotel the next morning, the light over Charleston was soft and golden.Cadie sat in the passenger seat and watched the city pass by.She rolled her window down an inch to let the breeze carry in the faint scent of the harbor, then turned to look at Barrett.
He was focused on the road, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the console between them.She noted that he appeared content.The light caught the silver at his temples and the strong line of his profile, and Cadie felt such love for him.
Yesterday had been one of the most beautiful days of her life.Barrett had given her the date they never had in high school, and he had done it with such care and attention.And after the candlelit dinner at Peninsula Grill, she'd had the night alone with him at the inn.Cadie held the memory of the private hours they had spent together.The intimacy was real, unhurried and tender.She'd given of herself without reservation, and Barrett had responded in kind.
She had no doubt that Barrett was the only man for her.But that didn't mean everything would work out.
Cadie turned back to the window and watched the storefronts slide past as Barrett drove.Reality had reentered sometime during the drive, overshadowing the happiness.
