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"This might be the one, Daniel. Try to have a little faith."
"I'm trying. Tina's ten already, and I haven't found anyone to be her mother yet . . . I'm starting to lose hope."
"Don't go into this looking for a mother for your daughter. Look for a partner for yourself first and then see if it will work with Tina."
"Harry-"
"Just go."
Daniel pulled outside Lisa's apartment and rechecked the address to be sure it was in the right place. He hesitated and crunched a breath mint as he stared at the door for a while. Nothing felt right without Candace; he still didn't want anyone else but her.
He made himself get out of the truck, and when he buzzed her apartment, she came right down and looked rushed.
"Hi."
"Hey, Lisa. How you doing?" he fumbled.
"Just fine, and yourself?"
"I'm good. Did you want to go for dinner first?"
"Sure."
It was agony; he had no idea how to get her to smile. She wasn't a woman that smiled easily like Candace. He walked her to his work truck and opened the door for her. Lisa was only 5 foot 4, so she had to climb into the car and looked annoyed.
"Sorry, honey, all I got is my work truck."
He could tell from her face that she didn't enjoy being called honey, and he knew it wouldn't work right there. He called all women 'honey.' He always had. It would be hard to change that.
It became obvious throughout the evening that Lisa didn't like anything that came naturally to him, and he just wanted to go home to hang out with Tina. He wanted to be comfortable again.
She said a man holding doors was archaic, and she insisted on paying for her dinner; he didn't know which way was up. Daniel had never had a woman pay for her food or a movie before; he liked to pay.
"I do have my own money, you know?"
"I know . . . it's just that this was set up by my sister-in-law so I just figured I should pay. I haven't been out with anyone in a long time, so I didn't know this kind of thing changed. Are you upset?"
"I'm not upset; I just like to pay for myself."
"I respect that, hon-" he paused, catching himself calling her honey again. "See? I caught it," he laughed.
"Yep," she sighed.
He tried to put his arm around her in the darkened theater, but even in the dark, he could see her roll her eyes, and he wound up in the bathroom halfway through the movie staring at Candace's picture.
"I can't do this . . . "he whispered to the picture. "I don't even want to do this . . . I still miss you too much."
/
Daniel was home by 10 pm, and Harry sighed, knowing how it went by the expression on his face.
"It's your first date in years . . . it's bound to be awkward as hell," Harry insisted.
"Sorry, Daniel," Ashley shrugged.
"It's OK, Ashley. She was alright, just not for me."
"What happened anyway?"
