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Maybe she’d done too much thinking already. Maybe it was time to just live in the moment. Maybe she needed to take a chance instead of playing it safe with her perfectly planned life.
When her gaze met his, she was drawn to him. The pounding of her heart drowned out her reservations, allowing her to follow her heart’s desire.
She sat down. He sat across from her. The server arrived and poured them both coffee. A couple of minutes later, the server returned with the dessert cart. Clara had a hard time selecting one thing from the delicious selections. She settled on the banana flambe while Andrew passed on dessert.
When the server began to prepared the treat at their table, she was impressed. A light of the torch and the sauce flamed, warming her face. As the flame went out, a scoop of ice cream was added.
When dessert was placed in front of her, she said, “You know since you came back into my life, I’ve been eating a ton of ice cream.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“I’m going to have to buy a whole new wardrobe, if I keep this up.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. You look fantastic. Besides, with the way you’re always on the go, you’ll never gain an ounce.”
“Uh-huh.” She smiled and shook her head. She’d forgotten just how good he was with flattery. “You might want to tell my scale that.”
But none of the banter kept her from spooning some of the sweet treat into her mouth. The thought of calories faded away. One delightful spoonful led to another and another until the plate of empty.
She wiped her mouth and set aside the napkin. “Thank you. Not just for the dessert but the whole evening. It’s been a very long time since I had that much fun.”
“The same for me. The last time I remember having this good of time was”—he paused as though giving his answer serious consideration—“well, I guess it would be the time you talked me into taking that yoga class with you.”
Her mind rewound to what felt like another lifetime. “I can’t believe you remember that.”
“I can’t believe you thought I’d forget it. That was quite an evening.”
“You mean because you dropped me?”
“Only once. And as I recall, you landed right on top of me.”
She smiled and nodded. “I was so embarrassed.”
“But at least they didn’t ask you not to come back.”
They both laughed. It was as though all the bad stuff had fallen by the wayside, and they were two old friends reminiscing. Her gaze lifted to meet his. As she stared deep into his eyes, she realized that whatever was going on between them went much deeper than friendship.
Her pulse raced, and her heart pounded. She’d missed the deep soothing tones of his voice, the way his smile made his eyes light up, and how just a look from him could make her forget everything else in the world.
He reached out his hand, placing it over hers. “Thank you for tonight. You don’t know what it meant to me.”
She should move her hand but didn’t. Instead, she enjoyed the warmth of his touch as they continued to stare into each other’s eyes. “But why are you thanking me? You’re the one that planned all of this.”
“But you didn’t have to agree to join me.”
“Excuse me?” a male voice said, breaking the moment.
Andrew didn’t pull his hand away as he turned to the server. “Thank you. Everything was delicious.”
“Yes, it was,” Clara added.
The young man nodded and then collected their dishes. “Will there be anything else?”
Andrew’s questioning gaze moved to her. When Clara shook her head, Andrew turned back to the server. “That will be all. We should get out of your way.”
Clara normally would be anxious to get home and go over her plans for the next day, but tonight disappointment came over her. And it was amplified when Andrew withdrew his hand. The coolness of the evening seeped into her skin, making her miss the closeness they’d shared.
The chauffeured sedan ride back to her apartment was much too quick as there wasn’t much traffic at that late hour. All the while, they tiptoed through the past, picking out their favorite stories. There was laughter interspersed with recounts of touching moments. They were things Clara hadn’t thought of in years—things she’d refused to think about. Because thinking about them meant missing Andrew. And until now that wasn’t something she’d been willing to do.
